Carnival excursion vs independant....safety/insured/miss ship??

[sharecruises]

Last year I took my first ever "ship excursion" while in Jamaica,

and was pleased : Cool Runnnings Catamaran/Party Boat to Dunn River Falls

 

My reason : reports of hassles issues in Jamaica

 

Before that I had always just done private tours, or gotten cabs/jitneys to beaches etc....

but then again I had only been to islands that have a lot of cruise ships and where it is pretty easy to walk off ship and grab a tour : St Thomas, Bahamas, Key West, Mexico ....and St Croix, where the tour was pretty "shaky" LOL : not a great tour there, nor a great experience, which may be why most cruiselines, including Princess, have long since removed St Croix

 

Grand Cayman seemed totally safe to tour on my own, and I did just get on the jitney to 7 Mile Beach, also shopped at pier etc. In fact it reminded me of some malls in Boca Raton LOL

 

Now, I am going to Belize....and starting to rethink my plans.

Like Jamaica, Belize is, from all accounts, pretty poor city, especially by the Pier. How safe are private tours??

 

I know all this is discussed on the tour boards, but only for individual ports, I am talking in general

 

For instance, the Belize board has had the report of a young woman who was horribly mauled by a pet monkey at a resort spa while on a private horseback tour , booked thru Island Marketing, which is belizeexcursions.com

 

They are doing nothing for her....the Maruba Spa is doing nothing for her...

thank heavens she did get back from the hospital in time to get on the ship, but of course Carnival did not do much for her, it was not a ship excursion,

 

Here is Kelly's myspace account of her ordeal...

 

http://www.myspace.com/attackedbymonkey

 

 

 

 

Now...IF it had been a ship excursion would Carnival pay for medical care, lost wages etc??? Would one be able to sue Carnival here in South Florida with a personal injury lawyer?

 

I wonder....are ship excursions the way to go in the more (ok, yes politically incorrect, but true LOL) third world ports???

 

Apparently one can not sue the ship over bad medical care..

 

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business...business-front

but what if injured on a ship excursion??

[OhioJeff]

This is from the ticket contract:

 

http://www.carnival.com/CMS/Static_Templates/ticket_contract.aspx

 

13. (a)Guest acknowledges that all Shore excursions/tours (whether conducted in the water, on land or by air), airline flights and ground transportation, as well as the ship’s physician, nurse and on board concessions (including but not limited to, the gift shops, spa, beauty salon, fitness center, golf and art programs, video/snorkel concession) are either operated by or are independent contractors. Carnival neither supervises nor controls their actions, nor makes any representation either express or implied as to their suitability. Carnival, in arranging for the services called for by the physician or nurse, all on board concessions, all shore excursion/tour tickets, all pre and post cruise airline flights or other transportation off of the ship and its tenders, does so only as a convenience for the Guest and Guests are free to use or not use these services. Guest agrees that Carnival assumes no responsibility, does not guarantee performance and in no event shall be liable for any negligent or intentional acts or omissions, loss, damage, injury or delay to Guest and/or Guest’s baggage, property or effects in connection with said services. Guests use the services of all independent contractors at the Guest’s sole risk. Independent contractors are entitled to make a proper charge for any service performed with respect to a Guest.

[sharecruises]

Thanks Jeff :)

 

so really the only thing the ship excursion offers is more protection that the ship would wait if excursion is running late???

 

Hmmm.....I am still undecided...in some ports, like Jamaica and Belize, some other central american ports, I still think the ship excursion might be safer, like if the bus/van breaks down they send another, rush you to port

 

I guess if you are hurt there is not much any of them do...tho it may help me to decide what sort of excursion to take ?? thanks

[CruzVinnieCruz]

Thanks Jeff :)

 

so really the only thing the ship excursion offers is more protection that the ship would wait if excursion is running late???

 

Hmmm.....I am still undecided...in some ports, like Jamaica and Belize, some other central american ports, I still think the ship excursion might be safer, like if the bus/van breaks down they send another, rush you to port

 

I guess if you are hurt there is not much any of them do...tho it may help me to decide what sort of excursion to take ?? thanks

 

There was a post not too long ago of passengers being left at a port because they were late coming from an excursion even though they had booked it through the ship. I cannot remember all of the details and I tried to do a search but keep getting a database error.

 

As for Belize it was one of those ports were I felt extremely uncomfortable in, if not before I went on a excursion certainly during and after it. We did a private tour just my DW and myself. The man was very nice but at one point we started down a street he hits the brakes and starts backing up really fast. As he is doing so he states there are very bad men down there with guns and this was maybe three blocks from the port.

