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Excursions


MaeFlowers
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Hi everyone!

 

This will be our first cruise together, my husband and myself, and I am super excited. We are sailing in August to Mahogany Bay, Belize, and Cozumel with Carnival. My big question is should we do excursions or walk/shop the ports? Right now I have an excursion booked for every port as it was a deal with carnival. :o Two of them are all day excursions (Cenote hopping and viewing some ruins) and the other is a half day.

 

I'm really hoping that my husband loves the cruising and will want to go on more and that would allow for future excursions but I don't want to miss out if we decide not to cruise again.

 

I just don't know what to do. Any thoughts/tips would be greatly appreciated.

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Many experienced cruisers book their own excursions thru private vendors.

 

Having said that, we still book thru the ship when we are in unfamiliar territory. Our very first cruise, we also booked thru the ship. Our first Med cruise, we stayed with excursion thru the ship. Caribbean cruises, we now book our own.

 

It's all what you're comfortable with.

 

Booking thru the ship , while more expensive, comes with some guarantees. The vendors have been vetted for safety and reliability and if something happens to cause you to be late returning, the ship will wait.

 

Booking on your own is usually less expensive, smaller groups, maybe you go places others don't,, but,, you're on your own.

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I guess I should clarify.

 

I'm wondering if booking excursions on all three days is okay or if I should spend some time at the ports. Do people prefer excursions over the ports or vice versa. I want to get the most out of our trip but don't want to feel rushed during excursions.

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Join your Roll Call to get an idea of what excursions others on your cruise are doing, and perhaps join them. Many times, especially if it's our first time on a particular Island, we will explore the Islands while in a cab with the driver as our tour guide for a reasonable amount. Happy cruising!

 

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I would recommend booking am excursion for Belize for sure. There is very little to do in the port "compound" and I would not feel too good walking around in Belize. Mahogany Bay is a small island off the coast of Honduras and is really pretty! We did the ship sponsored excursion to the Carnival beach area where there was a number of things to do. Cozumel is one place you can do your own thing! You can go into San Miguel and shop or enjoy adult beverages at several local establishments or book your own excursion right from the port complex. Paradise Beach is a great beach day and lots of folks head to Nochi Cocum (sp?) or Mr. Sanchos which are popular spots. Those are good ports and I don't think you will have any shortage of fun things to do, excursions or not! Enjoy your cruise!

 

 

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We've been cruising for a VERY LONG time and still sometimes book our excursions thru the ship. It's easy and convenient. (y)

For sure you'll want to book an excursion in Belize.

No real need to book anything in Mahogany Bay if you'd be happy with a beach day. There's no charge to use the beach or the chairs at the beach within the port area there.

Enjoy! :D

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IF the excursions are things you really want to do and are interested in...then keep them! If not, get a guidebook from your library and see what IS available in each port. Most things are quite easy to do on your own...but you do need to know something about the places you'll visit!

There is nothing wrong with ship's excursions...they are pretty much "fool proof"...but they do cost a pretty penny!

 

We do our research, and do everything on our own, unless it involves a copious amount of travel....beaches, shopping, and especially places with good public transportation, even touring, are "no excursions needed" things!

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We enjoy doing excursions in ports. We usually do independent excursions or DIY but as long as you are happy with the price u paid for your yours I don't think you'll regret having those excursions booked. Cenotes are great and assuming the other full day excursion is in Belize (there's nothing to do in the Belize port, need an excursion there). So you'll have the mahogany bay port as your more relaxed day. Plus don't forget you'll have all day to relax on sea days. Sea days are our rest days so we tend to go all day on port days.

 

 

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If you got a good deal with the excursions you should absolutely keep them.

 

The ports will just be filled with touristy shops. It's just a question of do you want to be on a bus tour for ten or eleven hours?

 

Do some research here at Cruise Critic on the specific tours you booked.

 

It's always exciting to have some excursions to look forward to. We often book with the cruise line, because they are reliable.

 

Jonathan

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I guess I should clarify.

 

I'm wondering if booking excursions on all three days is okay or if I should spend some time at the ports. Do people prefer excursions over the ports or vice versa. I want to get the most out of our trip but don't want to feel rushed during excursions.

 

Some ports have lots to see and do right there, with no need to book excursions. Other ports, there's really not much to do unless you go out somewhere. For example, in Grand Turk there's a lovely beach, shopping, Margaritaville with its pool, etc. Freeport, there's really not much.

 

 

You should visit the Ports of Call board here on CC and read what others have to say about the various ports. You can also find out about independent tours that are less expensive than the cruise line's, and that often can be tailored to your interests.

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Depends on how relaxing you want to make the cruise. For us, on our first couple of cruises, we had an excursion booked for all ports, and although enjoyed them, were worn out from all of the going. Now, we may schedule one, but for the most part, just enjoy the boat when in port. we will get off the ship, mill around, then get back on and have the ship to ourselves. Again, everyones opinions and ideas are different, just have to decide how much or how little to do, to make the cruise enjoyable and memorable for them.

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