just got back from a caribbean cruise. took all our tours thru the ship. not a big fan of the rushed schedules and packed busses. we have another cruise in march and we are thinking of booking our own private land tours on several island ie barbados,st lucia, antiqua. i know the cruise line tells passengers it is safer to book thru them for a number of reasons including late returns to ship with private guides. does anyone have any horror stories about booking private guides rather then tours thru the ship? does anyone have guides they would recommend on the above islands? we have committed to philliptours on st lucia.
thank you in advance for your replies.

I think you'll find that, in most cases at least, you can easily and more cheaply book private tours yourself without relying on the cruise-ship. What I'd strongly suggest is that you not book a tour that will take you far from the ship (a flight to another island, for example or an hours-long trek deep into a jungle) that might cause you to come back to your ship late. But in most cases, island tours will finish before dark, and in truth you'll usually end up doing everything much faster than if you took a ship-sponsored trip because wrangling 50 people on a large bus down narrow island roads is simply a bigger deal than 2 or 4 people in a normal-size car. I'm sure there are people who have disaster stories, and if they write in, you should heed their advice. However, in the winter most ships will not be leaving port until after dark, when you should be safely back on board. The only difficulty may be that when very large ships must tender their passengers ashore, people on ship-sponsored tours usually get first chance ashore, and that could delay your departure.

thanks doug,
your thoughts mirror mine.
ray

Doug offers good advice.

We frequently book excursions on our own. One disadvantage is if there is a change in itinerary or delay in arrival (due to weather or other reason), you might lose your deposit. This has happened to us.

If you book through the cruise line, and there is a change, you are not charged.

Woody

I could be wrong, but
I think that when you patronize the "Cruise Ship Recomended" business, you are doing business with an outfit that is paying a kickback to the ship.
It doesn't necessarily mean that the outfit is the only one for you to do business with.
One option might be to choose a taximan and tell him that you want to see "His" island his way.
Stop at his favorite rum shops,his favorite place for lunch..........and invite him to share lunch with you.
Tell him to show you some places that have special meaning to him.
I'll bet that you get the tour of a lifetime.
And then tip him well!

We went on a cruise last December and did all private tours. We did go snorkeling in Barbados. If that interests you, let me know through this post and I will dig up the company. It was a great tour. If you read any or all of the cruise forums, there is much good information about great tours and names.

We have been on three cruises to the Southern Caribbean and have never taken a scheduled tour through the cruise lines. We have always rented a taxi and told the driver we wanted a short tour of the island and then go to the best beach he knows of. We have never had any trouble and it sure is a lot cheaper. I think most of the taxi drivers belong to some sort of association and the rates are set by the government. This is how they make a living so I don't think they would rip you off, although I bet there are exceptions.

Have a great time!

cathda;y if not too much touble we would be interested in the barbados info.
thanks,
ray

CATHDAY,
looks better this time. thanks for any info.
ray

It was El Tigre - greatest lunch and people. Small group. You also swim with the turtles.

Contact Info
El Tigre
#28 Prior Park Terrace
St. James
Tel: (246) 417-7245
Fax: (246) 421-7582

cathday,
thank you we will contact them.
thanks again,
ray

Have a wonderful time

We never do ships tours...our last cruise we met people on Cruise Critic and hired a van to take us to Tuscany...fabulous.. Otherwise we do it on our own.. There is the saying tht if you miss the sailing you fly to another port.. On that cruise 25 people had been to Rome and were on the way back by train... when the train broke down......The Captain did hold the ship for more than an hour.. With those islands I would do research and then fnd a driver or guide when you got off the ship..

cathday

we are now booked with el tigre cruises. thanks again.
ray