when is too late to book excursions ?

[stellarose]

I tried to look at excursions for Roatan and it won't open. hmm? maybe bc we leave within the month?

[thenexus2k]

I do believe the only times it is too late is after they have left or sold out. They are usually still selling excursions while you are on the boat. You probably just had an internet issue. 

[Garth2]

2 hours ago, thenexus2k said:

I do believe the only times it is too late is after they have left or sold out. They are usually still selling excursions while you are on the boat. You probably just had an internet issue. 

 

The ship.

[ABQrobin]

Everyone has been having problems with booking online.  Apparently they loaded a program update that has issues with some internet browsers, excursions not showing up in view, even though they are there to book.  I had this problem last week, I use Google Chrome.  I tried Edge, and the whole website was suddenly back and all the excursions for my cruise in Feb appeared.  I booked the excursions no problem.  

So this may be your problem.  Try a different browser.  

[coevan]

try here, plenty of tours and very reputable company: https://www.shoreexcursioneer.com/search.php?search=roatan

[zorky12]

I personally would not book an excursion without it being through the cruise line because if something were to happen and you get delayed they will not leave without you if you book it through the cruise line 

[stellarose]

thanks CC!! got in. 

[klfrodo]

1 hour ago, zorky12 said:

I personally would not book an excursion without it being through the cruise line because if something were to happen and you get delayed they will not leave without you if you book it through the cruise line 

That thought process is a great marketing tool. It's technically correct, however, the possibility is so remote as to be an acceptable risk for thousands of cruisers to include myself. Just have to do some research.

[coevan]

4 hours ago, zorky12 said:

I personally would not book an excursion without it being through the cruise line because if something were to happen and you get delayed they will not leave without you if you book it through the cruise line 

 

 

Carnival myth and fear factor. Most are the same tour operators for other ships. They have watches and cell phones. My son ran snorkel tours in St.Thomas for years. There are basically 4 or 5 guys who own all the tour companies in STT. The only idiots that miss the ship got too drunk and lost track of time.

[zorky12]

Our first and only cruise I have been on, there was an excursion late getting back in Cozumel. Apparently the boat on the excursion had broken down. The ship waited almost an hour for 5 people to get back on the ship that were on that excursion.   

[klfrodo]

2 hours ago, zorky12 said:

Our first and only cruise I have been on, there was an excursion late getting back in Cozumel. Apparently the boat on the excursion had broken down. The ship waited almost an hour for 5 people to get back on the ship that were on that excursion.   

And?

 

Glad it worked out for them.

Your ship had close to 3000 passengers. 1500 of them went out on their own. They all made it back on time.

I've been on about 20 cruises. Only 1 time have I been late on an excursion. Jamaica traffic. We happened to have crew members with us, but we weren't the last. Others were later than we were.

 

Research - Most vendors don't stay in business long if they don't get people back to the ship on time

Know your surroundings - There are some places that you visit that are notorious for dangerous roads and traffic jams.

Travel Insurance - For the unexpected

 

Just came back from a cruise to Playa Maya and Cozumel. Went to go see the Mayan ruins in Playa Maya. But what if we missed the ship you ask? Its a 6 hour bus ride to Cozumel. We would have gotten to Cozumel before the ship arrived the next day.

[Garf]

23 hours ago, zorky12 said:

I personally would not book an excursion without it being through the cruise line because if something were to happen and you get delayed they will not leave without you if you book it through the cruise line 

I agree 100% , I have seen it happen in PR. If it was not a Carnival excursion those passengers was running 30 late after departure time .

Edited November 22, 2019 by Garf

[rukkian]

On 11/21/2019 at 12:53 PM, zorky12 said:

I personally would not book an excursion without it being through the cruise line because if something were to happen and you get delayed they will not leave without you if you book it through the cruise line 

I (and especially my wife) take that a huge factor for us, just for the what if.  If the price is about the same (some things carnival is cheaper) or less, I will pick through the cruise line every time.  If there is nothing offered through carnival (we are doing our own in Cuaracao in March), we will book third party.  It takes some of the stress out of the vacation imo by booking through the cruise line.

