Cruise sponsored shore tours or not?

[roque]

I am going in a 7 days Western caribbean cruise with RCI and I am not sure if to take cruise sponsored tours or not, I am traveling with small kids 8 and 4. The cruise stops on Labadee, Ocho rios, JorgeTown and Cozumel.

 

Any suggestions are welcome?

[cruiserking]

I am going in a 7 days Western caribbean cruise with RCI and I am not sure if to take cruise sponsored tours or not, I am traveling with small kids 8 and 4. The cruise stops on Labadee, Ocho rios, JorgeTown and Cozumel.

 

Any suggestions are welcome?

 

When you book tours with the cruise line you can be confident the tour vendor is reliable and safe, plus if the bus is late returning to the pier the ship will wait for you.

 

If you are late returning to the pier on tour not booked through the ship, you will be left behind.

 

Will your children be happy to sit on a bus tour that is four or six hours long? Have you looked over the tours offered. See if there is something that is really interesting to you and give it a shot.

 

You can also check out the Caribbean port of call boards there will be a lot of information over there regarding these ports.

 

Jonathan

[apeller]

I am going in a 7 days Western caribbean cruise with RCI and I am not sure if to take cruise sponsored tours or not, I am traveling with small kids 8 and 4. The cruise stops on Labadee, Ocho rios, JorgeTown and Cozumel.

 

Any suggestions are welcome?

 

I agree you should check out the ship sponsored tours to see if there is anything you are interested in doing. Then you should look at the Ports of Call Board to see about independent excursions. You have a lot more freedom and control over the tour if you book it on your own. If you only use recommended companies you will not have to worry about missing the ship, it rarely happens, and as long as you watch the time you will not have any problems. There are very few reasons I would take a ship's excursion since they are almost always more money, and involve larger groups. The Caribbean is easy to plan on your own.

[alcpa1]

Labadee is a secluded enclave with activities and entertainment produced by RCI. You cannot leave the compound. There will be many things the children can enjoy.

Ocho Rios requires a guide or tour. This in not an area you want to wander off by yourselves. Jamaica is gorgeous but troubled by violence and drugs.

Georgetown, Grand Cayman can be a delightful beach day and like Cozumel you should snorkle or dive. In either city you can catch a cab to the beach. I think both offer swimming with the stingrays.

Your family will have a wonderful Western Caribbean cruise.

Cruise Critic posters on the Ports of Call boards do indeed have honest posts about the available tours booked both independently and through the cruise lines. And don't forget, all of the recommended guides are dependent on the recommendation of past passengers and know how to get their guests back to the ships on time. All of your stops are small islands, except Jamaica.

I hope your family enjoys the cruise.

[CyberTag]

We are taking the same cruise the end of June. We plan on doing a mixture of ship sponsored tours and private excursions, depending on where we are going. My husband really wants to do the Mayan ruins tour, which is an 8 hour tour. We will be doing that through RCCL in case we don't make it back in time. The tour to Stingray City we decided to do a private tour since it's half the price of the ship tour. I found these boards very helpful in researching this topic.

[ama-sam]

We do a mix of cruise line excursions, those through independent tour operators, and ocasionally have no planned activities at all or a quick excursion that then free time (especially at a stop with an overnight in port). I have been happy with all three choices.

If the cruise line offers something that is of good value or meets a specific need/want that I have, I book it. It may not be inexpensive, but only once have I ever been unhappy (in Venice, first cruise). I strongly consider cruise line excursions if: I want a long excursion when there is limited port time or with tender ports.

I have also been very successful with independent operators - I do read through as many reviews as I can get my hands on to be certain they are reputable, will get me back the ship on time, etc. And I have chosen well and felt comfortable based on time spent researching.

[BIG_Steve]

If you have ample time in port, and you can find reviews and recommendations for specific private tours, then a private tour can be a good choice. If you're worried about having enough time to get back to the ship, or you're just too busy to search out private tours and reviews, then booking through the cruise line is a good choice.

[Putterdude]

We are moving away from ship sponsored tours. We check the various forms on CC and TripAdvisor for tour recommendations then make bookings with good reliable operators. We probably wouldn't book independents in some developing nations or if we were travelling hours from the port. However in general you do get a much better tour from a reliable independent at a much better price.

[trish1c]

It depends on you. If you are a seasoned traveler & open to doing your research you can find some great deals on private vendors but if you are a novice traveler or don't like surprises, you may be better off with the ship's tours.

We went with all private vendors last cruise. Although I checked & double checked, we ended up being the poster children for why you should not book with private vendors. One company did refund our money which I thought was very classy of them. One the "safety" equipment was a joke. Granted we got twice the tour for 1/2 the price but thank heavens we are adventurous & good swimmers. The last vendor cancelled our tour but wouldn't refund our money; they said no refunds if "you" cancel. I argued that we didn't cancel they did but their policy was go on a different tour or forfeit your money. The tour ended up being fine but I was very annoyed at the time.

[Jolimont]

I wouldn't book ship tours unless you have dissabilities and can't get around well without some assistance and/or require a lot more time than average.

 

Ship tours are done in a large bus with up to 50 passengers, they're on a tight schedule, they may or may not have a nice guide.

 

In the Carribean if you do a little research ahead of time you can just walk off the ship and find a taxi that will take you to wonderful places. A taxi with 3 or 4 passengers is a lot cheaper than a ship tour at $80 per person!

[rjm1cc]

It depends on how independent you are. With small children I think I would stick to the ships tours. Might be more inclined to go on my own if I spoke the language or have been to the country before.

[Nebr.cruiser]

I actually don't think ship's tours would be great with small children unless they mostly just take you to a kid-friendly beach or activity. Most kids will not like, say, a six-hour scenic tour on a huge bus with mostly elderly passengers and a few stops for pictures, shopping, etc.

