Excursions on our own fear.

[dskib]

So I keep thinking I'd like to just hop into a taxi and hit a beach somewhere on whichever port.

I have this fear of not being able to get a taxi back!! How do you all deal with getting back to the ship?

Thanks.

 

[mevelandry]

You can do it but an excursion with the cruise line is always the safest way to get back to the ship on time.

 

[bumbershoot]

I would research the ports thoroughly. Cruisecritic's message board a have a good Ports of Call subforum with tons of info. Look at the excursions people took. Look at map shows of the areas you're going to.

Not sure where you're going but here are a few of my own thoughts...

In grand cayman if hitting a beach on the 7 mile beach, I'd grab a cab. If going across the island I wouldn't.

On Sint Maarten if just going to the Philipsburg area no excursion needed. If going to St Martin, the French side, I'm still not 100% cool with a cab, but I didn't care for our much touted and loved indepdent tour guide company either (we are one of, like, 3 families who didn't like the tour vs 1000s or even more families who love them, so do NOT take my opinion to heart), so I'm at a loss there.

If I'm St Thomas I would take a cab (big open air bus type things with no seatbelts whatsoever) to a beach. Excursions take you to the same place for more expensive.

You need to know the territory, if cabs are easy, if you're going to a touristy place, etc. Research will give that info.



Oh! If you're going it on your own, make sure someone in your party is wearing a real watch. Not one that pings a satellite and might change to local time. But a good, waterproof, watch. Make sure that's on ship time. Bring the page from the Navigator with you that tells you what time to be onboard. Be onboard at least an hour before that.

That page should also tell you how to contact the port agent if something goes awry.

Reverse engineer your day starting from
when you're getting back onboard. Add in time for each transition. Start your day early. And keep track of that time.


If you're going to Maho Beach in St Martin, know that there's an afternoon traffic jam and a bridge. Make sure you have time for that.

 

[LSUfan4444]

How do you all deal with getting back to the ship?

If you request a nearby popular beach it will be much easier to find a cab back than if you request a far away secluded beach. I'd suggest finding what beach you want to go to before your cruise based on things like location, amenities and availability of transportation.

 

[GPaLarry]

On our first DCL cruise through the Panama Canal we were held up for 45 minutes leaving port in Acapulco because a DCL excursion bus had a flat tire.
We always book DCL excursions because our adventures off ship are usually very long (i.e. last Sept. Med cruise) and usually come within 30 minutes of departure time. A number of people successfully book their own non-DCL adventures on line before their cruise. They make sure that both ends of their on-shore event is covered time-wise and have a great time. You certainly don't want to be that guy on YouTube running to the dock as the Magic/Dream/Fantasy/Wonder shoves off. Good luck and happy sailing with the mouse.

 

[bumbershoot]

On our first DCL cruise through the Panama Canal we were held up for 45 minutes leaving port in Acapulco because a DCL excursion bus had a flat tire.

If it was going to take 2 hours and 45 minutes, though, they might not have held it. Port fees are expensive. But they would then get the passengers to the ship somehow.

Don't expect they will always hold the ship. You still might miss the ship, but it won't be your dime and effort getting you back to it.

 

[Barbydoll8]

I planned my own excursions on Grand Cayman with the help of tripadvisor. I also planned to leave to come back to the port at least 1 hour prior to all aboard (I actually was 2 hours before but).
It depends on where you go and what you want to do. Most excursions out there will list the estimated time to enjoy the experience or times of availability. If those times are close to an hour before all aboard, I personally wouldn't do them.
If it's through a private tour, I've had good luck with the companies I booked through knowing when I needed to be back and scheduling transportation back in plenty of time.
It's really about over educating yourself on what's available (cruise critic & tripadvisor) and then understanding your time constraints.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I've always done non-DCL excursions and never had an issue getting back to the ship in time, but I also plan on lots of cushion. If the all aboard time is 4:00, I plan to be back to the ship no later than 3:00.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

If it was going to take 2 hours and 45 minutes, though, they might not have held it. Port fees are expensive. But they would then get the passengers to the ship somehow.

Don't expect they will always hold the ship. You still might miss the ship, but it won't be your dime and effort getting you back to it.

There was an issue with the Magic when it was in Europe last year or the year before. I can't remember. A DCL excursion bus was stuck in traffic and couldn't make it to the port in time. The ship waited for as long as it could, but it had to sail before the tide went out. DCL made arrangements for all the passengers to meet up with the ship the next day, but it was a less than magical (pun intended) experience for those that missed the ship.

 

[taggie4]

We used taxis on our own in St Thomas and Tortola. Truth is these are poor countries and the taxis were asking when they could return to pick us up. I would not worry about getting back to the ship on your own.

 

[MUN]

So I keep thinking I'd like to just hop into a taxi and hit a beach somewhere on whichever port.

I have this fear of not being able to get a taxi back!! How do you all deal with getting back to the ship?

Thanks.

Where are you going?

 

[GPaLarry]

If it was going to take 2 hours and 45 minutes, though, they might not have held it. Port fees are expensive. But they would then get the passengers to the ship somehow.

Don't expect they will always hold the ship. You still might miss the ship, but it won't be your dime and effort getting you back to it.

