First Timers and Excursions

[rockythomp23]

Hello All! :)

 

My wife and I are going on our first cruise next month in the Bahamas and are torn between buying the excursions through Carnival or just waiting until we get to the port to buy the excursion. Will it really save that much money? And how safe will we be? (2 women)

 

Any advice for us newbies? Thanks in advance! :D

Edited November 24, 2015 by rockythomp23

[uswcer55]

I would like to see the answers as well. It is my and my DD13 going and being two females I am a little leary.

[bbeltmom]

The first time my DH and I cruised, we booked excursions exclusively through the ship because this was what we felt safe and comfortable doing as 'newbies'.

Even though there was lots of info on non-ship excursion information here on CC - I will repeat, this was what WE felt comfortable with.

 

On our 3rd Caribbean cruise, I was comfortable enough booking privately after research on CC and TripAdvisor.

 

When we went to Alaska for the first time this year, we again booked through the ship since we were not familiar with offerings.

 

On our next cruise in January, we have pre-booked 4 excursions, none of which are through the ship.

 

Do what makes YOU COMFORTABLE! You will not enjoy a visit to an island if you are worried about being safe or getting back to the ship on time.

[OCruisers]

Do what makes YOU COMFORTABLE! You will not enjoy a visit to an island if you are worried about being safe or getting back to the ship on time.

 

Great advice! Especially important on your first cruise. :)

[beachbum53]

Hello All! :)

 

My wife and I are going on our first cruise next month in the Bahamas and are torn between buying the excursions through Carnival or just waiting until we get to the port to buy the excursion. Will it really save that much money? And how safe will we be? (2 women)

 

Any advice for us newbies? Thanks in advance! :D

 

Some excursion operators have a contract with the cruise line(s), so if you see an excursion offered through Carnival, it may not be available independently at the port. Whenever we look at different excursions, whether through the cruise line, or an independent contractor, we look to see what is offered for the price. Also, we read the comments posted about an excursion, and if it doesn't have at least a rating of 4 out of 5 stars, we pass on it. Yes, you could wait until you get to a port and hire a taxi driver to be your tour guide and take you sight seeing. You might get someone reliable that will show you a good time, or you might get ripped off. Also, if you're concerned about safety while in port, whether going on an excursion or exploring on your own, use the same common sense you would use when visiting any place new to you. Don't wander off by yourself. Stay with a group. Remember, there's safety in numbers. If you go to the "Ports of Call" section on here, you'll find lots of comments and helpful information about excursions. Another good source is Trip Advisor.

[mamajules]

What ports? I assuming Nassau and Freeport. We usually book excursions on our own, only a couple times through Carnival. My son and I are pretty comfortable exploring on our own (been cruising since he was 8). I do research here on the boards, trip advisor, look up area maps, etc.

 

That being said, ultimately it is what you are comfortable with. Yes, independent excursions save you money, but if you are going to be nervous the entire time, it is not worth it. What kind of excursions were you looking at? That can assist in helping out.

 

Either way, have a great cruise!

[jayne62]

We used the cruise shore excursions on our first cruise and I agree with what bbeltmom has said. For us we found it gave us peace of mind and we could just enjoy our trip and 'learn the ropes'.

 

I'm glad we did because on one excursion we were delayed over an hour and were the last people back on board before the ship left. The excursion operators communicated with the ship so no worries about being left behind. I would have been worried sick if it had been a private tour.

 

In Japan we used shore excursions most days but sometimes we went ashore and did our own thing as we had a much better idea of how it all works.

 

Do what makes you feel comfortable so you can enjoy your holiday, saving a few dollars here and there is not always the most important factor.

Edited November 24, 2015 by jayne62

[MOcruiserman]

There are two big advantages in booking your excursions through the cruise line.

 

One is that the ship won't leave without you if your excursion experiences a delay.

 

Another is that the excursion is probably pretty good, or it wouldn't have been picked up by the cruise line.

[griffy116]

We've done excursions booked through the cruise line and excursions through private drivers/guides/excursions. We've never just booked with someone selling excursions on the docks after arriving. Those don't make me feel comfortable, and as everyone says, go with your comfort zone. If you to the private excursion route, make sure you check here and on Trip Adviser to assure that you have a reliable vendor with good reviews. Do your research before booking, and don't wait until you get to the port. Also, check on your roll call. Many of those that will be on your cruise have already done the research and are looking to book a minimum number of people on your ship to join them on private excursions. This usually ends up saving you money too. Besides, part of the fun is researching what's out there. Enjoy.

