Not making plans!

[mattpro]

A nice way to get a feel for the islands you are visiting is to go to uTube and plug in the name of your island and preference.

 

You'll be surprised at the amount of great videos that are shown.

 

Have a nice, enjoyable vacation and congratulations to the both of you.

[Taiters91]

Oh Perfect, thank you!

[TheTruthCanHurt]

Hello!

 

My husband and I are going on our first ever cruise for our honeymoon in March on an 11 night Southern Caribbean on Serenade of the Seas.

 

We were initially going to pre-book excursions but have now decided to play it by ear. We understand this may limit what is still available.

 

How easy is it to make decisions as you go?

 

E.g. If we woke up and fancied an excursion or wanted a day at a local beach or market?

 

Equally, we may decide to have a wander on our own then spend the majority of the day on the ship.

 

Thank you :)

 

You will be fine. That is exactly what me and my friends do.

I REFUSE to spreadsheet every second of a vacation. Thats not a vacation to me. But some people are so OCD that they have to do it. It seems crazy to me, but if thats what they like. I am not going to tell them how to enjoy their vacation. My crew is a go with the flow group. With little exception you will have no trouble doing what you want...

[Taiters91]

You will be fine. That is exactly what me and my friends do.

I REFUSE to spreadsheet every second of a vacation. Thats not a vacation to me. But some people are so OCD that they have to do it. It seems crazy to me, but if thats what they like. I am not going to tell them how to enjoy their vacation. My crew is a go with the flow group. With little exception you will have no trouble doing what you want...

 

 

That's great. Thank you.

 

I'm one who can't partially plan - I either need to know exactly what I'm doing or go with the flow!

[TheTruthCanHurt]

That's great. Thank you.

 

I'm one who can't partially plan - I either need to know exactly what I'm doing or go with the flow!

 

The one exception for my group is this.

we usually do my time dining. as a placeholder we make reservations for the same time every night ( we are a little creature of habbit that way) of course we can cancel or change it.. but we know we have it.

 

Otherwise. we do what we feel like minute to minute

 

1 thing about pre booking shore excursions way ahead is that... if you dont feel good the night before, or worse the weather is horrible you may not want to do the excursion you have booked and paid for. I think you have to cancel 24 hours prior on the ship in order to get a refund.

[griffster]

hi

I do not know if I have the right thread for my question, as I am quite new on here. I would like to know how to attach a pic to a message. I have tried, but it was saying something about not having a token!!! I am on P/O ROLL CALL and was wanting to send a pic of hubby and I to a member who are going on the same cruise, and we would like to meet up once we get settled on the ship.(VENTURA) can someone please help. thankyou

[Taiters91]

The one exception for my group is this.

we usually do my time dining. as a placeholder we make reservations for the same time every night ( we are a little creature of habbit that way) of course we can cancel or change it.. but we know we have it.

 

Otherwise. we do what we feel like minute to minute

 

1 thing about pre booking shore excursions way ahead is that... if you dont feel good the night before, or worse the weather is horrible you may not want to do the excursion you have booked and paid for. I think you have to cancel 24 hours prior on the ship in order to get a refund.

 

 

That's great.

 

We have My Time Dining. How exactly does it work?

[Clarea]

That's great.

 

We have My Time Dining. How exactly does it work?

With My Time, you are not tied to any specific time. You can make reservations if you like, or just show up, your choice.

[TBone2K]

If you go over to the meet and mingle section and find your roll call, you'll also have a chance to chat with others on the same cruise as you. We have found a couple of times it was a good way to join in with a small private tour or activity.

[cincicruisers]

The only planning you need to do is get a feel for the must see/great beaches/specialty excursions for your ports of call. That way you will know what your choices are.

 

There are tons of tour operators or taxi drivers available. The only caution is to make sure your back before all aboard.

 

If you lost your stops some folks will chime in on great excursions for that island.

