Freedom of Seas--Mistake to do NO excursions at all???

[katespadegirl]

My husband are going on FOS in late July and we had a few excursions that we were thinking about--we searched them on this board and found problems/complaints about each of them (also some good reviews) and now we're wondering if we should just do no excursions and just have the days in port to ourselves and to do what we feel like doing on that particular day.

 

What do you guys think--is it a mistake to go on a great cruise like this and to simply do no excursions???

 

Thanks for any input/advice. FYI, I am pregnant and overweight, so that limited some of our excursion options--if you have any good ideas for excursions, you can also share them with me. Thanks!

[zotzer]

Not a mistake at all! Excursions add a level of clock-watching and schedule-meeting that can be a pain in the arse.

 

The only port this might be problematic for is Montego Bay. Have a cab take you to the shops near Margaritaville...browse a bit, and have a nice lunch at M'Ville. Jamaica is beautiful, but not really a "wander around aimlessly" type of port. You may even just arrange a scenic tour that you can do in an airconditioned van, where they drive you around and give you a feel for the island.

 

T

[CGTNORMANDIE]

Enjoy the ship and forget the excursions. In your condition you will probably just want to kick back and relax. If you do want to go out you can always hire a cab for the same or less money than the excursion costs.

[superjerryw]

It's your vacation. This is your chance to do as little or as much as you want. If you don't fell like doing anything, then do just that...

 

That being said, if this is your first cruise and you have never been to these islands, it does seem like sort a shame not to see anything locally.

[Murphy]

The Freedom is all about the ship for me! We have no excursions planned, nor do we intend to even get off the ship except maybe to do some quick port side shopping. That being said, we have been to all the ports several times except MoBay and I'm doing a girls cruise a few weeks after the Freedom trip which stops in MoBay, so I'll see the island then!

 

Enjoy whatever you do!

[Nanatravel]

Also, there are lots of private tour providers that can offer you a nice tour of places you may have not seen; relaxation on a beautiful beach, and lunch at a local spot. In Cozumel, a taxi ride to Paradise Beach is a great way to spend some time, at Mo Bay a-zjamaicaplanners.com (Belinda) can provide you with safe and economical things to do for about 5 hours, at GC you can take a taxi to 7 mile beach or a tour to Rum Point. Your options aren't limited due to baby to be just your choices of things you want to do.

 

Bon Voyage

Nanatravel

[bocacruiser]

We were on the Freedom and I personally did no excursions and was glad. The ship was all I needed!

 

Just go with the flow, if you change your mind you can still book many of them on the ship.

 

Have a great time!

[negc]

It is your cruise and if you choose not to take any excursions it is certainly your right and given your situation, obviously there are some excursions that might not be appropriate. Freedom has so much to offer you may not miss not participating in any shore excursions. However, I wouldn't base my decision solely on the fact that you have read some negative reviews about various excursions. If you read these boards with any regularity you will find some negative reviews about almost every facet of the cruise vacation. You need to be as skeptical of negative reviews and positive ones. In many instances they reflect the posters' tastes and individual experiences and might not apply to you. Unless the reviews are uniformly bad, or contain verifiable information that would adversely affect your enjoyment of the excursion, I would be prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt. If you merely want to go to a beach or do some shopping at any of the ports of call, you are probably better off doing them on your own and arranging for them when you arrive in port.:)

[sailor05]

If you would maybe like to do some sort of scenic tour of any of the places, then there are almost always some of the local companies waiting when you get off the ship. Sometimes it can be a lot cheaper than booking through the ship. Doing it this way gives you the opportunity to do them or not do them. You will be on your own schedule without any commitments.