Do excursions have to be booked through Carnival?

[RebekahJP]

Can we get off the ship in Montego Bay, hail a taxi, and go where we want?

 

[Itried4498]

Of course.  You’re best off not buying excursions - although they’re convenient, most are horrifically overpriced.  You can often buy the same excursions direct from the vendor for far less, although the vendor’s contract with Carnival may require you to meet elsewhere.  
 

Of course, there’s always the do it yourself method.  Two weeks ago, we rented a car at Hilo and spent about $150 to see the volcano (car rental, gas, park fee).  We saw the exact same sights we would’ve seen on an excursion that would’ve cost out family nearly $800. 

[pe4all]

5 hours ago, RebekahJP said:

Can we get off the ship in Montego Bay, hail a taxi, and go where we want?

 

As long as you are comfortable doing that - go for it.  Just make sure you leave plenty of time to get back to the ship (in case of traffic, accident, etc.) as the ship will not "wait" for you if you are late.  If you book a CCL excursion they are guaranteed to have the ship wait until you are back onboard.  And yes, this did happen to us - hit a rockslide in one of the ports a few years ago, and ship waited until all the excursions made it back, whereas some on private excursions missed the ship.

[teknoge3k]

Yep! My family would never do Carnival excursions, sans renting a villa in Half Moon Cay. We always do something with the locals or on our on in port. 

[BoozinCroozin]

No, not at all. You can usually find better and cheaper excursions on your own. However, the ship will not wait for you if you are late. Just don't be a pier runner or complain the ship left if you miss it. Almost all excursion companies know when the ship leaves, gets you back well in time, and has backup plans in case of emergencies.

[lazydayz]

We hardly ever do ship sponsored excursions. Just do your research in advance.  In Jamaica, if you are a first time visitor, you might want to research group or private tours. We love Jamaica but it is one of the few places I would be more inclined to do a tour rather than hopping into a taxi.  

[wemjam]

5 hours ago, lazydayz said:

We hardly ever do ship sponsored excursions. Just do your research in advance.  In Jamaica, if you are a first time visitor, you might want to research group or private tours. We love Jamaica but it is one of the few places I would be more inclined to do a tour rather than hopping into a taxi.  

Concur with this.  Jamaica can be a little sketchy.

 

We do both, ship based and on our own.  The on our own ones though usually depend on how safe we feel the port/country is.  Also, we make sure that we have a huge window of time to make it back to ship.  We have price compared and sometimes the ships price is higher, but not always.  It can be comparable.

[ObstructedView2]

13 hours ago, RebekahJP said:

Can we get off the ship in Montego Bay, hail a taxi, and go where we want?

 

 

Hi @RebekahJP🙂

 

When in Jamaica we always hop in a taxi & do our own thing.

 

You're getting good advice in regards to getting back to the ship in time. That's important & essential when cruising to any port, not just Jamaica.

 

However, concerning Jamaica, it is equally important to do your research on taxis in Jamaica before you simply just hop in one; what to look for on their taxi license plate & other info to be certain you're getting into a real taxi.

 

Research/Google Jamaica taxis. Know what to look for & how to identify authentic taxis.

 

There are two basic kinds of official taxi service in Jamaica: charter taxis (aka 'tourist taxi') and route taxis. These official taxis are identified by having RED license plates with two white letters (one of which is 'P') and four white digits, indicating they are officially licensed as taxis and insured for riders. Many other drivers earn money on the side calling themselves taxi drivers - they will have only normal (white) plates. They are also usually safe - but you cannot ensure they have insurance to cover you in case of accident.

 

I'll get you started, click on the link below. But be certain to perform your own Jamaica taxi research.

 

Jamaica Taxis @:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g147309-s304/Jamaica:Caribbean:Taxis.And.Rental.Cars.html

 

 

 

✌

[tweak89]

We always book our own 3rd party excursions.  Better price, better service, more personal experience.  Carnival will dangle the "they won't hold the ship for you on 3rd party excursions that are late" but the only time we've seen late excursions they've been Carnival ones. 

 

Just be smart, be aware of the actual time you need to be back and you'll be ok. These 3rd party providers make their living off cruise customers and know what they are doing.

