Buying an excursion right from the company rather than the cruise line

Ive done research on buying an excursion from the cruise line vs independently. Its alot cheaper but for a first time cruiser with a family of 5 i definitely don't wasn't to be late back to the boat. I know i can catch a cab right off the boat but what about when the excursion is done. Will there be cabs ready to take us back to the boat? My biggest fear is not making it back on time. But saving $150 sure does sound awesome!!! Any advice would be great.

Its for the coral world sea lions swim in st Thomas.

Thanks to all

Courtney

Find your roll call and see if anyone is planning/organizing the excursion you are looking at. Depending on where the excursion is located, finding a cab might not be difficult at all.

If you haven't found your roll yet, then go to the message boards; then look for your cruise line in the roll call threads; click on it, then look for your ship; click on your ship and look for your date. Voila! You are ready to post. It is a fun way to meet your fellow cruisers prior to the cruise.

They may have activities planned which you can join -or not - your choice.

Find your roll call and see if anyone is planning/organizing the excursion you are looking at. Depending on where the excursion is located, finding a cab might not be difficult at all.

 

If you haven't found your roll yet, then go to the message boards; then look for your cruise line in the roll call threads; click on it, then look for your ship; click on your ship and look for your date. Voila! You are ready to post. It is a fun way to meet your fellow cruisers prior to the cruise.

 

They may have activities planned which you can join -or not - your choice.

That sounds fair enough.. Thank you [emoji3]

You might also want to check the Ports of Call forum. You could search to see if others have had experience with that excursion or post a question there if you don't find anything.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=133

You might also want to check the Ports of Call forum. You could search to see if others have had experience with that excursion or post a question there if you don't find anything.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=133

I definitely will be researching that site as well

Remember, these private excursion operators are dependent on their reputation. We have never had a problem getting back in time and have probably done close to 100 private tours.

While I can't say for sure about Coral World since we have never been there, what I do want to mention is that some places have specific contracts with the cruise lines and will not let cruise passengers book for tours you can get with the cruise line.

I would suggest before making a final decision (if you don't get an answer on the St. Thomas or NCL boards here) in a good time, to call Coral World itself and check to make sure that they won't turn you away.

A way I have read to get around this at some places is to book it saying you are staying at a local hotel. But at that point you also have to bring your own towels that don't say NCL on them. Packing and bringing 5 extra beach towels in that case might be worth that $150.

I haven't been on NCL but on my cruises the beach towels have been a different design from the bath towels but didn't have the line's name on them. That would make them too attractive as "souvenirs" so they won't be what gives you away as a cruise passenger.

Ive done research on buying an excursion from the cruise line vs independently. Its alot cheaper but for a first time cruiser with a family of 5 i definitely don't wasn't to be late back to the boat. I know i can catch a cab right off the boat but what about when the excursion is done. Will there be cabs ready to take us back to the boat? My biggest fear is not making it back on time. But saving $150 sure does sound awesome!!! Any advice would be great.

Its for the coral world sea lions swim in st Thomas.

 

Thanks to all

Courtney

You get what you pay for. Don't be "pennywise and pound foolish."

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

There are a lot of factors that I consider- how long is the excursion? how far from the port? what are the expected traffic patterns like at the time one must return? how easy is it (and how expensive) is transportation to and from? Am I confident in my own knowledge of the port to strike out on my own? (To name a few.)

Two examples. Pirate museum in Nassau- museum is within walking distance of the port so traffic and transportation expense are non-factors, the museum was easy to find on the map. We decided to do it on our own rather than through the cruise line and paid $12 for admission instead of the $36 or whatever it was the cruise line was charging (for 7, it adds up).

Sea World in Port Canaveral- an hour from the port, heavy traffic possible both going and returning, transportation needed to be arranged, if I rented a car and did the driving I had little confidence in my ability to navigate well enough to make it back in time, excursion lasted for 9 hours and the ship was in port for 10. Went with the ship's excursion.

You get what you pay for. Don't be "pennywise and pound foolish."

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Yep agree and cruise companies are a joke with prices on excursions for what you get.... A complete rip off

Sent from my C6903 using Forums mobile app

Coral World is a 20 minute taxi drive. I would take a shuttle over and just reserve a time directly with Coral worls for any activity you want to do there. Coki Beach is right next to it to finish your day, and the transporation back is readily available. I would never take a cruise ship excursion to Coral World - it's very easy to do on your own

Coral World is a 20 minute taxi drive. I would take a shuttle over and just reserve a time directly with Coral worls for any activity you want to do there. Coki Beach is right next to it to finish your day, and the transporation back is readily available. I would never take a cruise ship excursion to Coral World - it's very easy to do on your own

Thank you so much.. I just don't want to risk being late back on ship. But you sound confident enough that it will go smoothly..

