Shore Excursion Questions for veteran cruisers

[amy1007]

This question is for those of you who have been on several Disney cruises. All of the shore excursions sound fabulous, but seem a bit pricey. We are a family of four, so the total tab adds up quickly. Have any of you ever tried to do some of these exursions "on your own?" Is it possible to get your own taxi, travel to the same excursion sites, and buy your own admission then? If you tried to do it own your own, is there enough of a savings to make it worth the extra trouble of doing so? I would welcome comments from those of you who have been there before me! thanks

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

There's no doubt you can save money by doing it yourself. But beyond that, you avoid being herded, you avoid the "hurry up and wait" syndrome that goes with being herded, and you can visit beautiful places without being there only while it's crowded.

But if you want to do something popular like the Atlantis Submarine or the Golden Eagle Catamaran, you'd probably be better off booking the excursion... the ship's tend to have priority times available and individuals only get what's left over.

Excursions serve a dual purpose... they make it really easy for folks who want to see the sights but are intimidated by trying to figure out who/what/when/where/how in a place where they've never been before.

But if you do your homework and are up for a little adventure, you're bound to save money and have a great time.

 

[inkkognito]

We have done organized excursions and have also experimented on our own. We discovered that most ports have a tourism office within walking distance of the docks--what a great resource! They often have information on the same excursions offered by the cruise lines. That's how we got to do the horseback riding at St. Thomas. The Disney excursion was sold out, but we booked it through the tourism office and ended up on the exact same ride as the Disney people! We have also booked things that are not offered by the cruise line (for example, horseback riding on the Dutch side of St. Maarten and in Nassau). For a first time cruiser, I would recommend the "official" tours, but for repeaters or those with adventurous spirits, you can find some great stuff to do on your own.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[Señor Ferrari]

We always create our own excursions. It's surprisingly easy to do, and you can work on your own schedule. That's nice if you had a bit too much fun at the Caribbean party on Tuesday night and don't feel like getting up for the 8:00am excursion on St. Thomas on Wednesday (to give a random example). You can also change your mind mid-stream and do something else.

Other than these boards, a great resource for us has been Frommer's Caribbean Ports of Call. This book has a quick description of most every cruise ship port in the region, with good suggestions for things to do for different interests. It has contact information for various tour companies, too. This was especially helpful when the ship was re-routed due to a hurricane in the fall of 2000. I packed the book, and was able to use it to figure out something to do in Key West.