Talk me out of Carnival's excursions.

[Joebucks]

I don't do the Carnival excursions, mostly because it is a ton of money. However, there are a few perks other than the "peace of mind." Sometimes, people don't factor in the cost of taking a taxi to where they are going. That adds up real fast. Now if the excursion company will pick you up by the port, you will be good. Another thing is that Carnival will price match 110% of the difference. I don't have experience with that, but from reports I've heard, it apparently works.

[coevan]

If you find the EXACT same excursion, Carnival will price match

 

 

 

it's not as easy as it sounds and the other downside is you have to take Carnival's excursion

[Poppy42]

We've been disappointed in most of the Carnival sponsored excursions. They're overpriced. We found that the snorkel excursions were good and worth the money. All of the other Carribean excursions were both over-priced and generally poor. We 've been to so many islands (they start to look the same) that all we do is go to the beach - in Puerto Rico we don't even get off of the ship as we have vacationed there a few times and have already seen all of the islands. We were on the maiden voyage of the Splendor in 2008. The Normandy beach and battlefield tour was well worth the time and money. A tour in Lisbon was not worth it. We were to tour to towns. At the second one, the bus parked so far away that we had less than an hour there. They brought us back to the ship about three hours before sailing.

[Shaded Lady]

Yes, you are letting your anxiety get the best of you. i would like one example of a person missing a trip because of a tour.

I know of someone (not me, but then again, not 'someone who was related to someone's brothers' cousin's hairdresser'- this was a co-worker) who was left behind at a cruise port (RCCL, not that this matters). They were on a private excursion and the van never showed up at the beach they took them to for their last stop even though they waited 45 mins past the pre-arranged time for pickup. They finally found a local who had a cell phone and was able to call a cab. They would have been fine even still except there was a huge traffic jam in town with no way around it. They arrived at the port just as the ship started the back out.

 

They had their passports and the port master was really helpful with their making arrangements to get to the next port by plane, but it still cost them about $600 US. They talked to the tour operator when they got home but they were very unhelpful, made lots of excuses but offered nothing in return for the cost or inconvenience. My friend ended up putting a stop payment on her credit card when they returned but they only recouped about $200 from the tour operator. Needless to say, they didn't give them a good rating on their site or on Trip Advisor. However most of the other reviews on Trip Advisor were pretty positive.

 

To the OP- I think my friend's circumstance was pretty rare, and from what I've heard, you should be safe if you do your homework on tour operators, as others have mentioned.

[sanger727]

The experience mentioned above is pretty rare, not to say it couldn’t happen. There’s a point when you have to take responsibility for yourself and realize the van isn’t coming back and decide that at X time you are going to stop waiting and just call a cab. We have had outstanding experiences with local tours. Especially in the Caribbean where the islands tend to be small and transportation times short. We always plan on being back at least an hour before ‘all aboard’ time, so we have buffer time if things are running late. We have never even come close to feeling like we might miss the ship. In the post about someone who did, due to the tour. If you planning on being picked up at your last location at 4:00 for a 6:00 sail away, there would still be plenty of time for you to give up on waiting and catch a cab to get back on time.

 

OP, i also think you are putting a little too much faith in the idea that you are guaranteed to make it back to the ship. Yes, I do believe they are guaranteeing you to get ‘back to the ship’; but sometimes insurmountable obstacles occur where the ship cannot wait for you. In this case carnival would get you to the next port to meet the ship. Some tour agencies also provide this guarantee so you don’t lose much by booking with them.

 

 

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Edited May 20, 2018 by sanger727

[summersigh]

I didn't read the thread :D but wanted to share our reasoning / rule of thumb on excursions ....

 

 

If we're going somewhere that we could call a taxi if the tour vehicle breaks down we book independently.

 

 

 

If we're going out into the country we book with the cruise company for the reason you stated - "the guarantee that the ship will not leave if you're late getting back".

That turned out to be a good move in Belize for a Mayan Ruins tour where at the time the ship was scheduled to sail our tour bus was sitting in a traffic jam with no hope of getting to the tender dock right away.

The tour guide had been on her cell and assured us that there was a tender and a CCL rep waiting for us at the docks.

