MrmrsSteelman Posted July 5, 2018 #1 Share Posted July 5, 2018 Hi all! My husband and I are going on our first cruise in Jan. (NCL getaway..western carribean-Roatan, Harvest Caye, costa maya and Cozumel) I know we can book cruises through NCL and we booked our cruise with ************ and they have some you can book, but where else are reliable places to book/research excursions through? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herfnerd Posted July 5, 2018 #2 Share Posted July 5, 2018 Check on the Ports of Call boards - you'll find plenty of info on third party tour operators Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john watson Posted July 5, 2018 #3 Share Posted July 5, 2018 An independent excursions company is http://www.viator.com Always read the complete detailed information on the website and email them with any queries you may have. It is important to remember that if you book an official tour direct from a cruise line, the line will tend to hold the ship's departure back to wait for their official coach to return quayside. If you do independent tours it is your personal responsibility to get back to the ship in time as they will likely sail away without you. You cannot book your personal itinerary as tight on time as a ship's tour! I have used Viator personally for New York helicopter excursions and found the system they use and quality of tour excellent. Regards John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiserBruce Posted July 5, 2018 #4 Share Posted July 5, 2018 Please do some research on the Ports boards about Viator and other tour brokers. Yes, they offer pretty attractive prices. But there have been some experiences of note. Viator doesn't offer the tour, they contract out with locals, for low bid. This results in difficulties contacting the provider if something arises, and providers that might not speak English as well as others. These issues have caused many to prefer dealing direct with providers, not through middleman . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogs4fun Posted July 5, 2018 #5 Share Posted July 5, 2018 Please do some research on the Ports boards about Viator and other tour brokers. Yes, they offer pretty attractive prices. But there have been some experiences of note. Viator doesn't offer the tour, they contract out with locals, for low bid. This results in difficulties contacting the provider if something arises, and providers that might not speak English as well as others. These issues have caused many to prefer dealing direct with providers, not through middleman . Exactly - we book directly through the tour company, not Viator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Host Walt Posted July 5, 2018 #6 Share Posted July 5, 2018 One terrific resource that we've used frequently is TOM's PORT GUIDES (a totally free site with no ads). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cb at sea Posted July 6, 2018 #7 Share Posted July 6, 2018 Make sure what you want to do actually NEEDS an excursion....many things don't! The Caribbean is one of the easiest DIY places! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCruisers Posted July 6, 2018 #8 Share Posted July 6, 2018 Be sure to check out each of your port stops here on the Cruise Critic Port of Call Board! Lots of good info there for doing it on-your-own! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kartgv Posted July 6, 2018 #9 Share Posted July 6, 2018 Another place to research tours is Trip Advisor - you'll get a much broader traveler base than just cruisers. I believe you can also book tours through their site, but as others have suggested it's probably better to book directly with the tour provider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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