Excursions: Booking though RCI or Independent

[ctrinco]

We have always booked our excursions through RCI because of the assurance that we would never miss the ship. We are headed to Roatan/Belize/Cozumel this fall and there are some excursions that interest us that RCI does not offer.

 

Has anyone ever done an independent tour and been left behind? I'm sure there are lots of people who have done it and it was fine, just curious how often it actually happens that someone IS indeed left behind...and how you resolve that if it were to happen.

 

I think that if I know I have a contingency plan, I'd be less afraid to do it vs. hearing how many people it hasn't been an issue for KWIM?

 

TIA!

[cb at sea]

If you use a GOOD company, you won't be left behind....the company would be OUT of business!

 

Many things require NO excursion at all...we rarely need a "guide" to do what we want. We do, however, research where we're going, so we know how to do what interests us! Get a guidebook first, then decide HOW to do what you want.

 

If you go to the 'Port of Call" boards, for each of your ports, folks will glady recommend guides!

[akcruz]

Depending on the excursion you are looking at it is definitely do-able to go private. Take a look at your port times and how long the excursion will be, how far away from the port you will be, then make an informed decision.

 

Most beach clubs, snorkeling trips, etc can definitely be done on your own. On the other hand, if you are looking to do something like the ruins on the mainland when in Cozumel, stick with the cruise sponsored trip. Too long of a tour and too many hand off points.

 

If you do decide to try private, do your research here and other places such as trip advisor. Find a company that is highly rated and has lots of positive reviews from other cruisers.

 

We are just back from Roatan and Cozumel where we did private excursions in both places. We booked with Victor Bodden in Roatan, however there are many other guides recommended in the port of call section. In Cozumel we did the Bar Hop this time, an ATV tour, and various beach clubs in the past all on our own.

 

The keys in doing it on your own is making sure you allot enough time, ensure you stay on ship time (sometimes local time is different sometimes its the same), bring the port numbers with you just in case, and as you mentioned have a back up plan. I would say most cruisers anymore do ports on their own. If there were big issues you would hear about it, but you don't.

 

Bottom line, do your research, and then go and enjoy!!

[Priusprof]

We have found that the tours booked independently are significantly cheaper for the same places to tour. As others have said, do research on the company and make sure that they are reputable. Then make sure that the tour company is used to dealing with cruise timetables. We have stopped doing ships tours for the most part and save the money.

[ctrinco]

Thanks for the advice.

 

One last question...you must always bring your passport with you in the event that you do get left behind...how do you manage to go to a beachy/snorkeling type adventure with passport in tow...I would be hesitate for both of us to get in the water and leave them unsupervised.

[MrsPete]

We always book independent tours. If the option were cruise-ship-tours-only, we'd probably choose a different vacation.

 

Yes, independent tours are cheaper, but that's just an extra perk. The real reason to book them is that you're in smaller group and you have more control over your day. With ship's excursions you spend so much time waiting around for the large group to congregate, and then they force you to make a stop at some straw market that doesn't interest you -- but you can't stop in that little bar or at a restroom when you want to do so! With a smaller, independent tour, the tour guide is anxious to make sure you're having a good time, and he (or she) will ask what you want to do and will give you options. For example, once we did an ATV ride, which was supposed to be followed by a beach stop; however, it was about to rain -- so the tour guide gave us the option of being returned to the port or going to the beach. The guide dropped half our group at the beach, then returned the rest of us to the port -- it was our choice.

 

Here's an example of how independent tours are vastly superior: The first time we visited Jamaica, we used Peat Taylor's tour service to visit Dunn's Falls. Being a small group, we left the port FAST, and we were literally the second group to climb the falls. The guides weren't busy, so they let us stop and play and take pictures in the pools. As we were leaving, the cruise excursions were just arriving -- in droves. Our tablemates were among those people, and they complained later that they'd waited a long, long time for their turn to climb . . . and then they were pushed along because so many people were waiting behind them. After our climb, we had time for an island tour, which included several stops (our tablemates did ONLY the climb), and then our guide gave us the choice of being dropped off at a lunch place or being returned to the port.

