First Visit East - Need some Help please

Hi Anyyone

I have some questions please about tours:-

Komodo - We have booked the ships tour to see the dragons but there is an optional tour 2nd tour that visits the village, national park and the pink beach but no mention of the dragons?

Q- Would we see dragons if we switched tours to the 2nd option?

Q - If we go to the pink beach can you sunbathe there and use facilities on the beach for the day not as we dont snorkel.

Bali

Q -Would it be OK to take a tour through to Ubad and surrounding area once we arrive on Bali by seeking out a bus tour operator at the dock or do we need to book from the ship or privately before we sail?

Tours Generally

We are used to being able to get off the ship and jump into a taxi as an option to take us to the nearest beach or on an island tour.We are concerned that this practice may not be advisable on these islands. Can anyone advise us please?

Q -Would we be wise to book all our tours in advance of sailing?

Your help would be greatly appreciated

Thank you:):)

I cannot help you re the pink beach at Komodo, but the dragons are in the national park, so you will see them. You have to have a tour booked at Komodo, otherwise you arenot allowed to leave the ship.

In Bali you will see many cabdrivers at the docks, most of them are reserved in advance and waiting with name tags for their passengers.

If you want to see some special places better make a reservation and let them know what you want to see or do. Without reservation you will also find a driver. Most cabsd are for 6 persons max, but comfortable for 4 persons.

We used http://baliprivatedriver.com/holiday/full-day-tour/ and told him what we like to see. The price was fixed in advance and we paid at the end of the tour.

Can't help re Komodo.

But Bali and elsewhere there will be taxis and vans available at the pier.

Charges are very low and negotiable even lower, but concentrate more on what is offered. You will need a driver who speaks passable English and knows his stuff. NB make sure that the excellent English-speaker you are talking to is actually the driver or guide, make sure you're not fobbed off with someone else instead.

Ubud is rightly a popular destination, and you'll have the opportunity of other stops too.

Agree a price and broad itinerary before you board, pay in USD when you get back - it's the norm. Food, drink and entry fees aren't normally part of the deal.

Take plenty of low-denomination bills as donations for any temples that you visit.

The Balinese people are gentle, friendly, religious and artistic, though over-anxious vendors and drivers may give you a different impression at the pier.

A super port of call

JB :)

Hi Anyyone

 

I have some questions please about tours:-

 

Komodo - We have booked the ships tour to see the dragons but there is an optional tour 2nd tour that visits the village, national park and the pink beach but no mention of the dragons?

Q- Would we see dragons if we switched tours to the 2nd option?

Q - If we go to the pink beach can you sunbathe there and use facilities on the beach for the day not as we dont snorkel.

 

I have been to Komodo in February 2013 and we were lucky enough to see six dragons at the National Park. They are wonderful and scary at the same time.:)

 

I loved the Pink Beach.......it is only a slight tint due to the break down of the red coral in the sea. I enjoyed it because of the snorkelling................you can sunbathe but there is only a beach. There is no other facilities. You travel over by a boat as it is on a separate island and you only have about an hour on shore.

 

Bali

Q -Would it be OK to take a tour through to Ubad and surrounding area once we arrive on Bali by seeking out a bus tour operator at the dock or do we need to book from the ship or privately before we sail?

 

I have found Bali Trip Advisor forum useful for getting good tour guides to pre book with before hand. If you are comfortable negotiating you might want to do it when you arrive. Bali Bluebird taxis are usually the most reputable. This is from land trips I have done to Bali.......we disembarked at this port and flew straight home

 

Tours Generally

 

We are used to being able to get off the ship and jump into a taxi as an option to take us to the nearest beach or on an island tour.We are concerned that this practice may not be advisable on these islands. Can anyone advise us please?

 

Q -Would we be wise to book all our tours in advance of sailing?

 

We found in Lombok especially the tours at the Port were basically a fixed price but you could do better just outside of the area. I would assume Bali would be the same

 

Your help would be greatly appreciated

Thank you:):)

I hope this helps :)

Julie