Booking Shore Excursions Independently

[Pittfan763]

Hello to all. New to the board. Planning our first cruise coming up on May 23rd. This is my first cruise, her 2nd. This is also for our Honeymoon (May 15). 4 days away!

 

In any event, we were talking about trying to save money by booking our excursions independently from Carnival. Has anyone had luck with this? Or, is there a website out there that specializes in this?

 

I have been searching the boards, and people say to check out the "Port forum" sections of where we are going. Which makes perfect sense. But it has been somewhat of a daunting task to search among all the posts. I scanned for 3 hours yesterday, and I am still looking at a blank page next to all of the port of calls. :)

 

We are leaving out of San Juan. And then moving on to these Ports, and looking to do the following excursions:

 

St. Thomas - St. John Champagne Catamaran Sailaway

 

Dominica - Wacky Rollers Rainforest Sensation

 

Barbados - 4X4 Adeventure & Green Monkey Encounter

 

St. Lucia - St. Lucia Canopy Adventure

 

St. Kitts - Sky Safari Zip Linning

 

St. Maarten - Island Roundabout by 4WD

 

 

So, we kind of game planned that we would like to do an excursion at each port. But we would like to save some money by not booking through Carnival. We are also considering the option of booking half of these through Carnival and then the others just get off of the ship, and see what people have to offer to us.

 

Any ideas would be appreciated. Not too sure what I am getting myself in to:)

 

Thanks!

Jason

[valancy1]

Hello to all. New to the board. Planning our first cruise coming up on May 23rd. This is my first cruise, her 2nd. This is also for our Honeymoon (May 15). 4 days away!

 

In any event, we were talking about trying to save money by booking our excursions independently from Carnival. Has anyone had luck with this? Or, is there a website out there that specializes in this?

 

I have been searching the boards, and people say to check out the "Port forum" sections of where we are going. Which makes perfect sense. But it has been somewhat of a daunting task to search among all the posts. I scanned for 3 hours yesterday, and I am still looking at a blank page next to all of the port of calls. :)

 

We are leaving out of San Juan. And then moving on to these Ports, and looking to do the following excursions:

 

St. Thomas - St. John Champagne Catamaran Sailaway

 

Dominica - Wacky Rollers Rainforest Sensation

 

Barbados - 4X4 Adeventure & Green Monkey Encounter

 

St. Lucia - St. Lucia Canopy Adventure

 

St. Kitts - Sky Safari Zip Linning

 

St. Maarten - Island Roundabout by 4WD

 

 

So, we kind of game planned that we would like to do an excursion at each port. But we would like to save some money by not booking through Carnival. We are also considering the option of booking half of these through Carnival and then the others just get off of the ship, and see what people have to offer to us.

 

Any ideas would be appreciated. Not too sure what I am getting myself in to:)

 

Thanks!

Jason

 

Jason,

 

Many felicitations to you and your bride! What a great honeymoon you have planned! I haven't been to your ports to recommend one way or other, however, please visit the "Ports of Call" boards--I'm sure there are people discussing what they've done at your ports.

 

From our first cruise, we have booked independent of the cruise lines and have never had a problem--I credit a large portion of this to Cruise Critic members and their unselfish sharing of info. You can save a LOT of money and usually have a more intimate experience than the cruise lines can offer. Smart thinking.

 

So I hope this helps a little... ports of call boards, or google something like "Barbados excursions" etc. and see what you get.

[cherbear4000]

i did this exact cruise last year. Instead of searching the boards for reviews, go to the review section of this website. You can search both by the boat and the ports to read what others have done. I did cruise sponsered excursions in all but St Thomas (I took a taxi to Magan's Bay) and I did a tour with Cosol in St. Lucia. I would definately recommend Cosol's tour. www.cosol-tours.com

[ROMEOANDJULIET91]

we did in cozumel last cruise...our first. Island Marketing...i think they offer some in the ports your going too. Had a wonderful time and no problems....i loved the dune buggy ride! :D

[serene56]

Here is the link to the port of calls board.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5

 

leaving in a few days will not allow your to research and get the trip booked.

