gatec1008

We're considering doing a private jeep tour with a stop at Punta Sur when we stop at Cozumel in February on our Caribbean cruise.  Has anyone joined a private jeep tour with a guide after getting off the ship or is advance reservation required?  We've searched online and found many tour operators offering jeep tours.  We would appreciate if someone can share their past experience and recommend a reputable company.

We will be visiting Cozumel in mid-February and saw the "Mayan Cavern and Cenote Swim Experience" excursion offered by Celebrity Cruises.  Has anyone taken this excursion before?  We're wondering where this excursion will take us in Playa Del Carmen.  We are interested in the Rio Secreto since that is highly recommended.  Do you have to be a good swimmer to explore the cave and cenote?  How deep is the water level inside the cave?

We would appreciate feedback from anyone who has taken this excursion previously.

3 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

@gatec1008, I just haven't seen anything about private tours offered at ISP.  It's rather isolated, and that's why I always say that as Alaska port-of-calls go, it feels like 'real' Alaska.

 

Folks cancel cruises, and thus their excursions all the time, so I would encourage you to keep watching for excursion openings both on your cruise line's excursion page, and once on board at the excursion desk.

 

FYI, we were in ISP last September and due to a Covid outbreak in the community, neither the zipline or the gondola were operating.  The road to the village of Hoonah had a barrier across it requesting cruise passengers not to walk into town.  The woman at the information desk at ISP explained that the closures were to protect the community elders.  The whale watching boats were running though. 

Yes, we'll keep checking for cancellations on whale watching tours.  Besides whale watching, we know wildlife and bear search tours are another option if we can find a taxi or car.  But we are not sure if it is safe and worthwhile. 

We'll try to see if we can get on waitlist on ship or local operators for whale watching but just want to explore other options.  If we hire a taxi or car, we're thinking about driving to explore the wilderness area around ISP, not just Hoonah.  We know the scenery is amazing near the port and on the way to Hoonah.  We're just not sure if it's worthwhile and safe to explore other area on our own.

We booked a last-minute Alaska cruise that includes ISP as one of the ports we'll be stopping for the afternoon.  Most of the excursions offered by the cruise line and local tour companies are sold out.  We're wondering if we can hire a taxi or rent a car to explore Hoonah/ISP for the day on our own.  What would be the tourist spots that we should visit?  If anyone has previously did a DIY tour, we would love to hear your experience or suggestions.

If this is not an option, we'll just walk around Hoonah and enjoy some local dishes 🙂

We are looking for the best transfer option from Sea-Tac to Pier 91 for our group of 10 adults, including two 72 years old seniors.  We've checked with Seattle Shuttle and they're sold out until early afternoon.  Seattle Express doesn't pickup from Sea-Tac.  Other online companies want over $220 for a private transfer.  Should we take two taxi vans if it's going to cost around $50-60 per van?  Same for the return trip from Pier 91 to Sea-Tac?

18 minutes ago, Italy52 said:

Have you tried Glacier Wind, they have a smaller boat as well as a larger boat.  Below is their contact information.  Excellent company, we have gone out with them numerous times.

 

https://www.g-wind.com/

Yes, we contacted Glacier Wind and they're sold out as well for the afternoon.  We might have to do whale watching in Juneau since it's showing more availability.

We'll be visiting ISP in end of June 2022.  Most of the tours/activities are sold out since we booked this cruise last minute.  We would love to go whale watching at ISP but can't find availability for our group of 8 adults.  Most boats only hold 6 as we learned.  Does anyone have other suggestions or recommendations?  We booked this cruise itinerary because of ISP.  We might just have to spend the day visiting Hoonah.

I'm researching travel insurance policy for our upcoming trip in March.  I have narrowed my choices to Trawick International's Safe Travels Voyager Plan and IMG's SE Plan.  Both plans provide similar coverages and cost is almost the same.  We are more concern about the trip delay, medical evacuation, and emergency medical coverages due to COVID.  Please share your experience if you have used one of these companies in the past.  It will help us finalize our decision.

13 minutes ago, Ashland said:

Oh my !!....

Are you sure you want to spend that much time at FLL ??

I would just take a taxi van to someplace for breakfast...we like Lester's diner. Usually several people there with luggage and they have a great breakfast. You can then get another taxi to take you to the port....you can call or they will for you.

 

Yes taxi vans will be available on your return.

It's probably too much hassle to take all of our luggage into a restaurant and for multiple taxi rides.  We looked into day room but no availability in the morning.  We could rent a couple of cars for a few hours but not sure what we'll gain.

We're flying in red eye on the day of our cruise and will have to wait at the airport for around 4 hours before our scheduled check-in time for the cruise.  We're trying to figure out where would be the best area to hang out at the airport once we leave the secured area to collect our luggage.

If taxi vans are available at the airport, then we'll use that option.  What about returning from Port Everglades?  Are taxi vans also available at the pier?

