Excursions or on our own?

[Caracarn2]

So I've heard mixed stories.  Some people swear by excursions, many comment that they would have rather just seen the sights on their own to now feel so rushed.  I then read stories about how it can be dangerous to just take cabs on your own etc.   We're in our early 50s and my wife and I tend to just explore on our own but also have never been to the locations we're going to having never been on a cruise.   We love to hike and take in history so for example one of our stops in Puerto Rico I see a historical excursion but comments say they only got 40 minutes at the fort and would have loved to spend more time there so would have done it on their own.   

 

Our cruise in the spring is stopping at the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, St. Maarten and St. Thomas as I realize location may play a big part in answering this question well.

So what are the recommendations and why from the more experienced out there?

Edited September 8, 2022 by Caracarn2

[mom says]

Welcme to cruise critic.  Many experienced  cruisers prefer to take independent tours or DIY, depending on the port. But it is incumbent upon the individual to do sufficient research to assess the risks/benefits of each option. There have been innumerable threads on this site, and articles on the web , plus you tube videos that cover the pros and cons.  But again, much depends on the port. And how far from the port you will have to travel. And how long before sailing you expect to return to the ship.

 

Personally, we generally opt not to use the ship excursions to avoid large groups and the inevitable shopping stops. But if we need to travel a fair distance away from the ship, we may take the ship excursion to lower the risk of missing the ship. But again, it depends on the port and what we will be doing.

 

It's always useful to check out the Ports of Call forum for your ports-   https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/456-caribbean/

 

These will give you an idea of recommended tours, and sometimes what to avoid. Your Roll Call for your sailing can also be a source of information  from your fellow cruisers.  Although the RCs for Caribbean sailings tend to be quiet.

[SbbquilterUT]

San Juan is so easy to explore on your own.  The dock is right in Old Town, exit the port and walk dead ahead toward the fort up on the hill (and if you have a US NPS card, use it for entry).  Explore on your own, then continue along the coast, past the beautiful cemetery and on up to the larger fort.  Finally wander the colorful streets and follow a local group to a family run eatery.  

[rkacruiser]

If I have not visited a port before and I want an excursion that would introduce me to the area, a shore excursion would be my choice.  If I have visited a port before and am comfortable in visiting it on my own, I would choose to do that.

[bbwex]

While there are stories and even videos of people getting back to their ships late, you will find that those people tended to be totally on their own, and were not careful.  While the stops in the Caribbean don't all offer lots of day-long tours, if you work with reputable tour operators, their whole livelihoods depend on getting their passengers back on time, and I have not read a single report that a reputable tour operator ever got back late.

 

One thing to do is to go on the Ports of Call section of Cruise Critic, read a lot of the postings about a given port and get the overall picture of who is good and who is not in terms of tour offerings.  Do not go by a single report, but rather read lots of get a reliable sample.

 

Again, though it is not as important in some ports in the Caribbean, we have found that private tours are cheaper if you get a small group of six or eight, and you can do that on the roll call for  your cruise, and you get to see more of the port, and can even add in things that you or someone in your group hears about.  Bus tours operated by the ships are slower, and don't leave each stop until the slowest member of the group manages to get back on the bus.

[calliopecruiser]

I'm a rather DIY traveller, and generally avoid excursions.  There are exceptions - usually excursions with a particular activity, or a long distance from the port - but in general I either see the port myself, or don't even bother getting off the ship. 

I'm like that when I do land travel too, generally only taking tours when they can offer a unique perspective  (such as a city tour with an architect), or when they are required by particular sites (usually for security reasons). 

 

I also love taking public transit, and find it's a great way to really get a feel for the location while also getting to see whatever it is I've identified as something I want to see.......research and planning is half the fun for me.  I've rented a car at a port before with some friends, or hopped a bus on a route that went around the island (Oahu) in a 3 hour loop. 

 

I can't comment on those specific locations, as I haven't done (and have no interest in doing) a Caribbean cruise, but I was answering about the general philosophy of shore excursions. 

