Shore excursion RED FLAGS to look out for!

[@metalmilitia89]

The thing with RC shore excursions is the fact that they’re overpriced.

[@elissajones5154]

💯 I always book directly with tour companies that are highly rated on trip advisor. I usually save about 50% in price.

[@michaelj1980]

Agreed. When we were in Juneau last year we did the dogs sledding and glacier walk with helicopter tour. Royal wanted well over $1100 per person. Booked through a vendor and saved $400 per person.

[@tuolumne556]

The premium is for the peace of mind

[@Honolulu-Blue]

Some quickie notes on beach trips: 1) Some cruise ports have decent or better beaches within walking distance of the pier. 2) Some private destinations have more luxurious/private beach options for a price. 3) At many stops, beaches are a reasonably priced taxi ride away. 4) Research on each destination is a really good idea to know which beach is best

[@sarahgilbert2124]

Going on First Cruise in Jan 2025 to Caribbean, Cozumel and places like that. Thank you for all the info. I am Super Excited for my First cruise. Our Ship is Brilliance of the Seas. ❤

[@yellowbird500]

The Eastern Caribbean has much better beaches. I booked a cruise on the Icon to join friends who were already booked. I assumed it was to the Eastern Caribbean, because “Why would anyone want to cruise the Western Caribbean.” Yikes! We are cruising the Western Caribbean. West Bay beach on Roatan is a gem. The rest are duds. Below average beaches.

[@dawnpowers7626]

My dad and I took a bus tour of Paris in the early 2000s. We got out of the bus for one hour at the Eiffel Tower and THAT WAS IT. On the way home, passed a larger structure that resembled a large screw coming out of the ground. One of the other passengers commented, "Yep, we got the Eiffel Screw."

[@YouTubeReminds]

We got so lucky with a driver for the whole day. We got off the ship in St Thomas and negotiated a full day rate and Jamal drove us all around - Coki Beach for some snorkeling, Sapphire Beach to hang and grab lunch, Mountain Top to see magens bay from above and experience the drinks. It was the perfect day.

[@joanroberson8481]

Once we 😮book a catamaran cruise all drinks included through RC on a thanksgiving cruise. Unfortunately we didn’t get to pick the time and it turned out be early morning. Not only did I not want to be on the water when it was cool but I don’t drink alcohol in the morning! RC was very nice about it. I went down to the front desk the day before and they refunded me the money.

[@marczahn]

I’ve done excursions where the exact same one is being offered by RCCL a a slightly higher rate. But, I did a lot of online research to predetermine this. It’s just a note that you can find them if you’re willing to work for it. Otherwise, taking the ship’s excursions might be better for a first timer. Good advice with the rest of your points.

[@JessicaRobins87]

I booked a beach break excursion because I have a toddler and feel more comfortable safety-wise with him not using a carseat if we are in a big tour bus vs a taxi. Just one point in favor of doing it that way!

[@ariellawells4593]

Please make sure your physical abilities match that needed for the tour!! Went on one where 8 of the folks obviously had not read what was needed and it was just bad experience for the rest of us because of it

[@AndyRichards-b9n]

I mostly 100% agree (well, maybe 95% :-) ). But in 2023, we cruised on Celebrity (RC is the parent company) in the Caribbean and hit 6 ports. In 4 of the 6 of them, we had not made any excursion plans and in every case we were able to find a local driver and after some discussion, had very nice tours of the island with some interesting stops. We weren't looking for a day at the beach, ziplining, or anything like that. We just wanted to see the island and maybe get a little local knowledge and history. We did the same thing in Tortola, BVI in January of this past year. Sometimes you can just tell by the conversation.

[@sf3413]

We learned that in AK, somehow Carnival owns the primary outfitter at all of the ports of call we made. We also learned that if you're a bit flexible, it's WAY less expensive to just book the excursion right there with the outfitter. For the Caribbean, we get bored just sitting on a beach, so we try to pick out a restaurant and town to explore.