 

Enjoy your honeymoon cruise!

Edited November 25, 2015 by cincicruisers

[Langley Cruisers]

We just returned from the 11 night Serenade Southern. Phenomenal. One thing that I am going to echo here and that I truly feel strongly about is to research your ports. Part of my "stress" (if you will) going in was that I felt we needed to know what we were going to do in each port, even if it was a beach day. The Southern itinerary is wonderful and I implore you to get out of the port area and enjoy the islands! :)

 

Go to the Caribbean Ports of Call board and click on each island's board; read and research what others have done and you'll get an idea what is good for each port. :) Since it is your first cruise, I would suggest having something planned for each port. If you had been several times before you might be able to pick and choose which ports to plan on the spot and which would be better suited to advance planning.

 

If we don't do any excursion then we will be out and back early.... I think I will aim for 90 minutes to 2 hours MINIMUM!

 

First time ever we were pier runners this trip. Completely unplanned. We were in St. Lucia where we had rented a car (hubby grew up there and we still have family there, had a nice day!). We stopped in the pier area for some local Piton beer ($3 for $5.00 thank you very much!!) and were t-shirt shopping. We were busy up to the very last minute and suddenly DH can't find his Sea Pass card. Holy smokes! Panic mode ensues and we search high and low, every store we were in, all pockets and all backpacks turned inside out... we're lost... it's gone.... then the security guard says someone just turned in a Sea Pass card and maybe it's his?? YES! Thankfully, the Guest Services Manager herself was on the gangway with my husband's card. They pulled up the gangway right after us. Eerie feeling. :D :D :D

Edited November 25, 2015 by Langley Cruisers

[RN4Nsy]

Congratulations on your Wedding and Honeymoon! One of the things we like to do is take a local taxi, have them show you the port, not just the touristy things. We frequently tell our driver to take us somewhere to eat that the locals go to. The taxi usually has at least 6 people in it (vans) As everyone else has said, keep track of your time. You can get this info on ports/places to go on this website.

 

You will have a fantastic time, let us know how it goes! Royal Caribbean takes excellent care of their guests, that's why so many of us are "Loyal to Royal".

 

Myra

Cruise # 14 in February.

[Taiters91]

Thank you all!!

 

I am looking generally at the island so I can have a feel of what's recommended and will make sure 100% that we are back to ship on time.

 

Thankfully, with the exception of 2, the sail away time is 8pm anyway xx

[Taiters91]

Sorry I meant between 4-8pm!!! Xx

[Who Cares?]

Hello!

 

My husband and I are going on our first ever cruise for our honeymoon in March on an 11 night Southern Caribbean on Serenade of the Seas.

 

We were initially going to pre-book excursions but have now decided to play it by ear. We understand this may limit what is still available.

 

How easy is it to make decisions as you go?

 

E.g. If we woke up and fancied an excursion or wanted a day at a local beach or market?

 

Equally, we may decide to have a wander on our own then spend the majority of the day on the ship.

 

Thank you :)

 

So you expect to actually leave your cabin on your honeymoon? :D

 

Congrats on the wedding!

 

While it might be possible to book something the morning of, most likely not as most excursions will probably be booked within the first couple of days on board. That doesn't mean you can't walk off the ship and hire a taxi to take you around but you just won't be on a ship excursion.

Edited November 26, 2015 by Who Cares?

[Taiters91]

So you expect to actually leave your cabin on your honeymoon? :D

 

Congrats on the wedding!

 

While it might be possible to book something the morning of, most likely not as most excursions will probably be booked within the first couple of days on board. That doesn't mean you can't walk off the ship and hire a taxi to take you around but you just won't be on a ship excursion.

 

Ha Ha!

 

A lot of people have said that there will still be excursions on the piers - BUT, if we get on the ship and see any we know we will fancy, then we will book then.

