Questions about excursions - first cruise & honeymoon!

Hello everyone! My fiance and I booked a 7 day western Caribbean cruise from Miami for our honeymoon and its the first cruise for both of us.

l hare found the answers to most of our questions on these forums (thanks!) but we still have a few.

So when we get to a port, if we don't have a shore excursion planned, can we still get off the ship and shop or hang out on the beach? Would this even be fun or recommended? Do you have to get off the ship, or can we hang out onboard to enjoy the smaller crowds at the pools and whatnot?

Do shore excursions HAVE to be booked in advance? We are using Carnival's honeymoon registry, so I'm not sure what we might recieve as gifts or when. Can we book them onboard or do they sellout by then? I believe the registry adds gift amounts to your sign & sail card, so can we pay for excursions with the card? We may only do one or two excursions if we don't get them as gifts.

Last, if we go on a short excursion, what is there to do the rest of the day? Can we get back on the ship for lunch and get back off to enjoy the beach or shopping? Are we able to come and go from the ship as he please? What if it's a port you have to tender to? Do the tender boats (not sure of the proper terminology) go back & forth all day or just a few times? Is there additional cost to tender at a port?

So many questions! l hope these questions aren't too silly, we just have no idea what to expect. Thank you in advance for any tips you have! We are ridiculously excited for this trip!

ES

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Big question is what ports? Yes you can get off and do whatever you want so long as you are back before the ship departs. Or you can remain onboard if you want. Shore excursions can be booked in advance or onboard. Good ones sell out fast. If its something I want to do I book in advance. Yes excursions can be charged to your S&S card. But your S&S card is charged to your credit card. Yes you can come and go as you please while the ship is in port. Tenders come and go the whole time you are in port and there is no charge. Hope this helped. :)

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Congratulations on your upcoming marriage. What a wonderful way to spend your honeymoon.

You can certainly get off the ship whether or not you have booked an excursion. Or you can just stay on the card.

You would be wise to find out exactly what you are going to get from Carnival via the honeymoon registry -- that way you won't be disappointed in expecting something that won't happen.

If there is a particular excursion you want to do, I highly recommend that you book it early. Some excursions sell out quickly.

Hello everyone! My fiance and I booked a 7 day western Caribbean cruise from Miami for our honeymoon and its the first cruise for both of us.

 

l hare found the answers to most of our questions on these forums (thanks!) but we still have a few.

 

So when we get to a port, if we don't have a shore excursion planned, can we still get off the ship and shop or hang out on the beach? Would this even be fun or recommended? Do you have to get off the ship, or can we hang out onboard to enjoy the smaller crowds at the pools and whatnot?

Yes to all of these. One thing I like to do is check out the port in Google Earth to see what's close by. On our recent Panama Canal cruise we only booked one excursion because either the town or something created by cruise lines was right there by the dock. And there were a couple of ports where we just hung out on the ship.

 

Do shore excursions HAVE to be booked in advance? We are using Carnival's honeymoon registry, so I'm not sure what we might recieve as gifts or when. Can we book them onboard or do they sellout by then? I believe the registry adds gift amounts to your sign & sail card, so can we pay for excursions with the card? We may only do one or two excursions if we don't get them as gifts.

Popular excursions may be full by the time you get on the ship so it all depends on what you want to do.

 

Last, if we go on a short excursion, what is there to do the rest of the day? Can we get back on the ship for lunch and get back off to enjoy the beach or shopping? Are we able to come and go from the ship as he please? What if it's a port you have to tender to? Do the tender boats (not sure of the proper terminology) go back & forth all day or just a few times? Is there additional cost to tender at a port?

Yes to most of these. No cost to tender but you may have to get "tickets" - depends on the cruise line. Ship tours generally go ashore first and then everyone else. Your daily schedule will give all the info. I've attached a couple of pics so you can see how that works.

 

So many questions! l hope these questions aren't too silly, we just have no idea what to expect. Thank you in advance for any tips you have! We are ridiculously excited for this trip! No such thing as a silly question. Just relax and have a great honeymoon. And prepare to be hooked.

 

ES

 

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While this is Royal Caribbean, tendering works pretty much the same on all ships. There's a platform that goes out from the side of the ship with a stairway down to it.

Then you head off to shore.

Tenders - which are lifeboats - will run back and forth all day. One thing to remember any time you go ashore is to note the time you're supposed to be back on board - in general 30 minutes to an hour before the ship is scheduled to leave. We usually plan to be back on board at least an hour before departure.

It's fun to be out on deck to watch the crew cast off the lines, etc.

I'm cruising for the first time in August and was very nervous about tendering. I was worried about puncturing the inflatable boats I've seen in movies. Your pictures are fantastic. Thank you.

Amy

In most cases the tenders are not lifeboats. They are boats that carry from 100 to 300 people depending on the port and are easy to get in and out of.

A couple of things have not been mentioned.

1. Do join the roll call for your cruise. Just use the Roll Call tool at the top of the website page and follow the prompts.

You will be able to see who else on here is on your cruise and see ask what excursions they are doing, or what they may recommend.

2. Look into the boards for your ports of call and search for excursions that are popular in that port. First timers usually do excursions offered by the ship, however there are many other excursions available, most of which can be booked online.

It would help if we knew which particular cruise you were on, and the ports you are visiting.

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!

BTW our honeymoon was our first cruise. Warning! Cruising can be addictive. :D

In most cases the tenders are not lifeboats. They are boats that carry from 100 to 300 people depending on the port and are easy to get in and out of.

 

A couple of things have not been mentioned.

 

1. Do join the roll call for your cruise. Just use the Roll Call tool at the top of the website page and follow the prompts.

You will be able to see who else on here is on your cruise and see ask what excursions they are doing, or what they may recommend.

