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disaster! didn't book shore excursions ahead of time


BuckeyeMark

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meant to - didn't get it done. :( gonna do it today. nope - inside the three day window (we sail monday).

 

so now can't buy them on line... what's the drill now? where do I go on the boat and when do I go there to get these excursions and make sure we get what we wanted to do? tips?

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You can book on the ship at the shore excursion desk, some excursions may be full, but not all.

 

oh boy ... getting everyone to agree on excursions is a big deal ... and then we don't get some of them?!!!! oh boy :eek:

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If you book them ahead online through the cruise line, you can always change your mind and trade for something else. It's better to book your most probable excursion ahead of time. Chances are once you have the tickets, everyone will go (don't tell them you can change them - tell them that they are non-refundable:D) Sometimes, you just have to make an executive decision for the group!!!

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trying for dune buggies on grand turk - other threads say it sells out quickly... teenage daughters eager to do that one and now I'm worried....

 

parasailing on hmc and snorkeling in the morning at grand turk - think those will be fine but the dune buggy thing worries me. :(

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parasailing on hmc and snorkeling in the morning at grand turk - think those will be fine but the dune buggy thing worries me. :(

 

try to board as early as you can, if you're really concerned - and be one of the first in line at the excursions desk (even if you have to wait for it to open)...

 

that's the best you can do if you can't book in advance at this point in time.

 

good luck! :)

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I learned this lesson the hard way when I didn't book the beginner scuba before the cruise and waited until on the ship. It was full before we got onboard. When we cruised this summer I had that one booked way ahead of time. My DH will only go on excursions booked through the ship so finding one at the port was not an option. You can always tell your daughter if we can't go this time I guess we will have to cruise again.:D

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meant to - didn't get it done. :( gonna do it today. nope - inside the three day window (we sail monday).

 

so now can't buy them on line... what's the drill now? where do I go on the boat and when do I go there to get these excursions and make sure we get what we wanted to do? tips?

Don't worry about it. At just about every port of call there will be an excursions desk in the port. You can decide when you get there. Most of the time, the ship-sponsored excursions are more expensive and are lower-quality than the excursions you can find on your own.

 

Don't sweat it, just make plans when you get there.

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Don't worry about it. At just about every port of call there will be an excursions desk in the port. You can decide when you get there. Most of the time, the ship-sponsored excursions are more expensive and are lower-quality than the excursions you can find on your own.

 

Don't sweat it, just make plans when you get there.

 

we did that four years ago at Grand Cayman - booked our own stingray encounter that was far superior to the one the cruise line offered.

 

Grand Turk appears to be a different story. I can find nothing with google that indicates there is any opportunity of any sort there other than what Carnival offers... :(

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BuckeyeMark disaster! didn't book shore excursions ahead of time

meant to - didn't get it done. :( gonna do it today. nope - inside the three day window (we sail monday).

 

so now can't buy them on line... what's the drill now? where do I go on the boat and when do I go there to get these excursions and make sure we get what we wanted to do? tips?

 

For us it hasn't been a problem booking on the ship. We have never booked ahead of time. Although so far we have only done Caribbean cruises, Alaskan or Europe cruises may be different.

 

We have always been able to find things we like to do in port either threw the ship or on our own. You should be fine.

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You are right about the dune buggies in Grand Turk, it does fill up, so you should go to the shore excursion desk after you get on the ship. I also would say if you want to parasail at HMC it also sells out, it did when our kids did it a few years ago. I will be going to Grand Turk for the 5th time this year and I really wish they would add some reasonably priced excursions, it just isn't one of those ports that you can get off the ship and go do something different each time you are there.

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meant to - didn't get it done. :( gonna do it today. nope - inside the three day window (we sail monday).

 

so now can't buy them on line... what's the drill now? where do I go on the boat and when do I go there to get these excursions and make sure we get what we wanted to do? tips?

 

 

Unless you board early, you will be standing in one really long line. The dune buggies,good luck with that as that is one of the popular ones.You have almost no chance for that.Parasailing like someone has posted is another quick sell out excursion.

 

Steve

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You might google Grand Turk excursions and see if one of the independant operators has a comparable tour. Most of the IO"s offer better, less crowded tours anyway.

 

as I noted above a thorough google search does not seem to find any IO's in Grand Turk. we've done that before but it doesn't seem to work for Grand Turk...

 

anybody booked their own shore excursions at Grand Turk?

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OH..........

If you have your own snorkel gear it is fun to just go down the beach to the right when you get off the pier. Very nice and not crowded. Lots of sun bleached conch shells. Don't forget to find the salt shaker on Margarittavilles web site and you will get a free Margaritta. They are very good and strong. I only needed one!:D

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oh boy ... getting everyone to agree on excursions is a big deal ... and then we don't get some of them?!!!! oh boy :eek:

 

On the other hand, even if you book ahead of time, sometimes they don't get enough people, so they cancel the excursion.

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You can still book independently and for much less cost. Get on the ports board and check it out.

 

I'm telling you - that works at a lot of places but not at Grand Turk!!! if you can give me some independent excursion operators there I'll be impressed because I'm not seeing it....

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