What was your worst or best shore excursion?

[joebert]

Best - America's Cup Regatta in St. Marteen. You work your butt off but it is worth it. I remember my head being inches from the water going at 40 MPH and all I cared about was turning the cracks. I'll be doing it again in about 2 weeks.

 

Worst- Land tour of Aruba (not a cruise sponsored tour). It was the tour from hell. About 10 of us in a mini-van.

 

First stop was a hotel lobby to see some ducks.

 

Second stop was a church. The church next to a school which was letting out just as we were getting ready to leave. We sat in traffic for about 1/2 hour.

 

Next we went out to send the natural land bridge which is in the middle of nowhere. We get a flat tire. They have a spare but no jack. Keep in mind this is about 2 hours before we need to be on the ship. After about an hour they find a jack.

 

On the way back, one of the other guest wants to stop at a store for cheese. Don't ask me why? The driver stops (again don't ask me why?)

Less than 1 hour until we need to be back on the ship.

 

We then drop other guests off a their hotel. On the way from the hotel to the pier the driver stops to offer people walking on the street a ride (for a fee of course).

 

We make it back to the ship with about 15 minutes to spare.

[huskerdude]

Not sure if you remember me..I'm from Nebraska and we were on the same sailing..I believe..June 2005 Carnival Elation. I was suppose to go to the meet and mingle but had trouble with our safe in our room so we never got to meet.

Sorry to hear about your worst! We had really good excursions for that trip.

 

Hey Mousy,

Of course I remember you. And do remember you posting after the crusie about the troubles you had with the safe key. I think there was also another group from Nebraska that was going to meet us and they did not make it either. I was hoping to have a majority from the Big Red state, but y'all let me down.:(

Just kidding. Hope everything is going well. :)

[Dockman123]

Haven't really been on many excursions to have a favorite but I can say that the worst one was the Botanical Gardens on Catalina. Nothing but a lot of cactus, very boring.

[bplazo]

Best

 

Silver Moon in Barbados

Jungle Tours with Shal in St. Lucia (he was the best)

 

Worst

 

Horseback riding in Grand Cayman (boring)

Ship sponsered snorkeling tour in Nassau (too crowded)

[cruiseism]

Atlantis Submarine...in Cayman Islands.....did not see one fish. The coral was dull....maybe because it was kinda overcast. I guess it would be different if it was sunny! You are only on it for 30 minutes...just not worth the money. At dinner we heard such rave reviews about swimming with the stingrays...kinda wish we had done that. Snorkeling would have been nicer than sitting on that submarine!

 

****Have a question about Mexican cuisine cooking in Cozumel. My parents are not the adventureous type and they have no interest in ruins...I am seeing rave reviews about the cooking class in Cozumel...is it really all that fun?

[ParrotTops]

I am trying to book our shore excursions on line today and I can't find the Silver Moon tour you are all raving about under Barbbados--was it an RCCL offered tour? By any other name possibly...

[Alphawave]

Definitely, a "jungle beach break" at Costa Maya. First you ride on an airless bus, crammed in like sardines. Then drive a total of 2 hours to get to a delipidated beach where I swear the ocean was disgusting! It was full of seaweed and other debris, making it impossible to swim, in fact there was a warning NOT to swim. The drinks were free, but I watched a worker hosing out with a garden hose, the supposedly filtered ice water container for the drinks, NOT for me!!! Then we had to line up and wait for another bus to take you back to the ship. The lines were long, as everyone wanted back as soon as possible. Hope I never see Costa Maya again, after that!

[Alphawave]

Definitely, a "jungle beach break" at Costa Maya. First you ride on an airless bus, crammed in like sardines. Then drive a total of 2 hours to get to a delipidated beach where I swear the ocean was disgusting! It was full of seaweed and other debris, making it impossible to swim, in fact there was a warning NOT to swim. The drinks were free, but I watched a worker hosing out with a garden hose, the supposedly filtered ice water container for the drinks, NOT for me!!! Then we had to line up and wait for another bus to take you back to the ship. The lines were long, as everyone wanted back as soon as possible. Hope I never see Costa Maya again, after that!

[bplazo]

I am trying to book our shore excursions on line today and I can't find the Silver Moon tour you are all raving about under Barbbados--was it an RCCL offered tour? By any other name possibly...

Silver Moon is not a RCCL excursion. You will need to book them privately. If you go to the Ports of Call board you will find some more inforation about them. You will need to book early because it sells out early.

[hma109]

Best:

 

America's Cup Regatta. I did it both Nassau and St Maarten. We won both times too!

 

Also love snorkeling at Sting Ray City in Grand Cayman and the Dolphin Encounter in Cozumel.

 

I don't think I have a worst!

[Folgy]

Worst: Anything at Freeport Bahamas (what a crap hole)

 

 

 

Best: Anything/everything in Alaska

[Tmmull]

Best; The Lord Sheffield Pirate Ship Excursion in St. Martin!:cool:

Worst; Dunn's River Falls / Dolphin Cove in Ocho Rios!

The falls were spectacular!:) The shop owner who dragged my then

7yo son into his store!:mad: And don't get me started on Dolphin Cove,

what a rip-off.:eek:

[Rosieo]

The BEST ever - zip-lining in Jamacia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[pacthepuppies]

I just bought that tour- what was bad about the dolphin part????-

my DS is a little older and will fight back if forced to 'shop':D

I only want to do one thing on this trip and that is swim w/ the dolphins- only time in my life is what i am thinking- pl dish:)

[Karshrimp]

Best Port: Key West 'cos we ran into Jimmy Buffett at Margaritaville!!