[LuckyZ]

We haven’t done Carnival excursions for many years as they are over priced , and of less quality. And when I bring the whole family, it gets very expensive

 

If you do your research including using fellow cruise critic members experiences, you can usually find good independent excursions to take. We’ve never had an issue nor were close to having an issue.

 

 

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[RWolver672]

 

First, when getting off the ship, how do you make sure you get off in time to meet the excursion guide, especially if you have to tender and/or don't have FTTF, since you're not gathering on ship to be escorted off by your cruise guide? In ports where we haven't had excursions, we've used FTTF to get off quickly, so getting off for a private excursion is a complete mystery to me.

Second, I have a (probably irrational) fear of missing the ship and getting left in port. The guarantee for cruise-sponsored excursions has always been a huge anxiety reliever for me. Is getting left behind truly not a problem? Am I just letting my anxiety get the better of me?

 

First: I'm a little confused. If you aren't at a tendering port, it doesn't matter what status you are. You just go down to the gangway and walk off as soon as you are cleared to get off. Then you look for the person holding up a sign on the pier for that private excursion.

 

Second: These outside vendors rely on cruise passengers. They aren't about to jeopardize their reputation by not getting you back in time. They know what time the ships sails and will do everything in their power to get you back in plenty of time.

 

As another posted said, read different reviews on here about the outside excursions. If you have a question about one in particular and don't see anything on it, ask about it. Somebody must have been on it.

[mdsgu]

Carnival will price-match. They'll actually do you one better: find the same excursion offered elsewhere and they will refund you 110% of the difference in the form of nonrefundable OBC. The upside is you get the cheaper price and you still have the Carnival guarantee to get you back to the ship on time. We are sailing on the Dream in June, and they honored a price match request on our Grand Cayman stingray tour and our Cozumel Isla Pasion tour!

[JTBCruiser]

Roatan ....... check out this company. You don't pay until you arrive in Roatan. http://www.boddentours.com/index.htm

 

Another vote for Bodden Tours, 1st class all the way and very reasonable rates.

[calbred01]

I have done both and it really depends (as others have stated) on where and what you want to do. In Jamaica, we did a ship excursion (Dunn River Falls) and glad we did as it started pouring rain on our way back and a tree fell and blocked the road and it took a while to clear, traffic was horrendous (although watch watching a man on a bicycle holding an umbrella weave in and out of traffic was interesting!) and in Playa del Carmen, we did the underground caves and it was sooo much fun, DD said she felt like Indiana Jones!) and we got the very LAST tender back and we did not get on board until after our departure time! But other than that we have never had an issue, but it can take careful planning!

[dmndlil]

Roatan ....... check out this company. You don't pay until you arrive in Roatan. http://www.boddentours.com/index.htm

 

That is who we used and we were back at the port in plenty of time. They know every ship schedule and are fantastic to deal with. We highly recommend them!

[stargate fan]

Our excursions are for Cozumel (Elite Champagne Catamaran Sail & Snorkel), Belize (Sharks, Rays, Barrier Reef Snorkel & Island Escape), and Roatan (Dolphin Swim & Snorkel).

 

Thanks for the advice!

I did a Google search and found Catamaran Sail and Snorkel Tour in Cozumel via Viator.

Is this similar to the Carnival excursion with the same name?

[OCruisers]

Some Carnival thru the ship are actually a good value.

If you just want to go to a beach, consider taking a taxi. ;)

[A&Jfamily]

Our excursions are for Cozumel (Elite Champagne Catamaran Sail & Snorkel), Belize (Sharks, Rays, Barrier Reef Snorkel & Island Escape), and Roatan (Dolphin Swim & Snorkel).

 

Thanks for the advice!

 

Best dolphin swim IMHO is Chankanaab in Cozumel because not only do you get the dolphins, but in the past they have had manatees to feed and the park is huge with great snorkeling - not much sandy beach tho. Book directly and save tons. It is simple to walk off the ship and take a cab 10 min down the road. They have plenty ready when you want to return. Easy peasy.

 

Best things we have done in Roatan are with Island Marketing or Victor Booden - an personalized island tour to see/do whatever you like...sloths, monkeys, iguana farm, gardens, zip lining etc. My older son still raves about the food one guide suggested from a local gas station - spot on local and delicious. If you want some beach time, come back and enjoy the port.

