Shore Excurtions

[Jason's Storm]

I am going on a cruise in May, I got the cruise, the airfares and the pre-cruise hotel, what's next THE SHORE EXCURTIONS!!! ;) The ship hits St. Thomas, St. Martin, and Freeport Bahamas, before disembarking. Where should I go for the excurtions, the cruise line (RCCL), or should I look for myself (and where). I am looking on where to look. Thanks :D

~JS

[Annette]

There are several factors to keep in mind when choosing shore excursions, not the least of which is what happens if your excursion is running late and you don't make it back to the ship on time. If you've booked your excursion through the cruise line then they know where you and and why you're not on the ship - if you've booked it independently then the only thing the ship knows is that you're not onboard. Are they going to hold the ship for you in that case? Who knows, but probably not.

[Arkstfan]

As Annette said, if you book 3rd party leave AMPLE time between when the excursion is supposed to end and when the ship is supposed to leave.

When we went to Alaska, we used a 3rd party whale watching excursion in Juneau that was drawing raves from posters at Cruisecritic.com and we totally loved it. We were on a smaller faster boat than our ship mates who booked through the cruise line. Our boat held around 12 or 15. They were on what looked like a giant multi-deck houseboat and most of the people were stuck viewing from behind glass. We got a great experience and did it for less money.

We used a ship booking for an excursion in Ketchikan and really enjoyed it.

A little investigation goes a long way. It's not unusual to be able to book the same excursion as your shipmates for a discount by booking directly with the provider. Now you might have to get on the excursion at another location near the ship while they are picked up at the ship but to everything there is a price.

[Ned]

Originally posted by Arkstfan@Feb 15 2006, 08:25 PM
As Annette said, if you book 3rd party leave AMPLE time between when the excursion is supposed to end and when the ship is supposed to leave.

When we went to Alaska, we used a 3rd party whale watching excursion in Juneau that was drawing raves from posters at Cruisecritic.com and we totally loved it...

A little investigation goes a long way. It's not unusual to be able to book the same excursion as your shipmates for a discount by booking directly with the provider. Now you might have to get on the excursion at another location near the ship while they are picked up at the ship but to everything there is a price.
20368

I agree completely with Arkstfan.

You have to make sure you're going to get back in time as the ship will leave without you when you book through a 3rd party. A number of years ago we were in Alaska. In Juneau an extended family of 10 missed the ship because their tour got to the dock 15 minutes late. They were fortunate to have enough money to book a speedy boat and catch up to us about 45 minutes later and our ship was kind enough to slow down to let them catch up and get aboard. I'm told that getting the ship to do that rarely happens. On a cruise in the Med we took, about 20 people had to fly from Rome to Athens to meet the cruise after they missed the sailing from Rome. In Skagway, we booked the train from the ship. It's a good thing we did. The train got back 20 minutes after the ship was to sail. It finally sailed 5 minutes after the last of us got aboard after the train trip.

Before you book a 3rd party trip, make sure you know exactly what the cruise line's excursion parameters are and what its price is. Then you can properly compare it to third party excursions. We've often booked from the cruise line because the price was close to the 3rd party excursion and the cruise line will definitely make good if the excursion is cancelled for some reason (weather cancelled a flight in Denali), and it is easier, or when time is tight. We've also often booked 3rd party excursions when time was no problem and the price was considerably less expensive.

My caveat is, you can't afford to miss the ship sailing. Third party excursions don't discount enough for that.

Enjoy your cruise and the excursions. Let us know how you make out.

[silver cloud]

Book thru the cruise line. You might save a few bucks through a 3rd party but is it worth it? Not to me.

[lgalletta]

There are several reputable companies that offer shore excursions. My personal favorite is ShoreTrips. They do book direct to consumers, or have your travel agent do it for you. The cost is the same. Shore Trips has never left a passenger behind. It has contact info for all ship bridges if there were a close call. They also have insurance, if the boat leaves while you are with them, they pay to get you to the ship. This does not work if you leave them and decide to go shopping and you miss the boat.
The best part about it is that you are not part of the mass of people who need to be collected, loaded, unloaded and such. Or worse, have your excursion canceled by the cruise line because of lack of participation.
The groups are generally smaller, longer, more personalized, and less expensive. They may also offer groups not offered by the ship. Your other option is to go out on your own hiring a local as you get off the ship. Your travel agent can help you to understand the benefits and risks of doing so depending upon your destination. This is a big money saver, and can often be a more authentic experience.

