Which Excursions are DO NOT MISS!?!!!

[B2BBeCruising]

Hello Everyone!

 

I'm excited for my 7 Day - Deep South Caribbean Cruise on board the Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas. I did a quick three day cruise from LA to Ensenada but imagine this will be a entirely different experience!

 

I was wondering if anyone had any input on some DO NOT MISS Excursions... or whether or not we should book it through the cruiseline or privately. I see that the cost is on the HIGH side, esp. if we choose to do multiple ones... therefore, I want to plan smartly.

 

See below for itinerary info.

 

Thanks for the input! :D

 

Cheers,

B2B

 

 

Itinerary

 

Date - Port - Arrive - Depart - Activity

 

 

23-Aug San Juan, Puerto Rico 8:30 PM

 

 

24-Aug Cruising Cruising

 

 

25-Aug Oranjestad, Aruba 8:00 AM 8:00 PM Docked

 

 

26-Aug Willemstad, Curacao 7:00 AM 5:00 PM Docked

 

 

27-Aug Cruising Cruising

 

 

28-Aug Roseau, Dominica 9:00 AM 5:00 PM Docked

 

 

29-Aug Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas 8:00 AM 6:00 PM Docked

 

 

30-Aug San Juan, Puerto Rico 7:00 AM

[Moondawgie]

bbb, it is difficult to tell others what excursions are NOT MISS for them.

 

Try this section of the boards for more specific information and you will probably find one that appeals to your interests.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=587

[tomko2]

Hope you have time in San Juan to explore the Old Town and visit El Morro Fort. Excursions really depend on the type of activity you enjoy. We have done the mountain biking in Curacao (loved it) and we always go to Lindbergh/Emerald Beach in St. Thomas.

Reading reviews from others on a similar cruise might be helpful in getting ideas. Also do join your Roll Call (see Roll Call section at the front of these boards) where you will "meet" others on your cruise and see what they have planned; perhaps you will end up joining others on an excursion.

Whatever you do -- have a wonderful cruise.

Kathy:)

[Vacation Nut]

I would honestly recommend renting a jeep and touring the island. I got off the ship when we docked and there are loads of rental companies right there, I rented a jeep for the day for $60 (that was 4 years ago) and then got back on the ship and had breakfast. When we left the ship we started off on our tour of the island which was really easy to navigate. You rent the jeep until 6 p.m. so that is loads of time and some to spare before the ship sails. I normally only take ship excursions because I get worried about being left behind, but there is so much time on Aruba, this was a great option.

[cb at sea]

I can pretty much miss them all---I'm not an "excursion" gal! It's the beach for me, and no excursions are needed for that!

[searoses]

don't miss a day with levi bumpping on dominica. it is not an easy island to navigate. levi is an unusual,interesting and fun-loving. he actually engages in the activities with the group. not to be missed. look for him on the dominica board here-you will find many accurate,positive posts about him and what he has to offer. no-he doesn't pay me. i am a very satisfied customer and hope to spend the day with his group next year.

[cruiseguy1016]

We rented a Jeep in Aruba and did our own self-guided tour. We had a blast! We were free to spend as much or as little time as we wanted everywhere we stopped. The island is not huge so you can see most of the major hot spots in a day.

 

I have been to St. Thomas many times and have done many adventure type excursions. This last trip we decided to just relax at a beach. We chose Megan's Bay. It was absolutely gorgeous! We will do it again. The picture in my avitar was taken there.

[threeofus]

My husband and daughter did a tour called Bob - underwater scooters. They loved it!

[dodgersmom]

Are you the adventurous type? DH and I were on AOS last year and did three of the best excursions and one on our own we have ever done.

 

Aruba - 4-wheelers. Dusty but an absolute blast

 

Curacao - Caribbean cooking class. Maybe not one to raise the heart rate but very different from anything we have ever done, a blast and we had one of the best meals!

 

St. Maarten - Canopy zip-line tour at Lotterie farms. Totally awesome

 

St. Thomas - Took the ferry to St. John and spent the day hiking in the National Park. Did this on our own. Bought a trail map and 4 bottle of water. Hiked about 4 hours. Exhausting but very fun.

