Shore excursions

[carnival lover]

Hi There- We are going to be going on our 4th Cruise in January. All of them have been with Carnival. We always have a really good time. We have always booked our excursions through Carnival. We are taking a 7 day on the Valor and there will be 4 ports of call. That is going to be pretty pricey for myself, my husband and our 3 kids. My husband would like to not book through carnival, as it might be cheaper. I am worried if we go off on our own, what if we missed the ship or got ripped off???

Does anyone have experience with booking stuff on your own??

Any info would be helpful.

Thanks

Jen

[MyImagination]

Welcome to CC

 

You came to the right place to find out about booking indie shore excursions. Many people on this board do just that. I would suggest going to the ports of call board and just clicking on posts that look interesting..here is the link

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=5

 

I rarely book with the ship and never been ripped off or came close to missing the ship. Its all about research and planning. Maybe you can do 2 islands with Carnival excursions and 2 islands on your own.

 

Also check Valor reviews for ideas or go to the roll call board and find others on your cruise that should have already done some research and will have to good tips.

[SheriNtexas]

Hi There- We are going to be going on our 4th Cruise in January. All of them have been with Carnival. We always have a really good time. We have always booked our excursions through Carnival. We are taking a 7 day on the Valor and there will be 4 ports of call. That is going to be pretty pricey for myself, my husband and our 3 kids. My husband would like to not book through carnival, as it might be cheaper. I am worried if we go off on our own, what if we missed the ship or got ripped off???

Does anyone have experience with booking stuff on your own??

Any info would be helpful.

Thanks

Jen

 

 

I have cruised 5 times and I have always booked excursions through the ship. On my last cruise, in Cozumel, someone got left behind and it was sad and also a downer on what had been a fun time watching the latecomers running down the dock to get to the ship!! It is SO fun to watch the latecomers, but no one wants anyone to actually MISS the ship! This is my personal opinion, but all the planning in the world can't make up for a flat tire on the car you rented on your own, the boat you rented and the motor breaks down, etc. KWIM?? Is this likely to happen? Maybe not, BUT...I do not want to have MY name being called and then watch as the ship is leaving. :eek: To ME, it is worth the extra money you pay when you book an excursion through the ship to know that if something happens, the ship WILL wait for you. I know there will be people who disagree with me and say they have booked on their own and never had a problem, never been late, etc etc. This is just how I feel. Cozumel, for example, is a very small island, and might be easier to get around on your own, plus it is very safe. Jamaica, OTOH, might not be a safe place to wander around on your own, although, again, people will disagree with that statement as well. Do your research and if you do book on your own, make sure it is with reputable companies that lots of people have had sucess with! Good luck!!:)

[CruiseCentric]

I have cruised 5 times and I have always booked excursions through the ship. On my last cruise, in Cozumel, someone got left behind and it was sad and also a downer on what had been a fun time watching the latecomers running down the dock to get to the ship!! It is SO fun to watch the latecomers, but no one wants anyone to actually MISS the ship!

 

Hmm, not trying to start a debate, but how do you know this person was late due to booking their own excursion? In Cozumel, most miss the ship due to staying at the bars too late.

[SheriNtexas]

Hmm, not trying to start a debate, but how do you know this person was late due to booking their own excursion? In Cozumel, most miss the ship due to staying at the bars too late.

 

 

Oh certainly, and didn't mean to imply that she was late because of a shore excursion!! She could have fallen asleep on a beach, or anything. Didn't mean to imply to the OP that this person missed the ship due to booking her own excursion! Thanks, matigari, for pointing that out!!:o :o

[DiamondBill102]

We were first time cruisers in August and went off the Miracle. Great ship btw. Anyway not knowing what to expect and travling with 2 kids....Daughter 17 and son 9 we decided to book through Carnival. We went to San Juan...St Thomas and Tortolla.

 

I would say you could do the excursions yourself for the most part. San Juan we could have done ourselves as there really was much to the town for the short time we were there. St.Thomas we actually took a boat ride to St. Johns and in Tortolla we went to a beach.

 

Next cruise I would say we are going to do the excursions ourselves. Just plan it out. One thing I would say is if you on a port with a short stay booking through Carnival might be a better idea.

[slackmaster]

Like one of the other posters said, just visit the ports of call on this board. Many suggestions have been posted about various tour agencies that others have used. This will give you a great idea on which tour companies have been good and which ones haven't been so hot.

Many of the secondary companies will have websites that you can book directly through and some of these are actually the ones that the cruiselines use at a substantial less price booking directly.

However, by not using the cruise line sponsored tours, it is all on you to make sure you get back to the ship in time...THEY WILL NOT WAIT FOR YOU IF IT'S NOT SHIP SPONSORED TOUR.

