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Trying To Embrace Royal Excursions


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When you get to be an old fart like me, cruising for as long as I have, you fall into a routine.... eat at one of the same few restaurants, stay at one of the same few pre cruise hotels etc....

 

One of ours has been we always book private tours.    Back in the day when I was in my 20's it was because it was cheaper but as time has gone on and we've been to the same islands over and over again we've made friends with local tour operators, restaurant owners, etc.   

 

However since we have a 7 year old, who is too young to  be vaccinated, current rules require us to take an RCI excursion rather than venture off on our own.

 

At first, I was like, no biggie, I'm just so happy to sail again.

 

But as I've tried to plan our cruise stops.... wow... this is tough.  

 

We LOVE Roatan for example, the beaches/reef of West End are some of the most beautiful in the world.  I sail there just to stand in that water and soak up the nature beauty of it all.   We can't go there this trip though, and all the offerings RCI has for us.... are "man made tourist trap kinda places"   as one of my locals put it.    I'm so frustrated in being in one of the places I love so much, but not being able to go and enjoy it the way I typically do.

 

This isn't a post just to complain.... but instead find a silver lining.

 

I'm sure there are others like myself with kids, staring at the excursion list like hoping one of your usual haunts gets magically added to the list.

 

Since that won't likely happen,  i'm hoping maybe we can share some of our favorite RCI excursions,  if you've done a ship tour you've loved, especially at one of the  islands frequented right now (Cozumel, Costa Maya, Nassau,  Roatan)  I'd love to hear about it.

 

 

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4 minutes ago, RCCL Fan said:

When you get to be an old fart like me, cruising for as long as I have, you fall into a routine.... eat at one of the same few restaurants, stay at one of the same few pre cruise hotels etc....

 

One of ours has been we always book private tours.    Back in the day when I was in my 20's it was because it was cheaper but as time has gone on and we've been to the same islands over and over again we've made friends with local tour operators, restaurant owners, etc.   

 

However since we have a 7 year old, who is too young to  be vaccinated, current rules require us to take an RCI excursion rather than venture off on our own.

 

At first, I was like, no biggie, I'm just so happy to sail again.

 

But as I've tried to plan our cruise stops.... wow... this is tough.  

 

We LOVE Roatan for example, the beaches/reef of West End are some of the most beautiful in the world.  I sail there just to stand in that water and soak up the nature beauty of it all.   We can't go there this trip though, and all the offerings RCI has for us.... are "man made tourist trap kinda places"   as one of my locals put it.    I'm so frustrated in being in one of the places I love so much, but not being able to go and enjoy it the way I typically do.

 

This isn't a post just to complain.... but instead find a silver lining.

 

I'm sure there are others like myself with kids, staring at the excursion list like hoping one of your usual haunts gets magically added to the list.

 

Since that won't likely happen,  i'm hoping maybe we can share some of our favorite RCI excursions,  if you've done a ship tour you've loved, especially at one of the  islands frequented right now (Cozumel, Costa Maya, Nassau,  Roatan)  I'd love to hear about it.

 

 

When are you sailing?  The vaccine may be approved for younger children soon 

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1 minute ago, Crazy planning mom said:

When are you sailing?  The vaccine may be approved for younger children soon 

 

November -- we've waited and waited to see for the latest covid developments unfold...... but  are seeing the few tours we had some vague interest in, start to sell out, so we figure we need to buy before offerings get even more slim.  

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14 minutes ago, twinmommy08 said:

We met a couple on our Adventure sailing that left their child in the kids club while they went ashore to bypass the excursion. 

yeah, i know some couples do that, but that's not us.   We come as a family, we do the vacation as a family.  

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28 minutes ago, RCCL Fan said:

yeah, i know some couples do that, but that's not us.   We come as a family, we do the vacation as a family.  

Good for you!  Family time on vacation is so important, especially with children at a young age.

Edited by TheBucketLister
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I think it was Maya Key that we booked as a cruise ship excursion in Roatan. Private island, little ferry takes you over. We even booked onboard. It is a nice little resort. Swimming pool with iguanas nearby. Wonderful buffet lunch included. Inexpensive beverage prices. Animals with meet and greets scheduled during the day. Wonderful white sand beaches. Additional activities available at additional cost. It was a really fun day! :classic_biggrin:

 

And the ferry runs every half hour back to the cruise ship dock in the afternoon. :classic_biggrin:

 

We liked it. We hadn't made any real plans there and it was really nice. 

