NCL Excursion or Your Own

[nycruiser1975]

Please help. Is it better to go on your own excursions, or book with NCL directly. I see Coral world is $39 per person, and I went on Coral World website and adult is 18, but how much would it be to get there? Just thinking about the best way to do everything and save $. Afraid of being left. Please help:D

[Don Haynes]

While it is cheaper to book independently, you do risk being left behind if there is a mechanical failure on the bus/van. I usually book through NCL at a tender port, so I will be one of the first off the ship. On the other hand I usually buy a shore excursion on the pier at the port of call with a dock. It seems it takes a lot more time to get off the ship at a tender port.

[jap114]

We were on our first cruise last week aboard the NCL Dream with stops in Progreso, Cozumel, and Belize.

 

In Progreso, and Cozumel we used NCL's excursions mainly because it was our first cruise and, prior to sailing, we hadn't made up our mind on what we wanted to do at each port. The huge spring break crowd on board also made us look for tours with smaller groups.

 

In Belize we couldn't find anything (NCL excursion) that didn't have way too many (20+) people on a tour. A CC member on board said they were going cave tubing with Major Tom of ***** Adventures and that he offered to take CC members as walk-ups. We got off the tender boat and found him after which he gladly let us join his already booked group.

 

My point is this - Cruise Critic and it's popularity is well know among the reputable independent tour operators! If you talk to them and mention CC and they are familiar with it, your comfort level with booking them as an independent should go way up!

 

Do your research on here and the top notch operators names will come up time after time. They know the business and the importance of making it back to the the pier on time. They know that any bad publicity on this board will have a domino affect on them.

 

Find the roll call for you ship and contact other CC members that may be booking independently also. Like anything, there is safety in numbers and with a group of people, all from one ship, the tour operator will have to time his tours accordingly.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Jerry

[immargaret]

Please help. Is it better to go on your own excursions, or book with NCL directly. I see Coral world is $39 per person, and I went on Coral World website and adult is 18, but how much would it be to get there? Just thinking about the best way to do everything and save $. Afraid of being left. Please help:D

 

I think that a cab will probably run about $9 - $10 PP each way, which brings the cost right about what the NCL excursion is.

 

Coral world is located right next to Coki beach, so if you were to go on your own you could spend some time at the beach as well.

 

I guess it really comes down to how much time you will have in port.......if time is tight go with the NCL excursion, but if you want to do things on your own pace take a cab.

 

Here's a link to a few of our pictures from coral world....my daughter loved the birds, we spent about 30 minutes with her holding each of them.:)

 

[nycruiser1975]

would i be able to go to the beach too if I went with NCL?

[BeachBumMama]

The Ports of Call boards will give you lot's of options and recommendations. Personally, I tend to book tours on my own. Sometimes the cost will be comparable to the ship, however, depending on the tour, I like the smaller crowd and the freedom to stop and go and not be restricted to a schedule. Those are a plus in booking on your own. However, if it's something like the ruins, which in most ports takes quite a while to get to, I tend to look more for the ship tours, as my risk of something going wrong 3 hrs. away from the ship isn't something I want to deal with. But if it's a small island and you're talking the beach, snorkeling, island tours, these things can be easily done on your own. Have fun!

[fabby50]

I agree with the advice on doing a ship's tour when you're tendering. When we first started cruising, you didn't have to get tender tickets, but now, it seems like you always do. Much quicker and easier to be in a group that is leaving together and usually meets in a theater before the tour.

 

We also take ship tours in new ports. A lot of times, a new area in an undeveloped spot of a country might not have had time to set much of anything up or have many independent tour operators. We've seen this frequently in the new Mexico and South American ports. I've also heard that in Russia for example, without a special visa, it's pretty impossible to move around, so you might want to check on that before you "wing it".

 

Have fun on your trip!

[ute_fan]

I've done both, and usually base my decision on 3 parameters.

 

1) How long is the shore excursion vs. the time in port?

2) Am I tendering or docking at this port?

3) What is the cost difference between going privately and using NCL?

