Help With Eastern Caribbean Shore Excursions???

M

minniemouse

Guest
:wave Please can you help???We are sailing on "Radiance of the Seas" on March 3rd and are going to San Juan, Antigua, St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Nassau. Our friends absolutely do not want to book any excursions from the ship. (they think they are over priced and crowded). I am all for booking privately, but I want to make sure that we are booking with a reputable tour guide. (I'm not adventurous enough to just grab someone off the pier)! Our friends would like to see the Islands, and especially the beaches and snorkeling. I too would like to snorkel, but also want to see some of the history and local flavour of the islands. Does anyone have any suggestions for us? We have cruised before, but our friends have not. I really want them to have a good time, which is why booking good tours is so important. Thank you everyone. These forums are so helpful and it's nice to hear from actual fellow cruisers.

cheers,
Minnie.
 
G

Granduer Sailer

Guest
Some people on here might think differently but i think u should try to convince them to book with the ship. The people on the ship are the only ones that i trust. They are a little more expensive but i have never felt over crowded. This way, also, you know that you will be back to the ship in time. It is alot less stressful.

By the way, Welcome to the Boards :wave
 
E

Einstein

Guest


San Juan

A nice City Tour with a stop at the fort would be HIGH on the list.

Antigua

Here is an excerpt from the Antigua Board.

http://www2.cruise-addicts.com/forums/read.php?79,1166230

A taxi tour with Randolpgh to Shirley Heights and a stop at Long Bay would be MY recommendation. :thumb

St. Maarten

I would recommend the Golden Eagle catamatran excursion as it is VERY good. A 2nd alternative and popular one would be to go to Orient beach for the day. Do NOT forget that the BEST shopping and prices will be found on St,. Maarten so do take some time for this also.

St. Thomas

Id beaches and snorkeling are your game then visiting St. Johns via the Red Hook ferry is a MUST. Go over and either go to Trunk Bay or Cinnamon Bay as they are both VERY nice beaches. The National Park area also puts on a nice tour if that is to your liking.

Nassau

Well either the Straw Market or Atlantis seems to be at top of EVERYONES list at this stop.

There may be some MORE tips for U on the Port of Call forums at the link below. Enjoy!!! :thumb

http://www.cruise-addicts.com/forums/index.php?17

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H

Hooked

Guest
Hummm... I agree with Einstein. On St Martin.

"I would recommend the Golden Eagle catamatran excursion as it is VERY good. A 2nd alternative and popular one would be to go to Orient beach for the day"

The Golden Eagle is a little pricey but it is the teh best Catamaran Excursion we ever took, the snorkeling isn't great but everything else is. It is a ship sponsored excursion but it's the greatest.

We were on the Radiance last November this time in St. Martin we went to Orient Beach (just grabbbed a taxi) it was one of the nicest beaches we have eerv been on.

Here I go again. In St. Thomas we did as Einstein suggested a couple of years ago and had a great time. In November we took a ship catamaran Excursion to Buck Island. It was some of the best snorkeling we have ever done and the Unlimited Pum Runch was great.
E don't for get about. New Horizons we did a couple of years ago.
New Horizons

San Juan we walked around Old San Juan and the Fort it was a nice afternoon. Than stopped at Senor Frogs and won a beer drinking contest and had a couple of yard long Margeeritas. uggghhhhh...

There is a lot to do on the islands, both ship and non shop excursions and jsut grab a cab. Always plan on getting back to the ship on time if you are on your own.
 
W

Wuollebear

Guest
I don't have any suggestions for you other than above but just thought I'd throw in my 2 cents about booking through the ship. We have always booked through the cruise line and don't find it much more expensive at all, maybe a few bucks and I'm sure that also depends on the tour. However...by booking through the ship you are buying insurance. If the bus/cab/car/boat breaks down on the way back the ship will not leave without you. If you book privately and you are not back on time give a big wave goodbye from shore. Getting yourself to the next port at your expense is going to cost you a LOT more than a few bucks per tour in the long run.
 
M

minniemouse

Guest
:king WOW!

You gave me lots of suggestions. Thank you so much!

Minnie
 
M

minniemouse

Guest
Thank you as well. More great suggestions. It's nice to ask fellow cruisers as I trust your opinions.

Minnie: daisy
 
M

minniemouse

Guest
:wave Yes, I agree with you. I've always booked with the ship, but thought we would try something new. I think we will end up doing a little of both (booking some with the ship, and venturing out on our own in some ports). Thanks for your input.

Minnie
 
T

TravlGrl

Guest
Hi there, we just returned from the Eastern Caribbean on Jewel of the Seas, with the same ports of call you listed. We purchased all of our shore excursions from the ship, and NONE were overcrowded. In fact, they will stop adding people to the tour at a certain point. This is the only way to have true peace of mind that you are GUARANTEED to make it back in time for your ship to depart.

Plus, because they are guaranteed by the ship, if you have any problem at all with the tour, the ship will work with you to resolve it so you don't have to work directly with the tour operator for resolution outside of the U.S. This happened to us in St. Maarten where we signed up for a full-day tour, but were only given 2/3 of what we paid for. All 11 of us on the tour complained when we got back on the ship, and we all received a 50% refund within 3 days (while still on-board) from Royal Caribbean. Give your friends that example and that may convince them to book a GUARANTEED excursion from the ship.

In San Juan, I recommend just walking on your own through Old Town and up to the Fort. No need for a cab or to pay for an excursion.

In St. Maarten, recommendation is a tour to Orient Beach (clothing optional). We didn't do this tour, but it's supposed to be the best spot on St. Maarten. If Pinel Island's boat are operating, do the snorkeling there. If the boat operators at Pinel Island are still on strike, DO NOT sign up for this tour because the alternative location (Dawn Beach at Oyster Bay) is subpar for snorkeling.

In St. Thomas, recommendation is a tour to Magen's Bay, one of the top beaches of the world. Beautiful water and sand there. Beach lounge chairs cost $6 each to rent.

In Antigua, recommendation is a snorkel trip to Cades Reef. Beautiful scenery on the boat ride that goes 11 miles up the coast of Antigua.

In Nassau, recommendation is a Stingray Adventure or Atlantis trip. We swam with the stingrays, and had a blast, but next time around will visit Atlantis.

You'll have a blast no matter where you choose to go, but I highly recommend booking direct from the ship.

tj
 
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