Excursion...book thru Carnival...or not????

[crookedhalo]

DH and I booked thru Carnival online. It was sooo easy! Thing that I loved most, people we met on board waited to sign up on ship and all the good excursions etc. were full;)

 

Another benefit - one of the excursions we were signed up for had some sort of difficulty with the time we were signed up at, so we were automatically moved to an earlier excursion! We weren't left hanging with nothing to do in Nassau:eek:

(I know, I know! Shopping! But when you work retail every day - shopping is the last thing you want to do:p )

 

Also, if you're a control freak (like me!) you won't be able to deal with the "will we make it on time or won't we" It would ruin your whole excursion worrying about missing the boat:)

 

Karen

[snista]

I can tell you this for a fact... Coral Breeze, operates tours in Belize...and it was wonderful. THey have a great website you can check out.

 

www.coralbreezelimited.com I think is the website.

 

We just went on the same cruise last week and it was awesome. We had no problems at all..and were in a small group. Also cost less, and the food was great! I will only vouch for those I've used..although I tend to book on my own more often than not.

 

Read the boards about jumping ahead on the tenders and you will be fine. It's easy to do and you will get there in plenty of time. They will be there waiting for you when you get off regardless of your time.

[nyllrap]

We (myself, husband, 20 yr old daughter, 24 yr old neighbor) have

booked a Grand Cayman Islands excursion through Nativeway.

I am undecided about whether to book a Ochos Rios tour at all,

through Carnival, or independently. Which Carnival Ocho Rios Shore Excursions are really good?

[dotshub]

We now go on our own most of the time, but we did book through the ship on our first cruise. For first timers, I think its better because its easy to do and you wont be stressed about missing the ship.

[Kat1613]

I don't agree that a "newbie" can't do research and book their own excursion-I don't believe that has anything to do with booking thru the ship or not.

I have been a "newbie" to various different ports & booked my own excursions and enjoyed it thoroughly with no problems. If you are that cautious then book thru the cruiselines & pay their inflated prices. However, if u do your research thoroughly, you could definately find much better tours for cheaper out there that are just as safe as the cruiselines-don't let others scare u into being left behind. Enjoy your cruise either way!

[Tweety]

We have always done our own thing. We even did Dunn's River Falls in Ocho Rios by going out a getting a cab at the dock. I just booked our Dolphin Discovery through cozumelinsider.com at Chanakaab for a good price. You're on your own to get there, but that is not a problem. I am also considering doing the Shark/Ray snorkel trip in Belize through coralbreezeslimited.com thanks to the suggestions on this board. I can't wait. We go on the Glory in July.

[rockedge]

I think you need to look at what type of excursion you want. If it will be one that puts you into a possible time problem in getting back to the ship because of distance or other situation then I always book with the cruise ship. If time and distance are not a problem I usually book a tour right at the dock when we arrive and on occasion ahead of time thru a company that has good reviews on cruise critic.

[fofita01]

Hello!

 

I took my first cruise May 07-14 to San Juan, St. Thomas & St. Maarten. I did a combination of things...

 

In San Juan: Originally my friends and I planned to walk to Sr. Frog's and that's it. Once we arrived there were plenty of people offering tours of the city and such.... we opted to take a 2 hour tour... This was competely unplanned and kind of on our own. I would do it again..... meaning just take a taxi and go around the island on my own.

 

In St. Thomas: We booked excursions through Carnival. It was great because we didnt have to worry about anything.... However, I think that next time I will make my own arrangements.... but that is because I have already been to the island...... so I know what to expect.

 

In St. Maarten: We got a free excursion through our online TA, so we did that. It was about $20 cheaper than the same exact excursion through carnival. So I would do it again as well.... because the tour company was very organized and seemed reputable, excellent tour and excellent customer service.

 

In summary, I would suggest that for a first cruise, one should book the excursion with the cruise line to be on the safe side. If you are more adventurous, then booking it on your own may be a better choice. I think it depends on what you want to do...... But when it comes down to it, nothing will give you more peace of mind than knowing that you wont be left behind when you book through the cruise line....