Does Anyone Not Do Excursions?

We are about to do another western Caribbean cruise, but on a different line. However, 3 of the 6 ports are duplicates from a fairly recent Celebrity cruise. As such, we are going to do some new excursions this round. I should note that we are not planning on doing any itineraries via the cruise line.

So to address your question, are they necessary? Nope. And you could probably get a much reduced massage at the onboard spa.
 
In Cozumel I go to the grocery store (usually MEGA) for rum and Mexican snacks, La Internacional Cervezaria for beers and hanging out with Jose then back to the boat for a quiet time before everybody else gets back. A perfect port day as far as I'm concerned.
Yup. Hit up Mega. It entertains me. Had lunch at Palmera’s. The in-laws wanted to have some drinks at Margaritaville on the pier so we did that. Sadly, best drinks we had all week. o_O
 
Interesting that you’re very specific about cruise line excursions. And I don’t think you’re wrong about some of them.

By contrast i was just in Vienna and the two excursions the firm booked for us were excellent. Well paced, informative and we never felt like we were rushing or lagging. I suppose that’s the advantage of not needing to get back to a departing cruise ship.
The excursions where you meet at a designated time/place on the ship. Sloooowly walk off with the group...I’ve never experienced one less than 40 or 50 people. Walk walk walk. Stop to wait for everyone to be together. Walk walk walk. Stop. Wait. Repeat. I just don’t have the patience for it. I prefer small groups or private charters. Big group tours irk me beginning to end.
 
The excursions where you meet at a designated time/place on the ship. Sloooowly walk off with the group...I’ve never experienced one less than 40 or 50 people. Walk walk walk. Stop to wait for everyone to be together. Walk walk walk. Stop. Wait. Repeat. I just don’t have the patience for it. I prefer small groups or private charters. Big group tours irk me beginning to end.


Interesting- whenever I have done cruise excursions (which I usually do bc i am absolutely paranoid) we might have a big group gather but then they are usually split into smaller groups with a guide, like for snorkeling or something. Just my limited experience
 


We do a mix depending on the port. Some ports are easy to get around on your own or they might have a lot to do near the port area. Others are more spread out or have activities I am less comfortable with doing without some type of guide or tour operator. Generally we avoid excursions though the cruise line though. Our next cruise has two ports and one we have a short private excursion booked and the other port we are planning on just doing some sightseeing on our own.
 
I do a mix. It's been a few years since I've cruised by in 2019 I'm taking two cruises, including my first Disney! We won't do any excursions on that one - BTDT since it's Bahamas.

My bigger issue right now is trying to pick excursions for my European cruise in August. The biggest port for me is Rome and I'm having trouble choosing - plus each excursion costs a small fortune. I am not comfortable exploring Rome on my own because of the large distance from the port to the actual city, plus the language barrier.
 


Interesting- whenever I have done cruise excursions (which I usually do bc i am absolutely paranoid) we might have a big group gather but then they are usually split into smaller groups with a guide, like for snorkeling or something. Just my limited experience

Several times we ended up split into smaller groups.....after we met for the excursion....waited a while...walked off the ship...waited while the splitting took place....waited for our smaller group leader to take us where we needed to go. All the waiting. When it’s something I’ve booked for just us we know where to meet off the ship. We get ready to go, walk off the ship, meet our tour guide at the designated time/place, and off we go. That’s it.
 
It depends on the port and what they offer. If the area is nice and safe (like Key West, Grand Cayman), or is right on a beach (cruise lines private islands) then we won't do an excursion and just venture on our own or we will use a cab to get where we want to go.

If it's a place than is a little bit less safe (like Nassau, Jamaica, Mexico...) We will do an excursion.

But I would encourage you to get out of the port as much as possible. I find that each caribbean island are special and have good things to offer.
 
Like Sweetpee_1993 my family is not big on organized excursions via the ship. We prefer to book small, local excursions if we want something like that. I love the research part of the vacation so I always try to find things to do that will appeal to my whole family (we travel as 3 generations currently) and things that don't cost a fortune. The Ports of Call section on cruise critic offers loads of ideas and is a really great jumping off point.
 
My bigger issue right now is trying to pick excursions for my European cruise in August. The biggest port for me is Rome and I'm having trouble choosing - plus each excursion costs a small fortune. I am not comfortable exploring Rome on my own because of the large distance from the port to the actual city, plus the language barrier.

When we did Rome we used http://shareashoreexcursion.com. They were great and we were able to do everything we wanted in Rome. I think we coordinated with our roll call (on Cruise Critic) to find other people we shared the tour with. It was really great and I would definitely use them again.