[Doggielover68]

On 11/21/2019 at 1:53 PM, zorky12 said:

I personally would not book an excursion without it being through the cruise line because if something were to happen and you get delayed they will not leave without you if you book it through the cruise line 

Depends. I personally wouldn't book a private excursion in say, Belize, because everything is far away. 

 

If I'm going somewhere with decent transportation options, nearby beaches, resorts, etc we go on our own. I do always make sure there is a plan B though. I.e. staying on the beaten path where there are plentiful taxis, buses, or businesses that could call a taxi. 

[coevan]

6 hours ago, Garf said:

I agree 100% , I have seen it happen in PR. If it was not a Carnival excursion those passengers was running 30 late after departure time .

 how do you know they weren't in Carlos and Charlies? We have taken seaplanes to Ambergris Cays to dive many times on private tours. We also did petty the sharks and Caulker Cay privately. We always make it back to the ship in plenty of time. These are professional tour companies. They do this 6-7 days a week with 1000's of guests, everyone makes it back to the ship.

[Garf]

1 hour ago, coevan said:

 how do you know they weren't in Carlos and Charlies? We have taken seaplanes to Ambergris Cays to dive many times on private tours. We also did petty the sharks and Caulker Cay privately. We always make it back to the ship in plenty of time. These are professional tour companies. They do this 6-7 days a week with 1000's of guests, everyone makes it back to the ship.

I KNOW because the captain of the ship mention it. I have been cruising form 1990 and will never take that chance period.

[crzndeb]

I am a solo traveler and have been to 5 continents, added Asia this month, and have done private tours and ship tours. I always do my research on good reputable tours before I book them...nothing beats a trishaw ride through the streets of Saigon with 9 other people,  or a cooking class of 7 with the tour guide’s  mother in Kota Kinabalu, or swimming with sharks and stingrays in Bora Bora. So many small personal experiences to list. The multiple tour buses from the ships will never get you these experiences.

Edited November 23, 2019 by crzndeb

[Garf]

There is always a first and I would not want to be that person.I have been going on cruises from 1990 and have seen people taken of , who have fallen ill. I had that first an experience in July of 2019 with my DW, she was air lifted back to the USA from Honduras. Better safe than never , I learn this as an airline pilot.

[sanger727]

On 11/21/2019 at 8:47 PM, zorky12 said:

Our first and only cruise I have been on, there was an excursion late getting back in Cozumel. Apparently the boat on the excursion had broken down. The ship waited almost an hour for 5 people to get back on the ship that were on that excursion.   

yes, this happens on occasion. But you are also suffering from a lack of sample size that makes the issue appear worse than it is. We use a mixture of DIY, independent tours, and occasional ship tours. The more  complicated the logistics of getting to the tour site (ie a cab ride in st Martin vs a mainland tour from Cozumel which needs a cab, a ferry, and a bus ride each direction) the more likely we are to take the ship’s tour. Whether doing DIY or an independent tour, we like to take full day tours that start shortly after the ship gets into dock and returns to the ship 1-2 hours before all aboard time. This creates a buffer that allows for things to go wrong. What you don’t know about that ship tour that arrived 30-60 minutes late is what time they planned to be back. Ship tours have the luxury of returned as late as all aboard time so whatever issue they have may have been easy to deal with and return on time with a buffer in place.

 

For me, taking the small chance that a great enough catastrophe occurs that alternative transportation to the ship can’t be arranged in 1.5-2.5 hours is not enough risk to keep me from touring on my own. But based on my experience taking independent tours and ship tours, limiting myself to ship tours is a vacation sacrifice I’m not willing to make. Yes, independent tours tend to be cheaper but that’s not the primary driver for me. Hands down the independent tours I’ve taken have been leaps and bounds better than the ship tours. Smaller groups, more personalized itineraries, more attention from guide, and the ability to go places that a large group cannot go.