[@davee8113]

Sometimes a beach tour is cheaper because a taxi ride is so expensive plus the resort cost , Roatan example

[@larrywhite8282]

Awesome information thank you for the video, great one too.

[@jaimeaus]

Loyal to Royal!

[@JaniceM0908]

Horseshoe Bay in Bermuda, Royal tour is super expensive, buses at the pier take you for $7 per person each way. And you get dropped off closer to the beach.

[@popeduck]

Yes, we just did that in May 2024. The mini-busses right at the dock are the best bargain, and the drivers were nice. They pack the bus FULL, so be prepared to be literally shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers, but it's not a long trip. So worth it!

[@JaniceM0908]

@@popeduck exactly

[@KlingonPrincess]

Great tips, saved this one for future planning. 🌻🍄

[@dianehill5195]

Matt, thanks for these great excursion tips!!

[@RoyalCaribbeanBlog]

You bet!

[@klassykay5138]

Depending on the port and what I’m interested in doing and the risk level of the activity I book with Royal for a peace of mind. For example when we stopped in Honduras my daughter wanted to do the sloth and monkeys excursion for something like that I booked with royal. Now when we stopped in Cozumel I just took a taxi to a resort that I purchased a day pass for online myself. I just had to watch the time not miss the ship. Because if you book an outside excursion and run late Royal will not wait for you !

[@laughremixsquad]

Good advice RCB! The top thing we look out for is social proof from several sources: forums, Reddit, socials, reviews on excursion aggregator sites. We also look for day passes at resorts if the location has all-inclusive hotel/resorts.

[@RoyalCaribbeanBlog]

Good stuff!

[@Hen71557]

Accessible tours are not great. Majority of them are just bus rides, a few hours on board taking in the sites thru a window. And the pricing is absurd. Easily $300 pp for a few hours on a bus. Just underwhelming as a day onshore and totally not worth the money.

[@murrethmedia]

I planned a 2 day trip to go see the Total Eclipse in April and I did tons of research.

[@denisepatrizio3604]

How far in advance does RC posts tours for pirts. We are going g to Greece in June and tney.have a few ports listed but not all.

[@nyr4evr13]

We look for cultural excursions, smaller group experiences, and good reviews. Lately we have done at least one resort pass day on our cruises if we can find them. These tend to give us nice facilities and restaurant options for the day plus much less crowded beach areas.

[@terryanderson849]

Thanks Matt

[@meganhornberger9386]

Hello! I'm wondering if anyone has any advice for transportation services from Long Beach (either airport or a nearby hotel) going to the Royal Caribbean cruise port. My group is 9 adults, 1 baby. We need a car seat (not bringing one with us) and will have a ton of luggage plus one stroller. We are flying in the day before the cruise starts, so we can't do the Royal connect shuttle. Which shuttle services are actually reliable and can fit such a large group? Help please! 🙏

[@beauramirez5415]

Any shore excursion yall recommend in Roatan, Costa Maya, and Cozumel?

[@judybodenberg8743]

We took an excursion to aayan temple and ended at Mayan family who cooked us lunch. We got a chance to tour their homestead. It wasn't expensive and we enjoyed it. The van ride wasn't overlong.

[@CJGsquared]

We did a tour plus snorkel in Roatan through Roatan Anderson and it was phenomenal. I will definitely book through them next time I get to Roatan. I'd recommend going straight through their website instead of TripAdvisor. TripAdvisor and similar sites are great for research, but I'd always recommend booking directly with the tour company if possible

[@ashleyhoffmeier9889]

Yes, the beach day excursion in Cozumel & the snorkeling & animal sanctuary excursion in Roatan. (Snorkeling on a coral reef, relaxing on the beach, playing with Sloths and Cappuchin monkeys, is unforgettable.) I loved my cruise, went with family on the Harmony back in December.

[@jackieward6066]

Roatan - zip lining!

[@iliamer-ec7wd]

❤

[@wallymontero]

# notification Squad

[@AM-dr9qd]

Not 1st.

[@campaignteam]

4th

[@TaroOnYouTube]

First!