 

(edited for formatting)

Edited September 9, 2022 by calliopecruiser

[SargassoPirate]

On 9/8/2022 at 11:55 AM, Caracarn2 said:

So I've heard mixed stories.  Some people swear by excursions, many comment that they would have rather just seen the sights on their own to now feel so rushed.  I then read stories about how it can be dangerous to just take cabs on your own etc.   We're in our early 50s and my wife and I tend to just explore on our own but also have never been to the locations we're going to having never been on a cruise.   We love to hike and take in history so for example one of our stops in Puerto Rico I see a historical excursion but comments say they only got 40 minutes at the fort and would have loved to spend more time there so would have done it on their own.   

 

Our cruise in the spring is stopping at the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, St. Maarten and St. Thomas as I realize location may play a big part in answering this question well.

So what are the recommendations and why from the more experienced out there?

 

A lot of what we do depends on the port and if we've been there before.  I've had success with whatsinport.com when researching the ports and toursbylocals.com when booking a tour where it's not off and on the bus with 10 minute stops that stretch into 30.

 

Good luck with your research.  It's half of the fun.

[navybankerteacher]

On 9/8/2022 at 11:55 AM, Caracarn2 said:

…

 

Our cruise in the spring is stopping at the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, St. Maarten and St. Thomas as I realize location may play a big part in answering this question well.

So what are the recommendations and why from the more experienced out there?

SBBquilterUT  gave a very good suggestion for San Juan, a lovely old Spanish Colonial city you can do on your own.  St. Thomas strikes me as a crowded tourist trap - and I would suggest a ship-offered trip over to St. John.    St. Maarten you can do on your own - if you are a beach person, share a taxi to Dawn Beach - beautiful beach facing St. Barth’s, with several great places for lunch, otherwise take a bus or taxi up to Marigot for the French experience.  I am not fond of (nor very familiar with) Dominican Republic, so would just have a bit of beach time, or just stay aboard to enjoy the empty ship.

[ldubs]

On 9/9/2022 at 1:11 PM, bbwex said:

While there are stories and even videos of people getting back to their ships late, you will find that those people tended to be totally on their own, and were not careful.  While the stops in the Caribbean don't all offer lots of day-long tours, if you work with reputable tour operators, their whole livelihoods depend on getting their passengers back on time, and I have not read a single report that a reputable tour operator ever got back late.

 

One thing to do is to go on the Ports of Call section of Cruise Critic, read a lot of the postings about a given port and get the overall picture of who is good and who is not in terms of tour offerings.  Do not go by a single report, but rather read lots of get a reliable sample.

 

Again, though it is not as important in some ports in the Caribbean, we have found that private tours are cheaper if you get a small group of six or eight, and you can do that on the roll call for  your cruise, and you get to see more of the port, and can even add in things that you or someone in your group hears about.  Bus tours operated by the ships are slower, and don't leave each stop until the slowest member of the group manages to get back on the bus.

 

"I have not read a single report that a reputable tour operator ever got back late."

 

Some of our family used a reputable tour operator (often mentioned on these forums) for a port to  Berlin tour.   The bus got hung up and they were 45 minutes late.  The good news is the ship was able to wait for them.   

[lenquixote66]

On 9/8/2022 at 11:55 AM, Caracarn2 said:

So I've heard mixed stories.  Some people swear by excursions, many comment that they would have rather just seen the sights on their own to now feel so rushed.  I then read stories about how it can be dangerous to just take cabs on your own etc.   We're in our early 50s and my wife and I tend to just explore on our own but also have never been to the locations we're going to having never been on a cruise.   We love to hike and take in history so for example one of our stops in Puerto Rico I see a historical excursion but comments say they only got 40 minutes at the fort and would have loved to spend more time there so would have done it on their own.   

 

Our cruise in the spring is stopping at the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, St. Maarten and St. Thomas as I realize location may play a big part in answering this question well.

So what are the recommendations and why from the more experienced out there?