IMG_0209.JPG

Edited by Coralc
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3 minutes ago, Coralc said:

I think it was Maya Key that we booked as a cruise ship excursion in Roatan. Private island, little ferry takes you over. We even booked onboard. It is a nice little resort. Swimming pool with iguanas nearby. Wonderful buffet lunch included. Inexpensive beverage prices. Animals with meet and greets scheduled during the day. Wonderful white sand beaches. Additional activities available at additional cost. It was a really fun day! :classic_biggrin:

 

And the ferry runs every half hour back to the cruise ship dock in the afternoon. :classic_biggrin:

 

We liked it. We hadn't made any real plans there and it was really nice. 

 

that was one of our options.... good to hear!

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In Roatan we did the RCCL beach break to Tabyana @ west beach.  It was pleasant.  Reasonably early trip over there on a crowded bus. But only about 40-50 at the place.  Trips back started at noon and last one at returned about 1.5 hours before the ship left.  There was 6 of us that stayed until the end.

 

Food was meh but beach was super empty - thanks Covid - so we had a good time.  Could walk up and down and find something else if needed.

 

Biggest negative on our excursions was lots of folks out selling their goods w/ not many customers.  All were polite, but it got annoying.

 

We usually do Bodden Tours but this worked out fine for us. A bit more relaxing, usually we pack more in.

Edited by AustinCruise
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Are you sure you take a private tour to West End normally, or West Bay?
 

Most people usually rave over West Bay and the reef and snorkeling.  I would be very surprised if there isn’t a ship excursion to Tabyana (the cruise ship section of West Bay).  Personally I find West Bay very touristy and busy. We have enjoyed a private driver several times in Roatan and can understand your preference for being able to customize  your own tour. There are lots of separate venues to  add together to customize your own itinerary. Whilst private drivers are good value for parties of 4 or more, Roatan has always annoyed me because of the inability to just get a taxi for two, to and from a location, at a reasonable rate and consequently we have at times  taken ship excursions, a very rare occurrence for us. 
 

We have also enjoyed ship tours to Maya Kay, (recommended above) and  Sol y Mar as well as private tours to several locations away from West Bay, including West End which  we have enjoyed but wouldn’t particularly recommend for children.

 

However, what was available and good before cruising was suspended may be completely different now. If you want to cruise at the moment I think you have to take your chances with what is offered in some of these locations.

 

I first visited Coxen Hole 15-20 years ago, long before the present port buildings were built, or Mahogany Bay was open. Just before cruising was suspended the port at Coxen Hole was undergoing ambitious developments, (NCL had just been allowed to dock when a RCL ship was docked instead of having to tender in), but I imagine the rest of those plans are presently on hold.
 

I know Roatan is a favorite of many but despite many visits it has never given me a warm,fuzzy feeling and I am always a little wary there.

Edited by c-leg5
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5 minutes ago, AustinCruise said:

Btw - the upstairs at the port is closed.  Not much open outside the port either. 
 

lack of tourism hit this section hard. 

I am not surprised and are the port developments on hold or are there any signs of the port beach area developing?

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4 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

I am not surprised and are the port developments on hold or are there any signs of the port beach area developing?

Sadly I didn’t get a photo and don’t recall what it was like 2 years back. It does match Google maps satellite image. There are a few heavy equipment type earth movers, but not clear they are doing anything or just parked. 
 

there are no new structures. 

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52 minutes ago, AustinCruise said:

Btw - the upstairs at the port is closed.  Not much open outside the port either. 
 

lack of tourism hit this section hard. 


Tourism is literally their only industry... I don't know how some of these islands managed to feed themselves during the shutdown.

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@RCCL FanWe also like to do our own excursions and will run into the same problem in April (with kids traveling with our group and us wanting to do excursions). I've looked into "Private Journeys" through Royal, though haven't used it yet. (I am at the stage in the process where they've sent me a suggested itinerary and we still have some time to decide/commit).  However, DEFINITELY more than booking tours on your own, but seems to satisfy Royal's kids/excursion restriction and may be similar to what you're used to. Good luck, and would love to hear what you and your family end up doing in port.

