Off ship/Online tour operators

[LobsterStalker]

Hi all, I've been on 7 cruises now, all with Royal Caribbean,and heading for our 8th on Norwegian Breakaway in a couple weeks.

We generally don't do a lot of excursions , maybe 1,possibly 2 per trip. Most stops we usually like to find a nearby beach and relax. On previous cruises I have booked excursions both from the ship, as well as on the dock with the local providers. I am wondering if anyone has booked IN ADVANCE with any private companies for any Caribbean ports, and if so how the experience was for you ?

Also , 3 ports we are heading to next month will be new to us. Anyone with any tips for me on beaches or Can't miss adventures in St. Thomas, Basseterre or Tortola would be appreciated.

 

Thx in advance

Colin

[ransrider]

Hi all, I've been on 7 cruises now, all with Royal Caribbean,and heading for our 8th on Norwegian Breakaway in a couple weeks.

We generally don't do a lot of excursions , maybe 1,possibly 2 per trip. Most stops we usually like to find a nearby beach and relax. On previous cruises I have booked excursions both from the ship, as well as on the dock with the local providers. I am wondering if anyone has booked IN ADVANCE with any private companies for any Caribbean ports, and if so how the experience was for you ?

Also , 3 ports we are heading to next month will be new to us. Anyone with any tips for me on beaches or Can't miss adventures in St. Thomas, Basseterre or Tortola would be appreciated.

 

Thx in advance

Colin

We have taken many tours through local tour companies and all have been much better and less expensive than what the cruise line offers. You must do the research though. Sign up for daily port emails through cruise critic of the ports you will be visiting. Many cruisers post their experiences and offer ideas of what's available. Once you find something of interest, read TripAdvisor reviews. Good luck.

 

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[CntPAcruiser]

We have done a mix of booking tours online in advance of our cruise, ships' tours, and on rare occasions taking a tour from the dock or in town. The most satisfying ones generally have been those booked in advance not through the ship, they are usually a far better value, and you can sometimes customize what you want to see or select a tour that has more of what you're interested in.

 

 

We had only had two poor experiences with an online booking that I recall. One was in St. Thomas, one of your ports, and that was a disastrous sailing with "Island Girl," a chartered sailboat. I would definitely avoid that one. They did not follow through on what was promised for the sailing, accompanying snorkel guides, or food, and the boat was in poor condition and messy. On the other hand, I would heartily recommend Royston in St. Kitts. We will be there in January 2019 and have booked a second time with him. He does a slightly crazy small group tour in a van with the windows popped out. You can find more information about him by searching the St. Kitts board and searching online with his name and St. Kitts. His email address is roystontours@hotmail.com.

 

 

We use a combination of getting recommendations here on CC and checking out reviews on Trip Advisor and elsewhere when making a decision. In many cases, communication can be a bit slow, but things have always worked out. Most often we book tours where no deposit or prepayment is required, and that has worked out fine.

Edited October 7, 2018 by CntPAcruiser