 

The only thing I know I really would like to do is Snorkeling in Bonaire, however, I suffer with travel sickness and I am thinking I may just fancy being on land. But will book this on ship when I know how I feel.

 

Looking at the ports there seems to be lots available to DIY :)

[Grannycb]

Congratulations

 

Not having a plan hasn't worked out well for us. We have traveled extensively but still make mistakes. One of the worse was picking a tour offered at the pier. It was inexpensive and went to places that interested us. Wish we had researched the company before leaving home. We ended up stranded alongside a remote country road with a herd of goats as our companions. It makes for a humorous story now but wasn't funny at the time. Other times, we ended up feeling like we missed doing fun things by not having a plan. Hearing about all the fun things other people did at dinner made us realize what we'd missed. If you want beach time, do research on how to get to the best beaches, check for places nearby that offer food and beverages, research how to get back to the ship, and make sure you are in a safe area.

 

If you want to wander around the port, research best restaurants, places of interest, free internet locations, and anything else that might appeal to you. You don't have to have a set plan but should have a general understanding of what is available, what it will cost, and how much time you need to head back to the ship. A short time in port followed by pool time on the ship can be lots of fun.

 

Hope you have a wonderful time.

[Taiters91]

Congratulations

 

Not having a plan hasn't worked out well for us. We have traveled extensively but still make mistakes. One of the worse was picking a tour offered at the pier. It was inexpensive and went to places that interested us. Wish we had researched the company before leaving home. We ended up stranded alongside a remote country road with a herd of goats as our companions. It makes for a humorous story now but wasn't funny at the time. Other times, we ended up feeling like we missed doing fun things by not having a plan. Hearing about all the fun things other people did at dinner made us realize what we'd missed. If you want beach time, do research on how to get to the best beaches, check for places nearby that offer food and beverages, research how to get back to the ship, and make sure you are in a safe area.

 

If you want to wander around the port, research best restaurants, places of interest, free internet locations, and anything else that might appeal to you. You don't have to have a set plan but should have a general understanding of what is available, what it will cost, and how much time you need to head back to the ship. A short time in port followed by pool time on the ship can be lots of fun.

 

Hope you have a wonderful time.

 

 

 

Thank you!

 

Am definitely doing research - just don't want to book specific excursions before we go in case we don't fancy it or see something better. We may book on the ship when we will have a feel of what we want to do.

 

I will make sure we are organised in that sense, we just don't want to limit ourselves ahead of time and organise every stage before we are even there x

[Who Cares?]

Ha Ha!

 

A lot of people have said that there will still be excursions on the piers - BUT, if we get on the ship and see any we know we will fancy, then we will book then.

 

The only thing I know I really would like to do is Snorkeling in Bonaire, however, I suffer with travel sickness and I am thinking I may just fancy being on land. But will book this on ship when I know how I feel.

 

Looking at the ports there seems to be lots available to DIY :)

 

I don't remember the name of the beach club I visited in Bonaire but it was just a couple of miles from the port......to the left as you are looking at the island. In the was they had a natural shelf about 20 ft out from shore with small fish swimming out from under it. All of this can be seen without snorkeling. It was a beautiful small beach with free wifi, great drinks, and beautiful water. It was supposed to be $10 for a chair and I went to the guy walking around to pay but he said he would come to my chair to collect payment. He never came so it was free! :)

Edited November 26, 2015 by Who Cares?

[Taiters91]

I don't remember the name of the beach club I visited in Bonaire but it was just a couple of miles from the port......to the left as you are looking at the island. In the was they had a natural shelf about 20 ft out from shore with small fish swimming out from under it. All of this can be seen without snorkeling. It was a beautiful small beach with free wifi, great drinks, and beautiful water. It was supposed to be $10 for a chair and I went to the guy walking around to pay but he said he would come to my chair to collect payment. He never came so it was free! :)

 

That sounds perfect - thank you!!

 

So when we walk off the ship, where do we go?

