Re: Hey frequent cruisers, big question about shor... - Page 4

PickyPicky3 · ‎10-22-2018

You can also arrange to have your own rental car brought to your ship at a specific time. Then you can go where you want and get away from the megaship crowds for a while. This has to be booked in advance. I have never mastered driving on the left, so I'll never do it in those countries or in places where a different alphabet is used.

fairydogmother · ‎03-10-2010

@PickyPicky3 wrote:
You can also arrange to have your own rental car brought to your ship at a specific time. Then you can go where you want and get away from the megaship crowds for a while. This has to be booked in advance. I have never mastered driving on the left, so I'll never do it in those countries or in places where a different alphabet is used.

Hey that's a thought. My daughter lives in Bangkok and is experienced with driving in heavy big city traffic where there are essentially no rules enforced.

Harmonize the World

Drythe · ‎07-09-2011

@fairydogmother wrote:
@reiki604 Excellent advice. I can only imagine how many older people overestimate their physical abilities and tolerance, caught up in the excitement of planning their time. Then reality hits. I too am not a strong swimmer and absolutely would not leap off a boat into deep water. I am trying very hard to be realistic about my stamina, physical tolerance and agility levels. I have no significant problems navigating my daily life, but of course I avoid stairs, I don't walk long distances in high heat, I'm not doing things that require extra balance or surefootedness.

@fairydogmother

Hope you have a great trip! How thoughtful of your DD.

I have taken several trips to Cozumel & other such. You have gotten good advice. It's not so much diving in to deep water, as it's clambering back into the ship.

Also, some of the ship to shore trips are made by lighter. If the sea swells while going over or back, it can be a rough ride. I've been on one where that happened, it was all the staff could do to 'toss' us back on board!

Bon Voyage! 🏖🛟

"Animals are not my whole world, but they have made my world whole" ~ Roger Caras

reiki604 · ‎03-09-2010

You've gotten some great advice here and the only thing I will add (if it's already been mentioned, sorry) Is. that if you decide to take off on a private excursion or taxi, make sure you are back to the ship in plenty of time. If you're late, Cruise arranged tours the ship will wait for. The ship will not wait for individuals who did not book through the cruiseship.

'I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed man'.......Unknown

GloriBee · ‎03-24-2010

@fairydogmother wrote:
@Kachina624 wrote:
@fairydogmother I gave you a suggestion on your original post about hiring a taxi on the docks and having the driver take you on a tour of the island, all while sitting down.
Yes. You did. I didn't want to seem ungrateful but frankly I would not trust a strange taxi driver in a foreign country to have my best interests in mind. Especially in Mexico. Too many bad things have happened to tourists who ventured out on their own. Like, they are mugged and robbed. Or they disappear permanently. I'm not paranoid just realistic.

@fairydogmother, you are very wise! I also know of people who missed getting back to the ship on time! If you are on an excursion arranged through the ship and the excursion is delayed for some reason (bus trouble, or whatever) the ship has to wait for you. If you arrange your own taxi and you don't make it back in time, no such luck! At least that is what I have heard while cruising. This was with Royal Caribbean. I do not know if that is the protocol with all cruise lines.

chickenbutt · ‎03-09-2010

I did several cruises, but it was over 25 years ago so I was much younger.

My thing was always diving so I would book dive excursions at pretty much any port, except for the Alaska cruise of course. Not only did I get to scuba dive quiet a few great places, but there were some places that I liked the most and returned to for land vacations.

BTW, if there is anything left of the glaciers, Alaska is a great cruise and it's all pretty easy and not physically taxing. The whole day in glacier bay was so amazing and all you did was walk around the cruise ship looking at, and photographing, the glaciers. The other Alaska excursions were either walking around town or one out of Juneau where we took a water plane to this cool place and had an amazing lunch. Flying over the glaciers was amazing and we saw plenty of wildlife as well. None of that was physically difficult at all.

patbz · ‎03-10-2010

@GloriBee : It is not always true that the ship will wait for their sponsored tours. One time our ship was in Waikiki and the Carnival ship better next to us had left a bus load of people. There were two buses on Maui and one broke down. The Captain of the Carnival ship was on that land tour. They brought as many people ( including Captain) back to ship but ship continued on to Oahu while remaining tour members were put up overnite and flown to Oahu next day. Some ports require ships to leave by a certain time, no exceptions.

GloriBee · ‎03-24-2010

@patbz wrote:
@GloriBee : It is not always true that the ship will wait for their sponsored tours. One time our ship was in Waikiki and the Carnival ship better next to us had left a bus load of people. There were two buses on Maui and one broke down. The Captain of the Carnival ship was on that land tour. They brought as many people ( including Captain) back to ship but ship continued on to Oahu while remaining tour members were put up overnite and flown to Oahu next day. Some ports require ships to leave by a certain time, no exceptions.

@patbz WOW! Good to know!

Love to Run · ‎03-22-2012

I'm assuming you're thinking of touring Tenotichlan from Progresso. I've done it and I consider it an average hike. Mind you I'm pretty active so my perspective may be skewed. The bus ride was about an hour, and we walked for maybe 45 minutes.

"The good thing about Science is that it's true, whether or not you believe in it."
Neil deGrasse Tyson

Twins Mom · ‎04-03-2016

@Drythe

You make some good points about sea swells. We went on a day excursion on a catamaran and it was not high energy type. It was lovely but there was an incidence where passenger was not holding on well enough while we were moving and she fell (or had seizure). Nurses onboard and staff worked hard on her and we hurried back to port. When we got back she was alert but I believe injured wrist. What I am trying to convey is err on side of caution. (cruise ship would not let her back on that evening before sure she did not have concussion).

I am a very good swimmer but tend to be uneasy or anxious in ocean swell setting. I headed back to boat and left snorkeling to others.