New to RCL and have questions - FOS (western)

[NaiNoNo]

Sorry if this is a really silly question. We haven't booked any excursions for our upcoming cruise, but before I do, I just wanted to know if I MUST book them?

 

We are a really laid back family and really just want to get off the boat and go sit on a beach. I'm pretty sure I saw that this is possible in Labadee and Fallout (right?). But what about Cozumel and Georgetown?

 

Also, if we were to book something, would you recommend any specific excursions? My kids are 12 and 10.

 

Thanks!

[BillOh]

By all means, no excursions are not required and if you change your mind you can book them onboard. We are taking the same ship and itinerary. We are going laid back this time with few excursions. May I ask what date you are sailing?

 

PS, Its Fallmouth in Jamaica and on the last 3 ports, you can get off, just walk around and shop if you like. Grand Caymen requires a tender boat to get to shore, but its free and continuous.

Edited February 17, 2015 by BillOh

[Bamagirl_gina]

We were at Falmouth right after it opened as a port, and honestly, I wouldn't waste time getting off the ship there unless you are wanting to shop the duty-free shops, which really aren't much of a bargain. It is gated off from the local area and secured. Grand Cayman has beautiful beaches, swimming with the stingrays, etc. Love it there. Cost is higher but crime is low. Seven Mile Beach (obviously the most popular) would probably most appeal to you since you have children. Crowded, touristy, but lots to do and has food vendors, bars, etc.

[griffy116]

We will be sailing for the third time on FOS in June. We've also been to all the ports. You don't necessarily have to book excursions ahead of time. Labadee is the private island. You'll have a beautiful beach and if you want to partake in any of the beach toys or the roller coaster, you'll have plenty of time to decide after seeing it for yourself. Falmouth has a shopping area. Other than that, some of the excursions require a one-hour bus ride to get there. We love Grand Cayman. There will be plenty of excursion that your family might enjoy...more options any of the other islands, in my opinion. You might decide you want to swim with dolphins, experience Sting Rays, visit the turtle farm, go to the tiny area called Hell or go on a submarine or semi-submergable. You can do these on-your-own or through an excursion on the ship. The only ones that might get booked ahead of time would be swimming with the dolphins or Sting Ray City. Cozumel also has the dolphin adventures which can be booked through the cruise or directly. Again, this is going to be the area you might want to discuss if it's something you are interested in. Other than that, you can grab a cab and go to a variety of beaches on any of the islands on your own. Just stay on ship's time instead of island time and be sure to build in plenty of time to return to the ship on time. Enjoy your cruise. It's a great ship and your family will find plenty of activities on the ship to keep you busy too. Don't miss the parade, the ice show (which you will need to plan ahead and get tickets for) or the FlowRider, rock-climbing wall, basketball court, mini-golf and more.

[NaiNoNo]

By all means, no excursions are not required and if you change your mind you can book them onboard. We are taking the same ship and itinerary. We are going laid back this time with few excursions. May I ask what date you are sailing?

 

PS, Its Fallmouth in Jamaica and on the last 3 ports, you can get off, just walk around and shop if you like. Grand Caymen requires a tender boat to get to shore, but its free and continuous.

 

 

Lol. Yes FALLMOUTH (thank you autocorrect).

 

Thanks for your response. We sail March 15.

[cb at sea]

We almost NEVER book an excursion, whether ship's or private! A guidebook is all you need, so you get info on your ports! Beaches are in great detail, so you know where to go, along with transportation options, shopping, etc...

 

After all, people LIVE there, and they don't need a guide to get around...neither do you!!

[jenembeckey]

You are certainly under no obligation to take a ship excursion. You can take a cab to the beach and most drivers will be come back and pick you up whenever you ask him to. If you want an island tour you can do some research and arrange it in advance online or by email. Or you can find someone at the port. The price goes down per person the more people you have. Often a 10-20 person bus is the way to go. You meet other passengers and make new friends.

