DCL Caribbean Debate: Ship Excursion vs DIY Excursion

[ladyofthetramp]

We do a mix. Places I would have to wrangle and take a train, taxi, helicopter!!!, and or a ferry to get to, in combination-too many moving parts for me. I will do Disney. Alaska we did mostly on our own and it was great. We got to see what we wanted in our own time. Headed out to Europe next June. First time there, and a platinum cruiser, so I feel I can probably get the Disney excursions I want, but I have booked pretty much all private excursions. As bretm77 mentioned, in reading many of the reviews, Disney excursions are just ok. This trip is $$. I want to see what I want to see and in my time and not be herded around. A bit nervous? I am. But no vendor is going to want their name splashed across social media and Trip Advisor that they made you late for the ship-no one. I have read reviews by others on private social platforms and other sites, so carefully vetted. And before they whisk me away, I am going to confirm with them the time I want to be back, with plenty of buffer. Photocopies of our passports and the name of the ship's agent in port will be in our day bag. We shall see how it plays, but if I get stuck in Santorini, I may just have to stay-like forever lol.

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[DCLMP]

We do a mix. Places I would have to wrangle and take a train, taxi, helicopter!!!, and or a ferry to get to, in combination-too many moving parts for me. I will do Disney. Alaska we did mostly on our own and it was great. We got to see what we wanted in our own time. Headed out to Europe next June. First time there, and a platinum cruiser, so I feel I can probably get the Disney excursions I want, but I have booked pretty much all private excursions. As bretm77 mentioned, in reading many of the reviews, Disney excursions are just ok. This trip is $$. I want to see what I want to see and in my time and not be herded around. A bit nervous? I am. But no vendor is going to want their name splashed across social media and Trip Advisor that they made you late for the ship-no one. I have read reviews by others on private social platforms and other sites, so carefully vetted. And before they whisk me away, I am going to confirm with them the time I want to be back, with plenty of buffer. Photocopies of our passports and the name of the ship's agent in port will be in our day bag. We shall see how it plays, but if I get stuck in Santorini, I may just have to stay-like forever lol.

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If I ever go to Santorini again that would be one place I would consider booking through the Cruiseline. Have you checked to see how many ships are in port that day?

 

[CarolynU]

I’ve done both. No problems being independent in Barbados, and Antigua for example but Jamaica would def be cruise line only excursion.
It’s really up to how confident or cautious you feel.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

If I ever go to Santorini again that would be one place I would consider booking through the Cruiseline. Have you checked to see how many ships are in port that day?

There are 5, with the Dream being the largest. We did consider DCL, but our service is half day, starts in the morning, and has given me assurance we will return with hours to spare. I am not sure I would book a full day here unless it was DCL. We will also walk down the steps if necessary, so we have a back up plan.

 

[DCLMP]

There are 5, with the Dream being the largest. We did consider DCL, but our service is half day, starts in the morning, and has given me assurance we will return with hours to spare. I am not sure I would book a full day here unless it was DCL. We will also walk down the steps if necessary, so we have a back up plan.

The line to go up was very very long at 10am. We had to walk up the hill to meet our guide. We would have missed our tour if we hadn’t. We were the only ship in port. It’s also a tender port and ship excursions get first priority. This was Royal. I’m guessing DCL gives priority to ship excursions. People that were on excursions went to a different dock and got on a bus.

Royal handed out tender tickets and went by numbers . Not sure how Disney does it. I think if you can be off super early. You’ll have better luck. It was my first time there. It was a replacement port we were supposed to be in Haifa. I wasn’t prepared at all.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

The line to go up was very very long at 10am. We had to walk up the hill to meet our guide. We would have missed our tour if we hadn’t. We were the only ship in port. It’s also a tender port and ship excursions get first priority. This was Royal. I’m guessing DCL gives priority to ship excursions. People that were on excursions went to a different dock and got on a bus.

Royal handed out tender tickets and went by numbers . Not sure how Disney does it. I think if you can be off super early. You’ll have better luck. It was my first time there. It was a replacement port we were supposed to be in Haifa. I wasn’t prepared at all.

