Excursions

[Willoiow]

Has anyone and would anyone recommend using the excursions from this site? They seem so much cheaper than royal Caribbean but sometimes cheaper isn't always better. All advice welcomed !!!

Thanks in advance

Dave williams

[cb at sea]

Which site? At any rate, if you read up on your ports, via a guidebook, you may find you don't need an excursion at all to do what you want! Info is your best friend!!

[Bonnie J.]

Go to your roll call here and see what others on your cruise are doing. We have joined others from our Roll Call and joined them on excursions. Once 12 of us chartered our own sunset snorkeling tour in Aruba and had the boat all to ourselves! We've been on more than 100 cruises and never use the ship's tours any more. Sometimes ship's tours are almost twice the cost as the tours we take.

Edited July 24, 2014 by Bonnie J.

[SparkleBee]

it's mostly agreed that the tours from the ships are more expensive and not as good as something you'd book on your own. at least in the places I've been, Baltic and Alaska.

[Scrapnana]

Check out the reviews on TripAdvisor for reliable tour operators. You might also find some good options on the ports of call forum.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5

[paul929207]

We much prefer the independent tours. Much better and cheaper than the ones offered by the ship

[Nebr.cruiser]

We almost always do private tours, often from providers recommended on these boards, sometimes found on other sources, sometimes we just pick up a tour on the dock. At some ports, especially if we've been there before, we just get off the ship and find something to do.

 

Most of the time private tours are cheaper and better; we've even had some great ones picked up from vendors on the dock. Just plan your day with plenty of leeway for getting back before the ship sails; We prefer two hours before sailing, but at least one hour before.

[JHTX01]

Here's what we do...

 

Sometimes we do a cruise line shore excursion (if it's a long day trip or 6-8 hrs.), that way if your cruise line "official tour bus" breaks down, they will hold the ship for the group...most times we don't do the cruise line "sponsored" excursions.

 

If you go on your own, get the price from the taxi driver/mini bus operator Before you leave the taxi stand area. This is their career - they do this day in and day out - most aren't gonna "rip you off." Don't pay them until you get back to the ship - Never let them tell you they'll be back for you at a specific time. They take the money and run - and you'll miss the ship ! Make them stay with you all day. Remember - if you don't get a good "vibe" from the first driver - go to the next one - we tend to go with middle aged to older drivers...And tip them for a job well done!

 

If you're in the Caribbean - check out Viator - http://www.viator.com/

They do a good job!

[SPacificbound]

Click here http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=35

 

Then find your ship, then your cruising date. There may be some others that are discussing excursion options also.

[Cruisin' Chick]

To answer your question (even though I don't know what excursions from this site you're talking about, unless you're referring to ads), these are two reasons many will go with a ship's excursion:

1) there's more of a guarantee that if something breaks down with a vehicle on one of these, the guide will contact the ship and make sure the ship waits for your return. We've had a van that got delayed due to weather conditions, and yes, the ship waited for our group. If the ship does have to leave (tides, etc.), the port agent will be authorized to get you to the next port on the ship's dime. With an indy excursion, you might have to pay the cost if left behind.

2) if it's a tender port, those on ship's excursions (plus on some lines, people with top loyalty status and/or top category cabins) will get first priority to boarding tenders to the pier.

 

Most of the time, I research the ports for my family and we go into the port on our own, and not beyond the port city, with the idea to return to the ship an hour or more before sailaway. But of the excursions we do book, we've found that the ship's excursions (at least the ones we've gone with) not to be too much more than the same excursion offered independently. And sometimes, the vehicles with the Princess ones have been more comfy too.

 

There's been a few times that while in a taxi, we've been offered the driver's business card so that we can contact him or her. Never had a problem getting either the original driver or a cohort from the same business. But again, we're not going halfway across an island.

[Keith1010]

We use a combination of tours; ship and private. I have taken some ships tours that you could only see the site that way.

 

I do research on the cruise line board, ports of call board, tripadivsor and just with google searches and reading guide books.

 

Keith

[trish1c]

We almost always book with private operators, most times recommended by this site or at least the sister site, TripAdvisor. The tours have almost always been longer, the groups smaller & the overall experience more personalized & enjoyable.

 

We did go on one that was absolutely awful. I came back on here & complained because I couldn't find anybody to complain to there. Just based on my post here, the company sent me a full refund, no Qs asked. I won't mention the company but even though it looks like a small operation owned by a guy in the islands, my refund check came from a corporation in Texas.

[cruiseapril]

We generally do ship excursions- especially when we don't know a port.

 

If we are quite familiar with a port (like we are with Curacao & Aruba) we will do our own excursions.

 

We have had good luck with the ship excursions and enjoy getting to know some of our shipmates on them.