first time cruisers...shore excursions?

[Budget Queen]

Thanks....Bernards tour is not a "NCL" tour. I know you recommended it & others have said it is great but so many say that you should stick with "ship tours". I am not sure since I Have never done a cruise...I know its less expensive but any pitfalls?

 

Since you are on this board, you are being educated in the possibility of independent touring. You would be doing this if you go to any beaches, wouldn't yOn thou?

 

KEY to this type of touring- is TIME. Don't cut your return short. Plan on getting back at least an hour before sailing. On the port of call location boards, take some time and read about the different touring options, then ask specific questions. You will get the answers.

 

Ship tours are enjoyed by many, but frequently higher cost. Going independent is easy to do, if you wish.

[Irishwhiskey]

The beach in St Philipsburg is a short 15 minunte or so walk from the pier.There you can rent chairs,umbrellas and there are many bars and restaurants right along the walkway,along with restrooms.In St Thomas grab a cab to Trunks Bay.The cab will pick you and your family up at a designated time you choose.Its much better than the excursions $$.Give yourself some time so that you can walk around the city before walking or taking a cab back to the ship

[puggsie]

I don't know about the other two ports but, IMO, Nassau is not a good roaming-around-the-port port. My son is 8 and he loves beaches. We did the Blue Lagoon beach day and he LOVED it. Wasn't too bad in price for a nice boat ride to a private island that includes lunch and a beach day. They have dolphin interaction, etc but we opted for the beach day and it was worth it. The lagoon was so nice.

 

A lot of people here on CC don't seem to like Nassau but I'm guessing that is because you really need to do an excursion since the port area is somewhat of a disappointment - just shopping and vendors. Going on the Blue Lagoon beach day we we're able to bypass it. Atlantis is rather pricey but there are a few other hotels that offer up beach space for a fee. Maybe the other ports would be a more pleasant experience close to the ship.

 

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[dltvermont]

My wife and I are going on our first cruise in April. Ive done research until my eyes bleed!!! I have an advantage of a co worker who has been to some of the places that I am going. I have not seen or heard anyone say anything negative about Bernards on St Maarten. One thing you may want to do is go to your cruise roll call on these boards as its a very good chance that others want to do some of the same things as you and you could get a group booking. My cruise did this with Bernards.

 

One thing that was pointed out to me, is that if you do use a private tour for your excursion, choose one that is well known and check trip advisor for reviews etc. If a tour operator had a problem with getting people back to their ship too late, they wouldnt be in business very long.

 

We are doing a repo cruise so there are a couple more islands for us, but what we decided to do is pick a couple places for excursions (mainly the ones that are MUST DO like stingrays on Grand Cayman, Bernards on St Maarten with Maho Beach and the planes) and then a couple for just beaches and shopping. One thing that my wife and I find is that when we are on vacation, we are so intent on doing EVERYTHING that when we get done we are exhausted as we are constantly on the go. This cruise/vacation is going to be RELAXING!!! (I HOPE)

[Irishwhiskey]

The beach in St Philipsburg is a short 15 minunte or so walk from the pier.There you can rent chairs,umbrellas and there are many bars and restaurants right along the walkway,along with restrooms.In St Thomas grab a cab to Magan's Bay.The cab will pick you and your family up at a designated time you choose.Its much better than the excursions $$.Give yourself some time so that you can walk around the city before walking or taking a cab back to the ship

OOPS!! I meant Magan's Bay.I got my Bays mixed up

[John1928]

Thanks....Bernards tour is not a "NCL" tour. I know you recommended it & others have said it is great but so many say that you should stick with "ship tours". I am not sure since I Have never done a cruise...I know its less expensive but any pitfalls?

 

These questions can have different answers at different ports, and may be evaluated differently by two individuals based on organization, risk tolerance, and other traits.