I think Disney may do it the same way. Or from my research, it sounds like they do. My hope is to be off the ship by 9am? Not sure if possible. Our tour is private, so they will wait for us, I believe. If not they won't get paid. I won't do the donkeys, but I am prepared to walk up. Hopefully it all works out. Fingers crossed.. And very mindful of the long lines at the end of the day. We won't take any silly chances. Thank you for your personal experience and insight. Very helpful.

 

[DCLMP]

I think Disney may do it the same way. Or from my research, it sounds like they do. My hope is to be off the ship by 9am? Not sure if possible. Our tour is private, so they will wait for us, I believe. If not they won't get paid. I won't do the donkeys, but I am prepared to walk up. Hopefully it all works out. Fingers crossed.. And very mindful of the long lines at the end of the day. We won't take any silly chances. Thank you for your personal experience and insight. Very helpful.

The hikes not bad about 45 minutes. Less painful than the line was my thought.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

The hikes not bad about 45 minutes. Less painful than the line was my thought.

We will see what we are presented with when we hit the dock. 45 minutes isn't bad at all. Plan to take our time. Just the two of us. No mobility issues etc. The lines sound painful...

 

[Husker Mike]

I’ve done both. No problems being independent in Barbados, and Antigua for example but Jamaica would def be cruise line only excursion.
It’s really up to how confident or cautious you feel.

I get the concern about wandering out of the port in Jamaica and taking a cab to wherever, but what about an organized excursion such as "Resort for a Day" to hit up a beach and resort? Resort for a Day has an offering that's probably 1/3 the cost of DCL's resort option, and at what I think is a better resort anyway.

 

[CarolynU]

As I said I think it’s each persons confidence level. Some folks always want the security of booking with DCL no matter what the cost, some are like me just do some DCL and some independent and others are more than happy to always book independently.
Of course it’s also wise to check what the current safety information is for each port too.

 

[brentm77]

We will see what we are presented with when we hit the dock. 45 minutes isn't bad at all. Plan to take our time. Just the two of us. No mobility issues etc. The lines sound painful...

Santorini was one of the worst DCL tours we have taken, so I think it's smart going private as long as you don't mind dealing with the morning climb. The only benefit of DCL there is they tender you to a different dock, where you take a bus up, which makes the morning very easy. But they gave us so little time in Oia that we barely had time to stand in line for the restroom and the Greek lunch "with an ocean view" was pretty bad, and didn't have an ocean view unless you were on the street in front of the restaurant. So it's a tradeoff in my opinion - convenience versus a better tour with more time at the places you want. Have fun! That cruise was the best trip I have ever taken.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

Santorini was one of the worst DCL tours we have taken, so I think it's smart going private as long as you don't mind dealing with the morning climb. The only benefit of DCL there is they tender you to a different dock, where you take a bus up, which makes the morning very easy. But they gave us so little time in Oia that we barely had time to stand in line for the restroom and the Greek lunch "with an ocean view" was pretty bad, and didn't have an ocean view unless you were on the street in front of the restaurant. So it's a tradeoff in my opinion - convenience versus a better tour with more time at the places you want. Have fun! That cruise was the best trip I have ever taken.

Thanks for your input. I had read your previous review of your trip/tour in Santorini and that was part of my reasoning to go private. We have been waiting to take this trip for awhile-canceled twice for us due to the pandemic. In fact, I have booked all but one port as private. Truly not what I had intended to do, but after hearing about some of the experiences, I have researched and reviewed tours that interest me more. I really don't want to be rushed around. I am a photographer/hobbyist and I plan and want to take photos. That is not going to happen being rushed around. And if I want to stay and spend more time at a place than another, that won't happen on a DCL tour either. So, we may be in for a wait, or a walk to the top-taking photos all the way-lol, I think in the end I will be happier. It is a 4-5 hour tour in a port that we are in for 12 hours. The tour operator has assured me we will be back to Fira 3 hours before the last tender, even if we cut the tour short, and that is fine with me. That gives me more than enough time to walk down and depending on the lines, I may catch a break and ride. I think when I see the lines I will probably be shocked, but I have also set my expectations to see that line and have a back up plan depending on time. I am so excited for this cruise!

 

[DCLMP]

We did a five-hour private tour. I wished we had just taken a taxi to Oia and spent a few hours there and then maybe taken a taxi to a wine-tasting vineyard. I didn't find the island that interesting outside of Oia. I didn't feel like we had enough time there.