RCCL Excursion vs going on your own

[time4u2go]

I always go with the cruise line for piece of mind. The boat is guaranteed to wait for you if your bus was late getting back to the ship for example. Bit more expensive but it's worth it in my honest opinion.

 

My personal preference of course!

 

 

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Depends how long you want to stay on the beach and how organized you want it.

 

In St. Thomas, we did the island tour with the taxi and stopped at Magens Bay. It looked somewhat crowded and not terribly impressive to me.

 

If you want more time on the beach, just grab a taxi. When you get off the ship, just keep walking through the little market place to the road, there is a taxi station there, lots of taxi's, prices on a board, etc. VERY easy to take a taxi.

 

If you don't care too much for doing it on your own.... I think an official excursion is the way to go and it's not THAT expensive. For one, the excursion will include drinks and often lounge chairs, etc. - and that guarantee is nice peace of mind. Ship won't leave without you. After drinks, park admission, taxi, etc.... we aren't talking a huge different in price. Maybe $40 - or no difference at all if you drink and prefer chairs, snorkel equipment, etc. etc. However, you won't get a ton of time on the beach.

 

Secret Sands seems to be a well rated beach excursion and includes a skyline drive.

 

My wife and I get a kick out of all the people (including locals) who don't know how to pronounce "Magen" --- for what it's worth, it's much more similar to "may-yen" than the english name "Meagan" - the g is essentially silent - but even the locals don't know this. A lot of Danish history in St. Thomas and we enjoy exploring that aspect (my wife is Danish).

Not exactly true. They will try to wait, but the only guarantee is that they will return you to the ship, which could mean rejoining at a different port.

Edited August 12, 2016 by time4u2go

[AdventureBooklet]

I would highly suggest exploring on your own in St. Marteen. Just make sure that you leave plenty of time for your return to the ship (1.5 - 2 hours). By exploring on your own, you are in control of what you want to do and how long you are going to do it. The price difference may also be significant. Taxis are readily available towards the end of the Philipsburg pier. Once there, you will see many cruisers hailing cabs to explore on their own. If willing to travel in a large van with 10 other passengers the price is $10pp each way. For a private taxi ride it should cost around $25 pp each way. Mullet Bay is about 25 minutes away from the pier. There are lounge chairs and umbrellas for rent. There is a great beach bar with delicious food. The best part is its located adjacent to the famous Maho Beach. Pictures I have taken are here: http://adventurebooklet.com/mullet-bay-beach-st-marteen/

[JamesEM]

Much less expensive to go it on your own, rent a taxi for a few hours and that way you will not be herded around like cattle. Just make sure you have plenty tine to get back to the ship on time, the roads can get crowded when there are several ships in port.

[DISFANS3]

You should make the beach on your own, no problems. Taxis all over. Leave plenty of time to get back...

[tip]

I would agree with many others and would suggest further that you run and don't walk by the shore excursion desk! We have found that most ship excursions are nothing more than over priced cattle herds with a great deal of hurry up and wait once you get on the bus.

 

Use the ports of call threads on these boards and you can not only save money, but you won't be jammed in like sardines on a bus.

 

It all depends upon what you want for a beach. If you are looking for a beach that is not too crowded and pretty much laid back, try Emerald Beach on St. Thomas. It is easy and inexpensive to get there via cab. Just ask to go the Best Western Hotel where the beach is in front of it and is open to the public. You can put your towel on the sand at no charge or rent a lounge chair for a small fee. If you want shade, you can sit under the trees or rent an umbrella. There are free restrooms and a beach bar. The cabs are lined up waiting to take you back to the ship when you are finished. If your ship is docked at Havensight, I would suggest that you head back at least 90 minutes before "all aboard" as traffic in town sometimes crawls.

[Life is Good Cruising]

No need to take a ship excursion to enjoy the beautiful beaches in St Thomas or St Maarten/St Martin. For St. Thomas, we've been to Magens's Bay and Sapphire Beach many times, so now we'll take a taxi over to Emerald beach, because it's not crowded, there's a beach bar to get food and drinks and plenty of taxis in the parking lot to take you back to the port. If you never been to Magen's Bay, that is one beach you need to go to at least once in your life, it's beautiful but also crowded. There are plenty of taxis to take you to Magen's Bay and back. If we decide to go to Trunk's Bay, St. John's USVI, we definitely take the ship excursion, that is one beautiful beach!

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147406-d149849-Reviews-Magens_Bay-Magens_Bay_St_Thomas_U_S_Virgin_Islands.html

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147411-d147590-Reviews-Trunk_Bay-Virgin_Islands_National_Park_St_John_U_S_Virgin_Islands.html

 

 

St Martin, we go on the French side to Orient Beach, which we love, plenty of beach bars with food, drinks and music, again, plenty of taxis to take you there and back.

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1073588-d2008464-Reviews-Orient_Bay_Beach-Orient_Bay_Saint_Martin_St_Maarten_St_Martin.html