[minsterman]

We've generally do our own thing in port. In the Caribbean we varied between wandering from the ship, taxi tours, hiring our own car and doing our own thing. We really aren't ship tour people as I generally find it too restrictive for me and I don't like to be told what to do and when!!

 

Having said that the only place we did a ship tour was in St Lucia, when we did the Land & Sea to Souffriere full day tour (not sure about spelling!!).

We thoroughly enjoyed it and it really couldn't have been any better if we'd done it ourselves. But of course, do your own research as I full appreciate ships tours are not for everyone.

 

We have been told previously that they usually sell a proportion (50%) of the available tour places in advance of sailing and the remainder are available on board.

 

Hope you have a great time, which I'm sure will, whatever you decide to do!

[Taiters91]

We've generally do our own thing in port. In the Caribbean we varied between wandering from the ship, taxi tours, hiring our own car and doing our own thing. We really aren't ship tour people as I generally find it too restrictive for me and I don't like to be told what to do and when!!

 

Having said that the only place we did a ship tour was in St Lucia, when we did the Land & Sea to Souffriere full day tour (not sure about spelling!!).

We thoroughly enjoyed it and it really couldn't have been any better if we'd done it ourselves. But of course, do your own research as I full appreciate ships tours are not for everyone.

 

We have been told previously that they usually sell a proportion (50%) of the available tour places in advance of sailing and the remainder are available on board.

 

Hope you have a great time, which I'm sure will, whatever you decide to do!

 

 

 

Thanks very much!

 

My best friend who has cruised the Caribbean said that there are lots of excursions to find either on board or when you come off the ship!

 

Cant wait!

[orville99]

On our first cruise to a new port, we usually take a ship-sponsored tour that does a "sightseeing" drive around the island. That way we get to see a bit of everything the island has to offer if we come back again.

 

If you're at all concerned about making it back to the ship on time, I'd stick to ship's excursions. The "experts" on these boards will tell you otherwise, but by-and-large, they've probably been there, done that more than once, and know exactly where and what they can comfortably do on their own and still get back to the ship on time. It's your honeymoon. You don't want your most vivid memory of the trip to be watching the ship sail away from port without you.

 

You can usually book most of the excursions you want while you are on board, so you can play it by ear, and not have to worry about anything but enjoying yourselves so much that you can't decide which cruise to book for your anniversary.

[Langley Cruisers]

The only thing I know I really would like to do is Snorkeling in Bonaire, however, I suffer with travel sickness and I am thinking I may just fancy being on land. But will book this on ship when I know how I feel.

 

We booked a ship's tour to snorkel in Bonaire. It was the glass bottom kayak and snorkel tour and it was FABULOUS! We were with another couple and decided it might be best (for us) to book a ship's excursion. Here is the link to that excursion, and if you scroll down to the bottom you will see my review (Karen M.)

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/shoreExcursions/product/detail/view.do?sourcePage=shorexByPort&ProductCode=BO40&DestinationCode= <--click here

 

My best friend who has cruised the Caribbean said that there are lots of excursions to find either on board or when you come off the ship!

 

Well, partly true, I suppose. If you wait to book a ship's excursion when you get on board, you run the risk of them selling out of spaces. If you book ahead of time on the website, you also pay ahead of time on your credit card and will have a reserved space.

 

Getting off the ship, walking onto the pier and into the port area with no plans whatsoever can set you up for the landslide of vendors who will meet you there. Everyone wants a piece of you - and how do you know what to do and who is offering a fair price if you don't do your research or have an idea of what you want? Make sense? :) Honestly, to even experienced cruisers, this vendor aggressiveness can be very daunting. So I will again advise you to look into what you want to do and have an idea, instead of walking off the ship with no plans.

.

Edited November 26, 2015 by Langley Cruisers

[Taiters91]

Oh we will definitely be researching. If we do an excursion, we will book on the ship. If not, we will have an idea of where we are going in taxi xx