 

However, the advantage of taking a ship's excursion is that if anything goes wrong the ship will not leave without you. If you hire your own driver and the car/bus breaks down, he doesn't pick you up, or you are stuck in traffic and you don't make it back in time for sailaway, you are on your own to get to the next port.

 

Ship excursions are done through companies that have been vetted and are reliable and presumably safe. They will be more expensive but you are paying for the comfort and protection. You can get the same trip for less by hiring your own person to take you but at some risk.

 

We have hired our own drivers directly at the pier many times (though not at your ports) and have had great tour guides and never had a problem. You have to decide what is best for you and your family.

[RCI Cruisers 004]

You don't need to book anything ahead of time, or for that matter, any at all ! You will be able to book them from the TV in your room if you want. I can only add that the good ones will probably be gone by then.....such as an excursion with limited seating, but one like a beach break should still be open. The cabanas at Nellies beach in Labadee are nice, but very expensive. Just as nice to sit at the beach under an umbrella for free. The Sea Turtle farm in Grand Cayman was a lot of fun, you can actually snorkel with the turtles in a lagoon. In any of your stops you can just get off at your leisure and just shop, that's the nice thing about cruising.

[NaiNoNo]

Thank you all!

[Blaise]

Sorry if this is a really silly question. We haven't booked any excursions for our upcoming cruise, but before I do, I just wanted to know if I MUST book them?

 

We are a really laid back family and really just want to get off the boat and go sit on a beach. I'm pretty sure I saw that this is possible in Labadee and Fallout (right?). But what about Cozumel and Georgetown?

 

Also, if we were to book something, would you recommend any specific excursions? My kids are 12 and 10.

 

Thanks!

 

We are planning to do this very thing on FoS Western: just browse the ports and hit the beaches (without excursions). Here's what we're looking at.

 

Labadee is a walk-off beach resort (owned by RCI), so it's a no-brainer. You'd only need an excursion if you wanted some special activity there, like snorkeling or a jetski.

 

Falmouth has very little nearby except the port shopping village. The closest beach is Red Stripe, and appears to need an excursion. Sounds like it's a decent beach but may be a little more of a party scene than you want. Since everything good is 30 to 60 minutes away this means the cab fares can be really expensive. For this reason your best option is to book an excursion or find a private transport company that will take you with a group. Might be able to get something for $20 per person that way. We decided to play it easy and safe and book the RCI excursion, "Falmouth And Montego Bay At Leisure." This looks to be a shuttle that takes the scenic route to one of the best beaches in Montego Bay (Doctor's Cave Beach). It only stays a couple hours, though. An alternate plan would be just to check out the port and then go back and enjoy the ship without the crowds.

 

Grand Cayman appears to have cheap and easy bus & cab service. It has a fabulous long beach. We are just going to take the bus up to Public Beach (which is right beside Seagrape Beach and Calico Jack's restaurant/bar). With 5 ships in port we expect crowds, but we are prepared to stroll north or south if we have to and just throw towels down. Never been here but this Seven Mile Beach is iconic and we want to experience it. There aren't many options for access to the beach (many resorts along it); about your only other options are Royal Palms (which is more geared to adults) and Cemetery Beach (which is far north and has no amenities). BTW, expect shopping and food/drinks to be more expensive on this island.

 

Cozumel has good shopping and dining, and we intend to take a cab from our dock up to the north one (Punta Langosta) where the good shopping starts (and goes mostly north from there). We'll try to eat at the original Pancho's Backyard restaurant, if we can get that far north. Casa Denis is a back up plan. If there's time, or if we just prefer to make a beach day of it instead, we'll take a cab to Paradise Beach or Mr. Sancho's. These two would be good options for you, and are just a bit south of the dock. They don't appear to need reservations. Something else you might want to look in to would be Chankanaab Park, in case that interests your kids -- also a short ride south.

 

Enjoy! BTW, when is your sailing?

[NaiNoNo]

We are planning to do this very thing on FoS Western: just browse the ports and hit the beaches (without excursions). Here's what we're looking at.

 

 

 

Labadee is a walk-off beach resort (owned by RCI), so it's a no-brainer. You'd only need an excursion if you wanted some special activity there, like snorkeling or a jetski.