Also, if the tour company has a website, read their policy on refunds if for some reason your ship has to miss a port. Uncommon that you would miss a scheduled port stop, but it could happen. On a ship sponsored excursion, they would refund your money on that tour....booking directly with an outsider depends on that companies policy. You could lose all, 50%, or none for the excursion just depends on their policy regardless if you miss a port or simply over sleep.

We have had great success booking on our through recomendations of people on thsi board, but do beware other factors come into play by doing this (i.e. missing the boat, etc..)

Have a great time

[teach2travel]

We have always done ship's excursions, but this last trip, to Europe, we decides to try our own. I would say that this site is a wealth of information........what cimpanies are recommended, what to do on your own, etc. Above all, do your homework. Planning your own excusions is not for the faint of heart, but it can be done....and can be the best excursions you will ever have. I have terrific memories of our tour in Istanbul, through Ekol tours......just us and our guide and driver.......what a great time we had! Also, check the roll call for your cruise....we were able to share private excursions with others and that worked out great. Also, it depends upon the number in your group. Usually it is just my son and I, and it is actually cheaper to use the ship's tours, except for certain ports, or with a larger group.

 

I have already made plans to tour Taormina this summer with a group I met on the roll call. Whatever you do, enjoy your cruise!

[Safetyal]

Definitely check out the ports of call boards. There are many recommendations and first hand experiences from many CC members. They will help you find a reputable company. Also you have some assurance (not a guarantee) that the good tour companies will get you back on time. They make their living from the cruise trade and zealously work to protect their reputation, since most of their business comes from word of mouth. It is not in their interest to have problems with getting back on time, etc..

[suseg]

We do both, quite frequently on the same cruise, and have never had a problem. You need to do your due diligence however, make sure that they excursions are with reputable companies. If you decide to do a non Carnival excusion from a tendered port make sure the provider will not charge you if your ship is not able to stop/tender at that port (Capt. Marvin's will not charge you if your ship is late or unable to tender), that you do not book a very early excursion, that you are at the lounge very early to get on an early tender (even if you go ashore early you can always walk around until you check in for your excursion or check in eary in case they can put you on an earlier excursion) and finally make sure your excursion gets you back to the port at least 90 minutes prior to the last tender.

On our last cruise we did one Carnival excursion (in Jamaica) and two which we booked ourselves....Capt. Marvin's in Grand Cayman and Chankannab/Dolphin Experience (the mid priced one) in Cozumel. We saved quite a bit of money doing that. The taxi to and from Chankannab was very easy to find....and only a short walk to Capt. Marvin's in Georgetown. I really do a lot of reading and research prior to booking however, so I can't stress that enough.

[csaeroach]

When we first started cruising we ALWAYS just booked through the cruise company, but now we always book our own excursions online (private tours) before leaving home...

 

We have never had a problem thanks to these CC boards. We always read all the reviews of past passengers, under the Port of Call Board, and we have received great information from past cruisers of recommended private owned companies. You will find lots and lots of information, and well worth doing a bit of research to find great tours, and save some $$$.

 

We are cruising this Saturday, Oct 20th and visiting St Thomas booked a tour with Godfrey, St Kitts booked a tour with Thenford Grey and Antigua booked a tour with Larewnce of Antigua ..... I can post reviews if anyone is interested, of what we thought of these three companies after we return on Oct 29th.

 

Barbados we hired a private taxi person from someone's recommendation and he was awesome!!! Wonderful tour of Barbados. I have his name and phone # is anyone is interested, you'll be glad you used this guy!

 

We have also been to Cayman Islands and used Nativeway Watersports, and this company is EXCELLENT!!! Best tour we have ever been on (Stingray, Turtle farm, and Hell).

 

If San Juan, and your boat docks in Old San Juan pier #4, I would just get off and walk Old San Juan. This is what we did and had a wonderful day! Lots of great shopping, the Forts, etc.. A lot of history here, and a beautiful place to visit, you could spend hours and hours and still not see everything! Another time in San Juan we did the rainforest.... this is beautiful!

 

Depending on what you are looking for, a lot of the times we just get off and walk around and shop! Sometimes this is very enjoyable, and not having to do an excursion in every port.

 

I had a tour booked for Costa Mya, but once we got on the ship we found out the Itinerary changed and went to Ocho Rios, so we had to book a tour with Carnival, and I was not happy with the tour at all, paid to much, and tour offered was just okay. We always seem to do much better booking on our own!

 

Sometimes you want to be careful if private companies are asking for payment upfront when booking ( some do, most do not, you pay the day you take the tour), as sometimes the Itineraries do change and you do not go into the port of call that was listed when you booked the cruise.