Do any of you skip the shore excursions???

[smazerolle]

Do you prefer to skip the shore excursions and explore by yourselves?? I'm pregnant and my husband and I were thinking of skipping the shore excursions and just visiting the ports by ourselves (shopping, beach). Will we miss out on much? Will we regret not doing the excursions???

[CruiseFever]

We do just that.

 

After a bunch of cruises we've only been on one excursion and prefer to take our own tour of an island by hiring a local cab driver.

 

Why?

 

Cost is one thing, those things can really add up fast. Also, we don't like being "part of the herd", trucked around like cattle.

 

Still, there are a lot of different shore excursions both through the cruise lines and through independent operators that make your cruise experience a much enriched one.

[98Charlie]

Will we miss out on much? Will we regret not doing the excursions???

It really depends on you and what you like to do.

 

Dw & I have never been fond of "group" anything. It's one of the reasons we didn't want to cruise. Of course, one cruise fixed that for us. :D

 

We take very few excursions and prefer to see things on our own. If we see something we want to see we stop. It has it's advantages and drawbacks. In Puerto Vallarta we had heard about the Porfidio Tequila Distillery and decided to take a cab and check it out. On their web site they advertised public tours on the hour from 11 to 2 daily.

 

It was located about 10 miles from the ship. When we got there, there were only a couple of employees hand sweeping the entrance to the parking lot. I got out of the cab and someone came out to meet me. He said, "Oh yeah, we do tours." He was surprised that we knew about the place.

 

In the end we had a private tour and tequila tasting. Just the two of us and the employee. We were there for about 45 minutes. The cab driver waited for us (no charge). On the ride back and forth the cabbie answered questions and told us something of his town.

 

We may have missed taking an excursion with 30-40 other people but I would take the trade any day. We do take some excursions when they look really interesting but would rather stroll the local markets and meet local people.

 

Bottom line: You have to decide for yourself how comfortable you are going out on your own.

[KKB]

Excursions: Costa Maya: Chokchobben ruins--loved

Jamaica--Dunn's River Falls--very cool; Sandals golf--good

 

In Cozumel, just taxied to Carlos & Charlies--blast!, shopped, taxied to Paradise Beach--FABULOUS!!! Probably our fav port day!

 

Happy cruising!

Kristin

[joelmarj]

I think i depends on where the cruise is to. A caribbean cruise is a perfect excuse to relax for us. A complete escape from work and home. Excursions are just too much hassle sometimes. My Dec cruise is void of any booked excursions. At this point, we'll probably just visit some beaches or do some local shopping, But most likely will just stay on the ship and enjoy the tranquility. However, that being said, if we are on a cruise to the Med, Hawaii or Alaska, I think those warrant time on excursions. Those types of cruises are really about the land trips, and the cruise is just a pleasant and efficient way of getting from one exotic or fun location to another.

[CaribbeanBound]

We don't "skip" them, but we don't normally book them on the ship either.

 

We research what we wish to do and then look to arrange it privately.

[TheWog]

We didn't do an organized excursion on St. Maarten and had a great day. St. Thomas did one excursion, Atlantis Submarine, then spent the rest of the day exploring and shopping on our own. So you can do both if you wish.

[Bonnie&Rob]

I think it also depends on where you are. Some islands are safer than others. If you want to venture out on your own, make sure you know where you are and who you can trust or you could get yourself in trouble.

 

It pays to do your homework.

[freddiebud]

as others said, the most important thing is what do you like to do? i have an aunt who cruises 6-10 times a year (yes, one lucky lady) and she only likes to shop. so, she never does an excursion. i like to get a feel for the ports i visit, so sometimes i do an organized tour (if i am unsure of the safety), sometimes i wander on my own. if it is something far from port, i usually do a planned excursion, either with the ship or on my own, so i don't have to worry about getting lost or flat tires.

 

i would suggest you first decide what you like ie shopping, beaches,touring, and then check out the ports of call section of this board to see what is available. being pregnant, you might want to research enough to make sure you are not going to end up doing a lot of walking. and you can still pick up the excursion shopping info from the ship to do it on your own. besides, it usually is a good map!

[geoherb]

We'll even stay on the ship in some ports. We're planning to when our ship docks in St. Martin this month. We've been there a couple of times before. The ship is our real destination when we're in the Caribbean. And days in port are great because almost everyone else has headed to shore, leaving us to enjoy a less-crowded ship.