Which excursions have been your favorite?

[misty57]

In an effort to keep this board going.... Since many of us in the 55+ age group have different interests than those in their younger years (e.g. I don't see us going on a party boat excursion :p) I thought it would be fun to hear from those who would like to share their experiences with excursions in various ports both ship sponsored and independent.

 

I'll start. We had a great time in St Lucia with a private tour operator named Herod. We went absolutely everywhere. He had very nice vans equipped with a cooler full of drinks. He stopped at a bakery and bought us some fresh bread. We ended the tour at his home where we had a very nice lunch served by his mother and sister. This tour was organized by someone on our roll call.

 

Anyone else?:)

[Banditswife]

misty57: that tour sounds wonderful.

 

We are 55 & 65, but enjoy at least 1 fairly active excursion per cruise. We did bobsleds in Jamaica, stingrays in Grand Cayman, & are doing ziplines in Roatan next. We also love to just wing it on our own. It's fun for us to shop in different countries/islands or just take a sight seeing tour.

 

Happy sailing

 

I see you are a loyal Royal. We have one ship in common- Vision of the seas, but ours was to Alaska. We had the best time, that was our very 1st cruise & the begining of our love of the sea.

[LHT28]

We like just walking around the towns/cities in Europe & stop for a coffee & pastries

We have done private tours in Mexico & Costa Rica etc...that were great no zip lining or bungie jumping though ;)

 

We try to do private tours where it is more difficult to DIY

 

Our travel style has changed as we got older we no longer have to see & do IT ALL

I do what I can & if I do not get to see it all ...life still goes on ;)

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We like just walking around the towns/cities in Europe & stop for a coffee & pastries

We have done private tours in Mexico & Costa Rica etc...that were great no zip lining or bungie jumping though ;)

 

We try to do private tours where it is more difficult to DIY

 

Our travel style has changed as we got older we no longer have to see & do IT ALL

I do what I can & if I do not get to see it all ...life still goes on ;)

I agree with you DIY Just walking around..

[travelbutterfly]

Since we will be going to Alaska for the first time, (sailing date-30 days from today!!!), we are very excited about going, but for booking excursions, we didn't really want to "overload" ourselves, with something to do everyday. Mainly because my husband is a cancer patient, and we are never sure how his energy level will be. He is 65 and I'm 64, and find the most fun, doing "leisurely" things, like exploring the towns, cities, on our own. We realize we do have our "limits"....My husband is also retired professional photographer, so he really enjoys the scenery, architecture, and sightseeing, in "new places". He will be going well equipped, with 3 cameras on this trip, plus lots of "cards" for his digital cameras--plus I'll be toting one of his cameras, I'm sure, to get some shots that he might miss.

 

Agree with other post about 'zip lines', etc.........not really into those.

 

For Alaska, we have chosen the Mendenhall Glacier tour, (Juneau) and the Husky Homestead tour, in Denali part of our land tour. If something else looks interesting and we think the price is "worth it", then we'll book later, if we can. After our cruise, I'll post what our thoughts were, on both of these, and other interesting places we see and do. I'm sure we'll come back wanting to "do it again"!!

[misty57]

We have enjoyed independent excursions more than the ship sponsored ones most of the time. We do also like just exploring a little on our own, or taking a taxi tour. One excursion that I arranged before our last Southern Carib itinerary

was in Barbados. Based on comments on the boards here I contacted Shasa Catamaran. I called the number that I had found and the gentleman that answered had an unbelievable British accent, and was actually out on the boat at that time! I then spoke with his wife and made our reservation.

We snorkled ( well I did, DH doesn't get in the ocean:p) with the turtles, and had a lunch on the catamaran. It was a great tour and although I was a little nervous about making the arrangements on my own, I had the endorsement of others on CC.:D

[Banditswife]

I did not discover CC til our last cruise. Oh my goodness, the difference CC made in planning tours on our own. I now have a better idea of what to do in each port & when we can just walk around on our own.

 

As for the zips, that is on DH's bucket list- so for us a 1 time thing. I think we have chosen a very mild zip. Also on his bucket list is parasailing. Maybe next year.

 

Travelbutterfly, your Alaskan tours sound awesome, have a great time & let us know when you get back. We did AK, but on a tight budget. I am determined that next time we'll have enough $$ to do that land portion to Denali too. Sounds wonderful.

[boopsahoy]

We did a catamaran/snorkel excursion in St Lucia. We loved it so much we did it again the next year. However the second time we didnt snorkel as we knew from the year before the water was FREEZING! It was a beautiful day, with beautiful sites, open bar,and great music!

 

We also did a catamaran lobster and champagne excursion. We loved it! We probably wont do it again because the one we went on had maybe 15 people but we were told thats not the usual-they usually have 80 people!

