Is it necessary to book 'excursions' in advance?

[Beezle82]

I'm headed to the Southern Caribbean next April - I've only been on one other cruise (4-day to the Bahamas) and we didn't do any 'excursion' type things at any of the ports - just a lot of walking around and shopping. I know that I would definitely like to do the sea turtle swim/snorkle in Barbados on this next trip - anyone know how quickly those types of excursions fill up? Will I need to book in advance or will it be fairly easy to just pick one once we get off the ship and away we go?

 

There's going to be 5-6 people total in my party - just wondering how far ahead we should be planning things or if it will be ok to fly by the seat of our pants :)

[Aplmac]

Cruisers wing it all the time on the Southern Caribbean route!

 

Taxi drivers abound at all ports offering all sorts of island tours, short and long

- usually for around $25-50 per person, depending.

 

Bathsheba's big coastal boulders -on the island's East coast.

 

 

If you're interested in some particular theme or hobby

you might let the guy know you're into History or whatever

and he'll customize you a tour out of his head, on the spot.

It's not difficult, and they do it all the time. It's your day ashore

and you can fill it how you want.

 

 

Best thing you might do is get together a group of you, maybe four or five couples of like mind

and fill one of those 10-seater van things. Seriously: numbers count.

 

..

[OCruisers]

When we know FOR SURE we are going to want to take an excursion thru the ship, we go ahead and book in advance. :)

 

LuLu

~~~~

[CaribbeanBound]

We book excursions in advance when we're sure we don't want to take a ship excursion...

 

We really enjoyed Barbados. We prearranged for Glory Tour's "Best of Barbados Tour" (Option A) which included lunch, entrance fees, and drinks. It was an all-day tour that ran from 9:00am to 4:00pm. All entrance fees were included. There were just six of us on this guided tour that took us all over the island. Our driver, Stephen, took us first to Harrision Cave where were enjoyed a guided tram tour underground. These caves are spectacular. Then on to Bathsheba on the East Coast for impressive views of the ocean and rock formations. We ate a delicious lunch of Flying Fish, rice and beans, cole slaw, macaroni and cheese casserole, and a coke. We then worked our way to the Wild Life Reserve where we saw an abundance of green-tailed monkeys, tortoises, iguanas, a python, peacocks, turkeys, and other critters I couldn't identify. Stephen then treated us to a Barbados Rum Punch at the bar there. On the West Coast, we took a glass bottom boat to two snorkeling destinations: first visiting a ship wreck, then a spot where we swam with sea turtles (West Coast). Recommended!

 

More "Secrets of the Caribbean" http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/caribbean-secrets.html

[seashinesunshine]

I'm headed to the Southern Caribbean next April - I've only been on one other cruise (4-day to the Bahamas) and we didn't do any 'excursion' type things at any of the ports - just a lot of walking around and shopping. I know that I would definitely like to do the sea turtle swim/snorkle in Barbados on this next trip - anyone know how quickly those types of excursions fill up? Will I need to book in advance or will it be fairly easy to just pick one once we get off the ship and away we go?

 

There's going to be 5-6 people total in my party - just wondering how far ahead we should be planning things or if it will be ok to fly by the seat of our pants :)

 

 

If there is something that is a must do, then book it ahead. Sometimes I book ahead if I know I want a ship tour as a way of helping me budget, I prepay.

In Barbados there are many options to swim with the turtles. You can take a cab to Carlisle Bay, should be about 5$ pp, or a 20 min walk. There are boats all over that take you out to swim with the turtles and over ship wrecks. They will find you on the beach. Or you could swim out to them, I am not a swimmer with that good of endurance for that though. I believe we paid about 20$ pp for a glass bottom boat ride to the turtles and ship wrecks. The other people on the boat with us paid 32$ pp, so bargin with them. We were there in the afternoon and the tour guide said it is better in the morning, the turtles get full from being fed so they go away in the afternoon.

[Beezle82]

Thank you, everyone! :)