Shore excursions...to do or not to do

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PBandJ

Guest
This is a great forum! My husband and I are taking our first cruise on the Zuiderdam on Sept 27th. Our 20th anniversary! We are trying to decide whether to purchase excursions or not...they are expensive, but are they worth it....I read that they get you off the ship first (although we will have as S cabin and I think this also gives you preferential 'tender time'), is this right? Is it preferential getting back on too?
Specifically: 1.the Historic Nature Walk tour on Half Moon; My husband has a hard time spending the whole day at the beach and we like to hike, but can you go explore on your own? Is the guided tour good? 2. Hidden Forest Adventure Hike and French Marigot (this is $59pp)...do you spend more time on a bus than actually seeing things (Yuk)and would taking a cab around be better for the money? My biggest fear here is the potential of missing the boat! And does Marigot have great shopping and sights compared to Phillipsburg? We have been to many places, but never to the Carribean. 3. Champagne Catamaran Sail&Snorkel to St John (this is expensive at $79pp, but would be an ok splurge if it's as nice as it sounds). My hubby likes to sail, we both love champagne, and I love to snorkel. So my question is, I hear St Thomas has great shopping, but if you want to see some of the area or St John, is this worth it...it does sound like fun,and has anyone found any big drawbacks to this excursion? 4.At Nassau is the Atlantis tour good, or can you go easily on your own....what's fun to do in Nassau or is this a good day to stay on the boat?
Finally (at last) Tenders...can you get back on the ship any time during the day that you want, or if you get off are you there for the duration? So many questions!!! Thanks all!
 
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Stridje

Guest
First of all, congrats on your anniversary! The Zuiderdam is a great place to celebrate. I just returned from the Aug. 16 Eastern Carib sailing on her. What a big beautiful ship. Great to stay on, but since my husband, daughter (age 11) and I are relatively active and love water, here is what we chose to do for excursions, listed in port order for our itinerary.

Half Moon Cay: We chose the Tropical Kayak Adventure, $39 pp. I rate it a 3.5 out of 5. Good upper body exercise and views of the island most don't get unless they're in the water outside of the beach swimming area. Do it as early in the day as you can. Or if you plan to spend some time at all at the beach, take the first tender at 8am and grab a couple of canvas covered lounges. Also, there's a good buffet-style BBQ lunch which you can enjoy under one of the many covered table areas.

St. Maarten: Without a doubt, if you like to sail, the America's Cup Regatta is a must and worth the steeper $89 pp fare. You get to board one of two racing sailboats and can participate or sit back during the sail, which is actually a race between two of these beautiful machines. It takes up most of your day (5 hours, right through lunch), and you return to ship exhilarated and very hungry. We still talk about this one. It's a 4.5 out of 5, IMHO.

St. John, USVI: Although we did not choose this excursion (it was our shopping/leisure stop), my brother and his wife took the Eco Hike and proclaimed it excellent. Three miles of walking, lots to see, an effortless way to burn off the previous night's formal meal. If you are sun-sensitive, don't forget the hat in addition to sunscreen.

Nassau, Bahamas: Three words: Snorkel Bahamas Adventure. They take you out to three different snorkel sites, progressively deeper and with different types of fish - lots of them! Bring or buy an underwater camera and take lots of pictures. Best snorkeling and great for families. Did I mention the sharks? At the last site, you can swim among Caribbean reef sharks if you choose or you can just take pictures from the boat. How often do you get to do this? Best bang for our buck at $54 pp - I rate it a 5 out of 5.

Sorry to be so wordy. I read others' recommendations before I went and they were helpful to me, so hope to return the favor. Enjoy your cruise. Oh, and don't forget to grab a couple of towels and a bottle of water on your way to the gangway.
 
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PBandJ

Guest
Thanks so much for your input! It is hard to decide on these shore excursions and seems like most people on this board don't take the sponsored ones but do things on their own. Kayaking also sounds so fun. Did you know anyone who took the guided hike, or would a hike be also easy to do on your own?

Is it a good idea to bring your own snorkel equipment?

I know we will have a great anniversary celebration. Does HAL do anything special for events like thes in the way of recognition if you haven't arranged anything in particular?
 
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BurBunny

Guest
Can't answer your question about the hike, but can on the snorkel and anniversary.

I always recommend bringing at least your own snorkel and mask. The fit on a mask can make a huge difference, and your own snorkel for sanitary reasons is absolutely worth it. I always bring my own fins as well, but know many who just rent those ashore with no problem.

On the anniversary, be sure that HAL has it in your record and what date. Even if you booked through a TA, you can call HAL directly at 877-SAIL-HAL and let them know you're celebrating an anniversary. You'll get a nice cake in the dining room :)
 
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mrs uncle bill

Guest
Our TA evidently reported it was our anniversary and we received a bottle of champagne from the Captain one night at dinner, in addition to the cake and anniversary serenade by the dining room staff. It was delightful...
 
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lougee1043

Guest
if you tour through the ship and the tour returns late for some reason the ship will wait for you'

if you tour on your own or book through an outside agency ad the same thing occurs you will be left standing on the dock--------so if you tour on your own make sure you allow some extra time before the ship sails to cover the unanticipated
 


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