 

Good luck

[ram30286]

Don't forget to consider just reserving a rental car driving to the places you want to see. Some ports lend themselves better to this than others, so research would be recommended!

For example, we've seen most of the sites in Cozumel, so we just rent a Jeep or car and get to the less crowded areas!

[bankerbabe]

We did the St. John's catamaran sailaway a few years ago on our Holland America cruise (it's likely the same excursion, since HAL is owned by Carnival) and really enjoyed it. I would highly recommend it if you just want to sail to a nearby island and do some snorkeling.

 

St. Maarten is an excellent port to just get off the ship and find your own way. We got a taxi there to take us to Orient Beach for the day (fairly inexpensively, though I can't recall the cost now), and then took a taxi back (there are lots of them waiting). Word of warning, though, don't go to Orient Beach too early. That's when the naked people jog. I don't care how pretty you are, jogging in the buff is not a pleasant sight.

 

Another option for less-expensive excursions, which we've used, is shoretrips dot com. They are basically a middle man that work with all of the local providers. They were very responsive when we had questions.

 

Have a nice honeymoon!!

[Pittfan763]

Thanks for the great info. I'm going to check out these websites. If anyone else has some websites that worked well for them, please let me know. Or, if you liked/didn't like one of the excursions listed.

 

Thanks!

Jason

[David-n-Rita]

Hello to all. New to the board. Planning our first cruise coming up on May 23rd. This is my first cruise, her 2nd. This is also for our Honeymoon (May 15). 4 days away!

 

In any event, we were talking about trying to save money by booking our excursions independently from Carnival. Has anyone had luck with this? Or, is there a website out there that specializes in this?

 

I have been searching the boards, and people say to check out the "Port forum" sections of where we are going. Which makes perfect sense. But it has been somewhat of a daunting task to search among all the posts. I scanned for 3 hours yesterday, and I am still looking at a blank page next to all of the port of calls. :)

 

We are leaving out of San Juan. And then moving on to these Ports, and looking to do the following excursions:

 

St. Thomas - St. John Champagne Catamaran Sailaway

 

Dominica - Wacky Rollers Rainforest Sensation

 

Barbados - 4X4 Adeventure & Green Monkey Encounter

 

St. Lucia - St. Lucia Canopy Adventure

 

St. Kitts - Sky Safari Zip Linning

 

St. Maarten - Island Roundabout by 4WD

 

 

So, we kind of game planned that we would like to do an excursion at each port. But we would like to save some money by not booking through Carnival. We are also considering the option of booking half of these through Carnival and then the others just get off of the ship, and see what people have to offer to us.

 

Any ideas would be appreciated. Not too sure what I am getting myself in to:)

 

Thanks!

Jason

 

Depends on the port. Some Ports are prone to problems that preclude us from using an independent. Tender Ports and excursions far away come to mind because if you are on an Carnival excursion - they will wait for you. Also some Ports are filled with unscrupulous drivers/cars and can't be trusted (insert any horror story you want here)

Looking at the ports you are visiting:

Old San Juan - very safe to go out on your own. Has a free trolley system all around Old San Juan that runs all day

St Thomas - Is also a good safe Port and they have the large taxi buses that are very cheap just outside the port and they go everywhere. We did the excursion you have put here and it was very good, you will like it.

St Maarten - Safe Port and you can go off on your own. Right by the ship is the Water taxi, pay 1 price and ride the water taxi all over to the various beaches (I think it was 5 or 6 dollars/person)

Barbados - Safe Port you can go out on your own - not a big island so everything is accessible

Dominica, St Lucia, St Kitts - These ports made us uncomfortable. The biggest problem is the poor roads and the lack of good vehicles. In Dominica going in a vehicle is not for the faint of heart - the roads are treacherous. If the independent guide can't get you back, you can be left there. You are at the mercy of someone if you book independent and while there are very good companies out there, certain ports you a better off being safe than saving a few bucks.