IMHO if you are physically able and have no restrictions I would say doing things on your own .

[Hlitner]

I do not think there is a right or wrong answer to the OP's question.  How you handle ports are simply personal preference.  DW and I do a lot of travel and cruising and probably average one cruise line excursion for about every 100 ports :).  As experienced travelers, with a spirit of adventure, we generally prefer to do our own thing whether in the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, etc!  About the only time we book a cruise line excursion is if they do something we want that we cannot reasonably accomplish on our own.  We know other cruisers who will not get off a ship in any port unless they are part of a cruise line excursion.  I have sometimes joked that some of those folks need an excursion to go to their Supermarket when they are home.

 

Hank

[calliopecruiser]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

We know other cruisers who will not get off a ship in any port unless they are part of a cruise line excursion.  I have sometimes joked that some of those folks need an excursion to go to their Supermarket when they are home.

I suspect they may be cruising because they don't want "adventure" on that vacation 😉

[Hlitner]

19 hours ago, calliopecruiser said:

I suspect they may be cruising because they don't want "adventure" on that vacation 😉

I always thought a nightmare adventure was being on a large cruise line bus excursion.  The adventure was how long one would wait for everyone to go to the bathroom and finish their shopping :).  

[navybankerteacher]

On 9/12/2022 at 3:49 PM, Hlitner said:

I always thought a nightmare adventure was being on a large cruise line bus excursion.  The adventure was how long one would wait for everyone to go to the bathroom and finish their shopping :).  

That has also struck me as classic nightmare material - right up there like being in a long line at the box office waiting for tickets to “Gidget Goes Crazy”.

[Nebr.cruiser]

We rarely book cruise line excursions--as others have said, only if getting back to the ship on time, due to distance from port, is a worry, or if there is no other feasible way to see a certain site.

 

We DIY in most Caribbean ports or book an independent tour ahead of time, using these boards for recommendations, or sometimes pick up a tour right at the port.  Only once have we gotten back to the ship by the hair of our teeth, with a supposedly reputable private driver.  

 

San Juan is extremely easy to explore on your own if walking is not a problem.  The forts are easily walkable and it is a lovely city to explore on your own.  We've been to St. Thomas so many times we mostly just walk downtown and explore a little, or pick up an excursion to go to a beach at the dock.

 

Same for St. Maarten:  we have taken tours, never a ship tour, but now usually just walk to the beach for a nice meal or snack.  

 

We've only been to the Dominican Republic once.  We picked up a taxi tour at the port which was very nice, although the driver's English was iffy.  But we enjoyed it anyway.  

 

It all depends on your comfort level, but like many, we do not like the ship tours.

[rkacruiser]

6 hours ago, Nebr.cruiser said:

Same for St. Maarten

 

A favorite tour for me was one that visited St. Martin and then transferred us to catamaran for a cruise back to the Dutch side of the island with live Caribbean  music and unlimited Rum Punch.  That was a great tour!  

[CruisingWalter]

On 9/8/2022 at 11:55 AM, Caracarn2 said:

Our cruise in the spring is stopping at the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, St. Maarten and St. Thomas as I realize location may play a big part in answering this question well.

 

First thing to understand is that there is no rule that you have to leave the ship at port. We have a "Ship Day" at one port every single cruise where we stay onboard while at least 75% of the ship goes off to the port. You have the run of the ship to yourself, especially the big empty pools, and if you fancy a spa treatment, they're always on sale during a port day. So keep that in mind as you become a seasoned cruiser. 🙂 

 

The two big differences to excursions are that if you do a Cruise excursion you're guaranteed the ship will wait for you if you're late or the cruise line has to get you to the next port. If you're independent, the ship will leave without you. In general ships will wait about 30 minutes and I've seen 60 minutes, but they're not under any obligation to wait. And yes, they will and do leave, do a search for "Pier Runners" on YouTube to see some often very funny videos of folks trying to wave the ship back as it pulls away. 🙂 

 

When you do exit the ship terminal area, you will be bombarded with people offering tours, cabs and cars. This is why it's so important to do some research. One option folks love is to simply rent a cab for the day and just go wherever they please and that's a great option. BUT you need to know which cab company you can trust, and you can get that through research. 

