How many cruises did it take to do your own

[itravelalot]

After our first cruise we started researching how to do private tours and/or how to get off and explore on our own. We love the power of private tours.. stop when we want, see what we want.... its a great way to go....:)

[YoungGangMom]

Second cruise, thanks to these boards!!

[Exhaling]

Excursion?

 

Our first two cruises we just did the Carnival Line excrusions. I really didn't think we were very brave or adventurous when we just walked off the ship in Key West and did something on our own. But I really felt adventurous when we "winged" it in the Bahamas,(4th cruise) and we had a blast with memories to last a life time. Our next cruise we are doing 4 ports, and are not doing any of the normal things, or booked with anyone to do them. Are we crazy or now "normal'?

 

I am a researcher and found that Fury had a Buy 1, get second half off on their website that month for ladies. So my daughter and I took full advantage of that deal in KEY WEST.

[adira]

Our first! We didn't do anything nuts, but we wanted to snorkel in Cozumel and so we asked a taxi driver, he took us to this awesome little AI (only bad part....getting into and out of the water) and we saw lots of great sea life. :D

 

We actually didn't book a single excursion on our cruise, nothing really sounded that interesting for the price. We had heard so much bad stuff about Jamaica that we just did a little taxi tour and were back on the ship in an hour or two. In Grand Cayman we got a cab to a free beach (you could rent chairs and whatnot) and played in the gorgeous water for a while.

 

Our next cruise takes us to Progreso, and dh REALLY wants to see Chichen Itza, so we will book that through Carnival, simply for the logistics. In Cozumel, I think we have already decided to go to the Money Bar because it has stairs to get into the water for beach access snorkeling.

 

We're kind of cheap-o's (not really....we both drink and don't smuggle, which made our S&S bill kind of shocking, we did both the Steakhouse AND Chef's Table, etc), and neither of us had EVER had a "real" vacation before our cruise last summer, so it doesn't take a whole heck of a lot to impress us. Therefore, the excursions better be awful special before I plunk down cash on them.

[capecruzer]

I have never booked a ship excursion but originally it was because of the price. I always looked at a certain website (you know which one I mean most likely) to find out what there was being offered differently from the ships choices and then set out to plan on our own the ones we really liked.

 

I believe my first DIY was renting a car in St Maarten with three kids and driving all over the island, of course stopping at the famous beaches and then heading to the French side for late lunch. Also put together my own St. John via St. Thomas trip and we loved that! Scariest was by far the car I rented in Cozumel one year, no brakes, no signals and the steering wheel came off the point about six inches every time we came to a semi-stop:D Ohhh, the stories lol.

 

When it all comes down to it, the potential savings is incredible and I'm not sure I would book a ship excursion unless there was no way to do it myself and I really, really wanted to see/do whatever it is.

[ilovetheislands]

As a general rule, I like to use the cruiseline the first time I visit a new port and then on my own for any subsequent visits. But when I became an active cruise critic reader, I figured out how to research and book excursions through outside companies and feel comfortable with it.

 

Unless I have decided just to walk around the port shops, I still don't just strike out on my own and get a cab or wander around aimlessly taking things in... I realize that I am in a foreign country and it is best to use the larger group buddy system.

 

Regardless of the sense of security that you feel, some of these places are not always the safest and I would prefer to err on the side of caution.

[Yvonne]

It took us several cruises to decide to do an excursion on our own.

 

On our last cruise (Freedom) we booked an island tour of Antigua with Lawrence of Antigua and had a lovely 3-hour or so tour which included a few stops. We felt very safe, it was a great tour for just the four of us (no big tour bus/open air thing like with the cruiseline) and the driver had a cell phone so if the van would have broken down he could have called for someone to come and get us. DH and I had our cell phones too. Plus we scheduled the tour so we would get back to the ship in plenty of time.

 

We are planning to do another excursion like that on our Conquest cruise in January, when we are in Roatan.

[kingoftheicedragons]

On our first cruise, we did all of our own excursions. Since then, I've done some Carnival excursions and some on our own.

[jsjjkelly]

I think you're the new normal. We booked through the cruise line for our first cruise. When we heard what other people were paying, we said never again.

 

We did our last cruise all independant and had a great time. We're considering Carnival for our next cruise for one port because it doesn't look safe. And we were also considering a tour of a ruin for our last cruise, and was told because it was so far away, make sure to book through Carnival because you're always late getting back and they wait for their own.

 

But everything else? We booked independently! It's too fun to plan ahead like that, and the vendors are very thankful.

 

Shawn

[marshhawk]

Thanks all for all the input. We are cruising the Legend in September, and for once I may have planned stuff (overly anal about this) but have not signed any thing. In Cozumel we are going to El Cid-for 15.00 for a day pass each. For Belize, we are going to the NICH (museum of Mayan artifiacts) in Roatan, sorry I just really want to be on Mahogany Beach as we missed it on our last cruise down there, and in Grand Cayman, snorkel down at Eden Rock. The most expensive thing we are doing is going to El Cid. Cruising on a tight budget, and really researching has made the cruise a little more exciting!

[Bookbug53]

First cruise was all Carnival, 2nd cruise we actaully ventured into New Orleans by ourselves and arranged a Dolphin Swim in Cozumel for the daughter and friend all on my own. I was a nervous wreck! 2 months later I found CC and have only booked 1 Carnival excursion since.:p

[TSOH]

It's really no different that doing a land trip. You will book some stuff ahead of time and the rest you do on the fly.

 

You will find that many excursions are actually cheaper if you do them independently and that cruise lines get paid by vendors to promote their excursions that usually cost more but they tell people they are safer so people pay the extra price. We do ours on our own. We find an excursion (if we decide to do one) once we are on the island. They are typically cheaper and you get the same great experience. If you are worried about getting back to the ship on time make sure your excursions end at least an hour before you are do back on the ship. Get off the ship early enough and this wont be a problem. I have only booked with the cruise line for two excursions and only because we were going with a group and wanted to be together.

 

Always take with you in port the tour description brochure that your

cruise line provides. If you choose to explore independently, take the brochure outside with you and show a local operator or taxi driver the tour description that interests you. They will be sure to give you the exact same experience, except that you will avoid being part of a large group, you can dictate how much time you spend at each sight and you will save money that you can use to spend elsewhere.

 

Why should you spend all this money to do something that you can do right on the pier – book a private taxi tour. Think of the money you will save as you will be paying the actual operator directly; not the cruise line, not any middlemen and not any booking agents. Licensed taxi companies are almost always waiting outside the ship when you arrive, ready to take independent guests on the exact same tours as the ship offers for usually half the price of what the ship charges.