[rockythomp23]

Thank you so much for you advice! :)

 

I do think we will probably go through the cruise because I'm a Nervous Nancy when I don't know what's going on!

 

Yes the ports we are going through are Nassau and Freeport. Any specific excursions that are better than others? We looked at going to Atlantis, but it just seems like a LOT of money. IDK.

[janetz]

Thank you so much for you advice! :)

 

I do think we will probably go through the cruise because I'm a Nervous Nancy when I don't know what's going on!

 

Yes the ports we are going through are Nassau and Freeport. Any specific excursions that are better than others? We looked at going to Atlantis, but it just seems like a LOT of money. IDK.

 

Atlantis is pricey and CROWDED. ;)

[_beachgirl_]

We've been on a few cruises now and only just now are we finally venturing off on our own excursions. I'm still kinda nervous about it. haha

 

But definitely do what is comfortable for YOU. That is the best advice. If you are going to be nervous the whole time, you won't have a fun time at all.

 

Advice regarding Atlantis. It is HUGE. But it is also extremely crowded and insanely expensive there. We had a fun day but the price of just a simple hot dog was crazy to me. I remember the lockers being quite a bit as well. If you have your heart set on going there, then you will probably enjoy it. It's not even in the top 5 of my favourite excursions though.

[wampuscat7]

Hubby and I went to Atlantis and just walked around. We did pay to go through the Aquarium. The beach there seemed very nice, soft sand but we didn't stop since we didn't pay for it.

[ThatAdamGuy]

I just got off my first cruise (Celebrity Constellation, ports of Key West and Nassau) and while I had a great time on trip overall (more detailed report coming soon ;)), I have to say I found the ship-purchased excursions to be generally very mediocre.

 

Next time I'm going to research ahead to purchase a small-group tour or, perhaps better yet, hire a well-reviewed private guide. The latter is what I did in Beijing a few years back, and it was probably the best $75'ish/day I spent in travel in my life.

 

More specifically:

• In Key West, the ship-purchased tour was with clearly the lesser-qualified hop-on-hop-off trolley. The more long-standing competitor had 50% more stops and far greater frequency of trolleys.
  
• For Nassau, I'd asked the Excursions staffer to book me a trip that included some great snorkeling; she chose the Blue Lagoon excursion which 1) Didn't include any snorkeling (though I could rent gear for $20; ouch!), and the snorkeling to be had there was pretty lousy. Plus, as I learned afterwards, for just beach-chilling, I could have saved $50+ dollars and a lot of time by going to a very nice public beach instead.
  

 

I suppose if you're not comfortable doing a bit of research (or, if like me, you're just too much of a procrastinator), then ship-purchased excursions aren't going to be awful. But from my (admittedly limited) experience, they're likely going to be just mediocre, and you can certainly do better... not just price-wise, but probably quality-wise as well.

Edited November 26, 2015 by ThatAdamGuy
typo

[cb at sea]

First..get a guidebook..read it. Libraries have them....or buy one.

 

Then, decide what you want to do. It's almost never a necessity to book excursions...either thru the ship or privately! Most things are quite easy to do on your own. The Bahamas are not really "dangerous"....anymore than your hometown is! Yes..there are bad "neighborhoods" everywhere...even here in the States....but you don't go there...so don't worry about it! As far as "missing the ship"...if you have a watch set to the same time as the ship's clocks...you'll be fine. Even ship's excursions can't guarantee they'll get you back on time....stuff happens! There is NO reason to miss the ship, unless you're totally not paying attention to the time!

 

Find out what interests you...come back and see how other's have done what you want to do.

Edited November 29, 2015 by cb at sea

[KARTI1955]

I did the Balmoral beach excursion through Carnival several times. Priced right and really enjoyed it. Atlantis was way overpriced and the vendors were relentless. Still, it is something to see. If you do decide to book your own to Atlantis, the traffic coming back to the dock can be insane. You don't want to be late so allow plenty of time to be back on board. Freeport - never even get off the ship. Just research on line and take advantage of the good info on the Ports of Call section. Have a wonderful time!