 

FYI - If you have cell phones and have a Nationwide plan (we have AT&T) San Juan and St Thomas are considered part of the USA and covered by your plan. Call your provider.

 

There are alot of pictures of these ports and some of these excursions in our cruise journals - I do give all the info on booking and who sponsored the tours etc in the journal with the pictures (since it is my own site I am free to give all the information on how we booked it and the cost.) See below the link is right above the countdown clocks

[wentworth]

Hello to all. New to the board. Planning our first cruise coming up on May 23rd. This is my first cruise, her 2nd. This is also for our Honeymoon (May 15). 4 days away!

 

In any event, we were talking about trying to save money by booking our excursions independently from Carnival. Has anyone had luck with this? Or, is there a website out there that specializes in this?

 

I have been searching the boards, and people say to check out the "Port forum" sections of where we are going. Which makes perfect sense. But it has been somewhat of a daunting task to search among all the posts. I scanned for 3 hours yesterday, and I am still looking at a blank page next to all of the port of calls. :)

 

We are leaving out of San Juan. And then moving on to these Ports, and looking to do the following excursions:

 

St. Thomas - St. John Champagne Catamaran Sailaway

 

Dominica - Wacky Rollers Rainforest Sensation

 

Barbados - 4X4 Adeventure & Green Monkey Encounter

 

St. Lucia - St. Lucia Canopy Adventure

 

St. Kitts - Sky Safari Zip Linning

 

St. Maarten - Island Roundabout by 4WD

 

 

So, we kind of game planned that we would like to do an excursion at each port. But we would like to save some money by not booking through Carnival. We are also considering the option of booking half of these through Carnival and then the others just get off of the ship, and see what people have to offer to us.

 

Any ideas would be appreciated. Not too sure what I am getting myself in to:)

 

Thanks!

Jason

 

 

Jason

 

We book our own excursions whenever possible........giving ourselves

at least 2 hours extra time to return to ship in case and unexpected

situation pops up.

 

On this Victory cruise you can get many tours with the operators

waiting as you get off the ship if you don't have time to book before.

St. Thomas, St. Marteen and Barbados have many many tour guides

waiting. Dominca is a beautiful island and the people are wonderful.

You can book as you get off the ship, but make sure the vehicle is

in good shape and give yourselves plenty of extra time.

 

As another poster mentioned St. Lucia and St. Kitts are a little scary.

I'd book a Carnival excursion or just take a cab to the beach.

 

This cruise was our favorite and I hope you enjoy it as well.

Congratulations on your marriage!!

[Sandpiper10]

Hello to all. New to the board. Planning our first cruise coming up on May 23rd. This is my first cruise, her 2nd. This is also for our Honeymoon (May 15). 4 days away!

 

In any event, we were talking about trying to save money by booking our excursions independently from Carnival. Has anyone had luck with this? Or, is there a website out there that specializes in this?

 

I have been searching the boards, and people say to check out the "Port forum" sections of where we are going. Which makes perfect sense. But it has been somewhat of a daunting task to search among all the posts. I scanned for 3 hours yesterday, and I am still looking at a blank page next to all of the port of calls. :)

 

We are leaving out of San Juan. And then moving on to these Ports, and looking to do the following excursions:

 

St. Thomas - St. John Champagne Catamaran Sailaway

 

Dominica - Wacky Rollers Rainforest Sensation

 

Barbados - 4X4 Adeventure & Green Monkey Encounter

 

St. Lucia - St. Lucia Canopy Adventure

 

St. Kitts - Sky Safari Zip Linning

 

St. Maarten - Island Roundabout by 4WD

 

 

So, we kind of game planned that we would like to do an excursion at each port. But we would like to save some money by not booking through Carnival. We are also considering the option of booking half of these through Carnival and then the others just get off of the ship, and see what people have to offer to us.

 

Any ideas would be appreciated. Not too sure what I am getting myself in to:)

 

Thanks!

Jason

 

 

We sailed on the Victory for our Honeymoon. Enjoy, its a great ship, and congrats!

