First Time Cruiser needs help with excurions!

[MrsC825]

I'm cruising for the first time Aug. 26th on the Destiny. I'm unsure if I should book our shore excursions now through Carnival or if I should wait until we get to the island and schedule on our own. Any advice? Thanks!

[mrdood]

It depends... on many things, if it is a super popular one, you need to book in advance or it could be sold out. Are you comfortable booking on your own, have you been to the port before? Do the time frames give you enough slack time in case the excursion runs long?

 

There is no magic, you have to decide for yourself what you are comfortable with, private excursions are usually much cheaper than what you get through the ship... Ship excursions get priority debarkation.

[sjohnson529]

I've booked private excursions, but I would not recommend that first time cruisers do it. Go on a cruise and get the feel of how things work. Then make your decision. After all, you won't be first timers forever, you will be totally hooked soon. These boards have a wealth of information on them. Utilize it, but remember one persons's experience may not mimic yours, or what you are looking for.

[plantlady095]

What ports will you visit? We have had some super excursions and a few that were ho hum. On all of our cruises, we have booked through Carnival or Holland America. We felt that if there was some issue with the excursion, then we would have someone to look out for us. We also knew that the ship would not leave us behind if there were a breakdown of a bus or whatever.

[peersurgurl]

I learned my lesson about booking excursions in advance - I was too hungover on port day to leave the boat - fortunately I only lost $50 on the deal.