You are right. We were told that DCL paid nearly $450,000 to cross through the Panama Canal and they had to be in the queue on time. When the bus finally arrived at port, the folks ran like crazy into the ship, the gangplank was pulled inside ASAP and the captain, if possible, would have laid rubber to get out of there. They probably do have a buffer amount of time, but there has to be a "drop dead" time as well.

 

[MUN]

We used taxis on our own in St Thomas and Tortola. Truth is these are poor countries and the taxis were asking when they could return to pick us up. I would not worry about getting back to the ship on your own.

St. Thomas is part of the United States of America and Tortola is part of the United Kingdom. These are not poor countries. Otherwise, I agree with your point that taxis in St. Thomas and Tortola are plentiful. At Magen's Beach in St. Thomas, taxis are lined up in the parking lot waiting to take people back to the ships.

 

[nh3223]

Three of the four ports on our recent cruise we did non-DCL excursions. For two of them, we went out early in the morning and finished up the excursion by early afternoon and then just explored on foot around the port area after eating lunch on board, so no worries (although would never have been a problem in Aruba with an all aboard time of 1:30am). In Tortola, we did Virgin Gorda/the Baths on our own and, with an early all aboard time of 2:45 made it a point to get the 11:30 ferry back from Virgin Gorda just in case there was a problem with the 12:40 ferry or in case it was full, since the next one was not until 3:00pm. Just need to plan ahead.

With respect to taxis, if you are near any touristy beaches, you should have no problem finding one. If you are not, you can try to make arrangements in advance with your original driver or with your tour provider. On Curacao, we went paddleboarding a bit off the beaten path and the operator arranged taxi service to and from the port for us.

 

[AquaDame]

We used taxis on our own in St Thomas and Tortola. Truth is these are poor countries and the taxis were asking when they could return to pick us up. I would not worry about getting back to the ship on your own.

Same - for every port we have taken a taxi on our own at they have been very interested in coming back to pick us up. They've never been late either - not that would have been a problem. There have always been tons of taxis at the tourist beaches waiting to give rides. We do always plan to get back to the ship with a couple hours to spare though, just in case, because I am a worrier.

 

[Charlies_Mommy]

We are new cruisers on DCL (this December), but have been on RCL, Princess, and Celebrity. We never do the ship excursions. We find them to be way more expensive not to mention jammed full of people. I would guess we have done between 10-12 private excursions. In only one case did I really fear we would miss the boat and that was a very unique situation.

In one example of the difference we saw-in Grand Cayman-we booked a private stingray tour. We ahd about 15 people on our boat, amazing one-on-one time with the driver, and spent tons of time in the water. Had homemade salsa and mixed drinks on peaceful sail home. Then, even went to an open air market with the driver after and meet some of his island friends. Versus the RCL MASSIVE group that pulled in next to us an hour after we had been in the water. I swear, it looked like a heard of cows.

With that said, since we are now traveling with a child, I am considering a boat sponsored excursion this time. But I can't say I am happy about it!

 

[joycsk]

The issue with doing excursions on your own is that you MUST spend time doing your own research. You've received excellent tips. Been on 5 cruises so far. Done only one DCL excursion and HATED it. I have found that by using tripadvisor and similar sites, I can plan out the exact day I want. Plus, I get to avoid the HUGE DCL crowds. Nearly all DCL excursions are huge. (Yes, I Know there are exceptions.) I prefer to do things my way. As long as you put the time in up front, you will have No issues doing what you want to. If you are traveling to major beaches, there is never any trouble finding a cab to bring you back to port. There are many wonderful, local, tour companies that will eagerly arrange activities for you. Just be smart. If traveling to Cancun and deciding you want to travel from the island to mainland Mexico for a 9 hour excursion, book that through Disney, the chances of something going wrong there are high. If you just want to tour the highlights of any island, have no fear, just do your research.

 

[aggiedog]

+1 for joycsk. We've done 2 DCL excursions and did not love them. Our DIY ones have always been so much better. Smaller, much more personalized, and either cheaper or the same cost for more value (IMHO.) Definitely use TripAdvisor and Cruisecritic - lots of good info and BTDT experience.

We always plan to be back 1 hour before last call. For a marathon excursion, I'd either skip it, or go with a DCL one, since the farther afield you go, the higher the risk of unexpected events.

 

[cruiser21]

So I keep thinking I'd like to just hop into a taxi and hit a beach somewhere on whichever port.

I have this fear of not being able to get a taxi back!! How do you all deal with getting back to the ship?

Thanks.

I've done 20+ cruises and I've never taken a ship excursion. One thing I've never worried about is getting a taxi. There will taxi's lined up and fighting for your business. I've negotiated some great deals with taxi drivers. In Naples I had a taxi driver wait for us for 3 hours while we toured Pompeii. For the most part these are poor Islands and they will do just about anything to earn money. What cruise are you going on? If you tell me the ports I can tell you what to do.

 

[cruiser21]

St. Thomas is part of the United States of America and Tortola is part of the United Kingdom. These are not poor countries. Otherwise, I agree with your point that taxis in St. Thomas and Tortola are plentiful. At Magen's Beach in St. Thomas, taxis are lined up in the parking lot waiting to take people back to the ships.

The median income for a family in St Thomas is 28,000. I'm guessing there's a percentage of very rich people there, and not much of a middle class.