Excursions or On Your Own?

[OurSlowSimpleTravel]

When travelling solo do you prefer doing excursions through the cruise line or doing your own thing?

 

I've travelled alone before but never cruised. I'm not technically cruising solo as my daughter will be with me but she's so young that I might as well be lol. 

 

We are going to Mexico, I've never been and not sure about safety. I'm not sure that excursions are worth it compared to just going to a beach or something on our own.

 

Wondering what solo cruisers tend to do. Thanks!

[bhsolo]

For me it all depends on where I am, what I am doing, and prices.

Victoria - I took an excursion to the gardens, they dropped us in town, and I walked back to the ship. Extremely safe, great place to explore, and a fabulous walk with lots of eats along the way and LOTS of people.

Ziplining in Alaska - took the excursion from the ship. Didn't want to deal with transportation, possibly being delayed getting back, etc. then walked around the port and had a great time.

Cozumel & Costa Maya, plus other Caribbean countries - I'll walk around the ports but am not a fan of getting a cab by myself also because pricewise it doesn't work in my favor. If I was with a few others I would consider it.

Once I am familiar with a port area and go back that is a different story and I may consider my own because I'll know the area, timing, and where I am/should be going. Also, the excursion sales can make it very enticing to not have to think.

 

Edited April 6, 2022 by bhsolo

[Sprigs616]

I'll only do a ship's excursion if I can't figure out how to do the same activity on my own.  It's pretty easy to get to a beach on your own if you're cruising the Mexican Riviera.  Check out the category "Ports of Call" here on Cruise Critic for advice on what you can do in the ports you'll be visiting.  Have fun!

 

[LandlockedCruiser01]

In a US port, like Key West or Catalina, I'd feel mostly safe venturing out on my own.  After all, it's a port with laws and social customs I'm familiar with.  In foreign ports, as a solo, I'd feel most comfortable booking an excursion.  Because I don't want anyone taking advantage of me. Pushy vendors, I can push back against; but scammers and such, I might not be so lucky, unless I already know the scam.

 

That said, I speak Spanish quite well.  So I were to get left behind in Mexico or Central America, I could approach a local cop and ask "¿Dónde está la embajada de los Estados Unidos?  La necesito ahora."  (Where's the United States embassy? I need it now.)

Edited April 7, 2022 by LandlockedCruiser01

[cheffip]

One other option is to join a small group excursion advertised in the roll-call for your cruise. A mini-bus/van of 8 people is much nicer than a 40-50 person one and it’s a chance to meet new people. There’s often a mixture of solos and couples and even when I’ve been the only person solo, I’ve had a seat beside the driver and learned a lot in our private conversations. 

[hallux]

I've done both.  I've done two "pure solo" cruises, where I boarded the ship by myself.  On the first one I ended up meeting some other solos and I ended up walking to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco with one and visiting the aquarium there.  I also walked around Vancouver with some other solos, the last stop on that trip, and did a post-cruise tour that I booked separate from the cruise since my flight wasn't until late that night.  I did a ship's excursion in Victoria, which was just a bus tour of the city.

 

On my other solo trip (just last month), I did a ship's excursion that I booked on my own, and as I got off the ship to go meet it I ran into others that were looking for the same one so we worked together to find it and conversed during the excursion.  At another port on that trip I ended up booking an excursion that some other people I'd met on the ship (actually before boarding) suggested I do with them.

 

When I did a cruise with my sister and her BF we did a self-guided 'wander the city somewhat aimlessly' tour of Mazatlan, and that was probably the BEST stop on that trip!

 

One thing to consider - no matter what you decide you should ALWAYS have a time device synced to the ship's time and know what time all-aboard is.  You don't want to be watching the ship sail away as you stand on the pier because you had the time wrong.

[Lois R]

I have also done both. I agree with BHSOLO.......it depends on where I am going and what is being offered and what I feel like doing. Oh and yes, the price as well.

[ChiGal1962]

In general, I prefer the "on my own" approach. Smaller groups, less shopping 🙂 I will book through the cruise line if what I want to do is far away (~2 hours), if I think there is a safety concern or if I really don't care what I do, but I want to do something (applies to a lot of Caribbean ports, which may just entail a beach day). 

[cruizergal70]

On 4/6/2022 at 3:25 PM, OurSlowSimpleTravel said:

When travelling solo do you prefer doing excursions through the cruise line or doing your own thing?

 

I've travelled alone before but never cruised. I'm not technically cruising solo as my daughter will be with me but she's so young that I might as well be lol. 

 

We are going to Mexico, I've never been and not sure about safety. I'm not sure that excursions are worth it compared to just going to a beach or something on our own.

 

Wondering what solo cruisers tend to do. Thanks!

Have you looked at your options? Are those options more enjoyable than sitting on the beach or wandering around for half an hour?

[airlink diva]

Just returned from a solo cruise this Sunday on the Pride.

I did one ship tour, but two of the remaining ports local tours.

In Belize did King David Tours.  It was not a big difference in what the ship tour was.  But I had my own driver/guide.  SUV without being crowded.  The highlight was being at the site way before the ship tours.  I got a bad knee and able to walk at my pace, sit down long as I want.  I also into historical preservation and my guide and I sat for close to a hour in a deep discussion about this topic.  By the time we left the buses were coming.

Now in Roatan, I really enjoyed the ship tour.  Less than 30 of us, VIP beach time with no vendors, drinks flowing, not crowded.

Did beach time in Cozumel.

When I do cruise sites like this, Trip Advisor and FB give insight on tours.

With the exception of a tour in Barbados, my local tours as a solo been great

[oakridger]

Hello @airlink diva.  I'll be solo in Barbados later this year.  Can you elaborate on which tour wasn't good there and briefly, why? Thanks very much.

 

~Nancy

[OurSlowSimpleTravel]

Thanks everyone!

 

On 4/17/2022 at 6:18 PM, cruizergal70 said:

Have you looked at your options? Are those options more enjoyable than sitting on the beach or wandering around for half an hour?

I have and I'm not really sure if it will be more enjoyable. For me they would be but for my daughter she would probably be happier at the beach lol.

[LandlockedCruiser01]

1 hour ago, OurSlowSimpleTravel said:

Thanks everyone!

 

I have and I'm not really sure if it will be more enjoyable. For me they would be but for my daughter she would probably be happier at the beach lol.

 

Why not do both?  Half of one, remainder of the other.  Just find a way to decide fairly which one to do first.  Maybe play rock-paper-scissors for it.  Either that, or let the weather conditions dictate; you don't need as warm a temperature to walk around as to swim on the beach. 

 

Just remember that not all cities and their beaches are equally safe.  Cozumel and Progreso are generally OK; Pacific coast cities, not so much.

Edited April 23, 2022 by LandlockedCruiser01

[sambamama]

I usually avoid ship tours like the plague. I've taken the local bus to beaches, or posted on a roll call looking for shares. I've had excellent luck organizing a private tour, and posting it on the roll call so I get a small group doing what I want. Snorkeling is best done in smaller groups and that is the best thing to do in Cozumel other than dive. It's no fun snorkeling with 40 people!