How do you book your tours?

[CruisinRoxy]

We have done it several ways, on a Caribbean cruise.    Through the ship, especially if you have onboard credit you can use.   Or thru a tour website, independent of the cruise ship.  Or as you get off the ship, randomly at the port.  Which do you all think is the best way? Thank you!  

[CntPAcruiser]

There is no one best way, I think, since each sailing/ship/port is different. We have used various methods depending on the situation and requirements. Generally, the best excursions are those booked independently, online, after research. They tend to be of better quality and cheaper than booking a similar or the same tour through the ship.

 

Sometimes we prefer to book through the ship even so, such as for Cozumel, because of the ferry and timing issues. If we are going to an unfamiliar port, we will often book through the ship, especially if, after research, the situation sounds more complex. 

 

We have also found random tours offered while in port. Our first time on Curacao, we did a tour that we bought tickets for on the street. It was inexpensive and actually quite good (we may have just gotten lucky).

 

It may also depend on how adventurous you are, how much you are willing to spend, and how risk-averse you are. We like to be fairly confident of getting back to the ship on time, and we're not generally the sort to rent a vehicle to drive around on our own or take a cab halfway around a large island.