 

For the most part we do book independently, BUT you have to do your research if you're going to go independent. Especially if your plan is to hire a cab or local tour service on your own. Right here on CC there is a Ports of Call forum where you can go look at suggestions and recommendations for the individual ports you're about to visit. We also use TripAdvisor, Yelp and anything else we can find to verify the quality and responsiveness of a third party tour operator,

 

Dominican Republic we stick with cruise operated tours. Many folks go off on their own, but on this island we prefer the cruise operated tours if we're leaving the ship.

 

San Juan is a great walking city and if we're going to do anything, we book it on our own. We just did San Juan Food Tours in March and they were a fantastic walking/food tour. But San Juan you can easily just walk and discover. You'll find lots of recommendations for bars and restaurants and independent tours in the Ports of Call forum here on CC. The Fort is about a 15-20 minute walk from the ship so you can easily walk to it on your own and just self explore it if you're really into history. It's a beautiful layout. We also discovered kite flying at the fort because of that food tour, they have a massive lawn where you can fly kites purchased from a little red trailer along the road.

 

St. Maarten, the port area is a cute little touristy town. You hop a water ferry and it drops you off right in the middle of the shopping and dining district. If you're a Star Wars fan, That Yoda Guy is a must visit. Nick Maley is a former Industrial Light and Magic artist who worked on the original Yoda for the movies. He has a mini-Star Wars museum that's fun. There are many tours and excursions you can do here with third parties that are reputable. We usually just hang out in the town for a few hours, stopping to get some Guavaberry Run at the Old Man shops.

 

St. Thomas has a lot to offer and another island that's loaded with good third party excursions. We've done snorkeling and golf on the island, both a lot of fun. There is also a food tour run by the same company that we use in San Juan that we will be doing in a few months when we get there. 

 

Welcome to the cruise family, you have picked an awesome itinerary that should be a lot of fun! 

 

 

 

[cruiseaholic777]

You can go on your own everywhere but the Dominican. If you see a beach or anything else you would like to explore. Just get a driver at the pier. Tell them where you are going and ask them to pick you up at a determined time. They never fail to come back ( I always tip them really well when they drop us off).

[Woody14]

On 10/22/2022 at 1:42 PM, cruiseaholic777 said:

You can go on your own everywhere but the Dominican. 

Why not Dominican?

[Mum2Mercury]

On 9/8/2022 at 11:55 AM, Caracarn2 said:

So what are the recommendations and why from the more experienced out there?

You're asking about excursions vs. "on your own" -- but you really have three choices:  

 

- Ship-based excursions:  Every ship sells excursions.  These tend to be larger groups and more expensive, but you meet with your group ON the ship, and some people feel more comfortable with them because the ship puts a huge amount of emphasis on, "If your excursion is late, we'll wait for you".  This isn't a realistic fear anyway.  Ship excursions are well-defined ahead of time and your itinerary won't change -- and you get no choices -- so you may find yourself unable to stop at a cute little bar but forced to endure an hour in a straw market that doesn't interest you.  Typically you can get a small discount by reserving your ship excursion ahead of the cruise /paying ahead of time. 

- Private excursions:  Private excursions can be found online /verified through this website.  They tend to go to many of the same places that ship-based excursions do, but you leave the ship /meet your tour guide on shore -- usually tour guides hold up signs, and you find them.  Your group will be much smaller than the ship excursion, and they tend to get you to your activity faster /get you ahead of the big group.  You also tend to have more choices; for example, your tour guide might give the group the choice of stopping for a drink or going into a shopping area.  At the end, they might give you the choice to be dropped off at the dock or at the beach (and take a taxi back to the ship). Private excursions tend to be less expensive.  You should be prepared to tip your tour guide at the end.  You don't need to worry about an established tour group getting you back to the ship.  Typically you reserve a spot online /pay cash to the tour guide on the day of the excursion.  

