March 7th 10 day eastern Caribbean shore excursions?

[shanna135]

Once again we have never been on a cruise and this site has been great.  On this cruise are there some ports where excursions aren't necessary and what are some of your favorite ones to take.  Very broad question I know.  I like snorkeling,fishing ,food, and history.  My wife loves sitting on beaches, food, and shopping.  When we travel we rarely take tours but explore on our own.  Thanks for any insights.  Watch lots of you tube videos!!!

[skynight]

Princess Cays is a beach stop. Arrive at the tender ticket venue early to get in line for your tender ticket if you wish to get on the beach early.

All the other stops have beaches, snorkeling and shopping. These island all kind of have similar histories.  Most were colonies which grew sugar & bananas. There are also some old forts and bases around. For example, Nelson's Dockyard in Antigua, Brimstone Fortress in St. Kitts. St. Maarten has a nice beach right there in Phillipsburg on Great Bay with shopping directly behind the beach. There are also beaches on the French side with the famous Orient Beach (clothing optional), and Grand Case. You may see European beach dress at any St. Maarten beach. St. Thomas is famous for shopping. Taxis available at the dock. It's about a mile or two from the Havensight dock to downtown. It's easy to get a taxi from the dock to downtown. They are actually bus like trucks. It is more difficult to get a taxi back to the pier. Magen's Bay beach is a popular location. You can get a taxi there and arrange for a pick up to bring you back.

I have never really seen fishing people at the pier offering fishing excursions, although there might be some. Restaurants are everywhere. I wouldn't expect great meals. I never really dine in port. There is too much food on board.

[avonlady6390]

You may want to check the boards for specific islands to find more info on what to do.  For shore excursions I would suggest booking from princess it is safer guaranteed getting back to ship in time and will refund if the ship can't dock and you miss that port usually weather related.  Also check to see if there is a roll call for your sailing.😊

[PacnGoNow]

In addition to what others have said…

There’s a very helpful website about ports.

 

https://www.whatsinport.com

 

 

 

[shanna135]

Thanks everyone

[Rick&Jeannie]

I heartily second what @avonlady6390 says in regards to booking ship-sponsored excursions...especially given this is your first cruise. When you get a couple of cruises "under your belt" so to speak, then you could branch out on your own. You will discover that many of the same ship excursions are available on shore or even online at reduced costs from what Princess charges. However...there's a lot to be said about the confidence in knowing that the ship is not going to leave without you! (Which is possible if you "do your own thing" and get delayed for some reason.)

[Rick&Jeannie]

Let me add that if you're just going to get off the ship and walk around a bit and see the sights right at the port, you don't need to do a ship-sponsored outing. I would stay relatively close to the ship and ESPECIALLY pay attention to the ship time and the "back aboard" time!

[Wonders By Wallis]

Unrelated to your question but since you are new to cruising and Princess, I thought you might want to know. You can get extra On-Board Credit (OBC) by owning at least 100 shares of Princess stock. For your 10-day cruise they will give you $100 to spend while on the ship. They suggest you do it at least three weeks before your sailing, so if you are going to do it, I would do it soon.

Stockperks x Carnival

[phabric]

41 minutes ago, Wonders By Wallis said:

Unrelated to your question but since you are new to cruising and Princess, I thought you might want to know. You can get extra On-Board Credit (OBC) by owning at least 100 shares of Princess stock. For your 10-day cruise they will give you $100 to spend while on the ship. They suggest you do it at least three weeks before your sailing, so if you are going to do it, I would do it soon.

Stockperks x Carnival

Also Military OBC.