So, DW says "why did we waste a day shopping when we could have....."

[LAMPSKIES]

"........done another shore excursion?" We've been on 3 DCL cruises and shopped in all ports. (2-4 nighters, and 1 Eastern) Although nice for DD's to see Nassau, Freeport, St. Thomas, St. Maarteen etc. we took our first REAL shore excursion last cruise in St. Maarteen, The Golden Eagle Catamaran. It was AWSOME. Does anyone who has done multiple cruises think the same way we do. "All the market places are the same!" Yes, you may get some good duty free "deals" but you could get some quick shopping done after or before an excursion. Why spend all day walking in and out of shops that sell the same stuff? Did we just not go to the right places or are all the markets the same.......no matter what island you visit?? JMHO

 

[SeaSpray]

I agree with your wife!

We've only done 1 cruise so far, on Royal Caribbean, and we have a Disney cruise booked for this summer, the western caribbean. My feelings on shopping while on a cruise are similar to your wife's. Personally I don't go on a cruise to shop. LOL I mean, checking out the local crafts and shops is fine, but not a way to spend an entire day in port (in MY opinion). We're planning on one excursion per port, and then before or after those, we'll do some walking around, to see if anything catches our eye and to check out the local "flavor" of the island/port.

 

[bassoongirl]

LAMPSKIES,

I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the Golden Eagle Cataraman excursion so much! We are booked to do that excursion on our cruise in February. I am not much of a shopper, so an hour in each port will probably be plenty for me!

bassoongirl

 

[LAMPSKIES]

Bassoongirl..........We did the early excursion. (7:45 I think) It was AWSOME! We were back in time for the buffett on the ship, a quick shower and a short boat ride to the market. I should have done something similar in St. Thomas!!! Make sure you do the cable car in St. Thomas, the view is breathtaking. Every picture we got developed from the top of the mountain looks like a post card.

 

[KaitlinsMom]

I agree with your wife - On our last cruise, I had some excursions booked, while DH did not - He did not enjoy himself as much because the shopping gets mundane after awhile - I love checking out the local shops, but now all day - Next cruise, DH said he is definitely booking some excursions

 

[CRB#33]

I also agree with your wife!

I'm just having so much trouble picking which excursion to do!

Could you give me a little mini Golden Eagle Catarmaran excursion report, please? Or is it posted somewhere?

Thanks!

 

[prymsu]

I totally agree. This was my thought after our first cruise. We always have booked shore excursions since, or figured out things that we could book on our own, based on feedback and info I could gather ahead of time.

You live and learn! I guess the only way to get over that is to book another cruise right away!

 

[tigger53]

we went on the golden eagle this past summer and plan to do it again this coming summer, it was a lot of fun. we pulled up at a very beautiful cove to do some snorkling in crystle clear water, my daughter and i opted to just float lazily on a noodle while one of the ship's crew kept bringing us out rum punches in a floating cooler/bar. they provide an open bar, beer, champagne, and of course rum punch, to eat they had made sandwiches while we were off floating around. while going back to the magic everyone was singing and dancing and having a great time. when we got back to the ship we had lunch at parrot cay and then took a water taxie to the town to pick up some really cheap buys on liquior and my daughter always finds a very low price on a tropical dress to wear for the tropical night. st martins is the only place we shop at because of the incredibally low prices.

 

[LAMPSKIES]

Thanks for all the replies......looks like I had better start checking excursions for our next sailing!!