- On your own:  You can just get off the ship and do whatever you want at the pier.  At pretty much every pier you'll find bars and shopping.  A popular option is just taking a taxi to a nearby beach.  You can search online to see what's available.  

 

My opinion on which is best: 

- We love private excursions -- we will never again take a ship's excursion.  Never.  

- Having said that, if your activity requires a long drive or multiple forms of transportation, consider using the ship excursion.  Cozumel seems to be the king of lengthy excursion transportation; for example, if you go to the Tulum ruins, you'll have to get across to the ferry (nicknamed the Vomit Comet), then take a bus about an hour.  Similarly, if you want to visit -- it is Xcaret Park? -- you'll have to take the ferry.  It's easy to check how far an activity is from the port.  

- If you're going with a private excursion, take a minute to verify that people on this site/other sites give it a good review.  

- Because the ship will sail, don't allow your group to split up -- tell your teens NO.  

- Know what time your ship will sail, and be back on board at least an hour ahead of time -- start back to the ship no later than two hours before sailing.  Wear a watch and understand ship's time and time zones.  Personally, we like to get up and out, complete our activity, and be back on the ship for a late lunch.  

- If you're drinking or shopping at the pier, don't let your time slip away.  

- Because people do twist their ankles, etc., have cash to take a taxi back to the pier.  If you were to be badly injured, it'd almost certainly be best to return to the ship for medical help.   

- Some islands have more than one pier -- be sure you know where your ship is docked.  

- If we're doing an excursion, I prepare an envelope before leaving home:  On the outside I write the day, the company /phone number, where we're to meet, and any important details.  I tuck the money for the excursion into the envelope (exact change) and money for tips (small bills, so I can decide how much I want to tip).  

 

[Mum2Mercury]

On 9/8/2022 at 12:16 PM, mom says said:

But it is incumbent upon the individual to do sufficient research to assess the risks/benefits of each option. 

Agree X 1000.  

On 9/8/2022 at 3:41 PM, rkacruiser said:

If I have not visited a port before and I want an excursion that would introduce me to the area, a shore excursion would be my choice.  If I have visited a port before and am comfortable in visiting it on my own, I would choose to do that.

Whether I've visited X island before isn't on my radar at all.  

On 9/9/2022 at 4:11 PM, bbwex said:

While there are stories and even videos of people getting back to their ships late, you will find that those people tended to be totally on their own, and were not careful.  

Yes, every story I've read about missing /almost missing the ship involved someone who was doing it "on his own" and had done something dumb:  either they didn't plan their transportation well, or they allowed their group to split up, or (most commonly) they drank too much.   

On 9/9/2022 at 7:01 PM, calliopecruiser said:

I'm a rather DIY traveller, and generally avoid excursions.  There are exceptions - usually excursions with a particular activity, or a long distance from the port - but in general I either see the port myself, or don't even bother getting off the ship... 

 

I also love taking public transit

If an excursion requires too lengthy a trip from the pier, I'd consider it might be better for a land-based vacation. 

 

When we visited Aruba last month, we took the city bus to Eagle Beach.  It cost about $3/person, and my husband was thrilled to get local coins as change.  We watched a You Tube video that "walked us through" how to find the bus /where to get off.  You have so much information at your fingertips!  

On 9/11/2022 at 8:22 PM, calliopecruiser said:

I suspect they may be cruising because they don't want "adventure" on that vacation 😉

A sad story about two families on a cruise to Cozumel: 

 

- We did a private excursion in Cozumel -- we rode ATVs through the jungle and saw areas of minor importance in Mayan life -- a cenote, a small ruin and a cave where they'd lived.  We had an absolute blast on the ATVs; it had rained heavily the week before, and the place was muddy -- we were head-to-toes covered with mud by the end and happy as could be.  We were in a group of 8-10, and our tour guide was very attentive -- we tipped him well.  After the ride, the tour guide gave us the choice of being dropped back at the pier, at a beach or at a restaurant; the driver took us each where we wanted to go.  

