Excursions

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familygal

Guest
We are stopping in: St Martaan, St Thomas,Curacao and Aruba.

Do most people book excursions through the ship or do an adventure once you get off?

THe ones I have looked at are, Downtown Marigot and beach getaway in
St Martaan, Magens beach in St Thomas, Sea and See in Curacao and the Best of Aruba in Aruba.

I know it would be less expensive to go by taxi but will they take you to the places that an excursion bus would?

Any tips would be appreciated!
Familygal
 
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suer182

Guest
Some of the private tour companies will do the same tour.

If you want to just the beaches in St. T and St. m, you can do that on your own.

I dont know if you can do Sea and See in Curacao on your own. I would bet you could do the Aruba tour on your own.

I have done it both ways. With the ship and privately. IMO, booking with the ship, the extra few dollars is what I consider an insurance policy. If you do a tour on your own and the bus/van breaks down, traffic delays you might miss the ship. Where booking with the ship and that happens, they will wait for you.

If you do venture out on your, do it first thing in the morning to allow ample time to get back to the ship.
 
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Ted_D

Guest
I'm with Suer on this. Any new cruiser would be well advised to book their excursions through the cruise line. In addition to being assured that the ship will wait for you if the excursion is delayed, you also know that the cruise line has checked out the people, equipment, and itinerary of the shore excursions they sell. These factors are also part of the "insurance" that Suer mentioned. It is possible to duplicate almost all of the shore excursions either on your own or through a local tour agency at each port, and you will save about 10% on the cost. The risks, though, far outweigh the savings for all but very experienced travelers.

Ted
 
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familygal

Guest
Suer and Ted,

Thank you for the information. I now know that I will be booking the excursions through the ship. :thumb

I think I will book soon...When I book online through RRCL does it get billed to my credit card now or when we actually do it?

Sorry for all the questions!!!
Familygal
 
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suer182

Guest
Book the tours yesterday, they could sell out. Yes, they will charge your creidt card once you make the purchase. You should get a confirmation e-mail. Print that out and bring it with you. Your tickets should be in your cabin.
 
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Ted_D

Guest
And, even though you will be charged today for the excursions, they are fully refundable if cancelled, usually until 24 hours prior to the actual excursion.
 
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nucruzer

Guest
We did the Magen's Bay excursion through the cruise line, and we loved it. It wasn't that expensive, and it was nice to have the peace of mind that we would get back to the ship on time!!!
 
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spoheating

Guest
In St. Marten we seemed to spend and inordinate amount of time sitting in the cab waiting for goats on the road. Not kidding. Be sure to allow enough time returning to your ship for some very unique "rush hour" situations.
 
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