Excursion question

[Turqoisblu]

Hello.... I hear that purchasing a excursion from someone off the ship is cheaper. Can anyone tell me how much a difference it is? I know some are more expensive then others. Can anyone give me a example?

 

First time cruiser

12/2016

Carnival Liberty

[A&Jfamily]

It's going to vary from excursion to excursion; some things we have done at as much as half the cost by booking privately. You should use TA and other sites to find what interests you and then check the ports of call boards for reviews on the specific providers.

 

 

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[Turqoisblu]

I have tried google but no success. I don't have a TA. Any sites you can give me?

 

First time cruiser

12/2016

Carnival Liberty

[sparks1093]

Check out the ports of call section of the forum, many people talk about local excursions on there.

[Jamericannn]

Here is an example:

 

Excursion: Turtle Farm Tour in Grand Cayman

Carnival's Price: $54.99

Tickets directly at the gate: $45.00

Tickets online at the company's website: $36.00 ($45 - 20% discount of $9.00)

[cb at sea]

Here is an example:

 

Excursion: Turtle Farm Tour in Grand Cayman

Carnival's Price: $54.99

Tickets directly at the gate: $45.00

Tickets online at the company's website: $36.00 ($45 - 20% discount of $9.00)

 

And, you can take the public bus to get there....you don't have to have a guide for Turtle farm.

 

A guidebook will really help you determine what is best done with a guide...many things are easy to do ON YOUR OWN!

[winddawn]

Hello.... I hear that purchasing a excursion from someone off the ship is cheaper. Can anyone tell me how much a difference it is? I know some are more expensive then others. Can anyone give me a example?

 

First time cruiser

12/2016

Carnival Liberty

Besides considering cost, be sure you also consider the risks associated with booking your own excursions outside of Carnival.

 

If you do book your own excursions or go out on your own and you are late getting back to the ship, the ship usually will not wait for you, but they will wait if you booked your excursion through Carnival. Google "cruise pier runners" and you'll see what I mean. It is not an understatement to say that many people get left behind to fend for themselves in finding a way home. You never know when you might get stuck in traffic or encounter other unforeseen delays.

 

Also consider some parts of some islands in the Caribbean and The Bahamas are not very safe, especially for inexperienced tourists. Many of these places are literally third world economies.

 

Hope you enjoy your excursions and have a great cruise.

[ABQrobin]

If you are a FIRST Time cruiser.... I would recommend you stay with excursions from the ship. It will help you learn about the ports and procedures better, and you will have peace of mind. I cannot tell you how many people I see walking around at the ports, trying to figure out where to go and no idea how to get from A to B. Asking for help at most ports is a big problem as these people are going to try to sell you a tour, whether is is good or not, whether it is what you want or not, just to get your money.

 

We booked a tour one time through the ship going to a particular place. We were taken there as a group, in a bus, and back, all included, and had a guide. We spoke with another couple later that day who had decided to do it with an independent company for $20pp less than ours. They had to pay taxi fare to and from meeting spot, pay in cash, as well as time spent waiting for taxis, and did not have the same tour guide and one less stop on tour. They ended up paying the same thing as us within a few dollars.

 

Booking tours ahead of time is the best idea for any port....but like I said, if this is your first cruise, I would stick with the cruise excursions this time.

 

Just MY 2 cents.

[Turqoisblu]

Check out the ports of call section of the forum, many people talk about local excursions on there.

Thanks

 

First time cruiser

12/2016

Carnival Liberty

[Turqoisblu]

Besides considering cost, be sure you also consider the risks associated with booking your own excursions outside of Carnival.

 

If you do book your own excursions or go out on your own and you are late getting back to the ship, the ship usually will not wait for you, but they will wait if you booked your excursion through Carnival. Google "cruise pier runners" and you'll see what I mean. It is not an understatement to say that many people get left behind to fend for themselves in finding a way home. You never know when you might get stuck in traffic or encounter other unforeseen delays.

 

Also consider some parts of some islands in the Caribbean and The Bahamas are not very safe, especially for inexperienced tourists. Many of these places are literally third world economies.

 

Hope you enjoy your excursions and have a great cruise.

Thank you for pointing that out. I appreciate the heads up.

 

First time cruiser

12/2016

Carnival Liberty

[asalligo]

Besides considering cost, be sure you also consider the risks associated with booking your own excursions outside of Carnival.

 

If you do book your own excursions or go out on your own and you are late getting back to the ship, the ship usually will not wait for you, but they will wait if you booked your excursion through Carnival. Google "cruise pier runners" and you'll see what I mean. It is not an understatement to say that many people get left behind to fend for themselves in finding a way home. You never know when you might get stuck in traffic or encounter other unforeseen delays.

 

Exactly, you can save some money, but be careful, people get left all the time and Carnival will handle that if you have booked through them.

[Buckett]

I have tried google but no success. I don't have a TA. Any sites you can give me?

 

First time cruiser

12/2016

Carnival Liberty

 

OP, I believe the poster meant the website "trip advisor" not, travel agent. :)

 

Lots of good info there.

Edited December 14, 2016 by Buckett
typo

[coevan]

Don't let the paranoid people steer you away from private tours. Private tour operators life depends on you getting back to the ship. This is all they do for a living is wait for cruise ships, make sure you have a great time and getting you back to the ship. I am a scuba diver and private tours are less expensive and a much less people. The tours are more personalized. As to "pier runners" most stories I hear are about people who get trashed and lose track of time, not late tour operators.