[gxchan]

In an effort to keep this board going.... Since many of us in the 55+ age group have different interests than those in their younger years (e.g. I don't see us going on a party boat excursion :p) I thought it would be fun to hear from those who would like to share their experiences with excursions in various ports both ship sponsored and independent.

 

I'll start. We had a great time in St Lucia with a private tour operator named Herod. We went absolutely everywhere. He had very nice vans equipped with a cooler full of drinks. He stopped at a bakery and bought us some fresh bread. We ended the tour at his home where we had a very nice lunch served by his mother and sister. This tour was organized by someone on our roll call.

 

Anyone else?:)

 

I'm going to St. Lucia for the first time later this year and would love to do a private tour. Any info you can provide that CC will allow will be appreciated.

 

As for your question about favorite excursion: glacier trek/ice wall climb in Juneau. It was incredible. It was a bit over 3 hours, included being helicoptered over the glacier fields, landing on Gilkey Glacier and hiking for two hours (the time passed so quickly I would have sworn it was under an hour) and then an hour for each of us to climb an ice wall! What a rush! I was 53 and at t least 20 years older than the others on the tour and I'm the only one who fell (darn crampons, LOL) but it wasn't a big deal.

 

The Outdoor Adventure in PV was also really wonderful. Horseback riding, hiking, zipline/rapelling. It was so much fun.

 

Learning to and getting my scuba certification on a cruise was also really cool.

 

When I cruise I'm kind of a lazy gal, just eat, drink and lay around in the sun but when we hit port I'm ready to go:D

 

Ginnie

[gxchan]

Since we will be going to Alaska for the first time, (sailing date-30 days from today!!!), we are very excited about going, but for booking excursions, we didn't really want to "overload" ourselves, with something to do everyday. Mainly because my husband is a cancer patient, and we are never sure how his energy level will be. He is 65 and I'm 64, and find the most fun, doing "leisurely" things, like exploring the towns, cities, on our own. We realize we do have our "limits"....My husband is also retired professional photographer, so he really enjoys the scenery, architecture, and sightseeing, in "new places". He will be going well equipped, with 3 cameras on this trip, plus lots of "cards" for his digital cameras--plus I'll be toting one of his cameras, I'm sure, to get some shots that he might miss.

 

Agree with other post about 'zip lines', etc.........not really into those.

 

For Alaska, we have chosen the Mendenhall Glacier tour, (Juneau) and the Husky Homestead tour, in Denali part of our land tour. If something else looks interesting and we think the price is "worth it", then we'll book later, if we can. After our cruise, I'll post what our thoughts were, on both of these, and other interesting places we see and do. I'm sure we'll come back wanting to "do it again"!!

 

 

You will LOVE Alaska. I've been three times and could go every year for the rest of my life. It is just beautiful, relaxed and there are so many things to do in port. Mendenhall Glacier is beautiful and the info center there provides some amazing info on glaciers. Have a great cruise.

 

Ginnie

[Keith1010]

We love to walk and we vary what we do. In some cases we take ships excursions, other times private tours and in other places we tour on our own or just walk around.

 

Keith

[misty57]

Ginnie you can find the information online for the Herod tours. I think it is called Herod Island Tours. Castries St. Lucia. There are several types to choose from. I would love to visit Alaska. I want to do the cruise tour though and have plenty of time. I have heard that the mosquitos are huge in June?? No worries though, as long as DH is working we will not be able to travel then. Most likely we will have to go in mid August. I just need to convince him! I also am not sure which cruise line/ship would be best to take. It looks like many of them are older and smaller ships. I can't deny, we like our amenities! :D

[Hockeylovinmom]

A total highlight of our cruise experiences was swimming with the stingrays in Grand Cayman. Amazing! The Mayan ruins were awesome, too. Otherwise, life's a beach!(:

 

 

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[True Texan]

I have so many "favorites" (swiming with the stingrays in GC, Tabyana Beach in Roatan, Tour of Antigua with Lawarence) but I guess my all time favorite is horseback riding in Jamaica with Chukka. We ride up a trail into the jungle/mountain and then come back to camp and change horses and ride in the ocean. We are about waist high in the water at times. Have done this 2 times and my daughter-in-law said it was the most fun thing she has ever done in her life.

[Saltdiver]

I have been to Belze 4 times (not via cruise) and enjoyed each excursion for different reasons. Each of these are offered to cruise ship guests.

(1) Lamani Mayan Temple Tour - relaxing, bit of walking. Very interesting history. Lots of Howler Monkeys on walk.

(2) Zip Line Canopy at Jaguar Paw - not nearly as exhilaration as Whistler, Canada, but definitely fun. Series of 5 runs, between 105 - 500 feet long. Not much for wildlife.

