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Yes, you’ll find a range of experiences to suit the interests and activity levels of everyone in your family. Our family-friendly shore excursions give you new ways to discover destinations together. An island tour is a popular option if you want to see St. Kitts, but for an escape from the crowds, cruisers can hop a "sea taxi" to the less-traveled island of Nevis. While on Nevis, you'll typically visit some historical sites, lunch at a beachside restaurant and have some time to swim in the Caribbean waters. With so much located near the port of Curacao, you can squeeze a number of activities into a single day with a combination excursion. Take a scenic island tour to visit highlights like the Hato Caves with their underground limestone formations and pools.
San Juan: El Yunque Rainforest with Waterfalls and Hiking
Choose from city tours, culinary explorations, shopping outings, outdoor expeditions, cultural activities and more. We recommend you book early for the best selection, as our excursions and tours have limited capacity and fill up quickly. Shore excursions may be easily booked online in advance of sailing on the book shore excursions page. If tour details are not yet finalized, please check again closer to your departure date. Shore excursions may be booked and prepaid online up to three days before sailing. You will also be able to request tours on the ship at the shore excursion Office.
St Thomas – US Virgin Islands
Couple left behind by cruise ship highlights why booking cruise line excursions is important - Cruise Blog
Couple left behind by cruise ship highlights why booking cruise line excursions is important.
Posted: Tue, 02 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
These tours often include a visit to a distillery where the island's namesake Curacao liqueur is distilled (do try a sample of the blue drink). To help you out, we've created a cheat sheet highlighting our favorite Caribbean cruise excursions in 30 of the Caribbean's top cruise ports. And if you want more Caribbean cruising tips, check out our best Caribbean cruise content, itineraries, reviews and more. If you've done your research and have decided that you want to do a specific excursion offered on your cruise, think carefully about whether to book in advance or onboard. It's best to book in advance for must-do tours and limited-availability excursions (like almost every excursion on an Alaskan cruise or flightseeing while docked on a cruise to Hawaii). Arriving in multiple ports you are unfamiliar with and expecting to find the best things to do would be challenging at best and disastrous at worst.
Ocho Rios
Most people organize these ahead of time through a tour operator or travel agent. However, in popular cruise ports, there are often representatives waiting at the port or at a tourist office who can book you on same-day tours if space is available. I've taken shore excursions around the world, both ship-run and independent, and spent many days in port wandering on my own. Allow me to take you through the basics of cruise shore excursions, so you can learn to have the most fun no matter what your budget is.
Other lines, such as Norwegian Cruise Line, offer discounted tours or shore excursion credit as booking promotions. Viator is another good resource when looking for third party shore excursions, as you can browse and book different tours, day trips, etc. all in one place. If you are not sure of what you want to do yet, you can even filter the search by category to show tours relating to food & drink, sightseeing cruises, and more.
For shore excursions that are not included in your cruise fare, budget a minimum of $50 per adult per excursion. There is no real upper limit as exclusive tours could cost thousands of dollars. If you plan to book shore excursions through your cruise line, you have a couple of options of how to book them. Jenna DeLaurentis enjoys exploring new ports of call around the world on a cruise ship, learning about new cultures, discovering beautiful landscapes, and trying diverse cuisine. She loves to get active while at port, whether cycling through mountains in the Caribbean or scuba diving under the sea. One of the most unique tours offered in St. Vincent is a hiking trip on Mount Soufrière, the largest peak on the island and an active volcano.
Mistakes to avoid when booking shore excursions
If your cruise visits the British Virgin Islands, consider making a day trip to the small island of Jost Van Dyke from Tortola. While on this small island, you can swim and snorkel in a protected cove with extremely soft sand and clear waters. Biking is one of the best ways to explore a new destination, and if you’re interested in an active excursion, consider the Bike St. Croix tour offered by Royal Caribbean.
In most cases, shore excursions give you access to something that might otherwise be hard to arrange on your own. Sometimes you also need an expert guide, such as in Pompeii, to know what you're seeing. If it's an activity, like snorkeling or a helicopter tour, read up on how much time is spent in transit and prep and how much time you will spend actually doing the activity. Cruise shore excursion prices vary widely depending on the cost of living in the cruise destination, what type of activity is involved and whether it's a full- or half-day tour. Some third-party operators will customize a tour for you or your group, so you can spend more time at the places you most want to see.
