Sailing December 11: Need Shore Excursion Advice

[cruisenewbie2004]

We sail on our first 7 day Magic cruise on 12/11. Our documents have arrived and we want to book two shore excursions:

Butterfly farm/island tour (St Maartin)
Coral Word/Beach (St Thomas)

My husband wonders if it is better/safer/easier to book through Disney or if we can simply get off the boat, grab a cab and be reasonably sure we won't get ripped off/miss the boat and do these on our own (with two children under 6). He thinks there is probably a tourist kiosk on the dock and you can just go and select something right then, instead of booking ahead of time (and possibly spending a lot more money).

Anyone do these particular excursions on their own??

 

[RebeccaLovesDisney]

I haven't been to those specific locations on the islands, but I do know at both ports, both in St. Maarten and St. Thomas, cabs are readily available to take you wherever you want to go. Both the Butterfly Farm and Coral World are pretty popular destinations so there will probably be several people waiting to go along. Just be aware of when the ship leaves (esp on St Thomas since it leaves early) and grab a cab back. You can arrange with the cab driver who drops you off to pick you up later in the day.

 

[erikthewise]

Coral World is a good one to do on your own. It's just a standard tourist destination and there's not much DCL can do extra for you except arrange transportation. I agree with "take a cab" but don't push your luck -- plan to return at least 90 min before departure time. That way if your cab doesn't show you won't have to panic.

 

[cruisenewbie2004]

when i picked up my docs today, the TA recommend using a company called Shore Excursions (our of Wisconsin) which she has used successfully many times in the past. since my group is around 10, she said they can arrange private tours working directly with the island firm. she advised us to not do the Disney tours because she said they were overpriced and they herded you like cattle.

 

[DOOGIERUNNER]

We chartered our own powerboat for a day in St. Martin in the summer of 2003. It was wonderful. Our kids were 8 and 10 at the time and loved it. The captain and skipper were excellent hosts and will tailor the day to your tastes.

Visit www.offshoresunsations.com and click on testimonials. We have pictures of the cruise ships in the background.