ShoreTrips has been fantastic with any issues. They refund my clients money when ports of calls are changed before the client even gets home. They have asked my assistance to contact a client on a cruise ship to find out if they could offer the client a longer excursion for the same price.

Laurie Galletta Go Travel NH

[Arizona Road Warrior]

The biggest advantage that excursions from third-parties offered is that they have less people to manage, transport and etc. The biggest advantage that the excursions offered by the cruise line is if the excursions is running late, they will hold the ship for you. Usually, the excursions from third-parties cost less than the ones offered by the cruise line.

Personally, we usually book the excursions from the cruise line so that we can have the peace of mind knowing that the ship won't leave without us.

[blakej]

[quote]
There are several reputable companies that offer shore excursions. My personal favorite is ShoreTrips. They do book direct to consumers, or have your travel agent do it for you.


I have never heard of "Shoretrips", could you tell me their web site or how to contact them? are they all over the world or just in the Carribean ? :)

[bigboy]

Other points to consider are whether the shore excursion operator is adequately insured and has a good safety record. Cruise Lines will check this out before they agree to use a particular operator as a shore excursion operator. If you purchase a shore excursion from someone other than the cruise line, you don't know if your bus, van, boat, helicopter is really safe.

[bodega]

Jason, last year we sailed on RCCL to the same ports and I researched the shore excursions prior to making our choices. We did all our excursions with the cruise line. I was actually surprised to see that the prices were often lower than what I could get elsewhere. I did find that parasailing was often lower elsewhere than what the cruise line offered. In St. Thomas we went snokeling at Trunk's Bay on St John that was the highlight of the entire trip. A couple that we met and have become friends with, made their own arrangements and almost missed the ship due to the horrible traffic on the island with all the cruise ships in port(we had 6). We also went swimming with the sting rays in the Bahamas and while I am glad I have experienced it, I do not care for how that is done. The stingrays are caged in a large area along an island's shoreline. If you do this, take the cigar boat. It costs only a few dollars more and worth it.

[jfrenaye]

This may be rather macabre, but another point for opting for a cruise sponsored shore excursion can be made by reading the news about the 12 Celebrity Millenium passengers who were killed yesterday.

These folks were on a private excursion, and I imagine that their families have no recourse other than to sue a Chilean bus driver in Chilean courts. I can only imagine the outcome. Had this been a Celebrity sponsored cruise, it still may have happened, but then the line would have some responsibility to bear as well.

Typically, cruise lines will contract with shore excursion providers based on any number of criteria. I know that they look for safety records, insurance coverages, maintenance records, ability of employees to speak the appropriate language, and yes price.

I hate litigation, but at times it is a necessary evil--and in this case it is probably necessary. But, realistically, I am afraid that most of the families of those who were killed will walk away with a cruise voucher (good wil gesture), and a horrible memory.

[mtp51]

I totally agree!

[pezmanffx]

We always have the mindset that its better to pay the premium through the ship than to open up the oppertunity to mess up our vacation. Is saving a few dollars worth missing the boat when the tour doesnt arrive back at the dock in time? Think of it as trip insurance.

[vesw01]

We are sailing on the Valor in Sept and doing many of the same ports you are. A great place to do some research is cruisecritic.com - check their boards - ports of call. You can post questions and read what others have said. We did this when we sailed on the Victory in Oct 04. We did the Ducks Tour for Boston and we booked it direct. The amount for the 4 of us was cheaper than one person direct through the cruise line. Remember the cruise lines make 25-50% on these trips.

My personal thought is that if they are a reputable company, they are GOING to get you to the ship-their livelyhood depends on it. One bad posting on a major cruise board and their profits decline drastically.

You can always buy insurance for your trip through insuremytrip.com which will help cover situations like this.

Also one more thought, air and excursions booked through the cruiselines means they have to get you to the ship, BUT they don't always hold the ship. Just recently there was an article in the Daily about a couple who booked air through the cruiseline, missed their connecting flight and had to wait for the ship to get to Jamaica before they could get a flight there.

[ddjwms]

We seldom book shore excursions through the ship, and in 28 cruises, we have never had a problem. It is almost always considerably cheaper (half or less) to book independent shore excursions; you are not in a "herd" like the ship tours and can individualize what you want; and the chance of missing the ship if you use common sense is very minor.