[Sandpiper10]

Hello to all. New to the board. Planning our first cruise coming up on May 23rd. This is my first cruise, her 2nd. This is also for our Honeymoon (May 15). 4 days away!

 

In any event, we were talking about trying to save money by booking our excursions independently from Carnival. Has anyone had luck with this? Or, is there a website out there that specializes in this?

 

I have been searching the boards, and people say to check out the "Port forum" sections of where we are going. Which makes perfect sense. But it has been somewhat of a daunting task to search among all the posts. I scanned for 3 hours yesterday, and I am still looking at a blank page next to all of the port of calls. :)

 

We are leaving out of San Juan. And then moving on to these Ports, and looking to do the following excursions:

 

St. Thomas - St. John Champagne Catamaran Sailaway

 

Dominica - Wacky Rollers Rainforest Sensation

 

Barbados - 4X4 Adeventure & Green Monkey Encounter

 

St. Lucia - St. Lucia Canopy Adventure

 

St. Kitts - Sky Safari Zip Linning

 

St. Maarten - Island Roundabout by 4WD

 

 

So, we kind of game planned that we would like to do an excursion at each port. But we would like to save some money by not booking through Carnival. We are also considering the option of booking half of these through Carnival and then the others just get off of the ship, and see what people have to offer to us.

 

Any ideas would be appreciated. Not too sure what I am getting myself in to:)

 

Thanks!

Jason

 

We sailed the Victory for our Honeymoon, enjoy, its a great ship! There is a very long review in here from "scraphappylady" and she booked alot of their excursions on their own" it would be a helpful review for you and they did your same intinery!

[CruiseLover824]

This was my favorite cruise so far! You picked a good one to go on for your honeymoon!

 

We did private tours/taxis in Barbados, St. Lucia, and St. Maarten.

 

In Barbados, once you get to through the terminal(they have a bus that takes you from the end of the pier to the building), there were plenty of taxis lined up outside. They will all start coming at you. There was a sign with posted prices to take you to the various spots. Check the prices, because I heard some drivers will try to convince you otherwise. We went to the Boatyard---they have a website.

 

In St. Lucia, we booked with Cosol. He also has a website. Although the roads were crazy there, I never felt unsafe as others have mentioned. He provides an all day island tour for $65 that includes breakfast, lunch, and beverages. Great tour!

 

In St. Maarten, we booked with Bernard's Tours. He too has a website. You can do a set group tour for $35 which will hit all the hot-spots. The price also included drinks.

 

We only ended up spending about $240 on excursions a piece. That was half of what we spent for our 4 port cruise last year! It pays to look for private/independant tour companies---just make sure they are reputable!

[Rainin' Men]

Pittfan: Congrats on your upcoming marriage. Just saw this and I might be too late to share some wonderful tour info, but here goes...

 

Dominica - We used Antours@yahoo.com (you can e-mail them and Joyce will e-mail you back). We did the Emerald Pool/River Tubing trip in 2009 and the Tubing again in 2010. A wonderful, affordable adventure. If you are lucky, you will get "Henry Ford" as your driver. You get a lot for your $.

 

Barbados - we used sailcalabaza@gmail.com (you will be e-mailing with Gina). This was an awesome catamaran adventure - snorkling with turtles, over a coral reef, lunch, swimming, etc. Gina provides more food, fun, great music, drinks, than anyone deserves.

 

Both of these are very reliable and you will get your $'s worth of fun and adventure.

 

If you decide to book with either/both tell them that Cruzin' Susan & Gary from North Carolina (originally from Pittsburgh) sent you! We are headed back to the Caribbean in November and will definitely be hooking up again with Gina and her boys.

 

Bon Voyage!!

[Pittfan763]

Wow! This website is great! I really appreciate all of the input. We are still looking at booking. If there is anyone else out there that would like to help us out and share your comments, please do so! We are trying to book an excursion at each location, and would appreciate feedback. Especially on where to book independently to save some money (that otherwise went to the Wedding!).

 

I have to stop looking tonight, but I hope to start booking places tomorrow.

 

Thanks again!

Jason