Cheap Shore Excursion Ideas

[mavixaus]

Hey guys!!

 

I'm planning my first cruise with my husband. Neither of us have been on a cruise or to any tropical location before. I feel like I need a study guide to learn all of what cruising is about... :confused:

 

I'm looking for cheap excursions or things to do at each port. We are on a budget and want to maximize what we have allowed ourselves to spend. The cruise line's excursions seem very expensive... I was hoping some veterans to the cruising scene would be able to help us out.

 

If we just wanted to go to the beach, are you able to just get off the boat and go? Or do you have to purchase tickets to that too?

 

Any tips, hints, or favorite spots are much appreciated!

 

We are going to: Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Falmouth Jamaica on Royal Caribbean.

 

Thank you all so much in advance! :D

[Nitemare]

Here is a link to the Ports of Call boards here at Cruise Critic:

 

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

 

you will see all your ports listed there, and tons of existing info in the threads. Take 10 minutes or so on each board related to your ports and see if you can find great ideas already there. If you can't, then start a new thread on each board where you still have questions.

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

[FTLcruisers]

you can always get a taxi to get to the beach - just be sure you arrange for a ride back. Make sure you are aware of the time (sometimes the ship's time is different than the time at your port) so that you can make it back to the ship on time.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

Marianne

[Bonnie J.]

Most beaches are free.

One thing really worth it is snorkeling with the sting rays in Grand Cayman. The water is so shallow you can and do just stand, you don't have to snorkel. You will be given food so you can feed the Rays - their mouths are in the very middle of their underside. If you never have snorkeled do it! You are given easy directions and a dive master is in the water with you if you need help. Beware, you'll fall in love with snorkeling!

Google 'Captain Marvin", he has led snorkeling with the rays for many year. He is quite a bit cheaper than the same ship's tour. Take an underwater throw a way camera for this. However this is a tender port. You take a tender to get to the island. If the weather is rough they cancel the tenders and you don't go ashore.

 

In Cozumel you can go to any beach- just ask a cab driver for a close one. Or you can go to Chankanaub. This is a national park and they charge to get in, and you have a cab ride there. They have a huge beach, you can watch people swimming with dolphins, they have a small museum and all sorts of things to do. But the $$ can ad up here. You can Google them to.

 

In Falmouth we just walked around the port looking in the shops. See what they recommend on the ports here on CC.

 

We are going on RCCL, Freedom of the Seas in two weeks. They have a Flow Rider which is fun to watch and to do. It is free on the ship and I did it 7 times and was 70 years old then! Looking forward to doing it some more!

 

Be careful, you'll get hooked on cruising as we did in 1985!

 

Oh! Go to your Roll Call here on CC and meet others on your cruise and see what they're doing.

Edited September 17, 2015 by Bonnie J.

[Keith1010]

Be careful in Jamaica.

 

I would not go to a public beach there.

 

Keith

[cb at sea]

A guidebook is what you need....it will tell you everything about everyplace you're going. All about beaches, shopping, points of interest, food/drink, safety, transportation. The more you know, the better time you'll have. And...there is rarely a reason to pay a guide to show you a good time, but you MUST research your ports! Getting off the ship without knowing anything about where you are, or what to do will be boring as hell.

[capriccio]

Here is a link to the Ports of Call boards here at Cruise Critic:

 

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

 

you will see all your ports listed there, and tons of existing info in the threads. Take 10 minutes or so on each board related to your ports and see if you can find great ideas already there. If you can't, then start a new thread on each board where you still have questions.

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

This is excellent advice. We've been to most of the islands in the Caribbean and overwhelmingly do private excursions. I always start my research on the Ports of Call boards and I also use TripAdvisor.

 

Most beaches are free.

One thing really worth it is snorkeling with the sting rays in Grand Cayman. The water is so shallow you can and do just stand, you don't have to snorkel. You will be given food so you can feed the Rays - their mouths are in the very middle of their underside. If you never have snorkeled do it! You are given easy directions and a dive master is in the water with you if you need help. Beware, you'll fall in love with snorkeling!

Google 'Captain Marvin", he has led snorkeling with the rays for many year. He is quite a bit cheaper than the same ship's tour. Take an underwater throw a way camera for this. However this is a tender port. You take a tender to get to the island. If the weather is rough they cancel the tenders and you don't go ashore.

 

Oh! Go to your Roll Call here on CC and meet others on your cruise and see what they're doing.

 

More excellent advice and I highly second the Captain Marvin recommendation!

[OCruisers]

Hey guys!!

 

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic! :)

 

You can just get off the ship and do what you wish. In Grand Cayman you will need to tender but there is no charge to tender.

 

You would probably enjoy going to the Ports of Call Board here on Cruise Critic and reading what others have done on each of your port stops.

 

LuLu

[tetleytea]

If nothing else, I highly recommend researching the ports, check CC, and find excursions recommended by others which do not operate through the cruise line. Besides being half off the price, they are usually better excursions. Independent does not automatically mean unguided.

[Rala]

Check to see if there is a roll call for your cruise (one of the forums here on Cruise Critic). There may be more experienced cruisers there who know of independent operators who are usually less expensive than the ship offered tours. People on your roll call may also have been to the ports before and can recommend activities or places of interest. You can use a guidebook, but I much prefer word-of mouth recommendations. Good luck with your research and have a wonderful cruise!:)

[searoses]

Have been with captain Marvin twice....chankanaub is awesome and I bet within your budget...look around as you are leaving the ship and find another couple to share a cab....pretty cheap in cozumel...I hope you have a wonderful first cruise.....they are a lot of bang for the buck!

[plane2port]

Here are my ideas for cheap-but-good activities on 2 of your ports:

 

1. Cozumel--rent a car and drive all the way around the island, stopping at ruins or beaches as it pleases you. If you have your snorkel gear, snorkel off the rocks on the west side of the island.

 

2. Grand Cayman--when you reach the shore from your tender, walk along the water to your right. There is a bar and dive shop called Eden Rock right on the water. There is really good snorkeling/swimming here right in sight of your cruise ship. When you're done, have a couple of beers at the bar, then walk back to the tender pick-up spot.

[clackey]

Check out http://www.cozumelmycozumel.com and http://www.cozumelinsider.com for anything that you need to know about what is available there. With a little research you can grab a cab and make a easy, cheap day.

 

Grand Cayman has easy access to beaches and decent snorkeling near the cruise pier. One thing that we really like is the bus system. We took one to Cemetery Beach and back. When you are ready to go back the dock you can walk along the road and flag the next bus/van down. The ride only cost a few dollars. I think that it was $3 or $4 when we were there.

 

Jamaica is not our favorite stop and Falmouth is pretty dead without a tour. Most of the good tours are quite a distance from Falmouth and some of the roads are rough. Mo Bay and Ocho Rios has all of the good stuff but you are looking at a couple of hours of travel time.