 

The shark swim in Belize - I think we did that through Carnival and it was worth every penny. We also did Altun Ha and River Wallace with Carnival and loved that. This is a tender port with a long tender and both these excursions took a good deal of time and took us far from the port.

 

There are some really great Carnival excursions out there - some of which are hard to duplicate independently - that, and tender ports, are the time we use them. Otherwise, we go independent.

[ddloml]

Our excursions are for Cozumel (Elite Champagne Catamaran Sail & Snorkel), Belize (Sharks, Rays, Barrier Reef Snorkel & Island Escape), and Roatan (Dolphin Swim & Snorkel).

 

Thanks for the advice!

 

Cozumel and Roatan are islands. As others have said, any independent tour will get you back to the ship well before sail away. Logistically, it would be hard to get lost on an island so badly that you wouldn’t be able to find some alternative to get you back in time.

 

For Belize, you are probably wise to stick with a ship’s tour. It’s a long tender ride (about 20 minutes each way) that you don’t want to risk missing. I echo the praises for the Altun Ha/River Wallace tour. We had a fascinating experience a few years ago on that one.

[Cushing985]

My wife and I used to use a private outfit based in the US for excursions and never had a problem except once. A couple of cruises ago we used a mix of the private company and carnival excursions. Well on the first port my wife woke up with an intestinal issue. Went to the onboard medical clinic and they restricted her to our cabin for 24 hours. I didn't want to go by myself so I canceled the planned excursion (Carnival) with a simple phone call to Guest Services. By the time we reached the second port (the next day) I was sick and they put me on restriction for 24 hours. That excursion was via the private company. I sent them an email to cancel and they came back telling us because we canceled on the day of the excursion we lose our money. Although painful, we got the funds reimbursed through our travel insurance.

 

So, lesson learned. We now use only Carnival excursions. The private company (understandably) wanted their money because we canceled at the last minute but Carnival gladly transferred the excursion cost back into our account.

[firemanbobswife]

My wife and I used to use a private outfit based in the US for excursions and never had a problem except once. A couple of cruises ago we used a mix of the private company and carnival excursions. Well on the first port my wife woke up with an intestinal issue. Went to the onboard medical clinic and they restricted her to our cabin for 24 hours. I didn't want to go by myself so I canceled the planned excursion (Carnival) with a simple phone call to Guest Services. By the time we reached the second port (the next day) I was sick and they put me on restriction for 24 hours. That excursion was via the private company. I sent them an email to cancel and they came back telling us because we canceled on the day of the excursion we lose our money. Although painful, we got the funds reimbursed through our travel insurance.

 

So, lesson learned. We now use only Carnival excursions. The private company (understandably) wanted their money because we canceled at the last minute but Carnival gladly transferred the excursion cost back into our account.

 

It's still not worth it to me to stick to Carnival when there are so much better private excursions out there. You're really missing out if you go with the cruise line. I try and find ones that don't require money upfront. But if they do, then I make sure it's refundable if the ship doesn't dock and I have travel insurance for cases like you experienced. Chances are extremely low you'll need to miss the excursion due to illness, but should you make it, it's almost 100% chance that you'll get your money's worth and have a much better time on a private one.

 

The only time I book through Carnival is if I have to like HMC for a Cabana or Villa. I also would strongly consider it in a port like Belize where everything is far away. Other than that, cruise line excursions don't even get glanced at by me.

[SRQbeachgirl]

Cozumel and Roatan are islands. As others have said, any independent tour will get you back to the ship well before sail away. Logistically, it would be hard to get lost on an island so badly that you wouldn’t be able to find some alternative to get you back in time.

 

Other than our first trip to Cozumel over 25 years ago, the excursions we've done have been on the mainland. Our last one was over 8 hours (4+ hours traveling on the tenders and bus!) and we got back to the ship just a few minutes before departure. It was one of the best excursions we've ever done (VIP Tulum & Cenote Swim w/ Lunch) and we had a great time, but all the travel was exhausting.

This time we aren't in the mood for long bus trips, so we're going to stay on Cozumel. I canceled the Carnival excursion we had booked and we're thinking about grabbing a taxi to Chankanaab.

