Caribbean Excursion Recommendations

[shaklee3]

Hi, my wife and I are going on the Carnival Liberty cruise to the Eastern Caribbean on Oct 18, and would like recommendations on excursions to do at each of the destinations. We are only 25, and aren't wealthy, so ones that are $200/pp are out of the question right now. Our destinations are:

 

St. Thomas

San Juan

Grand Turk

Half Moon Cay

 

I've read the Carnival ones are overpriced for what they offer, so I figured people here would have better suggestions. Thanks!

[Akheila]

we did these stops last january. we are not wealthy either but here's what we chose.

 

St thomas was great for shopping with any luck its your last stop;)

san juan we did a rainforest trip, you can either hike it or there's a driving one

half moon we chose to leave as a beach day and it was wonderful

grand turk we did the hop on hop offvtour, it was OK but certainly didn't take long...however by the light house stop there is a path you can walk to andsometimes you can see some of the whales mating and floating around.

 

also check the section on CC that has each port listed.

[cb at sea]

You do know that you don't HAVE to do ANY excursions, if you don't want to!

 

Going to a beach is just a cab ride away, and you can be on your own timetable! All public beaches have rentals (chairs, umbrellas, watersport equip.) and restaurants/bars, restrooms.

Get a guidebook (libraries are free) and read up on your ports, so you'll know where to tell the cab driver to go!

Shopping on most islands can be done on foot--close to the pier.

A little research goes a long way!

[Sandytoes]

There are a variety of excursions to pick from.

It all depends on your liking.

Snorkeling? Shopping? Sight-seeing? Taxi over to a beach?

 

What would your family like to do?

 

Cruise lines over charge for excursions. That's how they make their $$$$.

Booking on your own will save you $$$.

You just have to figure out what you want to do on each Island.

 

You can also book with two very well known excursion sites.

 

Port Promotions (www.portpromotions.com)

and

PortCompass (www.portcompass.com)

[shaklee3]

There are a variety of excursions to pick from.

It all depends on your liking.

Snorkeling? Shopping? Sight-seeing? Taxi over to a beach?

 

What would your family like to do?

 

Cruise lines over charge for excursions. That's how they make their $$$$.

Booking on your own will save you $$$.

You just have to figure out what you want to do on each Island.

 

You can also book with two very well known excursion sites.

 

Port Promotions (www.portpromotions.com)

and

PortCompass (www.portcompass.com)

 

Snorkeling or sight-seeing sounds like fun. We'll probably take a couple of the places easy and just lie around on the beach. Thanks, I'll check out those sites.

[NCTribeFan]

I highly recommend you spend some time reading on the various Ports of Call boards.

 

There is SO much to do at all the ports that getting a handful of recommendations here will only give you a small sample of what's available.

 

Of course, HMC is a private island, so you have to book through Carnival if you chose to do anything there. You may want to only have that as a beach day, as it's the most gorgeous beach I've ever seen. Specifically booked my next cruise just so I could return.

 

I won't bother to list the things I've done in those ports, as I've been to all but San Juan multiple times, and when we were in San Juan last December, we had a day stop, while most of Carnival's are evening.

[Karysa]

If you are in San Juan at night I would recommend Night Tales of Old San Juan. It is a walking tour. Everyone gets a lantern and you walk around Old San Juan stopping at and visiting some of the old buildings and the guide tells you stories from centuries ago.

Karysa

[Sheffie]

San Juan - be sure to visit El Morro. You can do this easily on your own.

 

St. Thomas - This island and the neighboring island of St. John have great snorkeling. It is well worth the trip to get to St. John. We have done this on our own lots of times, and it is easy to do. You can either take the taxi from the pier ($10 pp. last time) or take the local bus from just down the street for $2 or $3 pp. down to Red Hook where you will get on a ferry over to St. John. Then take a taxi to either Trunk Bay, or our favorite, Cinnamon Bay.

 

I don't know about the other 2 ports.