[caribbean dreams]

I felt safe on the prvate tour we took in Belize, there will be booths around the corner as you get off the tender.

Now, would i have gotten out of the tour bus while we were driving thru the city? NO

And you really don't feel comfortable when you see police with Machine guns blocking the highway at check points either.

Once we got down to the river, everything was very relaxed.

[DolfanNY]

I have been to Belize twice and will be going back on the Valor on the 3/4/07 sailing for the third time. I strongly recommend booking an excursion thru the ship. The first time we went with a large group to Belize city, we encountered some not very nice locals. At the time I was an active NYC Police Officer and did not feel safe. I would not suggest going to Belize City. Take an excursion that picks you up from the ship and returns you to the ship. You may pay alittle bit more, but you can't put a price on feeling safe and enjoying yourself.

[DolfanNY]

I have been to Belize twice and will be going back on the Valor on the 3/4/07 sailing for the third time. I strongly recommend booking an excursion thru the ship. The first time we went with a large group to Belize city, we encountered some not very nice locals. At the time I was an active NYC Police Officer and did not feel safe. I would not suggest going to Belize City. Take an excursion that picks you up from the ship and returns you to the ship. You may pay alittle bit more, but you can't put a price on feeling safe and enjoying yourself.

[mrdood]

Now...IF it had been a ship excursion would Carnival pay for medical care, lost wages etc??? Would one be able to sue Carnival here in South Florida with a personal injury lawyer?

 

...anyone can sue anyone, anywhere anytime, whether you have a case and win is the question. Carnival clearly states in their contract they are not liable for anything their contractors do. Since you actually pay Carnival for the service, not sure that would hold up, or at least they could be found as acting as an agent.

 

...so who knows, accidents happen everywhere to anyone, they can even happen you yourself at home, who do you sue then :eek: ???

 

...anyway suing somebody is not always the answer, even if in our society, you would think so.

[sharecruises]

Well not even speaking of suing for some huge amount...just the practicalities...

 

leaving an excursion behind...wow! Did Carnival reimburse them for travel to the next port...I would hope they did!

 

A friend went on Carnivals "best of Jamaica" tour....combo horseback/river tube etc and she said they were almost late, the guide was on walkie talkie to the ship, they pulled up at last minute and did not have time to shop but ship really did not have to wait, they had like 5 minutes to spare

 

Somethings I have been thinking after reading over reviews etc, that the ship excursion may be a good idea on the more "complicated logistics" tours, especially a combo tour?? Also may be better in the more "dangerous" ports...let's be honest, Grand Cayman vs Belize...hellooooo LOL...I appreciate the honest answers about the gunmen, armed guards, and the police officer's take on Belize. (*even tho some folks on the Belize board simply think a "positive attitude" will work haha)

 

I would think that Carnival would refund the tour fee, provide medical help if needed, or replace something like a broken camera even tho they say they don't "take responsibility"....of course they are not just deep pockets to sue. But you do have to think about things realistically.

 

Sometimes I think people here give advice so indiscrimately, and we have to remember that advice is based on THEIR personal experience.

 

One thing I would not do on most Islands , other than the USA Hawaii LOL, would be rent a car or a scooter. I have read a lot of horror stories about those on the islands.

 

Also a white water rafting or zipline or climbing tour that a 20 something athletic guy reccomends may not be that good for those of us who are middle aged and/or out of shape LOL. Common sense is not that common, as my Dad used to say. I am often amazed at how people encourage others to do rather dangerous stuff on these boards. I have to remind myself it is just opinions

 

Tho mine may be percieved as "negative" I must say that I had a wonderful time in Jamaica, and so did my friend on a carnival trip. I would pretty much reccomend them there, tho there are couple guides that are known and reccomended on the boards who might be ok. Jamaica is not a place where I would just jump in one of the many cabs that vie for your attention, and Belize seems to be the same sort of place IMHO

[psblin99]

Keep in mind that in many of these places our words could go a long way to ruin their growing tourism. In Belize I hired a wonderful local that had a late model van with AC.

 

During the day we discovered that not only did he love his country, he was required to be trained and licensed to be a guide.

 

He took us (5 total) on a days adventure we never would have seen via the ships excursion and we left feeling we had a little of the pulse of this country.

 

I found him on CC and had many post with info from our fellow travellers that have gone before me.

 

A little common sence goes along way and assures a very rewarding adventure. by the way his name is Donald Ramierez, please give him some business.

[vacruizer]

Use common sense anywhere you go. As a woman I am always very cautious about any new place and usually check the area out ahead of time. I am also very cautious by nature. I researched ahead of time and was prepared to be horrified by Belize and loved it. I wouldn't walk through the streets of Belize city alone but it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. We used a private tour booked ahead of time and it was a great experience. I found the people of Belize gracious, friendly and thankful for the tourism dollars. We are considering a land based vacation there in the future.

