<BR>Hi. My husband and I are first time cruisers on April 11th. We are going on RCCL/Monarch to Southern Carib. What exactly are shore excursions...I assume they are stops at the ports of the islands. Is anything costly? Any tours worth it? We don't want to spend a lot of cash off the ship......mostly interested in beaches and some shopping. Thanks.

Hi, shore excursions are the optional tours you can book on the ship. For instance ,you could go into a rain forest, into a volcano.or see the main sites you wouldn't see in port. <BR> The excursions booked on the ship are far more expensive than if you just hire a taxi yourself.I would reccomend seeing some islands shopping can get tiresome after a while.Since I don't know what islands your going to I can't advise on that.

<BR>Thanks for the reply! We are going to San Juan, St Thomas, Antigua, Martinique, St Martin, and Barbados. <BR>Please feel free to write back if there are any great tours there.

We sailed on the Monarch with that itinerary 2 years ago and took no shore excursions. On Martinique we got off the boat and got right back on again. Most passengers we spoke with on our cruise didn't like Martinique. On Barbados we walked downtown but it was a little too far -- should have taken a taxi. Actually the little mini-mall (in Barbados) where the boats dock have a very good selection of goods and we bought all our selections there after walking downtown! St. Thomas just take a taxi downtown (or share one of the mini vans with other passengers -- they are right at the dock) and shop on your own. Antigua and St. Martin are wonderful shopping/window shopping areas. No need for a taxi at either place. Those were the only places we ate lunch off the boat. Keep in mind the "shopping expert" on the boat will recommend places which we assume were stores that gave the RCI a percentage of sales. Other stores have good products also -- just be careful. <BR>We went sightseeing in old San Juan on our own and didn't do any shopping. <BR>Have fun -- we enjoyed every minute of that cruise!

Whether a shore excursion is "worth it" often depends on what you want to do and what your travel experience level is. It's true that a taxi may be cheaper than an excursion, but what if you don't speak the language, or don't know what it should cost, or don't know where to go or how far it is. For example - I was just in St Thomas and wanted to go to St John to snorkel. The ship had an excursion for $33 where a boat picked us up at the cruise ship dock, took us directly to St John where tour buses were waiting to take us to Trunk Bay. We snorkeled for two hours, got back on the bus, directly to our boat and back to the ship. If you did this yourself, you would have gotten off the ship, hired a taxi to take you to Red Hook [which is where the ferry boats are - they aren't at the cruiseship dock], waited and paid for the ferry, arrived in St John, hired a taxi to take you to Trunk Bay to snorkel, hired a taxi to take you back to the ferry dock, waited for the ferry back to St Thomas, then hired a taxi to take you back to the ship. Is this the way you want to spend your precious shore time? Some shore excursions aren't worth the money, but many are, particularly if you are a first-timer and don't know just exactly what you want to see or do. As a solo traveler, I generally take excursions because I don't want to be at the mercy of a cab driver that I don't know. That's just my opinion.

Diana, I think it's great you're questioning the "worthiness" of shore excursions on your cruise. In all honesty, the prices of most of the shore excursions offered by the cruise lines are inflated. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't take them. You're safety is much better with the cruise line as is your guarantee that if you are on a cruise-line sponsored excursion, if the excursion runs late, the ship will wait for you before leaving port. However, when you go independently in port, the cruise ship WILL leave you if you somehow get detained. It IS possible to buy excursions or taxi tours off the ship, but many times it's a hit and miss thing when you get off the ship. Are they sold out/available, etc... And you may have to spend your time looking around for the taxis or a company that offers the tours or wait in a line of other passengers looking to do the same thing. My suggestion is if you are traveling solo, once you make friends on the ship, you might be able to share taxis or unplanned side trips with some of your ship mates as well. This also helps defray some costs. The downside to ship-planned excursions is if you don't like part of the excursion, you're stuck. On your own, you can beat it and head somewhere else. Also, sometimes you feel like cattle moving on and off of the tour buses at times (but that's anytime you take a tour, IMO, not just on a cruise). <BR> <BR>I understand your desires to shop and explore the beaches of your ports, but I would also recommend taking a couple trips just to see some other countrysides, ways of life, to experience a different culture and to see things you won't necessarily see if you were shopping. I usually want to shop in one or two ports, but quite frankly, I can shop at home. And even on shore excursions, many of them make a planned stop for shopping or the purchase of souvenirs. <BR> <BR>Personally, we always take the safe route and book excursions from the ship, but what I would recommend is that you do some homework on the islands you are visiting, decide where you want to go, what you want to do. Once you get on board, if the ship has an excursion that really interests you, take it. Otherwise, it's perfectly OK to go on your own, just know the <BR>rules before you go.