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Thank you for starting this post. I'm just starting to get serious about looking into shore excursions for a December cruise. I'm not a fan of ship excursions, but I don't rule them out. Frankly paying a few bucks extra for a ship excursion isn't a big concern ... I just want to be sure the experience will be a good one. I'm intrigued by the one to Maya Key, which comes with the nice options of multiple chances to head back to the ship. I can't stay out in the sun for long periods, so I hesitate to take any excursion that locks you into a specific return time, because I'm usually ready to head back before the masses.

Edited by emeraldcity
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We've only done cruise sponsored excursions. We're on vacation and I don't have to worry about getting back on time. Only once have we been disappointed.

We're not beach people and prefer getting into the "guts" of the port or island.

It works for us. 

(Please don't suggest that we entertain private excursions. You do you. This is what we do.)

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9 hours ago, RCCL Fan said:

When you get to be an old fart like me, cruising for as long as I have, you fall into a routine.... eat at one of the same few restaurants, stay at one of the same few pre cruise hotels etc....

 

One of ours has been we always book private tours.    Back in the day when I was in my 20's it was because it was cheaper but as time has gone on and we've been to the same islands over and over again we've made friends with local tour operators, restaurant owners, etc.   

 

However since we have a 7 year old, who is too young to  be vaccinated, current rules require us to take an RCI excursion rather than venture off on our own.

 

At first, I was like, no biggie, I'm just so happy to sail again.

 

But as I've tried to plan our cruise stops.... wow... this is tough.  

 

We LOVE Roatan for example, the beaches/reef of West End are some of the most beautiful in the world.  I sail there just to stand in that water and soak up the nature beauty of it all.   We can't go there this trip though, and all the offerings RCI has for us.... are "man made tourist trap kinda places"   as one of my locals put it.    I'm so frustrated in being in one of the places I love so much, but not being able to go and enjoy it the way I typically do.

 

This isn't a post just to complain.... but instead find a silver lining.

 

I'm sure there are others like myself with kids, staring at the excursion list like hoping one of your usual haunts gets magically added to the list.

 

Since that won't likely happen,  i'm hoping maybe we can share some of our favorite RCI excursions,  if you've done a ship tour you've loved, especially at one of the  islands frequented right now (Cozumel, Costa Maya, Nassau,  Roatan)  I'd love to hear about it.

 

 

On Cozumel check if you guys can get on the trips that ferry to the mainland.  There are the cenotes, Tulum, Xcaret...  We have done these on 3 separate ship excursions as we have been to Cozumel many times.  Very well done.  I think we did the Cenote/Akamel snorkeling with turtles plus a private beach on the Vision back in 2019.  I think your 7 year old would like it.  They had life jackets for the sea snorkeling in Akamel.  edited:  called cenotes and turtle cove

Edited by jean87510
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12 hours ago, RCCL Fan said:

However since we have a 7 year old, who is too young to  be vaccinated, current rules require us to take an RCI excursion rather than venture off on our own.

 

we are in the same boat. I have, however, found a couple of reasonably priced RCI beach trips on our cruise and have booked them.

 

I do have a different worry: with the kid vaccines hopefully being approved by FDA by the end of October, if RCI makes them mandatory, we won't have enough time (5 weeks min required) for the kids to be fully immunized before any cruises departing before mid-December.

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We are completely in the same boat.  We did book Maya Key for Roatan, even though we were really looking forward to a private tour there.  Costa Maya- we hate that we are missing Maya Chan, but I am actually looking forward to to the Bacalar Fort and Seven Colors Lagoon.  Cozumel is our issue.  There are so few excursions available for a 7 year old and we don't want just another beach day.  So far, my 11 year old, 7 year old, and I are staying onboard, while my husband will go scuba with a private company (hubby and I are vaccinated).  I would love to take the kids on an ATV or dune buggy tour, or do something a little more active than a beach day.  I know there are some private companies that allow some younger kids than what RC indicates.  So, it would be nice if they could add more options.  But, we are also going in December.  With the recent Pfizer study I'm hoping that we will have time to get the kids vaccinated before we go and then we can look into other options.

 

I would love for someone to give some ideas or reviews on here with the kids that are around 7 for Cozumel.  Hopefully I will see a review that makes me go "Ooh, that sounds amazing.  Let me get on RC's site and book it now!"  

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