I am a single mother traveling with 2 kids. I have done this 10+ times and have no hesitation. Other islands I might not give you the same answer, but here I am confident. Just give yourself a little extra time to get back. Depending on how many ships in port, the traffic could be bad and 20 minutes could take you 40.

Have a great time!!!

Find your roll call and see if anyone is planning/organizing the excursion you are looking at. Depending on where the excursion is located, finding a cab might not be difficult at all.

 

If you haven't found your roll yet, then go to the message boards; then look for your cruise line in the roll call threads; click on it, then look for your ship; click on your ship and look for your date. Voila! You are ready to post. It is a fun way to meet your fellow cruisers prior to the cruise.

 

They may have activities planned which you can join -or not - your choice.

Good advice.

I am a single mother traveling with 2 kids. I have done this 10+ times and have no hesitation. Other islands I might not give you the same answer, but here I am confident. Just give yourself a little extra time to get back. Depending on how many ships in port, the traffic could be bad and 20 minutes could take you 40.

 

Have a great time!!!

Ahhh. So you book independently? Great. So question when the ships itinerary says from 8am-4pm but than in small words (please allow 2 hrs before getting off the boat and be on the boat 2hrs before disembarking) am i safe to assume the 8-4pm is really only 10-2pm? That's what I'm confused about

Ive done research on buying an excursion from the cruise line vs independently. Its alot cheaper but for a first time cruiser with a family of 5 i definitely don't wasn't to be late back to the boat. I know i can catch a cab right off the boat but what about when the excursion is done. Will there be cabs ready to take us back to the boat? My biggest fear is not making it back on time. But saving $150 sure does sound awesome!!! Any advice would be great.

Its for the coral world sea lions swim in st Thomas.

 

Thanks to all

Courtney

I went to Coral World on my own. I didn't swim with the sea lions, but I was at Coral World. You should have no trouble finding a taxi to take you back. In my case (as noted below) the people in my taxi (actually a truck with seats in the bed) had a deal with the taxi driver to return at a particular time. Just make sure to allow extra time. If you have to be back by 4pm, plan to be back by 3pm to allow time for the "just in case".

The following is from my review the day I visited Coral World on my own ...

We arrive in St. Thomas at 10am and dock in Crown Bay, not Havensight where most of the ships dock. It is a nice place to dock if you like shipping containers, but not so great if you want to be near anything touristy. We are the only ship here today. Havensight is completely devoid of cruise ships.

This morning I received quite a surprise on my balcony. Something was stuck under the table and when I went out to investigate I realized it was a little girl’s underwear. Good thing I am traveling solo. Finding something like that on one’s balcony could be rather hard to explain. It obviously blew in overnight. So I figure it belongs to someone in a balcony cabin forward of me. However, my room steward tells me that there are no little girls in his section.

Since I just want to go to Coral World I am in no hurry. Eventually I head out around 11am and find out that the taxis don’t want to leave without a full load. So it is close to noon before I actually am on my way to Coral World with a group of about nine people who are going to Coki Beach (which is right next door to Coral World). On the way to Coral World I get a good view of the Havensight dock and that is when I realize that we are the only ship visiting St. Thomas today.

Coral World reminds me of a miniature Aquarium of the Pacific (which is located in Long Beach, California) but without the big aquariums. Coral World has aquariums, but none that are super sized. The entrance fee to Coral World is $19 and a locker rental is three dollars plus a ten dollar deposit. Coral World has a building that is out in the ocean and surrounded by a reef. Downstairs are glass windows looking out into the reef and the wild fish that call that reef home. It is a great idea, however, this is ocean water (not filtered water) and though the water is fairly clear, it is not crystal clear. So the view into the natural world is not that great today.

After that I went into the lorikeet enclosure. Even before I bought any nectar I had three lorikeets on me. They were friendly and hungry (or perhaps friendly because they were hungry).

There is also a stingray pool, a touch pool and a shark encounter pool. However, though they let people walk in the shark exhibit (for a price), they will not allow people to put their hands in the water while standing outside the exhibit, which eliminated any photographs I wanted to take (I have a waterproof camera).

After touring Coral World I head next door to Coki Beach. It is a nice crescent shaped beach with rocks that attract fish at each end. The beach vendors were selling dog biscuits to people that want to feed the fish (I didn’t see any dogfish). The only problem is the dog biscuits are the same color and shape (more or less) as my skin. So a parrot fish came over to me to get a snack, only I didn’t have any biscuits (dog or otherwise). Since parrot fish make their living by munching on coral, I decided that for my finger’s sake it would be a good idea to gently chase away the fish.