 

2. Look into the boards for your ports of call and search for excursions that are popular in that port. First timers usually do excursions offered by the ship, however there are many other excursions available, most of which can be booked online.

 

It would help if we knew which particular cruise you were on, and the ports you are visiting.

 

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!

 

BTW our honeymoon was our first cruise. Warning! Cruising can be addictive. :D

Check the picture and the sign next to the door. Technically, it's both. The only difference is the number of passengers. :)

Welcome to Cruise Critic! :)

Could you tell us which ports so we can help you out a bit more?

LuLu

Thanks for all the great replies! This has helped tons. I especially appreciate the pictures of the tenders, that gave us a great idea of what to expect.

We're going on a 7day western caribbean with Carnival. Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay, and Grand Cayman. I haven't read the threads on each port yet, but I do plan to do so before we pick any excursions.

Thank you all!

To join your Roll Call -- click on the link below and then scroll down until you find your ship -- open that up and scroll down until you find the date of your cruise:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=150

Thanks for all the great replies! This has helped tons. I especially appreciate the pictures of the tenders, that gave us a great idea of what to expect.

We're going on a 7day western Caribbean with Carnival. Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay, and Grand Cayman. I haven't read the threads on each port yet, but I do plan to do so before we pick any excursions.

Thank you all!

Great itinerary for your honeymoon! :D

You don't really need to be overly concerned about booking your shore excursions in advance because you've never been to any of these places so whatever you do will be new to you. Waiting until you are on the ship might work best for you all considered.

My thoughts for what they're worth ....

Cozumel: Dock. We love going to Passion Island which you can book through Carnival either going by Twister (wild wet ride) or the tour catamaran. Lovely, place. You'll feel as if you're in the middle of a Corona advertisement.

Belize: Tender. Book something through the ship. Snorkeling or cave tubing are the most popular. Both are good.

Mahogany Bay, Roatan: Dock. There's a beach right there within the port area so you don't have to go anyplace if you just want to sleep late and have a lazy beach day. If snorkeling is important, you'll need to go elsewhere.

Grand Cayman: Tender. Most on their first time to Grand Cayman want to swim with the stingrays. Grand Cayman is a very safe place.

For sure do as you mentioned go to the Ports of Call Board under each of your port stops. So much good helpful information there. Have fun planning! :D

LuLu

You can do whatever you want in port so long as you don't get arrested for it. :D

Here is something people have not mentioned and after 11 cruises, I JUST started doing on my last cruise.

Don't be afraid to try the local cuisine. yeah, we know you already paid for the food on the ship, but seriously, its amazing. Its like Diner's Drive-thrus and Dives on your own.

One cruise, i sampled the fish Tacos at Tulum in Mexico (Cozumel is the port). Best Fish Tacos I've ever had. Haven't had anything like it since. Last cruise, I sampled a cafe on the coast in Marigot in St. Maarten (right before I proposed to my fiance ironically). Excellent restaurant. It had some unobtrusive name like Eduardo's cafe, or something like that, but the food was just awesome. I found an excellent coffee shop in San Juan right on the road next to the port.

If none of the excursions catches your eye, which is unlikely as this is your first cruise, try one of these cafe's or diners. Stay away from the "chains" if you want food. Alcohol is fine. Carlos & Charlies, or Senor Frogs are great drinking establishments, but their food leaves a lot to be desired. You can get their food from Fridays.

Many times your excursions will include a stop here or there that may allow you time to try a place.

Thanks for all the great replies! This has helped tons. I especially appreciate the pictures of the tenders, that gave us a great idea of what to expect.

 

We're going on a 7day western caribbean with Carnival. Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay, and Grand Cayman. I haven't read the threads on each port yet, but I do plan to do so before we pick any excursions.

 

Thank you all!

Cozumel - Should be a dock port but it is possible that you might tender if the port has too many ships there. Port is OK to do on your own, book a tour upon arrival, book in advance thru the ship or independently. One option is to take the ferry over to Playa del Carmen.

Belize - A tender port. Large commercial tenders vs. the ship's. Not a port to leave the immediate tourist zone unless on a tour. Popular activities include cave tubing, zip lines, site seeing boat trip to ancient ruins and shark/stingray water encounters. This is a port I would book something in advance. One of my favorites.

Mahogany Bay - Should be a dock port. Haven't been there so can't offer any more.

Grand Cayman - A tender port. One of the few that may have rough waters that will prevent people from getting off the ship. (I believe it is the one port with rough water quite often.) Can't offer much info as this the only port we've had cancelled for rough waters.

Highly recommend you join your cruise roll call. Great place to see others recommendations and join a group in booking independent tours.

Enjoy!

Cozumel - Should be a dock port but it is possible that you might tender if the port has too many ships there. Port is OK to do on your own, book a tour upon arrival, book in advance thru the ship or independently. One option is to take the ferry over to Playa del Carmen.

 

 

 

Belize - A tender port. Large commercial tenders vs. the ship's. Not a port to leave the immediate tourist zone unless on a tour. Popular activities include cave tubing, zip lines, site seeing boat trip to ancient ruins and shark/stingray water encounters. This is a port I would book something in advance. One of my favorites.

 

 

 

Mahogany Bay - Should be a dock port. Haven't been there so can't offer any more.

 

 

 

Grand Cayman - A tender port. One of the few that may have rough waters that will prevent people from getting off the ship. (I believe it is the one port with rough water quite often.) Can't offer much info as this the only port we've had cancelled for rough waters.

 

 

 

Highly recommend you join your cruise roll call. Great place to see others recommendations and join a group in booking independent tours.

 

 

 

Enjoy!

Yes fully agree

The cruise roll call will give you everything you want

Greg

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