lack of shore excursions?

We are booked on the Jewel Apr. 25 - May 1 2015. We have been trying to book some shore excursions but have noticed a lack of them being offered. St. Maarten has only 8 offered and 2 are dolphin swims. Dominica has no trips at all listed! Just wondering if anyone else has noticed this. We normally have all our shore trips booked before we leave on vacation. Thanks in advance.

@louieond- Are you one the roll call? Many people on there are complaining of the same thing! We actually are on that cruise and have most of our days booked by private operators. Hoping they don't eliminate Dominica and Tortola as that was our main reason choosing this cruise!

We are not fond of ship excursions. So if you cannot find anything for Dominica, hire a cab and have them show you some of the sites. Emerald Pool is nice. I have gone in and it being a little on the cool side would do it again in a heart beat. If your into a beach day go to Mero Beach and have the driver take you over to the rum distillery. In Tortola (BREWERS BEACH). You and maybe 10people will be there. Perfect for sunning, swimming, and snorkeling. Also has a small beach bar w/deck and a restroom. Hang out and chill. When you leave you will know why the few houses on the hill are there.

We were on Jewel last year and I didn't book a single trip from RCI. On Tortola, we got off, took some photos then found a tour for $25 each to see the island at the little welcome office right as you get off the ship. It actually turned out to be one of our more enjoyable tours. On Dominica, we used a private operator to tube down the river. We had a blast. It didn't take a lot of time but allowed us to get back to the ship then shop at the numerous places right there in port. We found the people on the islands to be very friendly. I used shoretrips.com which meant smaller groups and better pricing. On the upcoming Serenade, I found recommendations from other CC members and booked directly with the operators getting an even better deal. :cool: