Shore Tours

[fielddreamer]

Have Any Of You Booked Your Shore Tours On Your Own Without Any Problems ?

[leaveitallbehind]

We often try to go off on our own to see the sights each island has to offer. Renting a car, hiring a cab, etc., typically are easy to do and give you the direct control over where you go and what you do. Most of the sights offered by the ship are open to the public and are usually less costly than going with an arranged tour. Exam[le, Dunns River Falls is about a 15 minute cab ride for under $10, and you can climb the falls for about $15 each. They'll tag you onto the next group available and off you go. Some islands reserve certain sights on the days the ships are in port for those ships only - for instance the Dophin Experience in Curacao. But most of the tours and sights offered by the ship can be done independantly. Be brave! have fun!

[Nanatravel]

Yes, now that I am a seasoned cruiser, I feel confident that I will get the best tour for my vacation dollars. I have done this in Europe, Many Caribbean ports and Mexico.

 

Doing research is paramount. Go to the Ports threads, read what others have recommended that sound interesting to you and contact the individual tour companies for price and availability. Let them know what date you will be there and what ship you will be one, and an idea of what you would like to see & do. Also, if you have timing concerns, stress that you want to be back to the ship at least one hour earlier than the "must be on board" time, which is usually a half hour before sail away. I also do not book with companies that want to charge my credit card in advance. I will give the cc #, just to hold the reservation but normally pay in cash and I let them know that. Find out how many the tour bus will accommodate and ask others on your roll call if they would like to join you.

 

Keeping a group to about 12 or less is usually best. More than that you get too many opinions and people to wait around for, etc.

 

Bon Voyage.