Tuesday's Travel Tip: "Research Your Ports of Call in Advance"

Jan115 · May 5, 2015

Hot off the press ... this week's travel tip!

Be sure to check out all of my Tuesday's Travel Tips for more tidbits of cruise and travel advice.

Shari2 · May 8, 2015

Good ideas Jan....I always read everything I can find on the ports...sometimes we take tours, and sometimes we used to just walk around the town, but, we also have had a couple of great tours by just going at the last minute with a tour guide who is waiting at the dock. We had a great guy in Maui who took us all over the island, and stopped for lunch for us, and any stops we wanted to take. Love doing it that way instead of a bus tour.

jacketwatch · May 11, 2015

Good tips indeed. We usually take local guides as they are less $$ and you are in smaller groups. its a good idea to check out the highlights first so you can deal with a local guide or a cabbie when you arrive.

On the getaway they had an NCL channel and there a blip about the Breakaway waiting for passengers to return who had not used a ships tours and were late. They could wait only a few minutes extra because the cost of additional fuel used to increase speed to get to the next port if they waited longer was a staggering 50k dollars! So be sure you have plenty of time to get back. Knowing this I can see why time =$$.

Jan115 · May 11, 2015

That's a great reminder, Larry! I've taken mostly private tours and even car rentals and have been lucky that we haven't had any cars or vans break down or severe traffic to keep us from getting to the ship on time.

On the other side of the coin, if planning an independent tour, make sure it's timed well for port arrival - especially if the ship is tendering. Way back in 2003, on a Carnival stop in Belize, we missed our private snorkel trip because the ship was delayed getting in port, and try as we might, we were unable to get on the first tender. The company couldn't wait, but they were kind enough to refund our money - which brings me to another point ... always check the cancellation policy of whoever you might happen to book a tour with.

DebbieandJerry · May 19, 2015

I agree that you need to do your research before you leave home. However, with that being said - we have always fared better doing our own thing. Shore excursions through the ship offer a sense of comfort, but they are limited to where you stop and how long you stop.

I believe that travelers need to be cautious and understand the culture of where they are travelling. If there are all kinds of warnings about safety, then you exercise "safety in numbers" - just like you would state-side. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I think we get careless about "things happening" when we are on vacation. That's when accidents happen. And by accidents, I also mean missing the boat because you didn't pay attention to the clock.

Great article. Thanks for the reminder.