We have booked through the ship on a couple of long (9-13 hours) in the Med, but certainly never in the Caribbean where islands are small, and there are taxis and tour operators galore. Just give yourself plenty of time to get back to the ship, and you will be fine.

As for the Chilean mishap, anyone who has traveled by bus in the Andes knows just how this could have happened: buses, cars and trucks pass each other on muddy, unpaved, narrow (I wouldn't even call them one lane) roads that climb mountainsides with no guard rails, etc. all over South America. While it is true that you will have very little recourse against a private (or public) tour bus operator in South America or elsewhere, my main concern would be safety, and believe me, even the ship tour company couldn't guarantee that on Andean roads. You always travel there with a hope and a prayer. The miracle to me is that there aren't more incidents like this. It is the infrastructure (roads), not the tour buses that are the problem. And I am sure the ship excursions traveled the same dangerous roads if they went to the same spot. It was likely a pure matter of chance. So you decide if the possibility of suing a big shipping company in case of an unlikely accident is a major factor in your decision or not. It really isn't in mine (or I would likely never have traveled in the beautiful Andes at all, and what a loss that would have been...)

Anyway, you are unlikely to run into a similar situatin in the MUCH tamer Caribbean. Look at CruiseCritic or Cruise Crazy destination boards for advice about tour guides, drivers, etc. on the islands you are going to, and you should get some good recommendations.

As for me, ship excursions just aren't worth it despite this one horrendous incident. I'll stick to independent arrangements... (The day after this, there was a bad ship fire; will you stop sailing because of that? Not me...)

[candyharrington]

Good point made by all posters.

I also have to add that it depends on what type of a traveler you are. Personally I don't like group tours. I like to explore on my own. So I just rent a car for the day when in port. In most cases I do some advance research and have an idea about what I'd like to see, but sometimes I just hit the road. Either way, I’m always mindful of the time and give myself plenty of extra time to get back to the ship.

If however you like group tours and like to have every detail planned for you in advance, then a group shore excursion will probably work best for you. My readers can't really do most shore excursions anyway (they are not accessible) so I always advise them to book directly with the few shore tour operators who do offer tours (or have transportation) they can use. (Heck, that is how I spend most of my shore time anyway -- researching accessible shore options:) I have to say that most of my readers have had great van tours (individualized) and they have been back to the ship in plenty of time. And they got good value for their money. So yes independent tours can be done, but you just need to plan ahead and make sure the operator understands what time you need to be back to the ship.

Candy

[bodega]

Candy you make a good point about it depending on the type of traveler. However, even the best of travelers can potentially miss the ship. The couple we met on our cruise have always made their own arrangements and had made arrangements in St. Thomas for being back to our ship 2 hours prior to sailing. They barely made it due to the horrific traffic. Twenty two years ago this was workable, but with the mass of tourists(tourons as they are called by the locals) getting from point A to point B is slow going. This is just an FYI for planning. I, too, do not like the herd experience and we have cruised many times and last year was our first cruise where we took an excurison on 3 out of our 4 ports. I doubt I would do it again, but we were with friends and did what they wanted as it was their first cruise. As a TA I did look into the various options for a DYI excurion, and I was very surprised to find RCCL's rates lower in most, but not all, cases.

[tdew]

Originally posted by bodega@Mar 29 2006, 01:09 PM
(tourons as they are called by the locals) 23301


It's probably best that those sentiments don't get spread around - they may stop coming or stop spending money.

[bodega]

This is not a new term. It has been around forever and it hasn't stopped tourism. It is even used here in my neck of the vineyards.

[wrp96]

I've done both independent excursions and cruise line offered excursions. There are pluses and minuses to both. I definitely recommend doing research on the Ports of Calls Board on CruiseCritic.com. For independents, look for ones that have a lot of good reviews on CruiseCritic. People don't hesitate to post if they had a bad experience. I just got off a Southern Caribbean cruise (on RCCL BTW) and found 2 great private tours that were a lot less than what RCCL offered, were a lot longer, saw a lot more stuff, and had a lot less people on them. But I took a Panama Canal cruise two weeks before that where I did all my excursions through the Cruise Line, partly because I was traveling by myself and wanted the security of the cruise line excursions and partly because the excursions I wanted were very long and I risked missing the boat otherwise.