 

- Our tablemates took the bus to Tulum to see Mayan ruins.  They became seasick on the ferry over to the mainland, and then they said the bus driver kept the AC on full-blast for the hour + drive.  Their lunch was a Subway sandwich box eaten on the bus.  They enjoyed the Mayan ruins, but they came to dinner exhausted, still cold and unhappy.  They were interested in what we did that day, but they said they'd never be brave enough to go without a ship excursion.  

[clackey]

A lot depends on the port.  We have done 19 cruises with 20+ cruise ports.  Many of the eastern Caribbean ports are easy to DIY as is the Yucatan.  Jamaica, Honduras and Belize are 3 where we usually go with the ship tours.  We once did a DIY in Belize and nearly missed the last tender to the ship.  Ginger D always reminds me of that one.

[calliopecruiser]

On 10/30/2022 at 1:35 PM, Mum2Mercury said:

If an excursion requires too lengthy a trip from the pier, I'd consider it might be better for a land-based vacation. 

That seems not to make much sense to me - if there's one site I want to see, it doesn't make much sense to plan an entire land based vacation around visiting that one site for one day.  Particularly if the port is part of a cruise trip that looks interesting........if I want to see one historic or archaeological site in a country, I probably wouldn't plan an entire 2 week vacation in the country if I could also get there by cruise. 

[Hlitner]

On 11/14/2022 at 11:00 AM, calliopecruiser said:

That seems not to make much sense to me - if there's one site I want to see, it doesn't make much sense to plan an entire land based vacation around visiting that one site for one day.  Particularly if the port is part of a cruise trip that looks interesting........if I want to see one historic or archaeological site in a country, I probably wouldn't plan an entire 2 week vacation in the country if I could also get there by cruise. 

We can take this thread in a slightly different direction.  For folks that love to cruise and travel (I would fall into that category) cruises are a wonderful travel option for some places, but not particularly good for other places.  I will exclude the entire Caribbean since one could make a case that a cruise is adequate for just about anything in the Caribbean.  But there is a lot more to the world than the Caribbean and this is where cruise line excursions have big limitations.  Consider New Zealand (one of our favorite countries).  We have been around NZ on three different cruises and also done extensive independent driving trips on both North and South Islands.  Our favorite city in the country is Queenstown.  You cannot get to Queenstown on a cruise line excursion because it is simply too far from the nearest port.   Likewise, you might consider some popular places in Europe that can be reached by excursion.  Rome would be a good example.  But it takes over an hour to get to Rome from its port (Civitavecchia).  Seeing Rome on an excursion is almost laughable as it is a huge city with many interesting sites, places, shopping areas, restaurants, etc.  One could spend weeks in Rome and still not see all there is to see.  It is the same with a city like Paris (nearly 3 hours from the nearest major port) where we have spent more than one day just inside a single museum!  In much of the world, a cruise line excursion, at best, will give you a very brief snapshot of most places.  

 

Funny you mention "2 weeks" because that is how much time we have spent in a few places such as San Remy de Provence, Avignon and Paris (we are talking about France as a simple example).  Even with 2 weeks (we rented furnished apartments) in those places it was not enough time to see and do all we wanted to do...which is why we have returned on subsequent trips.

 

Even historical sites can require many more hours (or even days) to be seen than you get in a few hour excursion.  If you go to a place like Pompeii on a cruise line excursion you will likely get no more than 2-3 hours in the ruins.  This is enough time to see only part of this place.  On an independent land trip you can spend as much time as you please and may even want to combine Pompeii with a visit to Herculanium (they actually sell a combination admission ticket).

 

Hank

[Essiesmom]

Add Berlin from Warnemunde as a place hardly worth visiting on a cruise port stop.  Or to be closer to home, Disney World from Port Canaveral.  EM