[mrpayroll]

don't let the paranoid people steer you away from private tours. Private tour operators life depends on you getting back to the ship. This is all they do for a living is wait for cruise ships, make sure you have a great time and getting you back to the ship. I am a scuba diver and private tours are less expensive and a much less people. The tours are more personalized. As to "pier runners" most stories i hear are about people who get trashed and lose track of time, not late tour operators.

 

exactly. ...

[sanger727]

In my experience independent excursions generally get you a better excursion and a better price. The ship tours are typically overpriced and overloaded with people. It really depends on where you are going. I think you are going to Freeport and Nassau and unfortunately those are not great ports for independent tours. Check trip advisor but you may just choose to stick with ship excursions.

 

What I like to do is to check out the ship excursions and then use google and trip advisor to research local vendors that provide similar tours. Yes, you have more responsibility to be on time then, but many times you will find a tour operator that will pick you up from the ship, do the tour, and drop you back off and they build their reputation on getting people back to the ship on time.

Edited December 16, 2016 by sanger727

[cv322]

Check out the ports of call section of the forum, many people talk about local excursions on there.

 

Check out Trip Advisor, click on "Things To Do"...input your island & take it from there....good luck!

[serene56]

Don't let the paranoid people steer you away from private tours. Private tour operators life depends on you getting back to the ship. This is all they do for a living is wait for cruise ships, make sure you have a great time and getting you back to the ship. I am a scuba diver and private tours are less expensive and a much less people. The tours are more personalized. As to "pier runners" most stories I hear are about people who get trashed and lose track of time, not late tour operators.

 

I just dont think i would feel comfortable just booking with someone off the pier-- I will need someone that comes highly recommended off the port of calls boards. I sit on my balcony-- or the upper decks waiting for a pier runner. in 26 cruises I have yet to see one

[LondonTowner]

I see the scaremongers are out. The very few people who get left behind aren't called Rum Runners for nothing. They are normally intoxicated and forget the time.

 

If you book your excursion from a reputable local operator it is highly unlikely you will get left behind. They have their reputation to protect.

 

In the Caribbean we have done a mixture of pre booked local excursions or just pick one up at the port.

 

If you like going around with 50 others on a bus with fellow cruisers, then, go ahead and book with the ship. If you prefer a much cheaper tour with maybe 4 or 6 other people then arrange your own. I know what I prefer.

 

There is plenty of info on the Port's of Call and the destination forums on Tripadvisor.

[Bonnie J.]

In Belize cave tubing was from $78 to $85 for the same exact tour from the ships but, twice we paid $48@!

You should check your Roll Call here on CC. You can email each other back and forth about tours and often join one they are going on.

The private tour operators DO NOT want you to miss the ship. If their passengers miss the ship that really will hurt their business.

I don't remember the last time we took a ship's tour. And all out tour leaders were always checking their watches.

[paul929207]

Here are some of the arrangements we have made

 

Maui - Aquarium. Public bus $2 pp each way. Admission to the Aquarium about $23 each. Princes price was $69 pp

 

At many ports there are people looking for passengers to join their tour. Island tour is usually $20 to $40 for a half day tour.

[Sequim88]

Can anyone give me a example?

 

I spoke to the operator of a parasailing trip we booked independently in St. Marten and asked why he did not show up in the cruise lines' excursions and he said to do that it would be three times as expensive due to the insurance the lines all require. Once to cover the participants and one policy to protect the cruise line. Let alone his own insurance built in to the independent rate.

 

Not to mention the cut that goes to the cruise line.

 

We will still book via the cruise line but the last several cruises we've booked independent or just done our own touring (cab and train). It was very easy to cab to the train station at Livorno and take the train to Pisa where we toured on our own and reversed back to the port with plenty of time to be onboard. Total cost about $60 each - ship tour was over $300 each. Plus we were on our own schedule and not herded around like cattle.

[donaldsc]

Hello.... I hear that purchasing a excursion from someone off the ship is cheaper. Can anyone tell me how much a difference it is? I know some are more expensive then others. Can anyone give me a example?

 

First time cruiser

12/2016

Carnival Liberty

 

Very easy to find out by yourself. Pick some ship excursions. Then do a Google search for equivalent excursions. Compare the prices. Doing your own research using Google is not that hard.

 

DON

[VennDiagram]

Here's my humble opinion which is an echo of another poster's. Seeing as this is your first time cruising, use the cruise ship excursions. Then, next time, you'll have a much better idea of how to organize yourself on the next cruise so you aren't worried about being late or getting lost.

 

We mostly DIY now, or find local guides/tours. Even now, though, we will sometimes use the ship excursions if we have a short time in port.

 

After saying all that, you need to decide what your comfort level is :) None of us can tell you that :)

[Quilting_Cruiser]

I haven't book through a cruise line in almost 15 years. It's not because of cost, it's because of the quality of the tours and the size of the tour groups. I've never even come close to missing the ship. If you go with a reputable vendor (as suggested, check the ports of call board and trip advisor), they're really good at getting you back to the port. If you're caught in traffic, ship tours will also be caught in traffic (not that I would ever count on that). That said, I don't take excursions that will keep me away from the port until the last minute. That's just like asking to be left behind! If you plan carefully and make sure you have a time cushion, you should be fine.

[gooch47]

We consider the difference in price to be insurance that the ship will wait for you.

 

Speaking of insurance, the comment one poster made about a tour having to charge more if they became a ship's excursion was troubling. Because he would need more insurance?

 

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