Excursion Age Restrictions?

[carolina_yankee]

For our Grand Cayman stop on the Apex, we are looking at the QEII Botanic Gardens/Pedro St. James excursion. This is more about Celebrity’s policy than the excursion, so I’m posting here. For some odd reason it has an upper age limit of 70 years old, which excludes DH, who is 71. Never mind that he walked all over Paris, climbed Mont St. Michel, and hiked the Grand Canyon in the last 12 months. What possible excuse could there be for an age limit to a botanic garden and Pedro St. James. Is there any way to get around it? Or should we just book a similar excursion through shoreexecursiongroup.com. I thought of booking through the ship just so it’s coordinated with the tendering.

 

Alternatively, anybody know if there is any easy way to do this on our own? Sounds like transportation that direction isn’t as easy.

 

Thanks for any tips.

[Essiesmom]

Age limits are dictated by the excursion provider and their insurance, not Celebrity.  EM

[JuliaMS]

When I called in the past it was the vendors policy and Celebrity told me if the vendor OK'd it they would. This was for a snorkle trip and it was about having to help people up and down a ladder. In my case it was a weight limit my 6ft 5 18 year old didn't meet, they OK'd it. Call shorex and see who set the policy and why. 

 

[carolina_yankee]

2 minutes ago, JuliaMS said:

When I called in the past it was the vendors policy and Celebrity told me if the vendor OK'd it they would. This was for a snorkle trip and it was about having to help people up and down a ladder. In my case it was a weight limit my 6ft 5 18 year old didn't meet, they OK'd it. Call shorex and see who set the policy and why. 

 

 

I was hoping a phone call might resolve it, but I fear the wait times!  Oh well.

 

It’s still odd because similar excursions through shore excursion group and via tour don’t have the age limit listed. I guess due to steps at Pedro St. James I can understand caution, but there are plenty of healthy and active 70+ Year olds out there and plenty of people in their 50s with bad knees!

 

Now to decide if I just book 3rd party or want to try through Celebrity. The price differential isn’t too tragic.

[Jim_Iain]

18 minutes ago, carolina_yankee said:

For our Grand Cayman stop on the Apex, we are looking at the QEII Botanic Gardens/Pedro St. James excursion. This is more about Celebrity’s policy than the excursion, so I’m posting here. For some odd reason it has an upper age limit of 70 years old, which excludes DH, who is 71. Never mind that he walked all over Paris, climbed Mont St. Michel, and hiked the Grand Canyon in the last 12 months. What possible excuse could there be for an age limit to a botanic garden and Pedro St. James. Is there any way to get around it? Or should we just book a similar excursion through shoreexecursiongroup.com. I thought of booking through the ship just so it’s coordinated with the tendering.

 

Alternatively, anybody know if there is any easy way to do this on our own? Sounds like transportation that direction isn’t as easy.

 

Thanks for any tips.

I understand where your coming from as I'm 71 also.   I walk 10 miles a day and probably more fit that 50% on the tour but ---

You could probably easily do on your own or try Expedia here's a link to their tour to Botanic Garden but many others available.   Change dates for your cruise.

 

https://www.expedia.com/things-to-do/queen-elizabeth-ii-botanic-park-and-pedro-st-james-castle-tour-in-grand-cayman.a1726041.activity-details?&rid=602874&location=Grand+Cayman%2C+Cayman+Islands&startDate=2022-08-20&endDate=2022-08-21&filter.categories=ToursDayTrips|BusMinivanTours|ToursDayTrips&sort=RECOMMENDED&swp=on

Edited July 23, 2022 by Jim_Iain

[goofysmom99]

Sometimes there seems to be no rhyme or reason.  For the longest time on one of my upcoming cruises, there was an upper age limit of 70 for an "easy" wine-tasting tour.  That limit has has since been removed which was such a relief....I can drink wine off the ship now, too!

[3red7s]

On our last cruise we wanted very much to attend & support the Cruise for a Cause/which was a pink catamaran for breast cancer.  It was advertised as a beautiful trip to a calm and quiet cove for swimming.  The catamaran had a drop down ladder.  We couldnt participate as the age limit was 70!!!  Seriously...we are in better shape than most 30 yr olds. 

[carolina_yankee]

19 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

I understand where your coming from as I'm 71 also.   I walk 10 miles a day and probably more fit that 50% on the tour but ---

You could probably easily do on your own or try Expedia here's a link to their tour to Botanic Garden but many others available.   Change dates for your cruise.

 

https://www.expedia.com/things-to-do/queen-elizabeth-ii-botanic-park-and-pedro-st-james-castle-tour-in-grand-cayman.a1726041.activity-details?&rid=602874&location=Grand+Cayman%2C+Cayman+Islands&startDate=2022-08-20&endDate=2022-08-21&filter.categories=ToursDayTrips|BusMinivanTours|ToursDayTrips&sort=RECOMMENDED&swp=on

 

Thanks for the link. That looks like the same tour as Viator (though I bet they are all through the same provider). 

