Native Choice, afraid of missing the ship

Has anyone heard or read of anyone taking a Native Choice excursion and not being back in time?

I have only cruised one before, years ago, and we took all cruise line excursions. This time we also have our kids, 13 and 10. The reviews almost have me sold on the Mayan Experience which includes a ruins tour and lunch in a Mayan village. But....I'm terrified of missing the ship. It's a 5.5 he tour, we are scheduled th be in port 8-5, so it sounds reasonable. But it begins an hour after docking and I'd be freaked out to not be in port an hour before the ship is set to leave.

I guess I'm just looking for reassurance that I can trust this company to have me back in time.

We were booked with Native Choice last week but unfortunately our ship was unable to pull into port. This was the first time I booked an excursion outside the cruise line but I read such great reviews both here on cruise critic and on trip advisor about their professionalism and timeliness, I decided to go for it. I can only comment on their professionalism. They guarantee 100% refund if your ship doesn't make it into port. They responded to me right away and refunded my payment in full within a day!

If it's causing you anxiety, strongly suggest you book something through the ship.

There's nothing wrong with booking a ship's excursion. After ages of cruising we still often book with the ship because it is so EASY! :)

Has anyone heard or read of anyone taking a Native Choice excursion and not being back in time?

I have only cruised one before, years ago, and we took all cruise line excursions. This time we also have our kids, 13 and 10. The reviews almost have me sold on the Mayan Experience which includes a ruins tour and lunch in a Mayan village. But....I'm terrified of missing the ship. It's a 5.5 he tour, we are scheduled th be in port 8-5, so it sounds reasonable. But it begins an hour after docking and I'd be freaked out to not be in port an hour before the ship is set to leave.

 

I guess I'm just looking for reassurance that I can trust this company to have me back in time.

My opinion is that you would have plenty of time and I wouldn't worry. This company has a reputation to uphold and they know you need to be back to the ship on time. Trip Advisor would probably give you some reassurance if you google Native Choice reviews.

I forgot to mention that we have used them with no issues :D

We're using them for our upcoming cruise and we're confident that everything will be fine. We've cruised for years and we never book the ship excursions, always private. It's less expensive, and more time efficient since you don't have to wait for a large group to load and unload at every stop. We've never missed a ship, but we're comfortable making it back just before they pull up the gangways. In fact, it makes us feel like we got the most out of the day. :)

I'm sure you'd make it back with time to spare, but if you're going to be nervous the entire time, you're not going to have fun.

We used Native Choice in January 2015 and they were professional and very aware of the time they needed to be back to the port. They continuously assure you that no one will miss their ship.

Below is my post from last year regarding our experience with Native Choice.

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"My wife, daughter and I went on the Chacchoben Extreme tour on January 21, 2015. We were on Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Sea while in port at Costa Maya. After making our way through the busy port and we were able to use the directions to the offices of Native Choice, which is well outside of the port.

Once at the offices of Native Choice, we checked in and were given our wrist bands and boarded a nice air conditioned van. Our van had about 11 total people. Our guide was Diego and he was very friendly, funny and informative.

We made our way to Chacchoben, which was about 50 minutes. We stopped at a little food stand along the road and Diego purchased some fresh, sweet pineapple from a Mexican family and everybody was able to enjoy a piece of pineapple.

Once we arrived at Chacchoben, it was hot, sunny and crowded. There was a lot of tour buses and others there too. There was a large gift shop and bathrooms and snack bar. Diego led the group into Chacchoben explaining the culture and history at each site. He was more than happy to take pictures of you and your family. We saw howler monkeys and lots of beautiful flora, trees etc. in addition to the Mayan ruins.

After our tour of the ruins, we boarded our van and headed to the Bacalar Lagoon, which is a private resort on the 7 Colors Lagoon. The resort is about 20 minutes from the ruins site, and you must take a rough dirt road through the jungle to get there. The resort is very pretty, quiet and private. We were escorted into the main building to eat lunch. We were served chicken fajitas, soft drinks, beer and other alcoholic drinks, which were all included in the price of the tour.

After lunch, we were able to change into our bathing suits and swim, kayak or sit around near the water. The water was nice, but bring your water shoes because there is a lot of coral/rocks just off shore until you get into deeper water and it will hurt your bare feet.