 

Have fun planning!

[cruiseapril]

We've been to these ports- you don't have to spend much to enjoy each one.

 

St. Thomas- great shopping, several excellent beaches (Magen's, Sapphire)

 

San Juan- walk around Old San Juan

 

Grand Turk- the pool and beach at Margaritaville offer good swimming and activities- will many excursions be available for your cruise while they are rebuilding the island buildings?

 

Half Moon Cay- such a beautiful beach day, great swimming, lots of walking paths, good BBQ

 

Have a fine cruise and let us know what you did.:)

[FUN33]

Hi, my wife and I are going on the Carnival Liberty cruise to the Eastern Caribbean on Oct 18, and would like recommendations on excursions to do at each of the destinations. We are only 25, and aren't wealthy, so ones that are $200/pp are out of the question right now. Our destinations are:

 

St. Thomas

San Juan

Grand Turk

Half Moon Cay

 

I've read the Carnival ones are overpriced for what they offer, so I figured people here would have better suggestions. Thanks!

If you enjoy history and exercise, save the price of a tour and just walk all over old San Juan. It is 25 yards from where the ships dock. It is safe,interesting and beautiful. It is very hilly but if you enjoy walking, it is very easy to walk all over the city. Actually, using a vehicle in Old San Juan is the WORST way to see everything. The streets are narrow, impossible to find a place to park and the traffic is moving at a snails pace.

[4cruizers]

We actually did the same itinerary this past July, Liberty as well. On HMC our boys went parasailing and we just sat on the beach. In Grand Turk, we rented a golf cart as soon as we got off the ship, and when we were done with that we spent the rest of the day at Margaritaville. In San Juan, we took the Bacardi tour and a tour of Old San Juan, which we found to be reasonably price. That was through Carnival. In St. Thomas we took a private tour and it was wonderful (we used a private excursion company.) We actually had a Lincoln Towncar. It was only us four. It was a six hour tour and worth every penny, I think $25.00. We had been to St. Thomas before, but snorkeled, so we didn't have time to see a lot of the island. This time we did.

[tomko2]

In San Juan you can walk to Fort El Morro and for some fun bring some kites with you (Walmart $3.00) and lots of string; we had our kites up over 600 feet. No power lines and water all around -- fabulous.

In St. Thomas, definitely just go and enjoy the beach.

Sorry can't help with the other two ports.

Photos of San Juan and St. Thomas in the link below.

Have a great time and remember there is a lot to see and do without spending much money.

Kathy:)

[fann1sh]

For Half Moon Cay, I strongly recommend renting (now, online if this is possible) a "clamshell". These blue beach shelters hold 2 loungers. At under $20, it's a real bargain (compared with the cabana rentals, at $250!) Carnival shares this island with Holland America, but happily you'll be the only ship using the island that day. Bring a couple books, or an extra towel rolled up (rocks can be hard to find on this groomed beach) so you can wedge up the back bottom edge of the clamshell, and catch a breeze in the hot afternoon.

 

Here are a couple pix, so you understand what I mean:

 

 

http://family.webshots.com/photo/2103624890100604838GKUdHE

 

The reason I mention online rental is this is possible with HAL (don't know about Carnival). The clamshells can sell out. Even if you've prepaid, it's a good idea to get there early to pick your spot. While further down the beach means a longer to walk to restrooms and BBQ, it will give more privacy.

[Sheffie]

In San Juan, we took the Bacardi tour and a tour of Old San Juan, which we found to be reasonably price. That was through Carnival.

 

Just an FYI, you can do both of these on your own. The ferry across to the Bacardi factory is inexpensive, and I believe it is free to get into the factory. (Check out the San Juan board for more info on this.) You can either walk, grab a taxi, or the free trolley that goes up to El Morro. The cost is minimal to get into the fort, and then you can wander your way back down through Old San Juan to the pier. It is like being in Europe.

 

Both the factory and El Morro close at 5 p.m.

 

Have fun!