 

We anchor at 10. The excursion starts at 11. Should we be able to tender in by then? I imagine the first few tenders are reserved for ship excursions.  We leave at 5, so I’m assuming a 3 pm return time is more than adequate?

 

 

[Charles4515]

16 minutes ago, 3red7s said:

On our last cruise we wanted very much to attend & support the Cruise for a Cause/which was a pink catamaran for breast cancer.  It was advertised as a beautiful trip to a calm and quiet cove for swimming.  The catamaran had a drop down ladder.  We couldnt participate as the age limit was 70!!!  Seriously...we are in better shape than most 30 yr olds. 

Was that age limit booking through the cruise line? I have not seen an age limit on Restless Natives website. 

[Jim_Iain]

27 minutes ago, carolina_yankee said:

 

Thanks for the link. That looks like the same tour as Viator (though I bet they are all through the same provider). 

 

We anchor at 10. The excursion starts at 11. Should we be able to tender in by then? I imagine the first few tenders are reserved for ship excursions.  We leave at 5, so I’m assuming a 3 pm return time is more than adequate?

 

 

Recently my experience has been that that they have been running tenders from the front of the ship near the theater and midships for regular at the same time then when excursions are finished with excursions they all go out of the same area. 

 

If you have priority as Elite or above, Aqua or Suite they slip you in and escort you to the tender.

[lobsternight]

Unfortunately its an arbitrary number that has probably been set up for liability reasons I assume.  In my case I had a cardiac incident at 52, totally fine now, but keeps me out of a lot of snorkeling and diving excursions I definitely could take.  I guess I just have to keep a t shirt on and hide the scars.  Its like a drivers license though, here the age is 16.  Some kids could do it at 12, others shouldn't at 25. Guess they have to draw the line somewhere  

[jwlane]

2 hours ago, lobsternight said:

Guess they have to draw the line somewhere  

And the arbitrary line draws steadily closer for me (68) as I decide if I should do the Philadelphia marathon, or just opt for the half.  (I was the 1st up and back down on our hiking excursion to Norway's Pulpit Rock on our May cruise)

[carolina_yankee]

Thanks all for the tips and the reality that we're not alone. We aren't active cyclists, hikers, kayakers, campers, by any means, but all our joints work, we have balance, and we have stamina!! Last summer at the Grand Canyon and this year in France proved to us we're not over the hill yet - years of Disney World - Commando Style probably trained us.

 

It's funny that the private excursions through 3rd parties don't have the age limits, which does make me a little suspicious about Celebrity's policy, but it's so random (and age differs based on excursion) that I can see it being the provider and not the cruise line.

 

In this case, the Celebrity excursion is about the same price as 3rd party, so I'll call and see. It's not likely to be popular excursion in a port where beaches and snorkeling are the norm, so I'm not worried about numbers, and it would be nice to have Celebrity handle everything from tendering onward since this is our first time at Grand Cayman (and tendering). If we do end up with 3rd party, then that's fine too.

 

 

[carolina_yankee]

So, here's a funny. Our travel agent contacted Celebrity about the age restriction for a waiver. They gave her instructions on what we had to do, saying there was still plenty of vacancies on the excursion (tour of QE II Botanic Gardens and Pedro St. James in Grand Cayman).  We emailed shorex with our request for a waiver. Now the excursion is listed as fully booked - the least likely excursion in George Town to be get fully booked!! I have to hope it's IT. 

 

At this point, it's almost guaranteed we will book through a third party like shoreexcursionsgroup.com unless they are fixing something behind the scenes.  Aargh. 

 

ETA: Well, the app says it's fully booked. The website just has the reserve button grayed out with a note "we're working on it" so perhaps they are indeed setting things up so we can book!

 

Edited August 15, 2022 by carolina_yankee

[devonuk]

2 hours ago, carolina_yankee said:

So, here's a funny. Our travel agent contacted Celebrity about the age restriction for a waiver. They gave her instructions on what we had to do, saying there was still plenty of vacancies on the excursion (tour of QE II Botanic Gardens and Pedro St. James in Grand Cayman).  We emailed shorex with our request for a waiver. Now the excursion is listed as fully booked - the least likely excursion in George Town to be get fully booked!! I have to hope it's IT. 

 

At this point, it's almost guaranteed we will book through a third party like shoreexcursionsgroup.com unless they are fixing something behind the scenes.  Aargh. 

 

ETA: Well, the app says it's fully booked. The website just has the reserve button grayed out with a note "we're working on it" so perhaps they are indeed setting things up so we can book!

