Eastern Caribbean-do it yourself shore excusions?

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Sandy0815

Guest
Hi there,

We're going to the eastern Caribbean with Carnival Victory on 05/13/07. Anybody of you too?
Has anybody of you ever planned a shore excursion by yourself?The offered excursions are very expensive so we are not sure whether to choose one of them or to plan an excursion by our own. We read that the criminality rate in the Caribbean is very high.... so we're not sure if it's that clever to walk around alone...?

Any suggestions?
Thank you
 
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kcookejr

Guest
We did one like that on the Inspiration last week in Grand Cayman. I was a little nervous that we wouldn't make our tender boat in time, but the leader of the shore excursion knew all of the times that the ships were leaving, so it was nothing to worry about. I would suggest researching what you would want to do at your port, and you can check here and TripAdvisor for how folks felt about the independent shore excursions. Unless you are just going shopping by yourself, which would be no problem since most tour groups are doing that as well.
 
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Gayle V

Guest
Hello Sandy, Tell us which islands you will be stopping at, and perhaps we'll be able to suggest some things to do on your own.

Most Eastern Caribbean island are pretty safe places. St. Thomas, for example has lots of stuff you can do on your own, and feel very safe. Just plan to arrive back at the ship with lots of time to spare.

Last year, we spent our stop in St. Thomas by catching a taxi over to Coral World. We just paid at the door, and spent the morning there. Then we walked directly next door to Coki Beach and spent the afternoon lazing on the sand, swimming and snorkling.

There are lots of taxis always available right there, so hopped in one for a ride back to the ship. Arrived with an hour to spare, so shopped around Havensight Mall for a while. (that is directly at the pier where the ships usually dock.)

If you are early risers, you can very easily take a ride up the tram to Paradise Point, to get a beautiful view of the island, before you move on to the rest of the day.

Lots of other things to do there.
 
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Sandy0815

Guest
Thank you very much for your answers.
We are going to stop at San Juan, St. Maarten and St. Thomas.
Or maybe you know a cheap alternative supplier offering excursions?
 
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kcookejr

Guest
In San Juan, we just took a cab to one of the larger casinos after we did a Historical Tour over there. You might want to look up Grey Line (maybe it's GRAY Line) Tours and see if they offer alternatives over in San Juan. They are reputable and not too expensive.

In St. Thomas, we did a snorkeling tour with the cruise ship, but then we went over and shopped the rest of the time, which was fun.
 
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Gayle V

Guest
Hi Sandy, We've done tours with the ship, on our own and through another supplier. All have worked well so far.

Considering those three ports, I would have no problem going it on our own in either St. Thomas or St. Maarten.

In St. Thomas, taxis can get you to most beaches. They will take you on tours if you wish. It’s an easy place to get arround.

San Juan, is probably not bad either during the day, but I'd be just a little leery of being out on the streets at night. Read the short thread on the Carnival page to see what I had to say about San Juan.

Thread about what to do in San Juan .

On our cruise last week we used Shore Trips to book the RhinoRiders in St. Maarten. It all went very well. I would forewarn you that the trafffic in St. Maarten was absolutely terrible. Do give yourself a lot of spare time to get back to the ship.

Shore Trips
 
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kml2000

Guest
There are many private tour companies that have good reviews you can look into for tours. These tours are usually much cheaper than the ship excurions and you certainly get better service (less people). I have booked No Rush Tours in St Maarten and he runs between $30 and $45 depending on how many people are on the tour. Keep researching and you can find much less expensive options.
 
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