In St. Thomas if you decide to go to St. John's on your own I recommend going early in the morning, spending the morning, and then coming back which leaves you plenty of time to get back to the ship for shopping etc. I did this myself two weeks ago.

[candyharrington]

Originally posted by bodega@Mar 29 2006, 12:33 PM
This is not a new term.* It has been around forever and it hasn't stopped tourism.* It is even used here in my neck of the vineyards.
23315


You know the first time I heard it was last year in Nag's Head, NC. Actually it was on a great little driving tour tape I purchsed at the local K-Mart. The funny part of it all was that on our last night we had a dinner with some of the local tourism officials and I causually shared the fact that I heard the word "touron". Man you could have heard a pin drop!! They were aghast that I heard the term. But hey, let's face it, some travelers *can* be tourons!

Candy

[tdew]

Originally posted by bodega@Mar 29 2006, 02:33 PM
This is not a new term.* It has been around forever and it hasn't stopped tourism.* It is even used here in my neck of the vineyards.
23315

It hardly matters whether it's a new term or an old one. If "tourism is the primary economic activity, accounting for 80% of GDP and employment,"* it's in everyone's best interest not to insult those who come to visit. There are too many other places to pick from.
It's been over 30 years since I've been to St. Thomas, but my memories are of welcoming, gracious hosts. I'd hate to think it's changed that much.

*CIA fact book

[ebrener]

Originally posted by wrp96@Mar 29 2006, 04:09 PM


In St. Thomas if you decide to go to St. John's on your own I recommend going early in the morning, spending the morning, and then coming back which leaves you plenty of time to get back to the ship for shopping etc.* I did this myself two weeks ago.
23322


I did the same thing in January. Took the ferry over as soon as we got to STT and took the ferry to Charlotte Amalie (not Red Hook) at around 2 pm for a couple of hours of walking (didn't want to miss the synagogue) and window shopping...

Regards,

Enrique

[Anita Dunham-Potter]

When I go on my Alaska cruise in June, I plan on doing a combination of cruise tours and independent tours. The few independent tours that I am doing come highly recommended from many people. For example, everybody is telling me that "Captain Larry" in Juneau does a great wildlife cruise. Needless to say, if I show up and he's using a Chinese Junk for a tour boat -- I'll pass.. :)

I think it all comes down to common sense when booking an independent tour. If I don't know the country or speak the language, I'll stick with the cruise line tours. However, if someone has paved the way before me and an independent tour and is highly recommended then I'll give it a whirl.

Anita

[Ned]

Originally posted by Anita Dunham-Potter@Apr 5 2006, 07:26 PM
When I go on my Alaska cruise in June, I plan on doing a combination of cruise tours and independent tours.* The few independent tours that I am doing come highly recommended from many people.* For example, everybody is telling me that "Captain Larry" in Juneau does a great wildlife cruise.* Needless to say, if I show up and he's using a Chinese Junk for a tour boat -- I'll pass.. :)

I think it all comes down to common sense when booking an independent tour.* If I don't know the country or speak the language, I'll stick with the cruise line tours.* However, if someone has paved the way before me and an independent tour and is highly recommended then I'll give it a whirl.*

Anita
23799

Hi Anita,

Captain Larry Dupler and Orca Enterprises are great. Their boats are definitely not Chinese Junks. I highly recommend them. I've been to Juneau twice and he can't be beat. I've been told that sometimes they send out both their boats at once so make sure the boat you reserve has him as Captain. Another great place from which to go out whale watching is Icy Strait Point. On our last Alaska cruise we went out of there and saw lots of whales and I got a great shot of a walrus nabbing and eating a fish too.

Orca Enterprises' two boats are not huge and because Captain Larry is well known you might want to make a reservation or he might be sold out if you definitely are going with him.

Another great excursion from Juneau is a helicopter ride to the "Three Glaciers". We booked this one directly through Celebrity. We actually flew to 6 glaciers and landed on one. We were able to walk around on one of the glaciers for about 20 minutes. This was a spectacular helicopter tour, and worth every penny (dollar) we spent.

Have a great time. My wife and I love touring Alaska. We're hoping to go back in a few years and take even more time in Denali than our last trip, as well as take the cruise again.

[Anita Dunham-Potter]

Hi Ned!
See! Even you know about "Captain Larry"; the Internet is a wonderful thing when it comes to spreading good news about a particular tour. I know he doesn't have a Chinese Junk (just kidding). I am taking my daughters on this cruise; our first to Alaska. Plus, I get to check out the new "Regent Seven Seas"...will be a nice cruise.