 

 

 

Falmouth has very little nearby except the port shopping village. The closest beach is Red Stripe, and appears to need an excursion. Sounds like it's a decent beach but may be a little more of a party scene than you want. Since everything good is 30 to 60 minutes away this means the cab fares can be really expensive. For this reason your best option is to book an excursion or find a private transport company that will take you with a group. Might be able to get something for $20 per person that way. We decided to play it easy and safe and book the RCI excursion, "Falmouth And Montego Bay At Leisure." This looks to be a shuttle that takes the scenic route to one of the best beaches in Montego Bay (Doctor's Cave Beach). It only stays a couple hours, though. An alternate plan would be just to check out the port and then go back and enjoy the ship without the crowds.

 

 

 

Grand Cayman appears to have cheap and easy bus & cab service. It has a fabulous long beach. We are just going to take the bus up to Public Beach (which is right beside Seagrape Beach and Calico Jack's restaurant/bar). With 5 ships in port we expect crowds, but we are prepared to stroll north or south if we have to and just throw towels down. Never been here but this Seven Mile Beach is iconic and we want to experience it. There aren't many options for access to the beach (many resorts along it); about your only other options are Royal Palms (which is more geared to adults) and Cemetery Beach (which is far north and has no amenities). BTW, expect shopping and food/drinks to be more expensive on this island.

 

 

 

Cozumel has good shopping and dining, and we intend to take a cab from our dock up to the north one (Punta Langosta) where the good shopping starts (and goes mostly north from there). We'll try to eat at the original Pancho's Backyard restaurant, if we can get that far north. Casa Denis is a back up plan. If there's time, or if we just prefer to make a beach day of it instead, we'll take a cab to Paradise Beach or Mr. Sancho's. These two would be good options for you, and are just a bit south of the dock. They don't appear to need reservations. Something else you might want to look in to would be Chankanaab Park, in case that interests your kids -- also a short ride south.

 

 

 

Enjoy! BTW, when is your sailing?

 

 

Thank you so much for the detailed response!! We are on the March 15 sailing. I need to escape this Ontario winter!

[wannavacay]

We got off the ship in Falmouth, but didn't leave the port. We saw a restaurant there, but it was mobbed, so we grabbed a Red Stripe and a meal consisting of Jerk Chicken and plaintains and something that was like a corn muffin doughnut from a food truck inside the port. For us it seemed like a risk eating at a food truck in a foreign port, but that was almost 3 years ago and we are still talking about how good it was! Also bought DH a reasonably priced watch from a smaller jeweler on the backside of the port shops, and it worked really well for a few years (until DH submerged it). The shop wasn't in a back alley or anything, just not in the primo real estate. They were super friendly and gave us each something to drink (it was super hot out!). I think we were only off the boat a couple hours, and then got back on and enjoyed the pool and some mini golf while everybody else was out & about.

 

We LOVED LOVED LOVED Labadee. Our favorite island so far. No need for an excursion, plenty to do and see without paying extra.

 

Have a great cruise!

[GreatLakes]

Sorry if this is a really silly question. We haven't booked any excursions for our upcoming cruise, but before I do, I just wanted to know if I MUST book them?

 

We are a really laid back family and really just want to get off the boat and go sit on a beach. I'm pretty sure I saw that this is possible in Labadee and Fallout (right?). But what about Cozumel and Georgetown?

 

Also, if we were to book something, would you recommend any specific excursions? My kids are 12 and 10.

 

Thanks!

 

 

You don't need to book excursions through the cruise line. Last year, we had pre-booked via internet a snorkel and swim with stingrays in Sting Ray City in Grand Cayman. When we docked, it poured and the lady at the kiosk said the tour was cancelled and refunded our money in cash We just walked around for a bit and saw some other folks from our ship. We followed them and on site booked another snorkel and stingray swim on a different type of boat (not a catamaran). It had stopped raining by then, and it was one of the best times ever. Had no idea who these people were on the transport bus with us nor on the boat, but it was a great day. :cool: