I am going on a cruise on the liberty of the seas, any suggestions about shore excursions?

my stops are San Juan, Labadee and St Martaan, the shore excursions are quite expensive and i don't know if I should book them now before I go or wait until I get on the ship, not sure what would be cheaper. In St Martaan, can we just get off the ship and go for a wander around or do we have to be on an organised tour? The ship is the liberty of the seas, any replies would be appreciated






Answer :
Just cruised on the Liberty this past November. Your itinerary is a good one not to do tours. In San Juan you can actually walk through the old San Juan city area and also Fort Cristobal right from the ship. The only way you need tours is if you want to go to the beach or to the rain forest. The ship should dock right by the twon at the new pier and you can just walk where you want to go.

In St Maarten you'll need to take a water taxi to town (or walk a long few miles). As I remember the water taxi is $4.00 round trip. When you get to town you are just a block off the main shopping street and there are a few casinos there too. If you want to dip your feet in some water there is a beach, very small and not private, right by the town. If you want to find an internet cafe, there's one about a block from the beach, right off main street, fee is only a couple dollars an hour.

Now Labadee is Royal Caribbeans private island and while the tour book will list lots of things to do that require a fee, you can just get off the ship and grab a nice spot on one of the 3 or 4 beaches available on the island (actually a peninsula). They have plenty of chairs and shade trees and there is a craft market on one end of the island. They have a free tram to carry you to the other end of the island if you don't want to walk. About 11:30ish they will have free lunch ready at the pavilion; typical picnic stuff. So just plan to enjoy a day at the beach when you get to Labadee. Bring your own snorkel equipment so you don't have to rent that. Explore on the island.






Answer :
On any cruise ,DON'T BOOK SHORE EXCURSIONS WITH THE SHIP. When you go ashore you will find local people in EVERY PORT that will take you to any shore feature for their location at HALF the price you would pay to the cruise line. You can pick up the various shore excursions across from the purer's office on the ship and pick out what you are interested in, and you will know the cost the ship is asking. When you go ashore offer any of the local tour guides 50% of what the ship is charging.






Answer :
In San Juan, you definitely don't need a tour. You can easily walk around the town. If you get tired, there are free trolleys, running up until 7PM.

You might want to take a tour of St. Martaan. That way you can see the French and Dutch part of the island, and hear about the history, culture, etc. I was there recently, and found an excellent guide at the dock. Don't book a ship excursion. They are always more expensive than what you can get at the dock.

Of course, you do not need an excursion in Labadee. I have not been there. But I understand that you can lie on the beach, and get fed for free.

Hope you have as much fun as I did.