Cruising without Excursions - Good idea?

[dad of 3 addicted to DCL]

TL;DR answer: It depends

Little longer answer: For us, if we're going far from the port to see something Big (think Chichen Itza from Progresso, or Florence from Livorno), we prefer to use excursions. I know it's not absolute, but on the whole the ship will wait for the DCL excursion if it's running behind time. We found this out on a W Carib when we went to Tulum & didn't realize we got back to the ship 1/2 hour after all aboard.

Otherwise, we prefer to explore. I had a career in the Navy, so diving into a port and looking around corners is old hat and quite fun for us. DW met me in far flung ports on more than one occasion. We're doing an E Carib on Treasure and have 0 DCL excursions. We are doing a private snorkel with Aristocat Sails in Tortola, because there's not much else in Tortola. In San Juan, I work with a guy who grew up there so we have The List of things to do. Nassau, Georgetown GC, Cozumel, all the Alaskan ports, Martinique and so on, we explore on our own. Had a blast with a $85 rental car in Juneau.

I say the above about time from port, then remember the time when we pulled into St. Thomas, were one of the first couples off the ship where we grabbed a cab to the Red Hook ferry to St. John. Got another taxi on St. John & had a do it yourself beach day on St. John for ten bucks between the two of us. Made it back to the ship by 2PM and had a wonderful day. Perhaps this was the exception that makes the rule.

If you're going to do the port on your own, my best advice is to research, research and research. Look at Trip advisor and other review websites. Study the map of the area you want to explore. Understand how taxis/rideshare works there. Pick out a handful of restaurants you and DW want to eat at that have good reviews. We are still enamored with Palmeras in Cozumel.

I'm so excited for you! Enjoy your cruise!

Oh yeah, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! 20 years and she's not chucked you out a window yet. We're at 30 next spring and it's been touch and go a few times

 

[auntlynne]

@dad of 3 addicted to DCL - I call those excursions. Doesn’t matter who sold it or if just DIY exploring.

And they sound like a bunch of great life experiences - and memories. Congrats on 30 years - maybe all the more sweet because they were a choice.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

We haven't gone on a 7 night yet, but have completely enjoyed just hanging out on the ship for our 5 night cruises.

If I’m on a Disney ship, I’m not getting off unless it’s castaway

 

[happycamper47]

The only excursions we've done in 19 cruises were in AK and a couple private tours when we did our first Panama Canal. We're just along for the ride.

 

[Hubie]

Our last DCL Eastern Carribean Cruise we just got off at the Tortola Harbor to do a quick look around and it was raining for our entire stop in ST. Thomas. We chose to just stay aboard the ship, but I did get bored and wished that I at least got off to browse the harbor shops. On our other cruises, we've usually only taken one DCL excursion. We enjoy exploring on our own, especially when in Europe. An exception of course was our two visits to St. Petersburg. On our last cruise, however, which circumnavigated Iceland a free daily excursion was offered as part of the cost. We did every one of those and saw and learned a lot more than if we had tried to go on our own. I guess for us it depends on where you are and what there is to see. Most big European Cities offer the opportunity to see a lot on your own without having to follow along with a group following a guide with a Mickey sign.

 

[2010dvcfan]

We do this all the time, sometimes on repeat cruises we skip the show and dinner spend all of our time on pool deck or rainforest room. Enjoy the pools to ourselves and order room service for dinner. Disney ships truly are a destination on their own.

I think you'll find you aren't the only one's planning to relax and enjoy the ship on your DCL, it's a popular choice.

Happy 20th that's a commitment not often seen anymore!

 

[ladyofthetramp]

Your vacation! Do it your way! I have done 3 easterns-they are my favorite. Right amount of sea time and island time. Love Jost Van Dyke and St. Thomas and try and visit them as much as I can. But that is me. These cruises aren't cheap- do them they way you will enjoy.

 

[NYCgrrl]

For us, what we did while cruising depended on size of ship.

The bigger the passenger capacity, the less apt we were game for organized excursions. Conversely, tightly organized trips worked fine on smaller boats for us.
As frequently stated on Disney: you do you.
Have fun.

 

[OhThePain]

Unless there is really an excursion that speaks to us, we don't get off the ship. Whether its DCL, NCL, RCCL, etc., 4 night or 10 night, the ship is our destination. Although, to be fair, we have really only done Caribbean/Bahamas cruises thus far and would do excursions in more interesting ports. We even take it a step farther than most and don't usually get off the ship at CC or any other cruise lines private island/port. While everyone else is on the beach and dealing with sand (I hate sand), trying to get the best chairs in the best locations, dealing with crowds and birds and bugs at lunch, we're enjoying the pool deck with 20 people, watching whatever movies are playing on the funnel vision in peace, riding Aquamouse as many times we want without having to get off the raft or any other water slides the ship may have and then we go and enjoy a full buffet that feels like it was made just for us.

The beautiful thing about cruises (and WDW) is that there is no right or wrong way to do things. As most others here have said, you do you. It's your vacation and only you can decide how to best spend your time to get the most out of it.

 

[croschek05]

Magic cruise next year we are doing Baha Mar but not getting off at the new island with the 5 mile walk. We love staying on the ship when docked. Plenty to do and we also love watching the runners. Have a great time!

 

[Debbru]

If your ports are Tortola & St. Thomas, both have lots of shops very near the ship (especially close in Tortola). With no excursions, I would just enjoy the ship & possibly get off for a short time to brouse thru the shops. If the weather is nice, the skyride in St. Thomas is a short walk & nice way to spend an hour or two.

 

[OKW Lover]

but not getting off at the new island with the 0.5 mile walk.

fixed it for you

 

[TheRichFam]

For anyone who has done this before, did it work for you? Did you regret not having more activities planned at the ports?

Not only does this work for us, but we actually prefer it this way. I will caveat this by saying everyone obviously has their own preference, but we would much rather be able to be flexible and plan as we go than to decide several months in advance what activity we're going to do on which days. This is what works for us, but it obviously would give other cruisers hives!

I would also say that if there is a very specific excursion you would be sad to miss, it is good to book it well in advance to avoid getting locked out. If nothing on any of the port days seems "vacation altering" if you miss it, you probably don't need to book anything.

 

[scoobysgirl]

My wife and I are celebrating our 20th anniversary on a 7 night Eastern Caribbean Cruise in September. This will be our 4th or 5th disney cruise and we have typically booked a few excursions on our past trips. For this trip, we are leaning toward not booking any excursions and eliminating the need for a set schedule. Our plan is to mostly enjoy the ship on port days. We will definitely get off the ship at Castaway Cay, but we may remain on the ship otherwise and just enjoy the amenities with the ship being less crowded.

For anyone who has done this before, did it work for you? Did you regret not having more activities planned at the ports?

Any feedback on this topic is greatly appreciated.

We did this and we loved it. We did a B2B, 3 night and 4 night cruise and on the 2nd cruise, everyone got off for Castaway Cay and we stayed on the ship. We were the only ones up on the concierge sundeck...all alone with the Dole Whip smoothie machine!!! no one else in the hot tubs...it was amazing. We didn't go to Nassau, either, stayed on the ship, not as empty, still nice. We really enjoyed the ship and less crowds. Will definitely do it again when we go on the Treasure!!

 

[csgrkw]

My wife and I are celebrating our 20th anniversary on a 7 night Eastern Caribbean Cruise in September. This will be our 4th or 5th disney cruise and we have typically booked a few excursions on our past trips. For this trip, we are leaning toward not booking any excursions and eliminating the need for a set schedule. Our plan is to mostly enjoy the ship on port days. We will definitely get off the ship at Castaway Cay, but we may remain on the ship otherwise and just enjoy the amenities with the ship being less crowded.

For anyone who has done this before, did it work for you? Did you regret not having more activities planned at the ports?

Any feedback on this topic is greatly appreciated.

So first off, Happy 20th Anniversary!

My short answer is that regardless of whether you spend your time at sea doing nothing but sea or go on varoius port adventures, do the things that are going to make your vacation YOURS! You are likely to hear both sides of the story from folks passionate about their experiences, and I hope that you'll gain insight into those experiences that can help you determine what will work best for you.

I'll share my perspective that includes 2 sides of the story for the same cruise. My family and I were on a 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Disney Fantasy back in early Feb 2016 that included the following itinerary...