Anita

[Arkstfan]

I rode with Cap'n Larry's crew in 2004 and it was a FANTASTIC experience. It wasn't Larry on our tour but it was still a blast. It certainly beat the three deck glassed in floating isolation chamber most of our shipmates were on.

[glorya14]

As most of the readers agree, there are pros and cons to booking with the cruise line. The only time that we were late returning to a ship was with a cruise-booked tour. And that was because a group of people on the tour did not come back to the bus at the time specified. There were about 8 people and the bus driver had to wait for them. The speed in which the driver drove taking us back to the ship was unbelieveable. I feared for my life. Yes, the ship waited, but it need not have happened. So even with careful planning, things happen. If you choose to book a tour yourself, don't wait until 15 minutes before the ship is supposed to sail. Get back in plenty of time. Caribbean islands have taxis, etc. if you see that it is getting late. You are never so far in the wildnerness. And it is a lot cheaper booking yourself.

[drwong]

On our Alaskan cruise, we noticed that many of the shore excursions we booked onboard could have been purchased at pierside for less than what we paid the cruiseline! I would have expected the cruiseline to have gotten a bulk discount based on the volume of tickets they order every cruise and to have passed those savings onto their customers!!!

How many Tripso readers buy their tickets onboard, versus at pierside?

[bodega]

Prior to our last cruise in 04/05, I priced the same shore excursions, that RCCL had on their website, separately with the companies and was quite surprised to find RCCL had better rates. We booked our excursions prior to the cruise, but had waited until just a few weeks before our sailing date. I even had checked out other shore excursion companies, and with the exception of parasailing, RCCL's pricing was lower. Once on board the ship, the line was always long for those passengers who waited until the last minute to book the excursions that were still available.

[Annette]

There are a couple of problems with waiting until you get there to arrange your shore excursions.

One is that the companies the cruise lines book with have been checked out by them ahead of time for safety and compliance etc. If you book with just anybody at the pier then you run the risk of getting a sub-standard company.

If your particular excursion happens to get back late and it wasn't booked through the cruise line, they are under no obligation at all to wait for you.

And of course you run the risk that if you wait until the pier too book your excursion it might be already sold out before you get there.

[Ned]

Originally posted by drwong@May 4 2006, 06:51 PM
On our Alaskan cruise, we noticed that many of the shore excursions we booked onboard could have been purchased at pierside for less than what we paid the cruiseline!* I would have expected the cruiseline to have gotten a bulk discount based on the volume of tickets they order every cruise and to have passed those savings onto their customers!!!

How many Tripso readers buy their tickets onboard, versus at pierside?
25679

Hi Doc,

We buy our excursions from the cruise line if:
1. There is a timing issue where either
a. It's tight scheduling getting back to the ship prior to sailing from an excursion or,
b. It's tight scheduling multiple excursions at a port, which we would like to take, and the cruise line will ensure we can make them, or
2. If there's something special about the one offered by the cruise line compared to what we find online, or
3. If we find that there's little difference in the price purchasing the excursion from a 3rd party vs. the cruise line, or
4. If there are security issues at the port, or
5. We've heard we can book off the ship pierside and save "real" money, but we're concerned about a language barrier, or
6. While we can save "real" money, we have concerns about the quality and reliability of the 3rd party excursions, or
7. We are concerned about getting frozen out of an excursion we really want, if we wait to book until we're at the port, on the pier, or
8. We're just too lazy to shop for a better price or better excursion via the Internet or ashore and our travel agent didn't come up with anything either.

We buy our excursions via the Internet if:
1. There is a particular excursion, such as one with "Captain Larry" in Juneau that we know is really special, or
2. If we can save some "real" money, not just a few bucks, by purchasing an excursion through a reputable company.

We buy our excursions on shore if:
1. We are not concerned about getting frozen out of an excursion we really want, or
2. We believe we can save significant money by waiting to book until we hit the pier where we are sure there are quality and reliable companys, or
3. We are going to be in ports which we have found through information from our travel agent and/or our own research, significantly prior to the cruise, which positively will have excellent excursions from reliable companies available when we dock.

