Shore Excursions

[Pee0305]

We are going on the Transatlantic Explorer cruise in April and I'm beginning to research ports of call. My question is ... is it cheaper to book excursions through the Destinations team onboard or is there a saving to be made by booking with the travel agent before we go? Also I've seen a few reviews where people have made their own tour arrangements. I realise that there is always the time factor of returning to the ship but what are the benefits of independent touring?

[lovecruise22]

We are also on this cruise :)

 

We are booking the st kitts railway through Thomson but doing a spencer ambrose tour in st lucia and a tour in st maarten. We find the independent tours better value for money

 

I don't believe there is any different booking the tours with TA or on board

 

 

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[dronnygirl]

In the Caribbean you really don't need to book expensive tours. Everywhere there are taxis waiting and cost 25 to $30 for the day. They take you to all the tourist places and often to places you would not otherwise see. They will also drop you at a beach for a couple of hours and then pick you up later. Sometimes they are mini buses that wait until there are 6 or 8 people. We enjoyed this as we shared our experience with different people every day.

They always get you back to the ship on time - we usually got off the ship early so that we could be places before the crowds. We were back at the ship for around 4pm so plenty of time.

For St. Kitts try Rose & Jim - they can be found on their website and were really good taking us all over the island.

[Ashby]

We are also on this trip. It is very easy to pick up a trip in the carribbean at the port but we usually book trips online before we leave UK. Lots of advice on this site and ports of call. We find that by booking the trip we want we don't spend time visiting places that do not intrest us and as the mini-vans only take 8-12 people its alot more time efficient.Its also alot less expensive. We are using Cosul on St Lucia and Royston on St Kitts. We have been with them before and happy to repeat the trips. On Antigua we just jump on a bus and go to the beach also similar on Tortola. The only thomson trip we have booked is a full day island tour at Ponta Delgada - The Azores have been on our "to do" list for ages.I tried to get some people together and hire a taxi (mini van) but no takers If when on board if we change our mind you can cancel - giving ? 24hours notice. On Bemuda its very easy to get about on the local buses and we plan using the HOHO in Valencia.Although we have used Thomsons excusions in the pass I prefer to do my homework and tailor make our trips. We always ensure we are back to the ship at least 2 hours before sailing.

[happy v]

Ashby, I said I'd get back regarding nature reserves in Bermuda, The place is awash with them! Spittal Pond is the largest but there is also Padget Marsh just outside of Hamilton on the way to the Naval Dockyard and a place at the back of Hamilton which could be walked to, the others are all on islands and not so easy to access.