• Sat - Embarkation
• Sun - Day at Sea
• Mon - Day at Sea
• Tue - Tortola
• Wed - St. Thomas
• Thu - Day at Sea
• Fri - Castaway Cay
• Sat - Debarkation

So the cruise already had 3 full days at sea built in. After leaving St. Thomas, and while we were having dinner that evening, we felt that the ship didn't feel like it was at full speed, which was confirmed by the captain who later announced that one of the propellors had an issue, that we wouldn't be able to go at full speed and that unfortunately, we wouldn't be able to make it back in time to dock at Castaway Cay.

Even though I love Castaway Cay, I was thrilled with another sea day which exemplifies my love of being at sea and experiencing what the ship has to offer over port excursions. My wife wasn't nearly as thrilled due to mild sea nausea and her love of Castaway Cay.

A few more factors that I believe go into the decision about staying on the ship vs. port excursions...

• Have you already experienced the port and any excursions of interest on a previous cruise? If so, perhaps that leads you to not get off the ship in that port. If not, perhaps there are excursion of interest or importance.
• Are you on a new ship for the first time? Perhaps you'd rather spend time exploring the ship rather than going on excursions.
• How long is the cruise? If the cruise is only 3-4 nights, perhaps you value exploring some time at sea over excursions. If the cruise is 5-7 nights, perhaps there are enough sea days to balance excursions and sea days.
• Do you have a balcony? I of course am not here to debate the merits of a balcony vs. oceanview/inside staterooms...we've done all 3 and find enjoyment and fulfillment in all 3. But I tend to enjoy sea days more when I have a balcony, whereas without a balcony, I'm more apt to go exploring excursions on land.
• Does anyone in your party suffer from sea sickness? If so, then perhaps the excursions are a great way to break up the cruise into smaller land segments via excursions.
• Location, location, location...we will maximize port excursions for our upcoming Alaska cruise, but on our 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Disney Treasure next year, the focus will be on the ship since we've experienced the Caribbean a number of times.

All this to say that I've enjoyed every cruise I've been on regardless of the balance of time at sea and/or excursions, so pick what works best for you and have no regrets whatever your choose!

 

[scrappinginontario]

We have done this and had a great cruise! just be aware than things like pools and the AquaDuck often have reduced hours on port days. We got the kids ready and excited for a swim in a quieter pool only to find all pools drained for cleaning.

 

[auntlynne]

@csgrkw - We had a problem with propulsion on the Fantasy in Sep 2023, you could be writing our cruise story - and had to miss CC. Same ship? And still / again having issues?

 

[auntlynne]

I had never considered the idea of spending an entire cruise on the ship.

But it makes me feel better about my attitude toward Animal Kingdom Lodge and Aulani. It’s a stay on property and enjoy the amenities situation. No excursions (parks). No leaving until check-out.

 

[71 Truck]

Over the years my wife and I have been on fourteen, seven day cruises. In that time we have done maybe two or three excursions total.
For the most part we like to just get off the ship and explore on our own. However we do stay in or near the port area except when we go to the Cayman Islands or St Thomas.

When we go to the Cayman Islands we go to a brewery called Cay Brew. It is about a ten to fifteen minute taxi ride that we get at the port and when we are ready to go back to the port we have them call us a taxi, at least that has been what we have done in the past.
We always give ourselves plenty of time to get back to port so we can do some shopping before we head back to the ship

On our last Eastern cruise, in St Thomas we did take the tram across from the port to the top of the mountain.
After that we took a taxi to the shopping area about a ten to fifteen minutes ride from the port, then a taxi back.
From there we went across the street from the port to a brewery called Leather Back Brewing, have a couple of beers always keeping an eye on the time to make sure we were back on the ship on time.


The best part is we are on our own schedule. If we are in port and get tired or we want to eat something we can just head back to the ship.
If we feel like going back out again we can, if not we just stay on the ship when it it less crowed.

 

[Kit Jackson]

I would also say that if there is a very specific excursion you would be sad to miss, it is good to book it well in advance to avoid getting locked out. If nothing on any of the port days seems "vacation altering" if you miss it, you probably don't need to book anything.

That was how my friend and I approached excursions for our recent cruise. If there was something that looked enjoyable and was something we genuinely wanted to do, we booked it. We didn't book an excursion for the sake of booking an excursion because we were going to be in port and felt we had to book something.