To book through Carnival...or to book on our own....that is my question!

[Brayvacay2018]

We are going to Cozumel in Sept. just my husband and I. We would like to do an excursion, but wondering about the safety of booking on our own. The jeep tour we are looking at through Island Marketing is cheaper than through Carnival, but we are worried about the duration of the trip (5 hours). Has anyone had any experience booking on their own and making it back to the ship in time?

 

Thanks!!

[crewsweeper]

So the question is how long are you in port? Do you have to take a taxi to the excursion starting point or From the end back to the ship?

 

Assuming the jeep excursion is on the island and not on the mainland, as long as you are in port for 6-7 hours you're probably okay. Also depends on if the stops are pre arranged and you are traveling with a group. Beach stops will take longer than shop or attraction stops.

[marshhawk]

My DH and I have gone to Cozumel 4 times, twice we did Carnival excursions, and twice, we walked down to El Cid, and purchased day passes. The first time there we learned what we wanted to do the second time we were there, and the second time we were there it was too cool to enjoy. Not sure if that will help, but Cozumel runs on tourism, and they try hard to get you back to your ship. Just remember most of the time, the ship wants you back an hour before you sail away.

[o-state girl]

You might look at Shoreexcursioneer.com. They have a back to ship guarantee (if you miss the ship as a result of their tour, they will pay up to $500 to get you to your next port of call.

[JohninDC]

Been to Cozumel many times and never used a ship's excursion - tourism is their business and it is easy to book excursions independently or just head to the beach club of your choice.

[Can'tWait2SetSail]

It depends on how long we are in port and what we want to do. One time we did Mr. Sanchos on own. We had total control of when to get there and when to leave. The last time we did a bar hop tour through an outside company. We were going to be in Cozumel til the early evening and thought if there were any mechanical problems with the bus we should have plenty of time to get back to ship. Our next cruise we are only in Cozumel til 4pm and wanted to do a catamaran snorkel thing. We booked through the cruise line just in case there were any engine problems or other things that would be completely beyond our control.