If you missed the purchase window, check with us on board, we'll help you find what you’re looking for. Note that this can be a strenuous activity and is not simply a relaxing sailboat ride. The island's two volcanic spires are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and many would say a visit here is not complete without at least catching a glimpse of them.
On average, you are likely to find excursions anywhere between $50 and $200 per person. If you're like us, you spend hours poring over your shore excursion list, trying to figure out the absolute best way to maximize your time while in port. The ship’s excursions get you to the markets, often with some city highlights along the way, then leave you with a few hours of shopping time. You are then free to make your way back to the ship or to a meeting point for the return trip as a group. The knowledge and efficiency of tour operators vary, and some tour offerings are simply duds. Ship-arranged excursions also tend to have broad appeal, so if you're interests in a given port are more specific or niche, you may want something outside of the cruise line's offerings.
Nourish your mind, body and spirit with tours that include a range of authentic experiences—indigenous healing practices, detoxes with local muds and minerals, destination-specific fitness, and more. Head to Marigot, where visitors flock to chic boutiques touting upscale French fashion imports and duty-free perfume, jewelry and more. Montego Bay offers the same water sports, beach breaks and dolphin encounters as does Ocho Rios. For something a little more Jamaican, take a plantation tour, such as the one to Croydon Plantation. You'll visit a historic plantation house and taste pineapples, bananas or sugarcane, straight from the source. Bus tours whisk visitors around for stops at the Malecon seafront esplanade and the historic sites of Old Havana, with its bustling Plaza de la Catedral and Plaza de Armas.
In Juneau, Alaska, a 3-hour tour to the Mendenhall Glacier visitor center costs $50 per person. Guests visiting our website who have a cruise booking may view the available shore excursions for their specific sailing by logging in to MyRoyal Cruise. Active adventurers may want to book the Blue Hole, Dunn’s River Falls & Chill at Reggae Hill shore excursion. This tour includes diving and swimming at Jamaica’s famous Blue Hole followed by the chance to climb small waterfalls and explore caves. The excursion ends with a relaxing afternoon at a park with reggae music, lunch, and beverages. No matter what cruise line you are sailing with, they will offer shore excursions in each port of call.
You are free to come and go at will from most cruise ships while they are in ports of call. Shore excursions are simply one means to explore the areas visited by the ship and to participate in available activities off the ship. One major plus of visiting Bermuda on a cruise is that ships often dock overnight, giving you 2-3 days to explore the island’s highlights. Bermuda has excellent public transportation and it’s easy to get around without booking an official shore excursion. Waiting might be a good idea if you're not inspired by the shore excursions you're seeing on your cruise.
If cancellation occurs onboard after the cancellation deadline for specific shore excursions, a 100% cancellation fee will apply. The ship's shore excursions office will be able to advise you of the cancellation deadline applicable to each tour. Optional shore excursions during the land portion of a Land & Sea Journey are non-refundable within 3 days of your Land & Sea Journey departure date. Group shore excursions cancelled within three days prior to embarkation (sail) date are nonrefundable. Custom tours may have different cancellation deadlines which will be stated in the proposal. In the rare instance that tours are cancelled by Holland America Line or the tour operator, the full amount will be refunded within four to six weeks after the voyage ends.
Immerse yourself in the culture and history of each destination on your exciting itinerary, while connecting with the locals. Savor authentic flavors or sip on the most popular drinks of each destination, during unique tasting experiences. Enjoy more time discovering each destination’s extraordinary treasures, during extended tours with overnight stays. The charms of a stroll through Old Town are not to be missed, but for nature lovers, one of San Juan's most stunning nearby natural attractions is the nearly 29,000-acre El Yunque National Forest.
Remember that shore excursions look different in different parts of the world. There is no need to tip any cruise ship staff who are along for the excursion (which sometimes happens on river cruises). While luxury lines, river cruises, small coastal ships, expedition ships and even some premium cruise lines include some shore excursions in their fares. Other tours on those lines and all excursions offered by mainstream cruise lines must be purchased. Some cruise lines, such as Viking and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, include the cost of basic shore excursions in their cruise fares. If you don't care to do any specialty tours, you might be able to get all your port activities for free.
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