(3) Jaguar Paw Cave Tubing Adventure - excellent, relaxing tube trip down lazy river, thru Mayan caves - Then it's about 1 hours LIGHT hike to the beginning of the caves and then you float back down the river through the caves for 1.5 hours. Great trip! especially if you're fortunate to be able to go to the furthest entry point. Timing allows for added stop to Belize zoo or lunch at Jaguar Paw. Not much for wildlife, but beautiful sites. Take a waterproof Camera.

(4) Caves Branch Outpost Ziplining - also fun. Series of 7 zipline runs from 10 jungle platforms, typically 100-750 between platforms. Prefer Caves over Jaguar Paw. Not much for wildlife.

(5) Caves Branch Cave Tubing - hike upstream to the third cave entrance takes about 30 minutes and you're back where you started in 2 hours.Not much for wildlife, but beautiful sites. Take a waterproof Camera.

[NorbertsNiece]

I think the best tours I have enjoyed have been in Alaska; as much for the awesome guides as well as the scenery!

 

In Skagway we went with Becky Mull of Beyond Skagways Tours; ISP with F.I.S.H.E.S; Ketchikan with Island Wings. All memorable and worth every penny. Oh and a tour of Kenai Fjords in Seward..... I could go on..... Alaska is awesome.

 

Royston Tours on St Kitts was quite a character and great fun.

[gxchan]

Ginnie you can find the information online for the Herod tours. I think it is called Herod Island Tours. Castries St. Lucia. There are several types to choose from. I would love to visit Alaska. I want to do the cruise tour though and have plenty of time. I have heard that the mosquitos are huge in June?? No worries though, as long as DH is working we will not be able to travel then. Most likely we will have to go in mid August. I just need to convince him! I also am not sure which cruise line/ship would be best to take. It looks like many of them are older and smaller ships. I can't deny, we like our amenities! :D

 

Misty57 - Thanks for the info. I don't recall there being mosquitoes in Alaska and I've been in late June/July:confused: During the summer months you get all kinds of weather: rain/chilly/warm/hot, it really varies so there might be some there and I just missed them:) Some CC friends did the cruise/land tour through Royal last August and had a great time. I've sailed Alaska on NCL, Royal and Princess. I would recommend Radiance class on Royal or Princess. Both are smaller/older ships but smaller ships are better in Alaska. Here's to talking hubby into going to Alaska!

[NorbertsNiece]

The mosquito is unofficially Alaska's national bird ;)

We took tropical strength DEET with for our forays into the mountains.

[gxchan]

The mosquito is unofficially Alaska's national bird ;)

We took tropical strength DEET with for our forays into the mountains.

 

Hi Linda, Holy Cow! I'm usually mosquito bait, if there is one around it finds me and makes a meal or two of me but in three cruises in Alaska I never got a single bite. But I'm bringing bug repellant on our cruise for SJ!

[misty57]

God willing I hope we can do an Alaska cruise and land tour when I retire. We did not really have any great excursions on our recent NE/Canada cruise. The Halifax tours were pretty good, but Peggy's cove was COLD! We had way too much time there. 15 minutes would have been fine for us... get out, take a picture and go back. The problem with that though was that it took a while to get there. Our coach guide did a good job of filling us in on history and what not. So much so that our HOHO bus tour was a little redundant.

[gxchan]

God willing I hope we can do an Alaska cruise and land tour when I retire. We did not really have any great excursions on our recent NE/Canada cruise. The Halifax tours were pretty good, but Peggy's cove was COLD! We had way too much time there. 15 minutes would have been fine for us... get out, take a picture and go back. The problem with that though was that it took a while to get there. Our coach guide did a good job of filling us in on history and what not. So much so that our HOHO bus tour was a little redundant.

 

Misty - Is the NE/Canada cruise 5 or 7 nights? I am interested in seeing Halifax but will plan to miss Peggy's Cove:)

[misty57]

Misty - Is the NE/Canada cruise 5 or 7 nights? I am interested in seeing Halifax but will plan to miss Peggy's Cove:)

 

Ours was 7 nights. I think earlier in the season would be nicer than end of October. Peggy's cove has a few trinket shops a museum and a light house. I literally took a few pictures went into a few shops, we had coffee, and then sat on the bus until it was time to leave. The rest of our trip the weather and temperature was nice. If I went back to Halifax I think I would do the Titanic excursion. That was one that i missed.

[Fummer]

We just were on a 9 night trip to Canada/ New England. We were with another couple we had met 2 years earlier on the same cruise. We had a great time. Loved Portland, Bar Harbour and Halifax. Beautiful. We especially enjoyed our trip to Peggys Cove in Halifax. it was abeautiful and the lobster lunch was quite enjoyable. In fact, we try and take the Canada/ New England cruise every 2 or 3 years. next time we may take the titanic tour. Any opinions on this or any other tours.

 

Many thanks.