[sanger727]

My wife and I used to use a private outfit based in the US for excursions and never had a problem except once. A couple of cruises ago we used a mix of the private company and carnival excursions. Well on the first port my wife woke up with an intestinal issue. Went to the onboard medical clinic and they restricted her to our cabin for 24 hours. I didn't want to go by myself so I canceled the planned excursion (Carnival) with a simple phone call to Guest Services. By the time we reached the second port (the next day) I was sick and they put me on restriction for 24 hours. That excursion was via the private company. I sent them an email to cancel and they came back telling us because we canceled on the day of the excursion we lose our money. Although painful, we got the funds reimbursed through our travel insurance.

 

 

 

So, lesson learned. We now use only Carnival excursions. The private company (understandably) wanted their money because we canceled at the last minute but Carnival gladly transferred the excursion cost back into our account.

 

 

 

We try to only book private excursions that you pay upon arrival for this reason. Anything can happen on a cruise in terms of missing the port so paying ahead can come back to bite you.

 

 

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[L1211]

Here’s why we book private tours. We toured Blue Hole in Jamaica in April with Patrice Bailey tours. We paid less than the ship tour for a private tour for four people. We had a private air conditioned van ride to get there then our own “lifeguard/tour guide” onsite for our group of four. he took us through all the jumps twice each without waiting. Here’s a picture of the Carnival cruise ship tour. And, it included several people smoking local Jamaica weed along the way being terribly obnoxious. They spent most their time standing in lines.

 

Here’s the Chankanaab Carnival tour in Cozumel. You wait while 40 people or so each take turns having their pictures taken.

I literally took these pics to include in my review hoping to convince just one person to branch out and do private tours or visit on their own!

 

Enjoy! Ports are amazing. Hard to go wrong!!

 

 

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[Sizzlechest]

I can understand doing an excursion through the cruise line when there can be a real danger of not making it back in time. I did a cruise from NY that stopped in Florida. My son wanted to do SeaWorld since we never get the chance to do it when flying to Florida. I did the excursion through the ship since the travel to anywhere other than the Kennedy Space Center is significant and security at the Florida ports is more difficult than any other I've experienced.

 

 

The port that you should NEVER do an excursion through the cruise line is Bermuda. The taxis are regulated, so no danger of a scammer running up the meter or taking you out of the way. Lots of reliable public transportation available. Most of all, there are plenty of excursions right at the port for a fraction of what they charge on the ship.

[asalligo]

I have your concerns also and I do not book non carnival excursions if they are too far from the port or not a very large savings. Unless both of those criteria are met, it is just not worth it to me.

 

Example that I might book, Cozumel non carnival excursions, if a decent savings and on the island you can pretty much always get back to the boat with a little work unless something catastrophic happens.

 

Jamaica trip to say mystic mountain, I would never book outside carnival, bus breaks down and getting back would be near impossible.

[naxer]

We booked a Wilderness Safari in Skagway, Alaska. When we walked to the area with people holding signs, ours was nowhere to be seen. My husband walked up to a woman holding a Carnival Wilderness Safari sign and asked if she knew anything about the private excursion with the same name. She flipped the page on the clipboard, asked our names, and checked us in. We were on the exact same excursion that other people booked through the ship yet they paid significantly more money.

 

What a coincidence. I booked that excursion for my cruise in August with Carnival, and I saw it advertised for less, sent in the claim form, received 110% of the difference, and so paid even less than either Carnival charged or the company charges.

[MistyRo76]

We also book many of our excursions through private vendors for several reasons. 1. Price is almost always better! 2. We prefer to do tours with a small group if not a completely private tour for our group. 3. We like to customize our experience rather than having to do exactly what the ship tour says you'll do. 4. Most of the time, we get much better service and personalized attention on a private tour.

 

We booked a private tour in Havana on our upcoming Cuba cruise. To do a full day Carnival tour it would run us $130-150 per person or to meet the full day requirement doing two half day excursions, we would have paid $250+ per person. We were able to book a private full-day tour for just our group doing all the things WE want to do for $67 per person. Can't beat it!

 

Now with that said, Belize is one of the locations that I will always book through Carnival. Many of the tours require a lengthy drive away from the port (60-90 minutes away) to the rainforest area. That's a long way away from everything if you encounter any trouble with your tour vehicle. And most of the operators there aren't using new vehicles either! Last time we were on a rickety old school bus to get to our tour site! lol I feel better there knowing that if anything happened to our tour bus, we would be covered through Carnival and the ship would wait for us!