We are looking for suggestions for transportation options to/from FLL to Port Everglades for 10 adults.  We're traveling the week before Christmas and will return the day after Christmas.  We know both places will be busy with travelers.  We'll probably need 2 taxi vans or large Uber/Lyft vehicles to fit everyone along with the luggage.  We found some prices on the FLL airport website with taxi cab fare estimates around $20 per car.  Is that the current fare?  Has anyone used taxi cabs or Uber/Lyft rides recently that can share the cost per ride?  We're trying to figure out which options to use, including a private van transfer.

One of the stops for our Southeast Asia cruise is Phu My.  Besides Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), does anyone have suggestions on other places to visit?  HCMC is about 2-hours from Phu My and it's a very busy city.  We've looked at HCMC tours and most of them stops at temples, President's palace, war museum, and etc.  We also checked out some YouTube videos of HCMS top places to visit but nothing really stood out.

We would prefer to see some unique sites closer to port, if possible.  Otherwise, we might just stay on the ship 🤔

The Gran Via is very well trafficked and you will have no problem getting a taxi for 4 on the street. I think Eric Vokel are full service and they will be able to arrange a taxi as well but you will have a fee added on the taxi meter for this.

 

I realize it may be more complicated with children, but you do have public transport options as well. You have the Bus 20 which goes directly to the port area where you can take the blue bus to the ship just 3 blocks up or you can go 3 blocks the other way and take the D20 or other down as well. There are metro options but I actually try to stick to the busses in Barcelona myself. Buses go with extreme frequency in Barcelona with the D20 running every 4 minutes and the 20 every 10 to 15 minutes.

 

A T10 multiple ticket can be used by a family and makes public transport quite inexpensive.

Thank you MADflyer for your suggestions. How much will taxi fare cost to the port and will it fit all 4 of us plus our luggage? Not sure if most taxis are sedans or do they have larger vehicle, like a van, available.

For the bus option, where do we pick up Bus 20? Based on your instructions, it sounds like we have to take Bus 20 to connect with the blue bus to get to the port. Is that correct? How much is the bus fare?

Our family of four, two adults & two children, will be staying at the Eric Vokel Apartments Gran Via Suites pre-cruise in June. We wondering if taxi's are readily available or should we pre-book a private transfer in the morning to take us to the cruise port. We already have transfer arranged from the airport to the apartment.

It's our first time to Barcelona so we're not familiar with the City. Taking the blue port bus is an option if we can get to the bus stop easily but it might be more hassle with the luggage.

Hope someone can give us some advice on the best way to get to the port.

Thank you.

Thanks for everyone's input so far. We did check with Dave at Ketchikan Taxi Cab Tour and he is booked up on our arrival date. Wild Wolf Tours are booked as well. Does anyone know another good tour company in town?

We are still considering the Lumberjack show if we can't find a more affordable touring option. Just wanted to see more of Ketchikan, like the rainforest and Totem Bight Park if we can.

What is consider a good price for a sightseeing tour? Is this something we can get when we arrive at port?

Our group of 7, 4 adults and 3 boys (9, 10 & 11 years old), will be visiting Ketchikan for 1/2 day (7am to 12:30pm). We would like to do some sightseeing with the limited time available. We're wondering if we should rent a car and drive around to the different tourists' sites like Tongass Rainforest, Totem Bight State Park, and etc. or book a 3-hour guided tour with a tour company visiting the same sites.

We know city bus is the most affordable way to travel in Ketchikan. Is it doable with the limited time we have in port? Cost of a rental car should be around $150 including taxes, fuel, and etc. A guided tour is around $500 for our group. We'll probably have 3-hours available for sightseeing.

Are the roads in Ketchikan easy to drive with helpful road signs for tourists? Just didn't want to get lost and not find our way back to the ship before it sails.

Are there other things to do for kids around 10 years old?

Rental car is not an option as they are closed by 7pm unless someone knows a company that opens late.

Can we pay by credit card using the large vans for transfers? If not, will they accept US dollars? We would prefer to reserve a van with a fixed price than spending time looking for one after we get off the ship since we only have a few hours available.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a transfer company?

Thanks!

Thanks for the suggestions! We assumed taking the city bus will require more time and too many connections since we are traveling with kids.

If large vans are not readily available at the cruise ship terminal, does anyone know a company that offers transfers for large groups? Just want to see if that's an option.

We have a group of 8, 4 adults and 4 children, in our group and will be flying into Seattle later this month for our Alaskan cruise. We're wondering if we should pre-book an airport transfer, taxi, or rental car. We'll be arriving around 12pm and the ship sails at 4pm.

Just looking for some suggestions on the best option for transfers.

Thanks!

Our family of 8, 4 adults and 4 children, will be at Victoria from 7pm to 12am on the Golden Princess in late June. We would like to visit Butchart Garden on our own using a taxi. Are taxi vans available at the cruise ship port or should we take 2 taxis?

I know most people suggest booking this tour through the cruise line to make sure we are back on the ship before 12am. But it will cost us over $500 for our group. If we go by taxi, it will be the cost of a taxi or 2 taxis roundtrip plus about $150 for the tickets. We would rather take the taxis and save if they are readily available since the savings are pretty significant.

We just contacted Noel about booking his tour in December using the CC 10% discount. He said the discount only applies during low season. We will probably go with Bernards Tour since his tour price is low than Noel and the reviews are about the same.