 

I’m on a cruise which stops at Vigo soon and the upper limit for the white water rafting is 60 😳

[phoenix_dream]

I understand certain age limits for insurance purposes,  but I've been on that tour (when in my 60's) and it was no big deal at all. I just don't understand that age limit,  and not happy as I intended to go back in January when I'll be 71!!

[Silent Penguin]

On 7/23/2022 at 5:30 PM, carolina_yankee said:

For our Grand Cayman stop on the Apex, we are looking at the QEII Botanic Gardens/Pedro St. James excursion. This is more about Celebrity’s policy than the excursion, so I’m posting here. For some odd reason it has an upper age limit of 70 years old, which excludes DH, who is 71. Never mind that he walked all over Paris, climbed Mont St. Michel, and hiked the Grand Canyon in the last 12 months. What possible excuse could there be for an age limit to a botanic garden and Pedro St. James. Is there any way to get around it?

 

LOL, this was not what I expected to read when I saw the title, "Excursion Age Restrictions?"  With the exception of one Princess cruise,  all our cruises have been with lines frequented by mostly younger adults and families.  Up until just now, any time I've read a title similar to yours, it's almost always a post written by someone wanting to get their 5 year old on an excursion with a minimum age of 12 (or thereabout).  I'm in new territory!    

[carolina_yankee]

42 minutes ago, Silent Penguin said:

LOL, this was not what I expected to read when I saw the title, "Excursion Age Restrictions?"  With the exception of one Princess cruise,  all our cruises have been with lines frequented by mostly younger adults and families.  Up until just now, any time I've read a title similar to yours, it's almost always a post written by someone wanting to get their 5 year old on an excursion with a minimum age of 12 (or thereabout).  I'm in new territory!    

And while people can lie about their age at the gate, the cruise line has our birthdates, so the option to book DH is grayed out as “age limited!” Sigh. I’m sure it will get sorted, it’s just a nuisance in the meantime. 

[Virginia100]

Some one needs to tell Celebrity that age discrimination is unlawful. Insurance regulations do not preclude. They simply need you to sign a liability release form. Or maybe they are simply too lazy.

Edited August 16, 2022 by Virginia100

[carolina_yankee]

2 minutes ago, Virginia100 said:

Some one needs to tell Celebrity that age discrimination is unlawful. Insurance regulations do not preclude. They simply need you to sign a liability release form. Or maybe they are simply too lazy.

That doesn’t work if the discrimination is due to a third party provider and you’re in another country where US law doesn’t apply. Believe me, though, I’ve had the same thoughts!

[chemmo]

7 hours ago, Virginia100 said:

Some one needs to tell Celebrity that age discrimination is unlawful. Insurance regulations do not preclude. They simply need you to sign a liability release form. Or maybe they are simply too lazy.

The snag if you sign a waiver haven’t  you given the tour operator a get out of jail free card if an accident did happen? Even if you have chosen a tour wisely accidents, even simple slips, can result in broken bones…

 

It would be interesting to know the response of insurance companies if you had accessed a tour not recommended (because of your age). Would they still pay up if you did then need medical treatment? Would they see you accessing a tour (not recommended) as invalidating their responsibility?

 

I ask these questions as a cruiser  with some health issues who over the years has missed out on tours (Celebrity and private) because they have not been recommended for guests with back issues. It has always been my understanding that if I did access a tour like this and had an injury the tour provider would not be liable as I had a pre-existing condition and then my insurance cover could be invalidated as I had chosen to access an activity not recommended with someone with my pre-existing condition.

 

I guess I am suggesting that age could be viewed as a ‘pre-existing condition’.  I am not suggesting it is in any way morally right but I must confess I would be dubious signing a waiver when we are cruising world wide if it could impact on my medical insurance cover…

 

 

[cruisestitch]

8 hours ago, Virginia100 said:

Some one needs to tell Celebrity that age discrimination is unlawful. Insurance regulations do not preclude. They simply need you to sign a liability release form. Or maybe they are simply too lazy.

The law in each country could be very different.  Since the shore excursions are run by local contractors, local laws will prevail.

[RedneckBob]

Never had a problem with age limits. Have taken many tours where I was older than age limits. No one has ever either carded me or said no, you are too old. They Just said, “stop acting like a child”😀

[Mark_K]

10 hours ago, Virginia100 said:

Some one needs to tell Celebrity that age discrimination is unlawful. Insurance regulations do not preclude. They simply need you to sign a liability release form. Or maybe they are simply too lazy.

Federal age discrimination law really only applies to employment.  While a lot of age discrimination is to the benefit of older people (senior discounts, etc.) no law prevents it from going the other way.

[kearney]

Nothing like an age limit on a tour to make you feel old....Just turned 70 and need to check my booked excursions.  Where is the shuffle board when you need it...