[EngIceDave]

We've done independent tours in most every stop with no problem, they know when to get you back and back on time.

 

IMO, the people who get in trouble and become pier runners are the folks who decide to go exploring and don't realize how far or how long to get back to the port. (or passed out somewhere...LOL)

This is why venturing far off on your own by taxi/Uber is not advised unless familiar with that port.

[wemjam]

Also, don't forget to stay on ship time!  This gets people in trouble all the time.  Your phone will change the time based on where you are... and that is not likely ships time.  That can cause you to think you are going to be on time and guess what.... you will see the ship sailing away. 🙃

[wemjam]

2 hours ago, ObstructedView2 said:

 

Hi @RebekahJP🙂

 

When in Jamaica we always hop in a taxi & do our own thing.

 

You're getting good advice in regards to getting back to the ship in time. That's important & essential when cruising to any port, not just Jamaica.

 

However, concerning Jamaica, it is equally important to do your research on taxis in Jamaica before you simply just hop in one; what to look for on their taxi license plate & other info to be certain you're getting into a real taxi.

 

Research/Google Jamaica taxis. Know what to look for & how to identify authentic taxis.

 

There are two basic kinds of official taxi service in Jamaica: charter taxis (aka 'tourist taxi') and route taxis. These official taxis are identified by having RED license plates with two white letters (one of which is 'P') and four white digits, indicating they are officially licensed as taxis and insured for riders. Many other drivers earn money on the side calling themselves taxi drivers - they will have only normal (white) plates. They are also usually safe - but you cannot ensure they have insurance to cover you in case of accident.

 

I'll get you started, click on the link below. But be certain to perform your own Jamaica taxi research.

 

Jamaica Taxis @:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g147309-s304/Jamaica:Caribbean:Taxis.And.Rental.Cars.html

 

 

 

✌

It is kind of funny.... I think the fact that you have to do serious research to make sure you get into a "real" taxi says it all.   This is coming from someone that has traveled independently all of the world.  There are those places you feel safe in venturing and others where you don't.  

 

Don't get me wrong, the people are friendly there, but you can't walk 5 feet without some shady people trying to get you to do all kinds of / and offering you all kinds of shady stuff too.  Even when you go there to resorts they recommend you don't leave the resort unless on an escorted tour.

 

It is sad really... stops in Mexico are kind of getting the same way.  Used to rent taxis and go all kinds of places in Cozumel, Cancun, etc. because they did a good job of keeping the tourist areas relatively safe.  Now not so much everything is spilling into these areas too.

 

Mommy always said an ounce of prevention.....

 

 

[RebekahJP]

Thank you all. I should have been more specific, but I'm sure that info will help others as well.

I was just asking about if it was allowed in this post-Covid world. I had heard that when the cruises first started back, you HAD to take a Carnival excursion or stay on the ship. I agree with all of your cautions, we have mostly booked 3rd party excursions, even in Jamaica, but there are definitely advantages and disadvantages. One disadvantage to just getting a taxi and showing up, that happened to us before, was that they didn't have time slots available to accommodate us because the cruiseline excursions had filled everything.

The reason I was considering it this time is because my husband wants to do the ziplining that includes the 1,600ft long zip, but it looks like Carnival isn't offering an excursion there. 

[SERK]

4 hours ago, RebekahJP said:

Thank you all. I should have been more specific, but I'm sure that info will help others as well.

I was just asking about if it was allowed in this post-Covid world. I had heard that when the cruises first started back, you HAD to take a Carnival excursion or stay on the ship. I agree with all of your cautions, we have mostly booked 3rd party excursions, even in Jamaica, but there are definitely advantages and disadvantages. One disadvantage to just getting a taxi and showing up, that happened to us before, was that they didn't have time slots available to accommodate us because the cruiseline excursions had filled everything.

The reason I was considering it this time is because my husband wants to do the ziplining that includes the 1,600ft long zip, but it looks like Carnival isn't offering an excursion there. 

Unless it's sold out, I just looked at Carnival Montego Bay excursions and there is the Jungle Zipline Adventure plus there are combo excursions that include zipline.  We did a bobsled, chairlift and zipline combo right before covid and it included that long 1000 ft plus zipline.  The once strict Covid rules are now a thing of the past in most ports including Jamaica.