We ALWAYS do excursions. For us, that's why we cruise - to see new places. But we know many people who just stay on the ship in port too. Nothing wrong with that either.
 
We are going to stopping at Labadee and Falmouth. I can't say I'm the most excited because I have it in my head both of these places are dirty and don't have the best beaches or excursions. Can someone tell me I don't know what I'm talking about. I haven't been to either (my sweet husband wanted this itinerary and I'm trying to be nice)

Can anyone recommend any good excursions at either one of these ports? I'll have two teenage boys so watersports or adventurous excursions will be best.
Labadee is our favorite port! We rented an over the water cabana on Nellies beach. Mom and grandparents hung out and snorkeled/swam while me and the boys ran back and forth to the Mountain Coaster in between swimming and snorkeling. My boys still insist (three cruises later) this was one of our best days on a cruise!
 
Sorry if I'm repeating, but if you don't book excursions, I would at least research the ports and familiarize yourself with what's nearby, modes of transportation, safety, etc. For instance, in Nassau, there's some points of interest near the port that are in walking distance. But in Freeport, there's nothing (to my knowledge) that's walkable. You even really need a car just to get out of the port/shipping yard there! I think the biggest mistake people can make is walking off the ship and wandering aimlessly knowing nothing about the port - that works in some ports, but not every port is set up for tourists. And the ones that are often are tourist traps with souvenirs and higher prices. Without doing some research or booking something, you could miss out on the biggest attractions in that area, if that's important to you.
 
Agreed - and I will add, be aware of the type of self-excursion you plan. For me, I wouldn't consider flight-seeing in Alaska except through the cruise line - I need the reassurance of being taken care of even if I'm stuck an hour's flight away. (Yes, I know the private excursions offer that, but in my mind, it's not quite the same thing. If I'm with the ship's excursion, they'll hold the boat if at all possible. If I'm not, then I'm definitely hotelling it and hoping the next day isn't a sea day that I'm missing.) However, for Halifax,we chose to rent a car and explore on our own - knowing that with AAA, even if the car died, we could make it back before all aboard time. Everyone's risk level is different, just be sure you're taking that into account when deciding.

Sorry if I'm repeating, but if you don't book excursions, I would at least research the ports and familiarize yourself with what's nearby, modes of transportation, safety, etc. For instance, in Nassau, there's some points of interest near the port that are in walking distance. But in Freeport, there's nothing (to my knowledge) that's walkable. You even really need a car just to get out of the port/shipping yard there! I think the biggest mistake people can make is walking off the ship and wandering aimlessly knowing nothing about the port - that works in some ports, but not every port is set up for tourists. And the ones that are often are tourist traps with souvenirs and higher prices. Without doing some research or booking something, you could miss out on the biggest attractions in that area, if that's important to you.
 
We are going to stopping at Labadee and Falmouth. I can't say I'm the most excited because I have it in my head both of these places are dirty and don't have the best beaches or excursions. Can someone tell me I don't know what I'm talking about. I haven't been to either (my sweet husband wanted this itinerary and I'm trying to be nice)

Can anyone recommend any good excursions at either one of these ports? I'll have two teenage boys so watersports or adventurous excursions will be best.

Labadee is absolutely gorgeous. We've just booked another cruise and the main requirement for everyone in our family is that it went to Labadee. You don't need an excursion there. Relaxing on Nellie's beach is terrific. The water is amazing. If you want to do something a little adventurous, maybe the zipline.

Look for a private excursion to Blue Hole - my DH and I did it. Breathakingly beautiful and fun - less crowded than Dunn's and better.

We also did the Blue Hole and added to it River Tubing. The only negative about the Blue Hole is that it wasn't long enough. It was such a fantastic experience that we would have loved to have spent more time there. The river tubing was terrific too. We booked through Marvyn's Paradise Tours. They had been recommended to us and we would definitely book with them if we go to Falmouth again.
 
Labadee is absolutely gorgeous. We've just booked another cruise and the main requirement for everyone in our family is that it went to Labadee. You don't need an excursion there. Relaxing on Nellie's beach is terrific. The water is amazing. If you want to do something a little adventurous, maybe the zipline.
.
Labadee is our favorite port! We rented an over the water cabana on Nellies beach. Mom and grandparents hung out and snorkeled/swam while me and the boys ran back and forth to the Mountain Coaster in between swimming and snorkeling. My boys still insist (three cruises later) this was one of our best days on a cruise!

Thank you both for the input, I am starting to feel much better about Labadee! I think a cabana at Nellie's sounds terrific, I also saw an excursion where a boat will take you to a small private island where you can swim, snorkel and just hang out for a few hours. I may have to look into that too. Thanks again!
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top