So after walking up and down Coki Beach (in the water) I head back to Coral World (the admission ticket is a wrist band which includes in and out privileges) to shower in fresh water and change back into street clothes and wait for our taxi to come back, which it does when the driver said she would be there. On the way back the taxi driver stops at a well-known place for obtaining pictures of both Havensight and Crown Bay.

Once back on the ship I take another shower and rest until dinner time.

Ahhh. So you book independently? Great. So question when the ships itinerary says from 8am-4pm but than in small words (please allow 2 hrs before getting off the boat and be on the boat 2hrs before disembarking) am i safe to assume the 8-4pm is really only 10-2pm? That's what I'm confused about

The 2 hour rule applies to initial embarcation only and final disembarcation. In the ports you are normally supposed to be back onboard 30 minutes before departure. Same with getting off the ship, as soon as the ship is cleared by local authorities passengers may disembark.

When in doubt about getting back take a ship cruise. If excursion cancelled you will get your money back.

Ahhh. So you book independently? Great. So question when the ships itinerary says from 8am-4pm but than in small words (please allow 2 hrs before getting off the boat and be on the boat 2hrs before disembarking) am i safe to assume the 8-4pm is really only 10-2pm? That's what I'm confused about

Here is my suggestion, and only applies if you don't mind a little bit of shopping. Most ships dock at the West Indian Dock, commonly known as Havensight, since it is immediately adjacent to Havensight mall. If your ship says it docks at 8, you will likely dock around 7 or 7:30 and be off the ship around 8, maybe a bit later. Take a jitney bus over to Coral World as soon as you can get off of the ship. You will have to go outside of the gated area to do this. Do your thing at Coral World until about 1:00 or 1:30 or so, then take a taxi/jitney back to Havensight. This will then give you about an hour or so to walk around the shops at Havensight, but you will be within sight and walking distance of the ship. You will need to back on board by 3:30 based on the docking hours you listed. Don't try and stay at Coral World/Coki Beach until 2:30 or 3:00 or you could possibly find yourself become a pier runner if there are any delays whatsoever.

Here is my suggestion, and only applies if you don't mind a little bit of shopping. Most ships dock at the West Indian Dock, commonly known as Havensight, since it is immediately adjacent to Havensight mall. If your ship says it docks at 8, you will likely dock around 7 or 7:30 and be off the ship around 8, maybe a bit later. Take a jitney bus over to Coral World as soon as you can get off of the ship. You will have to go outside of the gated area to do this. Do your thing at Coral World until about 1:00 or 1:30 or so, then take a taxi/jitney back to Havensight. This will then give you about an hour or so to walk around the shops at Havensight, but you will be within sight and walking distance of the ship. You will need to back on board by 3:30 based on the docking hours you listed. Don't try and stay at Coral World/Coki Beach until 2:30 or 3:00 or you could possibly find yourself become a pier runner if there are any delays whatsoever.

This sounds perfect... I don't care if we are walking around after our excursion close to the ship, for two hours. As long as im close and can get back on the boat. Haa

This sounds perfect... I don't care if we are walking around after our excursion close to the ship, for two hours. As long as im close and can get back on the boat. Haa

pay attention to ship time vs island time

I do not know if NCL ships change time to reflect the time

right now st thomas is 1 hour ahead of Eastern standard time

take a cab and just be at the ship one hour before you are to be onboard which is 30 minutes before the posted sailing time

pay attention to ship time vs island time

I do not know if NCL ships change time to reflect the time

 

right now st thomas is 1 hour ahead of Eastern standard time

 

take a cab and just be at the ship one hour before you are to be onboard which is 30 minutes before the posted sailing time

Oh - and this too! Make darn POSITIVE you know what time the ship is on. Some ships will change time zones to the local time, some do not. I highly recommend bringing a cheap wristwatch and setting it to the ship's time and be sure to not ask a local for the time, or go by a clock in a public place. Only go by the time on your watch that you have synch'd to ship's time. A simple mistake like that could lead you to miss your ship.

BTW, as far as Havensight mall is concerned, it's not a fully enclosed luxury shopping mall. It is a collection of small buildings in an open air environment. So, you're not going to find a Macy's or Bloomingdale's there - they are small private owned places for the most part, along with a post office, a dentist office, and if I'm not mistaken, there is a Wendy's at the opposite end of the West Indian Dock, in case you get hungry for some comfort food. If you need anything else, there is a K-Mart in Charlotte Amalie.

do not use a cell phone to get the time either.

do not use a cell phone to get the time either.

And don't use clocks to phone home.