 

I actually felt more unsafe in downtown Atlanta on a business trip a few years ago. That place scared me!!! And for some reason the vibe of Cozumel seemed more threatening to me than Belize. But that's not the general consensus here - just my feelings on the matter.

 

I didn't take any Carnival excursions - we booked all private - but think there are risks either way. Carnival will usually hold the ship. But we saw some really unsafe practices when we passed by their tour groups in Belize. So weigh your options and be careful whatever you choose.

[cruiseco]

Carnival clearly states in their contract they are not liable for anything their contractors do. Since you actually pay Carnival for the service, not sure that would hold up, or at least they could be found as acting as an agent.

 

It's by basically acting as a travel agent that gets the cruise line off the hook. If I, as a travel agent, book you on a tour and you're injured I have no liability. Or even worse, if I book you on a flight and it crashes and you're killed I have no liability. The cruise lines assume the same role when you book a shore excursion through them. They're acting as a travel agent for you (and yes, collecting a commission) in booking a land tour.

[I&MsMom]

I know you are looking at this in general, but let me just say that on our second time in Belize we took a ship tour. We went it alone the first time. This was the only ship tour we have taken in five cruises, all with Carnival. We're planning the 12 night eastern Med. in April and we're not taking a single ship tour.

 

So, why in Belize? The logistics. We never felt unsafe on either visit, even with small children (DH has traveled a bit through Central and South America, and I think that had a lot to do with our comfort level.) But, as someone said, most of what you would be intereted in is away from Belize City, sometimes at quite a distance.

 

Plus, it's a tender port. Those with Carnival excursions are tendered off first, and those with private tours must wait. On our most recent visit, huge swells significantly slowed down the tendering process. We ended up not being called to tender until something like 90 minutes after we were to be on shore. I can't imagine what time those with private excursions finally got off the ship.

 

We were on the last tender back to the ship - they held it because they knew our bus was running behind schedule. Again, not a big fan of ship excursions, but in Belize, it just makes sense to us.

 

Good luck, have a great time in Belize and enjoy your cruise!

[PACURN]

I did an independant cave tubing tour in Belize and had a wonderful day. I never saw any "bad" people. We felt safe with our group.

[sharecruises]

I know you are looking at this in general, but let me just say that on our second time in Belize we took a ship tour. We went it alone the first time. This was the only ship tour we have taken in five cruises, all with Carnival. We're planning the 12 night eastern Med. in April and we're not taking a single ship tour.

 

So, why in Belize? The logistics. We never felt unsafe on either visit, even with small children (DH has traveled a bit through Central and South America, and I think that had a lot to do with our comfort level.) But, as someone said, most of what you would be intereted in is away from Belize City, sometimes at quite a distance.

 

Plus, it's a tender port. Those with Carnival excursions are tendered off first, and those with private tours must wait. On our most recent visit, huge swells significantly slowed down the tendering process. We ended up not being called to tender until something like 90 minutes after we were to be on shore. I can't imagine what time those with private excursions finally got off the ship.

 

We were on the last tender back to the ship - they held it because they knew our bus was running behind schedule. Again, not a big fan of ship excursions, but in Belize, it just makes sense to us.

 

Good luck, have a great time in Belize and enjoy your cruise!

 

Thanks...the logistics are what I also question. I have no interest in cave tubing, altho I hear they do a good job and it seems a short enough excursion. I am interested in the Altun Ha Ruins...

 

Your info about the tendering is really something to consider. Port time is short enough, don't want to spend it standing in line to get off the ship. The distance to tender seems a lot longer in Belize than in other ports like Grand Cayman. Also, for any beach break/snorkel tours the "logistics" are such that to try to "do it yourself" you would end up back tracking, and spend a LOT of time riding around on tenders and ferries, as the port is south of the ship and snorkel/beaches are north of ship. The ship excursions take you direct to the beaches and cut out about an hour of boat time from what I can see...not to mention waiting if you are late!

 

Thanks again

[I&MsMom]

Cheri: The ship excursion we took was the River Wallace and Altun Ha tour. We did the river portion first (it was a little long and the kids were antsy at the end - much stopping and backtracking to make sure everyone on the boat saw the wildlife). Then we had a good lunch, some time to shop (a bit long here also, for me), then a bus to Altun Ha. Overall, we enjoyed the day. The Altun Ha visit was the briefest portion of the tour. Still, it was nice not to have to stress the timing.

 

Whatever you decide, enjoy!