 

After considering those 3 options, I also consider in the back of my mind how difficult it would be to get back home if worst came to worst and I got stuck at the port.

 

For example, when we went to Lamanai in Belize, I was taking a long ruins excursion that lasted an hour less than the total port time, I knew I tendered at that Port, and the cost was only $10 pp more. I booked through NCL in a heartbeat. I was very willing to pay that $10 pp vs. the cost of trying to arrange travel home from Belize.

 

On the other hand, we wanted to see the totem poles in Ketchikan. The tour that I arranged (with good reviews on CC), was only 3 hours, and we were in port for 6. The ship was docked, and the cost was $30 pp, which was about half of NCL's most similar excursion. I also knew I was in the US, and that if I did get stuck, I wouldn't have nearly the difficulties (or cost) that would have been incurred in Belize. Extremely comfortable booking my tour through Sourdough tours.

 

As far as Coral World, I'd be fairly comfortable booking on my own. I would, however, balance out exactly what you'd be getting between the two excursions and what the price difference ends up being.

[immargaret]

would i be able to go to the beach too if I went with NCL?

 

Usually with the NCL excursion they let you do coral world at your own pace and tell you what time meet back at the bus. I guess it depends if you want to rush through Coral World, or take it at a leisurely pace. No problem walking over there if you have extra time to spare.

[JennKach]

I just got back from the Jewel and did the NCL tour to Coral World with my 5yo daughter. Left the pier at 9:00 and was back in our room by 11:45. We got exactly 2 hours at Coral World and IMO it wasn't enough time to do the beach with it. She wanted to spend sooo much time at each tank looking at fish, holding the birds, looking at everything possible. It's certainly possible to breeze through quickly in an hour or less if you don't have a slowpoke with you. We also spent time in the gift shop, eating ice cream, and two potty trips counting the time I had to wash bird poo off my foot (she was holding the bird when it aimed at me). We didn't even get to walk on the beach.

 

I looked at the prices too, and for the two of us it was just easier to take the ship excursion and skip the beach time. Saving ten bucks wasn't worth it trying to deal with private taxi's.

 

The shore excursion desk told me they do such a short time at Coral World because people wanted time to shop or do other things in the afternoon.

[2martini]

generally, do your own, but the exception, as noted, is the long distance and short port calls. For example, in Roatan I found a beach bar in a secluded cove on the internet and told them we were coming, had an interesting cab ride over and back, got fresh seafood and dollar beers,snorkling and truly native hanging out, for about a quarter of the cost to go to a crowded reef and box lunch. In Russia, hire a guide in advance. Overall, ship excursions are for those who are uncomfortable with the unknown. Are you a traveller, or a tourist?

[nycruiser1975]

Coral world is 3 hours and the ship will be in st thomas from 7 am to 4 is that enough time to do coral world, and either shopping or the beach next door? What if I finish with Coral world and want to go shopping can I go shopping and then come back to the bus to get back on the ship or where do I go shopping from there. SHould I get bus back to ship and shop from there? HELP:confused:

[amazingbargains]

Coral world is 3 hours and the ship will be in st thomas from 7 am to 4 is that enough time to do coral world, and either shopping or the beach next door? What if I finish with Coral world and want to go shopping can I go shopping and then come back to the bus to get back on the ship or where do I go shopping from there. SHould I get bus back to ship and shop from there? HELP:confused:

 

 

no idea why my review was removed as i was just recommending someone we used for our excursion in st. thomas, including stop at coral world ( with discount). the guide was amazing, and recommendation came from hundreds of satisfied CC users - thats where we originally found him. anyway. hope you got to read my post, but if not, post your e mail, and ill contact you

[JennKach]

NYCruiser1975,

 

Coral World/Coki beach are not near any shopping (or anything else). It's about a 20 minute taxi ride away from the ship. You do have time afterwards to catch a cab from the ship to do some shopping in town, or there is a small mall right at the end of the pier. When I originally booked online, the tour time was listed as 10am, but when I got my tickets onboard the time had changed to 9am.