[cruisegal96]

In St. Thomas our favorite thing to do is take the Ferry over to St. John & go to Trunk Bay. It is the most beautiful place we have ever seen. You can look up Trunk Bay online to check it out. If you choose to spend the day on St. Thomas we always to to Magens Bay. It has a great beach & a nice scenic drive over with great views looking down on it. Your ports are all wonderful...enjoy!!!

[aggie1]

In St.Thomas we did a day sail with Highpockets, Capt. Kathleen, and it was awesome. Went to St.Johns and several other islands. Taxi picked us up at Havensight and took us to Red Hook where we boarded the sailboat with Kathleen. DH and another person (only 6 of us) got seasick, but they really took care of them. Katheleen is wonderful and had a delicious lunch prepared onboard while we played on a beautiful beach. Loved every minute of it. Booked online at Highpockets.com.

[BroncosFan2010]

If you like snorkeling, I would suggest doing the RCCL tour on St. Thomas that is the 3 1/2 hour sail and snorkel. I did this and it was great. There were only 6 passengers plus the captain. We were able to help sail the sailboat, had about an hour of snorkeling with the turtles and saw some pretty neat fish in a remote and pretty private location. We were so close to the turtles that we could almost touch them. The rum punch was great on the way back. It was one of the best ship excursions we have ever done. The price was $65 Per person, not bad for what a great tour it was.

[soxfan7]

I second Levi Baron/ bumpiintours. We just did a day with him in May and it was one of our favorites!

We also went to Trunk Bay on St. John's and it is gorgeous... definitely not to be missed!!

[B2BBeCruising]

Sorry for the late response but THANK YOU all for your input. It's very helpful and I am super excited. T minus 19 days!!!

[xcell]

We wil be on the same cruise as you...can't wait...all this planning for some R&R!!!!

 

Did you sign-up for the M&M - this will be our first!

[B2BBeCruising]

Xcell - What is M&M? I haven't booked any excursions or signed up for anything yet. We booked this three months ago and after the first few weeks, the excitement died down. Now that the trip is coming up, I'm getting back into gear! Whoo hoo! :D

[CruisinFred]

Xcell - What is M&M? I haven't booked any excursions or signed up for anything yet. We booked this three months ago and after the first few weeks, the excitement died down. Now that the trip is coming up, I'm getting back into gear! Whoo hoo! :D

 

See the links at top of page, example:

 

Royal Caribbean International

Read thousands of Royal Caribbean Cruise Reviews from real cruisers and compare the best Royal Caribbean Cruise Deals

 

- Meet & Mingle Info and RCCL Meet & Mingle FAQ

- Register to attend a Meet & Mingle Party

- Confirmed Meet & Mingle Party List

- Go to: Royal Caribbean ROLL CALL Forums

 

make sure to register, we are scheduled for monday at 11 am for our meet up! I too am on your same ship that week.

[xcell]

AS Cruisn said - M&M - meet & mingle - sign up and on the first night or next day (I htink) a group of crusie critics will be meeting, maybe some free drinks/finger foods and maybe another hat to add to my collection...

 

I'm excited as well...havent picked any excursions as I have two kids (2 & 5) and not sure other than sitting on a beach as to what to do...I'm sure I'll figure it out...

[B2BBeCruising]

Yes... I just registered for the M & M so we will see you all there!:cool:

[bplazo]

We did the all dayABC Jeep safari in Aruba and had a great day.

[KuffMUp]

You should go to the "ports" section of the boards and look for each of your destinations. You can find lots of information about different things to do or places to go while in port.

 

We too are going on that itinerary. After visiting the ports section of the boards, we are not doing any RCCL excursions. We have booked with independent operators that were recommended by other CC members. This will be the first time we have gone on tours recommended by CC members as opposed to ship excursions. I am hoping for the best. The only up side of taking the ships expensive excursions is the fact that if you miss the boat (pun intended) they will wait for you. However, the independent operators recommended by others would probably get no more business if they got you back late so it is pretty safe to say that you will make it back on time.