 

The "danger" of being left behind is grossly overstated. Choose a morning excursion, and you'll probably be able to return to the ship for a late lunch. The tour guides who are discussed on this board are dependable. In more than a decade of reading these boards, I have literally never heard of anyone missing the ship because of a late tour. However, I have heard of people who -- whether they were on tours or not -- were too drunk to realize it was time to reboard the ship, or people who were at the port but were trying to shop just a few more minutes, or people who were on their own and didn't pay attention to the difference in ship's time and island time.

 

Having said that, I would not choose a cruise excursion -- ship sponsored or private -- that included lengthy transportation so that being left behind was a real possibility. The poster-child for this, of course, is the super-popular Tulum Ruins tour in Cozumel. It requires leaving the port and making your own way to a ferry on the other side of the island, then after the 30 minute ride, a several-hour bus ride to the ruins . . . and back again. You spend more time traveling than you do experiencing. I've climbed Mayan ruins (not Tulum), and they were fascinating -- but this is the type of thing that's better for a land-based vacation. Just because something is an option, doesn't mean it's a good choice.

 

The cruise-excursion faithful always bring up, But what if you get hurt on the island? Yes, it's possible, but it's unlikely that you'll be seriously injured during those few hours ashore. If you're injured, it's more likely that you'd twist an ankle (or similar). In such a case, I'd suggest you're better off returning to the ship instead of opting for island medical care. If you've not waited until the last minute, you're probably going to be able to make it back -- perhaps a bit more slowly.

 

You should take logical, cautious steps when leaving the ship: You should know exactly what time the ship will sail, and you should plan to return 1-2 hours before that time. You should know in what dock your ship is located and you should have some money in your pocket in case you need to take a taxi. You should not get stinking drunk on $1 beers, nor should you break your party up and assume you'll find one another. If you just use common sense, you will not be left behind.

 

In answer to your question, I would leave the passports safely in your stateroom vault, where the chance of them being stolen is 0%. Especially if you're just doing a beach stop, you will have no problem returning to the ship on time -- again, just don't wait 'til the last minute. On the other hand, if you bring them with you, you may lose them (my friend did -- she's super-organized, responsible and wasn't drinking, but she let her guard down for one minute, and her passports were GONE).

Edited August 12, 2014 by MrsPete

[Ourusualbeach]

We will usually book independent tours however there are some that we would only book through RCI. One good example is in Cozumel. If this involved a tour to the ruins on the mainland that involved a 45 minute ferry ride and over an hour travel by bus then that is a bit out of my comfort zone for booking an independent tour. Even with the RCI tour I believe that it gets back really close to departure time. Not worth the risk. Booking a tour on the island itself...not a problem.

[dancinman66]

I mostly do independent tours and thoroughly research every port first for what there is to do and therefore is a tour justified and what tours are available

 

I only book cruise line tours when they either have a strangle hold on the particular tour or the tour runs more than an hour and half away from ship and use the cruise line tour to ensure the ship is still there when we return

 

Came invaluable on a tour lady year where we were an hour late back and they waited

 

Mud independent tours get to see a lot more and more intimate places due to group sizes

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[heavenlysea]

Thanks for the advice.

 

One last question...you must always bring your passport with you in the event that you do get left behind...how do you manage to go to a beachy/snorkeling type adventure with passport in tow...I would be hesitate for both of us to get in the water and leave them unsupervised.

 

To answer that question--You can buy a waterproof wallet type thing online that has 3 seals and a cord for wearing around your neck while swimming. I have used one when snorkeling and it works great. Sorry, I don't remember the particular brand but there are many online to choose from. I usually just have my cruise pass, driver's license and paper copy of my passport in it.

[Clarea]

Thanks for the advice.

 

One last question...you must always bring your passport with you in the event that you do get left behind...how do you manage to go to a beachy/snorkeling type adventure with passport in tow...I would be hesitate for both of us to get in the water and leave them unsupervised.

Here is an example:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Seattle-Sports-Waterproof-Passport-Case/dp/B002KT3UMO/ref=pd_sim_op_4/185-4030356-8278912?ie=UTF8&refRID=0R12WRD24QZS00XQWPKH