*Have you ever missed the boat while on excursion? Especially while in Belize?*

[3redheads]

I know this is a hot topic-whether or not to use independent excursion companies. We've never had a problem, but it looks like we may cut it close in Belize.

 

I do giggle a bit while watching the youtubes of people running for the ship.

 

Has this ever happened to you or anyone you know?

Was it a private excursion?

What did you do?

What port?

[jmcancruise]

No we did not miss the ship, but came close. Vehicle we were driving in broke down and our tour operator had to do some quick rearranging to get us back to the ship. People gave priority to people without travel insurance. We all made it back, but we will think again before we would do this. I would not say don't do it, but do be very careful who you book with and don't travel without insurance.

[3redheads]

No we did not miss the ship, but came close. Vehicle we were driving in broke down and our tour operator had to do some quick rearranging to get us back to the ship. People gave priority to people without travel insurance. We all made it back, but we will think again before we would do this. I would not say don't do it, but do be very careful who you book with and don't travel without insurance.

 

Very scary! Which port did this happen at?

[welldone60]

The ones I would worry about are where you have to travel alot of miles and the tour is a long one. Such as the ruins from Cozumel. These I would look into a ships tour vs a private tour and really do some research. When we were in Cozumel, the ships tour was almost an hour late getting back as there bus had mechanical problems. This was good for a group of ladies (not redheads) who were late getting back from bar hopping. They would have missed the ship if the ships tour had been on time.

[vacruizer]

Go check out the Belize port boards - there is a member here who came very close on an indepndent ruins excursion and has told her story there.

 

We had a close call in Grand Cayman on our first cruise. I still book independent excursions but only if they arrive back at the pier well before the last tender or departure time. The tour we were on was supposed to get back 2 hours prior and we still barely made it - mainly due to the operator working on "island time" and not paying attention. One traffic jam on the way back and we would have missed the ship.

 

In Belize, your last tender time will be 1 hour prior to ship departure. I did an independent excursion cave tubing there and it was fine. But be aware that road conditions and infrastructure are not great in Belize - if the excursion you are looking at is well away from the port area (which most are) I would want an excursion that had me back at the pier well before the last tender. Belize is a beautiful country. Belize City is not somewhere you really want to be stranded. Also make sure you have plenty of money/credit cards and a passport if you are taking an excursion that cuts it close so you can fly to the next port if necessary.

[salty dingo]

A little bit of planning makes this issue no big deal ... port visits are usually about 8 hours. Excursions are typically much shorter. Just book an early time, and make sure you are scheduled to return to the ship well before the deadline.

 

If you are in a port city, where there are cabs, etc. then worst case you ride back in a cab. If you are traveling far from the ship, choose your tour operator wisely or stick with a ship tour.

 

There is little reason to book with the ship for tours which are so close you can walk back to the ship. Ports like St Thomas and San Juan have reliable and plentiful transportation - no need to worry unless you are traveling way out of town.

 

You really have to look hard to find someone who missed the ship on a tour. Most of the time the people who miss the ship are not on a tour, and are drinking and lost track of time.

[Tucker in Texas]

I read where one couple missed the ship in Belize because of "time" issues The ship was on "ship's time" which was one hour ahead of local time. They went to a beach and asked the taxi driver to pick them up at 3:00 p.m. to go back for a 4:30 sailing. 3:00 p.m. local time was 4:00 ship's time and they missed the ship.

 

We take independent tours 90 percent of the time. However, if the timing is close, then we go with the ship's tours. For instance in La Harve a tour to Normandy is 8 hours and the ship is only in port 9 hours. Of course, it was late getting back to the ship, but that was their problem. If we are going to be on an island all day, we will arrange with a taxi/independent tour company we have booked beforehand to do a "highlights" tour first thing in the morning. They usually last three or four hours so we are back on the ship around one p.m. for a 5:00 sailing. Lots of wiggle room.

 

Tucker in Texas

[Froufie]

More info here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=972624

 

and/or do a search on this board - you will find lots of info/comments on timing and independent tours while in Belize!

[Bluemoon319]

I usually book private tours, but research very well 1st. The last time I was in Cozumel I booked through the ship because I went to Tulum , which is a long excursion. I wanted to see the ruins at Lanai in Belize, but the only tour I could find that went there was through a private company and it would have been cutting it close. So we booked a manatee watch, snorkel, & Bannister beach break through Coral Breezes. It was great & we had plenty of time to spare. I would only book if the private tour got back with hrs. to spare. The fun of the excursion is not worth the anxiety over worrying if I'll miss my ship. Be sure to find out what local time is vs. ship time before you book. Also find out if it's a tender port, which can add a lot of time getting back to the ship. Booking privatley is usually cheaper, less crowded, & more fun. Just do your research & use your head.

Brenda

[smilz]

I hate spending the inflated $$ on ship excursions but 2 things happened on the same cruise. We were ready to leave St Lucia and they kept paging the same few names. As the ropes were dropped and the pilot began pulling away from the dock, we saw a taxi come flying up and 2 adults and 2 teenaged kids jumped out and started waving frantically at the ship. We were only about a football field away and the ship did not stop! The family had to fly to Barbados with oly the clothes on their backs to catch up with the ship. The next day in Barbados we were on a ship excursion to swim with the sea turtles when our little boat (about 16 people) started spewing oil. The excursion had 2 other boats with us but they were filled so they could not off load the passengers. We were about 10 miles out and were left by the other 2 boats. We limped back to port and arrived 2 hours late. The ship waited for us. (ps the other boats never returned for us) Moral of the story: The islands you visit are foreign countries and often poor. Their transportation can be sub-standard. I have since done some adventures on our own but we have plan b as well as a plan c and would never attempt a boat trip so far out on our own. Stay wise and you'll be fine. Happy sailing!

[BonnieVA]

If we do book an excursion it will be through an independent op EXCEPT if it's a long excursion, like the one we did in Belize in April to Lamanai. After reading tons of posts & even communicating w/ an op in Belize (who said he doesn't do the trips to Lam & that he says a prayer each time he sees independents taking cruise pax to Lam), we chose to spend the extra $ & book through the cruise line. It saved us a TON of stress! We arrived back at Belize City 10 minutes after the last tender was supposed to leave but they waited for us because we were on the ship's excursion & I wasn't worried at all the entire day.