BTW: My recommendation for shopping on this cruise would be St. Thomas, San Juan (in old town) and St. Maarten (Phillipsburg--you can walk from the ship). However, St. Maarten has fabulous beaches and without a doubt I would take the excursion to St. John--the most beautiful beaches I've even been to in 7 cruises. You could take a four-hour beach excursion on St. Thomas and St. Maarten (am or pm) and also do 3-4 hours independent shopping on your own. Also, never been to Antigua, but probably beautiful for beaches. Would probably take excursions on Barbados and Martinique. <BR>

Me again--the excursion to St. John is on St. Thomas. <BR>

Writing as both travel agent and traveler, I'd say: it depends. The tours sold by cruise lines are usually good, reliable, and expensive; you move at the speed of the slowest in the group and see the popular places. I almost never take them. On my own, I usually see twice as much for half the cost. Sometimes I rent a motorscooter; or walk (in good shape, I can do 3 mi. per hr); or get together w/a few others & hire a taxi; or find a local tour. If you want to be "safe," go w/the ship tours; if you're in good shape w/an adventuresome spirit, I'd say go for it on your own.

if u stop in st thomas definitely visit st john on carnival fascination we tendered from the side of the ship onto the excursion boat and back never laid our feet on dryland except at the beautiful beach on trunk bay ... i think it cost $30 but was well worth it and as u soon will find out get to try st johns version of rum punch

If you are going to take a island tour on your own, here are some tips on what to do and not do: <BR>TO DO: <BR>- Select a car/van that looks well cared for. <BR>- Tell the driver what you would like to see - be specific. Or ask what the tour will consist of. <BR>- Find out how long he/she has lived there, short timers won't know all the good stuff. <BR>- Settle the PRICE up front along with the tour length. <BR>- Satisfy yourself that you can understand his/her manner of conversation. <BR>- Determine if the vehicle must fill completely before the tour starts-or what? A full load usually means a long wait, especially with a 9 person van. If the wait seemes too long, find another car. <BR>- Ask if the A/C works!! It can get very hot on a 2 hour tour. <BR>- Address the driver by his/her first name. <BR>--------------------------------------- <BR>TO NOT DO: <BR>- No money up front - (some will ask) <BR>- Don't talk politics - if you get the driver started they usually won't stop. <BR>- If you stop for a visit or shopping, be sure to return a the prescribed time. Late arrivals are sometimes left. <BR>- Don't attempt to imitate the driver's manner of speaking - some are amused, others not. <BR> <BR>IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST EXPERIENCE DOING A TOUR ON YOUR OWN I HOPE THESE BRIEF TIPS HELP. IF YOU HAVE DONE THIS BEFORE, THEN YOU KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT.

Excellent advice above. Excursions can be great or a waste of money. You will get a booklet listing the excursions when you get your cruise documents. If you want to know before hand, look up the Royal Caribbean website (www.rccl.com) it lists the excursions as well. One tip: if you book on board, hand in your list the first night that way you get your picks. <BR>

<BR>I agree with Cassie and Lynn, I have taken your ship as well as others and have been all over the Carribean. St Johns is wonderful. Since it is a first for you I would highly recommend the tours as they will take you exactly where they state and you will have a guide who can inform and answer questions. I a have sailed an america's cup boat, gone down in a sub, taken city tours and enjoyed then all. They are worth the money, unless you have researched each island and know exactly where you want to go and what you want to see. Do read your info before you board and do book early as the popular tours will sell out. Have a wonderful time.

<BR>Thanks for the replys everyone!! I just got back last week from the RCCL Monarch trip and I can't stop talking about it!! Husband and I had the time of our life!! The ship was FIRST class all the way. Everyone on it was so nice, met a lot of great people. Took the Barbados snorkle tour, so worth it. And the Jolly Roger pirate ride in Antigua...(fun fun!) Shopped non-stop in St.Thomas and St.Maarten, and spent the day on Orient Beach in ST.Maarten. We loved the whole experience so much we are already booked for the Majesty in November!!!!!!!!!!!!

Diana - Are there still nudists on Orient Beach? We also went here on one of our cruises and thought the beach was beautiful (and it was bordered by a nudist colony whose members frequented the beach), however, on returning a year or two later, the beach and nudist colony had been destroyed by hurricane. Has it been restored? <BR>