Carnival's Windjammer Sail in Freeport

[NCTribeFan]

It looks like Carnival is offering something interesting in Freeport...

 

http://www.carnival.com/Activities/Excursion/416052

 

Typically, I stay totally away from ship excursions as I think they're overpriced and you spend more time being herded around than you actually do participating.

 

But my cruising buddy loves sailing and hasn't had the chance to do any in years, so she'd probably really enjoy this.

 

DD and her new DH are also cruising with us and DD took one look at the excursion description and said they wanted to do this.

 

We don't sail until November, so I'm hoping some folks will come here and give their opinions of this.

[ncmrs]

I cannot find a review on this anywhere. It looks really cool, but there is no info except for info on when the ship arrived in Nassau. I thought for sure youtube would have something, but nothing. Someone please help.

[nybumpkin]

This is a brand new excursion. I'm another not usually inclined to ship tours, but this one really looks fun - especially since the port is Freeport and the port time and excursions are limited. Assuming I book it for our July cruise, I will definitely post a review.

[krissyj89]

I couldn't find any way to book separately, so I ended up booking this with Carnival. I'll post what I think of it later this month when I get back!

[NCTribeFan]

I just tried a "fake" booking using a code posted on the Carnival board and it appears to give a 10% discount. Not much, but every little bit helps.

 

I also just read an Ecstasy review on that board where someone had done this and thought it was great. Since we have another ship in port with us that day, I think I'll go ahead and book, since I'm sure there's fairly limited capacity.

[gbphatcat]

checking the excursion page on carnival for this boat and its no longer there anyone know what happened

[NCTribeFan]

Yep. It's vanished from both my cruises. I was going to book tomorrow.

 

It may reappear. That happens sometimes. I know they have to negotiate with the vendors and get new contracts, but since this is new, I hope that they haven't decided to discontinue it because of low bookings!

 

Don't suppose calling the Excursions dept would help. They've never been terribly useful in my experience.

 

We don't sail until November, so we have plenty of time to see if it reappears. If not, maybe it will show up on one of the independent booking agencies.

[nybumpkin]

It still shows on the list for our July 1 cruise on Pride.

[NCTribeFan]

Yes! It's back! And the price didn't go up!

 

One of the reasons I wanted to book early is because of the discount code (only 10% but every $ helps) and the fact that Pride is in port with us. I'm guessing this is going to become rather popular!

[gbphatcat]

its still not listed on my excursion list for my sailing

[NCTribeFan]

I hate paying for something this far in advance, but I want to be sure the discount code doesn't expire and I'm worried about it filling up with two ships in port that day. I doubt they can cram too many people on at once. It's supposed to be a 3 hour excursion, so I would think they could add at least one additional daily sailing, but who knows! If they've contracted with the vendor for one daily, it's possible that can't be altered until a new contract is negotiated.

 

I'm going to bite the proverbial bullet and go ahead and book as soon as I talk to my cruise buddy.

[nybumpkin]

We're booked! I'll post a review and photos when we return.

[WrightOn]

Did anybody do this? How do you get the 10% discount? I'm looking at booking it for a cruise in October.

[NCTribeFan]

I ended up changing my B2B cruises. We were to be in Freeport on the Leg when I have company, but we switched and now I'm there on my solo leg.

 

The code was something like CDT001, but there were two codes floating around. Check the main Carnival board. There are a couple of recent threads. You may have to go back a page or 4 to find it but I know I saw it recently.

 

Now, whether either is still valid, I don't know. I booked it over a month ago. Discount was only $9, but every little bit helps.

 

And, yes, someone did this after I started this thread originally and thought it was great. The few reviews on Carnvial's excursion page are also very good.

[RanchoDeluxe]

We cruise on Sept 15, hit Freeport and this excursion on the 16th. I'll try to remember to give feedback here.

[RanchoDeluxe]

The only review hits I can find on the Historical Windjammer, Alexander von Humboldt are favorable.

Here are the links:

http://www.mommahopper.com/2012/04/01/our-sailing-trip-on-the-alexander-von-humboldt/

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g147420-d149117-r130980426-Grand_Bahama_Nature_Tours-Freeport_Grand_Bahama_Island_Bahamas.html

[nybumpkin]

I thought I had posted a link to my review and photos, but here it is:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1670102. Long story short, it's a great excursion.

[gbphatcat]

how many days before your cruise did this become available on your excursion choices it is still not listed on mine yet and i am really wanting to take this one

[nybumpkin]

how many days before your cruise did this become available on your excursion choices it is still not listed on mine yet and i am really wanting to take this one

It was available about two months before our cruise - but that was not too long after Alex arrived in Freeport.

[NCTribeFan]

It was listed for my original Freeport stop (before I changed ships and dates) and then it disappeared, and then it reappeared. That happens sometimes. Sometimes it's because Carnival is renegoiating the contract with the vendor and the times and prices may change; other times there doesn't appear to be any reason why they come and go.

 

I've had some excursions be available a year out. Others have magically appeared only a few weeks before sailing.

 

There's no hard and fast rule. You just need to keep checking.

[NCTribeFan]

Was hoping there were some recent comments.

 

Oh well. I'm doing this in about 2-1/2 weeks. It's on Leg 1 of my B2B (5+7) so I won't be home right away, but I always write reviews and post them on the review board and the Carnival board. I'll be sure to come back here and give my thoughts.

[ShakyBeef]

We did this excursion back in August. A VERY hot day. No wind. At all.:( So we couldn't actually sail. But they motored us out a bit past the oil rig / refinery thing and really tried to catch a wind. The weather just didn't cooperate, which was no fault of the captain or crew, of course. Despite the lack of actual sailing and the oppressive heat, DH and I really enjoyed our day on the beautiful "Alex" with her great crew.:) I definitely recommend it. We might even do it again sometime, in hopes of catching a wind and actually sailing. If anyone has any specific questions, I'll be happy to answer.

[gbphatcat]

i have a question how long before your cruise was this excursion listed as available it is still not listed fr mine in february

[ShakyBeef]

It showed up as available about a month before our cruise. Keep looking at the shore excursions offered for your cruise, they usually add more as the cruise gets closer. Good luck!:)

[gbphatcat]

The Alex has finally been listed as an excursion for my sailing i am so excited