We were able to swim for about 1.5 hours or so and then it was time to head back to the Costa Maya port to board the ship. The tour was very nice. Diego was a great tour guide and was always keeping us on time. In fact, he wears a watch around his head to make sure of the time.

Forget the cruise ship tours with 30, 40 or more persons. I highly recommend booking a tour with The Native Choice if you value a professional, local company who cater to its client's needs and offer and provide exactly what they promise."

We did the Chacchoben tour last January as well (Jan 28, I believe), and I can't recommend them highly enough. The tours leave an hour after your ship docks, which means you may need to get up early, but you get to your destination much earlier than the cruise line's excursion does. We were on the Caribbean Princess, our ship docked at 7, the tour left at 8, we were the first ones there, and by the time we were almost done, several other buses had pulled in and it was getting crowded. The ship's excursion left at noon, I believe. We had plenty of time to get back on the ship and have a nice, relaxing late lunch. I wouldn't hesitate to use them again.

We used Native Choice in December and went to the Dzibanche Ruins, which are 2 hrs from the port. Picked those ruins as they are the only ones you could still climb. Our guide and driver were awesome, had plenty of time at the ruins, and still had plenty of time to wander around the shopping area at the port. They are well aware of what would happen to their reputation if they were late to the port, so I don't think you have anything to worry about!

We just did the Chacchoben ruin tour with the Native Choice on January 13th and loved it. We did the one without the lunch and timing wasn't an issue at all. Think about that one if you are worried about timing. They are a very professional company and we highly recommend the tour, as does Trip advisor.

Also in Roatan we used Victor Bodden and loved that too.

Safe sailing

On our recent cruise, cabin neighbors did a tour, not sure which one, with Native Choice. We were suppose to be back on board by 1:30P. DW and I got back at 1:15 and they were already coming back from the Lido with ice cream. David and Ivan have a good reputation and they'll work with you to make sure you're on the right tour time wise for your ship's stay in CM.

We're leaving on Sunday and just now decided to cancel our Maya Ruins tour in Costa Maya (we think that the kids would not really appreciate it...(12 yo twins..))

So if we cancel it, what do we do in Costa Maya?

We're doing

- beach day in Honduras

- Dolphins in Cozumel

-snoerkeling in Belize

Thank you for any suggestions you may have!

Ela

We just did the Mayan Experience tour last week with Native Choice, and had an amazing time. No worries at all about making it back to the ship, and the tour is a top-notch experience. Very well-kept vans, plenty of bottled water throughout the day, cool/wet towels after your traverse the ruins, and an amazing lunch experience at the local village.

This tour is worth FAR MORE than the $75 pp we paid!

CeleBrat

We recently also did the Mayan Experience ruins and native lunch tour and agree that it was worth well more than the $75 pp we paid. No timing issues, a great meal, clean restrooms, nice length of time at the ruins, and no worries about getting back on time.

We've booked with Native Choice to go to the same ruins in a couple of weeks. It's approx. a 4 1/2 hour long tour (no meal or swimming incl.) They are gladly going to drop us off at the Tropicante Beach club on the way back so we can get in a few hours of beach time before returning to the pier. It's only about a 5-10 minute taxi ride back. Perhaps taking this shorter tour would suit your needs better and make you more comfortable.

We recently also did the Mayan Experience ruins and native lunch tour and agree that it was worth well more than the $75 pp we paid. No timing issues, a great meal, clean restrooms, nice length of time at the ruins, and no worries about getting back on time.

I am REALLY happy to hear your experience with the Mayan Experience - DW and I are going to do this excursion in October and it really sounds excellent. I'm looking forward to the native meal! Now, if October would hurry up and get here....

We almost always go with local vendors for our excursions - after researching them on Trip Advisor. The only time we will go with the ship excursions is when we can't find a good local choice. These vendors make their money on cruise passengers and a lot of customers find them via reviews and word of mouth. If any vendor had a history of getting people back late, I doubt they would last long.

We like the smaller groups and more personal service we get with local vendors - not to mention the much lower price!!

Do your research on whomever you are thinking about using and don't hesitate to call or email them to ask about their on-time record and what contingency plans they have if there is any problem getting back.

Enjoy your trip and come back to tell us how much fun you had!!