 

When we took grandkids 3,4,5&5 on a cruise we did all independent excursions, researched on this board, and one on our own. They mostly included beach time, swimming, tubing, boat rides, etc. The one short small bus sight-seeing segment we did went right over their heads.

 

Really, for kids this age, beaches are the best bet followed by any activity suitable for their age, animal related or fun-related.

[love2vacation]

We do a mix of ship and privage tours. I decided what we want to do our see by checking the port reviews on Cruise Critic or in Frommers Ports of Call book Then I check out the exursions offered by the cruise line and the ports of calls threads to see what people recommend. I have been to all the ports you mentioned at least a cople times and here is what I recommend:

 

Labadee will be a terrific beach day with the kids.

Cozumel- I am not sure a 4 year old would enjoy the bus ride that goes with the Mayan ruins but I think the would enjoy one of the Eco parks. Zel Ha or such - these would involve taking the ferry from Cozumel to Play Del Carmen. I would choose a ship tour for this one to ensure ferry and bus and getting back on time.

Caymens- beach day. There are some great excursions both ship and private.

Ocho- I advise a ship tour here.

[Hlitner]

You might want to think about whether you need any tours. What are you planning to do with young children? Do you think you will have fun riding around in a bus? Labadee, Grand Cayman and Cozumel are all good beach places and you might be happy just to take the family to the beach. In that case, it is a lot cheaper to just grab a taxi. As to Ocho Rios we have no clue what you would do with 2 young children. In this port we do enjoy Dunns River Falls, but that is not appropriate for young children. My wife would tell you to spend the day on the ship :)

 

Hank

[Marie51]

I have traveled to those ports with my young grandchildren. Kids that age usually enjoy the beach. Labadee is a beach day that includes lunch and you don't need a tour for it. In Cozumel we took a cab to Paradise beach and spent the day there The lounge chairs and umbrellas are free and the beach is great for kids.....calm, clear water. They have a restaurant if you want drinks or food. In Cozumel a few years ago I did the Mayan Ruins excursion(not with kids) and I will tell you this is an all day trip and it will be very hot and boring for small children. Hope this is helpful.

[poobears]

I would stick to ship tours in any port that is iffy on safety. We've been to Cozumel a couple of times and haven't booked a ship tour yet. There are great tour operators you can go through for much cheaper or you can take a cab to a beach. Paradise beach would probably be a good match with small kids, there are always cabs there to return you to your ship so no worries about getting stuck.

[Hlitner]

I would stick to ship tours in any port that is iffy on safety. We've been to Cozumel a couple of times and haven't booked a ship tour yet. There are great tour operators you can go through for much cheaper or you can take a cab to a beach. Paradise beach would probably be a good match with small kids, there are always cabs there to return you to your ship so no worries about getting stuck.

 

Good point. Safety is not an issue in any of these ports except for Ocho Rios.

 

Hank

[BillB48]

We have done a mix of ship's and private tours. Our rule of thumb is we stick with the ship's tour if the tour is going to be a considerable distance from the ship. Take going to the Mayan ruins in Cozumel for example. Just say your ferry to the mainland is delayed for whatever reason and the ferry the ship's tour is using in not delayed. It's now your dime you are gambling with that you make back on time. Just food for thought, most people have no problems whatsoever and that's great, you just don't want to be one of the unlucky one$$$;)!

[marshhawk]

There was trouble in the paradise of Ocho Rios when I spent a week in the early 80's at Couples. We were told not to leave the compound unless we had one of our local counsellors with us. One day I was horseback riding with a group, and out of the jungle came a man wanting to know if we wanted to buy some pot. I have seen where some of the all inclusives have special days for kids, but have not seen the cruise ships advertise them on line. Grand Cayman, we did the sub, and everyone who is taller than 3 feet can do the sub, it was fantastic! Don't know how tall your kids are...Cozumel, yeah I'd go to the beach, but try out Discover Mexico too. Hope this helps!:D

[BalconyGal]

many people will tell you to save the money and go independently but for me I prefer to pay more and know that the ship is not going to leave me on an island somewhere.

[UlvaZell]

I am going in a 7 days Western caribbean cruise with RCI and I am not sure if to take cruise sponsored tours or not, I am traveling with small kids 8 and 4. The cruise stops on Labadee, Ocho rios, JorgeTown and Cozumel.

 

Any suggestions are welcome?

 

I generally gauge the decision upon the particular port we are going to, the distance we are traveling from the ship, and the accessibilty/reliability of the local mass transit.

 

You have assurance that the ships tours will meet minimum levels of safety, be properly insured etc. That being said, depending upon the port there are many great local tour operators whose business and reputation thrive on the cruise line business and as such offer great service at a very competitive price...

[janice4559]

I generally gauge the decision upon the particular port we are going to, the distance we are traveling from the ship, and the accessibilty/reliability of the local mass transit.

 

You have assurance that the ships tours will meet minimum levels of safety, be properly insured etc. That being said, depending upon the port there are many great local tour operators whose business and reputation thrive on the cruise line business and as such offer great service at a very competitive price...

 

And I would add that catering to the cruiseline passengers is their livelihood and they know that if they ever had an episode where someone missed their ship, they would be out of business. Every private excursion operator we've used has made that point. They are also very aware of cruisecritic and the good (and bad) we can do on it. "missing the ship" is the threat that the cruiselines use to get people to use their overpriced excursions.

[BettyBoop37]

Hi, Most of you seem to have done independent tours. I am looking for a recomendation for a tour operator for Istanbul, Turkey, that doesn't require prepayment. Can any of you help me?