 

In general, private excursions will typically be less expensive (slightly to significantly), will typically be smaller and less crowded, and will often last longer/include more enhancements than similar ships tours. If you're doing a self directed beach day it can be MUCH cheaper (free in some ports up to ~$20/pp if you need transport all the way across an island).

 

You will want to do your research (on the specific CC port board for that operator) to ensure they have a good reputation, but if so you can be pretty comfortable going on your own. We regularly do independent activities or tours without much concern even when traveling with our children (1 & 4 on our last trip).

 

In tender ports, on particularly long excursions, or when you'll be docking at "odd" hours (early/late, extra short/long time in port) you may want to consider going with a ships tour as they may have priority (tendering), or custom schedules arranged with the tour operators.

[azappraiser]

Thanks....Bernards tour is not a "NCL" tour. I know you recommended it & others have said it is great but so many say that you should stick with "ship tours". I am not sure since I Have never done a cruise...I know its less expensive but any pitfalls?

 

Although the island tour with Bernard's takes up a good portion of the day, his tour drivers will have you back in plenty of time to avoid missing the ship. We had a couple of hours to shop & wander around before heading back to the ship, then had a bit more relaxation time on board before departing port. They do quite a bit of business with passengers from all the lines that call on St. Martaan, the last thing they want is for you to miss the ship. I would book with Bernard's again in a heartbeat!;)

 

Check out his reviews on Trip Advisor as well.

[shanley]

We've done St Tomas on our own. My daughter was 6 and we went to the butterfly farm that is right at the port. Then we walked around and did a little shopping. We also took the gondola ride as this was something she really wanted to do.

 

For us, it was a laid back port. We've done excursions at many other ports such as submarines and swimming with dolphins.

 

I haven't been to the other 2 ports but I am looking forward to them and need to get on with my research.

 

 

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[TravelDiva88]

 

And I think we will take in 1 excursion. My oldest wants to snorkel but my 6 yr old is Leary....that concerns me. Maybe we will split up and each take a child on an excursion of their choice.

 

 

 

If you want good snorkeling, I HIGHLY recommend doing a self-guided trip to Sapphire Beach on St. Thomas. We went first thing when the ship arrived, spent a solid 3 hours snorkeling, and it didn't even start to get crowded until we were packing up to leave.

 

The water was very calm, and there was good snorkeling within a short distance of the shore. The only thing you have to watch out for is since there are shallow reefs, you must keep yourself moving as to not accidentally tread on the coral.

[SMerritt]

"Look over your shore excursion list, then go to each port board on this message board. Get all your information that you need easily."

 

You sound like you do not want "Port Intensive" tours....

 

On St. Thomas - When you walk off of the ship, you will see an area with helpful port officials and buses & cabs.

 

We take an "Open Air" bus to Meagan's beach - the ride over is a tour in itself! Meagan's is beautiful, has food and drink. The ride and beach is very child-friendly.

 

When returning, we have taken one of the buses to Black Beard the pirates home and other buildings. You are dropped off at the top of the area, then leisurely walk down 99 Steps, touring the buildings and artifacts (some are now shops). You will end up "downtown" to shop and return to the ship.

 

The first time we did this was an NCL shore tour - but it is nicer not to have a schedule.

 

Nassau - Beware of the tempting NCL Stingray Tour, it might have been the season but, the NCL Shore tour posted, "Return To The Ship At Your Leisure".....actually the boat dropped us off in the morning an announced that we were stuck on the island until 3:30 pm.

 

Once you disembark in Nassau and exit the customs building....there are ferry boats to the right($3.00-$4.00 each way). You can take a fun, short "tour" over to Atlantis, the guides on the ferries are fun. Walk around the marina - maybe have lunch? There is a public beach across the street and down the block from the Atlantis also. Take the boat back, or you can opt for a cab if it is early in the day, Nassau afternoon traffic is bad. Downtown by the port is a good place to get your souveniers ;)

 

Have a GREAT Cruise with your family!