By the way, we have only booked at the pier or Internet (not through the cruise line) in Alaska and Costa Rica. We were able to feel comfortable in doing it in Costa Rica, because one of our Rabbis had a congregation there for almost four years prior to coming to us, and gave us suggestions. Our travel agent made suggestions for on-pier excursion booking on our first cruise to Alaska and we knew enough the second time around there to do it ourselves in specific places; Juneau and Ketchikan. We had concerns about being frozen out of specific excursions in other ports in Alaska, and made those reservations through the cruise line, which we generally found less expensive than 3rd party Internet sites.

[drwong]

Great analysis, Ned - that's what we now do whenever planning a cruise. Thanks to Tripso and CruiseCritic, I've been able to swap reviews of various shore excursion providers. When travelling with four or six others, it's sometimes less expensive and more convenient to hire a van and driver than to board and deboard a large bus behind 60 other passengers, some of whom can be somewhat slow moving.

In Marseilles, we were given the choice of either Aix OR Cassis as a cruise-sponsored shore excursion. With a private driver, we were able to cover both. Same goes for Livorno - you can do either Florence, Pisa, Lucca, or San Gimigliano, but with a private driver, you can cover a lot more ground.

In Rome, the buses couldn't navigate the narrow side streets and passengers had to walk up to a half-mile to see some sites - but the minivan could drive up to the front steps. Of course, we nearly missed the sailing due to traffic in Civittavechia, but that's a risk you take when booking your own excursions. (Our driver offered to drive us down to Naples to catch up with the ship, however!)

[Ned]

Originally posted by drwong@May 5 2006, 11:14 AM
Great analysis, Ned - that's what we now do whenever planning a cruise.* Thanks to Tripso and CruiseCritic, I've been able to swap reviews of various shore excursion providers.* When travelling with four or six others, it's sometimes less expensive and more convenient to hire a van and driver than to board and deboard a large bus behind 60 other passengers, some of whom can be somewhat slow moving.

In Marseilles, we were given the choice of either Aix OR Cassis as a cruise-sponsored shore excursion.* With a private driver, we were able to cover both.* Same goes for Livorno - you can do either Florence, Pisa, Lucca, or San Gimigliano, but with a private driver, you can cover a lot more ground.*

In Rome, the buses couldn't navigate the narrow side streets and passengers had to walk up to a half-mile to see some sites - but the minivan could drive up to the front steps.* Of course, we nearly missed the sailing due to traffic in Civittavechia, but that's a risk you take when booking your own excursions.* (Our driver offered to drive us down to Naples to catch up with the ship, however!)
25717

Thanks Doc. I use CruiseCritic quite a bit myself. My wife and I often hire our own guide and car or van, which we've also done when we've cruised with friends, splitting the tab.

About 7 years back we went to Israel and took our kids for the first time. We waited until they were old enough to really appreciate it. We discussed what to do about the large size of the tour buses with our travel agent. We hired a guide with a van for 2 weeks. Gosh was that money well spent. We were never rushed, we never went anywhere we didn't want to go, we were able to linger whenever we wanted and we covered in two weeks what most tours cover in four, and we were never tired because we really never pushed ourselves. Traveling without the group just made it much easier and much faster.

On a European cruise, with the help of our travel agent we made special private arrangements in Naples and Sorrento which really worked out, and we had no problem making it back to the ship. It turns out that we never got off the ship in Citavecchia, on the same cruise, except to explore the port itself, which isn't much, for an hour or so. We have been to Rome many times and to rush around for a few hours made no sense to us. It's an hour each way by train, the only way to go because traffic is awful, and it was summer and very hot. It was a great choice as we essentially had Celebrity's Millenium to ourselves and had a ball.

As you can tell, we agree with your ideas on how to do land excursions.

[camille]

In my experience and aside from the potential of missing your ship's departure, the choice depends upon the passenger's need for security and ease of mind. One should be able to assume that a cruise-sponsored excursion has had at least some safeguards in place for safety and the like. Also, it depends upon the location. I would not hesitate to book a private excursion (had I the time to fully research it before my trip) in a place like Bermuda or Grand Cayman, but in Jamaica? Don't think so.

The only time I've had a problem with excursions, however, was with a Carnival-sponsored trip to Tulum in Mexico. Going to a Mayan site was one of the main reasons we chose that particular cruise and the cruise line lost our reservations for it. At the last minute, my husband was running all over the ship trying to find a customer service rep to make it right.