Worst Port: Grand Cayman Islands 'cos the water was too rough for the tenders to run, and we couldn't get off the ship to get to the island!! Boo Hoo! :mad:

[Tmmull]

pacthepuppies: The excursion we did not include "swimming with the dolphins', only a stop at dolphin cove. When you arrived they told you how much extra $$$ you needed to spend. If you don't swim with the dolphins that stop is a waste of time. The beach is very small and the water is very shallow! Here's some pics. http://community.webshots.com/album/115020658VHfdjC

[mousy56]

Hi cruiseism. My daughters and I took the Mexican cooking class in Cozumel in June 2005. The bus ride there was about 15 mins. The class was set up in an open covered cafeteria, you can see the ocean. We made grouper, stuffed peppers and something else..can't remember. Also a rice pudding. All drinks were included! There were 7 people in the group and so we used two stations to cook. We had chef hats and aprons and they were happy to take our pictures..with our cameras..no extra cost. After everything was cooked we got to eat what we made for lunch...it was really good. We then changed into our swimsuits and layed on the beach and swam for about an hour..all drinks were still free. We did spend about five dollars to rent an umbrella. It really was a nice time. One of my daughters is in culinary school and she said she had fun.

 

Hey Huskerdude! I'm glad you remember me. My DH and I are gearing up for our cruise in three weeks. Gotta get these excursions figured out.

[ParrotTops]

Thanks to everyone for the info on Silvermoon--do you think it will already be booked up 2 months in advance? Also, does anyone remember about what the cost was per person? Thanks again!

[Sheffie]

ParrotTops, if you are looking at the Silver Moon, it MIGHT be booked up. You never know. I know that someone on our cruise tried to book it a couple of weeks ago and it is booked up. We booked our reservation on her The 30th of August for an April 13 sailing. Cost is $95 for adults and $65 for 12 and under. The Silver Moon II is $80 per adult and $50 for kids.

 

Good luck!

[nannytraveler]

This is my first time on this! I am leaving for a south. carib. Cruise on saturday on Royal Carib. I have a boat load of questions so if anyone knows the answers to any of these please reply!

 

The cost of internet in your room?

 

When you buy the soda pass how does that work and what does that include?

 

Can you get an iron in your room or send your formals away for ironing?

 

Do the ear patches or bracelets work better than dramamine?

 

How exspensive are massages or getting your hair done?

 

Can you have snacks free anytime of the day or night? What food and drink is included in the cost of the cruise?

 

If anyone can help me with these please do!!!

[Sheffie]

I don't know the answers to all of your questions, but I do know that they will not send an iron to your room (fire hazzard), but you can send your formal out for ironing. I have found, though, that if you pack your clothes (hanging or not) with dry cleaner bags, they don't wrinkle much.

 

There is free food available JUST about 24-7. All food is included except for the specialty restaurants and Johnny Rockets, and some other cafe. Can't for the life of me remember the name, but someone will tell you.

 

Soda card is worth it if you drink a lot of soda. (I cannot remember the price of it either. I feel worthless!) I bring my own pop.

 

Massages are pricey.

 

Okay, I really didn't help much. Sorry. :(

[luvgreys]

My best excursion was when we went our own to Chankanaab Park in Cozumel. The snorkeling was awesome and the water was so clear. It is so sad that much of the area was destroyed, that truly was our best day on the Conquest!:(

[JoshGrrrr]

Worst..glass bottom boat..Nassau :-(

 

Agreed. The boat was old and filthy. It stank of exhuast. You could barely see anything out of the crappy, dirty, small glass bottom.

 

The Fiesta Party Boat in Cozumel sucked pretty bad too. The "free tequila" was actually some punch type stuff. It had so little alcohol in it that you could have probably given it to your kids. The free beer was served in shot glass sized cups. You stood in line for 5 mins for that. It was basically just some mexican dude screaming his head off on an overcrowded boat.

[wrp96]

****Have a question about Mexican cuisine cooking in Cozumel. My parents are not the adventureous type and they have no interest in ruins...I am seeing rave reviews about the cooking class in Cozumel...is it really all that fun?

 

I went with my mother (late 50s) and my aunt (50 years old). We had a wide mix of ages in our group from young (around 18 to 20) to about my mom's age. We chose it because my mom and aunt wanted to do it, and they loved it. Even me, who revels in snorkeling and boating excursions, had an absolute blast at this excursion. It was well run, enjoyable, and fun. This is definitely an excursion I would recommend to anybody going to Cozumel. The only thing adventurous about it was that once you had finished cooking and eating you could choose to go play in the ocean. If you look for my Rhapsody review posted on the Cruise Critic review page, it should describe it more.

 

And I read several totally positive reviews about this excursion before I paid for it myself.

[GabrielaNG]

I have a very specific question for everyone. After years of trying, I have just convinced my parents to go on a cruise. I am not a novice, but I am afraid to disappoint them, since I would never hear the end of it. I was wondering which excursions would you recommend in San Juan (we are thinking the city and distillery), St. Thomas, St. Maarten and Nassau (not the sting rays, I read the reviews, I am sure it can't compare to Grand Cayman - loved that one). We would like to do some nice snorkeling, definitely a sting ray adventure, beaches (no shopping) and maybe some historical sightseeing. Any recommendations? I would be really grateful, I have spent days trying to find reviews. (age range 60's, 40's, 30's and a 2 yr old). :o