Navymom Posted March 3, 2019 Report Share Posted March 3, 2019 We are taking our very first cruise on Liberty of the Seas in November (25th Anniversary!) We want to do ziplining in Costa May but since this is our first time, we are concerned about the use of a 3rd party company and the guarantee of getting back to the ship on time. Should we just book through RC and be done with it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melski94 Posted March 3, 2019 Report Share Posted March 3, 2019 We use 3rd party reservations quite a bit. We like the flexibility of a 3rd party reservation. I usually check Trip Advisor for reviews about the 3rd party and make sure there are a lot of reviews. It is a business and they know that getting you back late will probably mean a bad review and future business loss. The big question to ask is when will they return you to the ship? Is there time after your zip line to roam around and the chance that if you feel uncomfortable with the time could you take a taxi back? I like getting back at least an hour before all aboard time but that is just my personal preference. Personally hate RC excursions as I feel like it is herding cats and someone will be too special to actually show up on time. However, if the RC excursion makes you feel more comfortable then go with that. 4ensic and DRLPP 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThyriC Posted March 4, 2019 Report Share Posted March 4, 2019 A lot has to do for me with how long you're in your destination where the shore excursion is. If you're only in port for that day, I recommend going with the RC excursions unless you're absolutely 100% confident that you can get back to the ship on time in case of someone on your 3rd party excursion is late back to the excursion, if your tour vehicle breaks down in the middle of nowhere, etc. If you're confident (ie excursion leaves in the morning and returns 2-3 hours before back on ship time) then go for the third party (as long as it has good reviews on trip advisor, yelp, etc. If you're in port overnight, then you're a little more flexible on your first day. Feel free then to take advantage of those well rated third party excursions! Just the biggest thing is, if your back on ship time is 5pm, and your excursion has you back at 4.... that's a pretty narrow window considering how many people on excursions do the "just 5 more minutes!" If the tour vehicle breaks down, is delayed by traffic, ferries, bridges, etc then you either become a pier runner, or worse, miss the ship altogether! But if your set sail time is 5pm and your excursion has you back at noon, that's a pretty decent window for even the absolute worst case scenario to hail a cab or for the tour company to obtain alternate transportation to get you back on time. An option is to see who RC has contracted for the shore excursion and book the same excursion through the third party directly rather than RC. That way you know the ship will wait since your fellow passengers are on that shore excursion and the ship will wait for them! JennyB 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracieT. Posted March 5, 2019 Report Share Posted March 5, 2019 We did ziplining in Costa Maya a few years ago. IT WAS A BLAST!!! We usually book with a 3rd party because its SO much cheaper. However, in Costa Maya the company will just use your card from the ship! So, you have to book through the ship regardless. The zipline park is a quick 5-10 minute shuttle ride from the port & is included. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyB Posted March 5, 2019 Report Share Posted March 5, 2019 On 3/3/2019 at 7:23 PM, ThyriC said: An option is to see who RC has contracted for the shore excursion and book the same excursion through the third party directly rather than RC. That way you know the ship will wait since your fellow passengers are on that shore excursion and the ship will wait for them! ooohhh...good idea! Baked Alaska 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tts42572 Posted March 13, 2019 Report Share Posted March 13, 2019 I think being on a first cruise there is a lot of security that comes from booking through the ship. I know our first cruise we wouldn't consider doing anything unless it was through the ship because we had no idea what we were doing. And I'm glad we did as the ports were just hectic. After having been through multiple cruises now though, I feel much better about using taxi's or third party transportation. I just think you need to trust your instincts and leave yourself plenty of time. And honestly we still haven't headed all that far away from the pier. I think we've only went around 20-25 minutes max away from the port. Not sure I'd be wanting to go on some 8 hour excursion through Mexico or something lol. As for Costa Maya...Keep in mind the port there is very, very nice. It's crowded too but plenty of shops and restaurants there. And also pools that are open for people to use. We took a tax into town for a few hours and went to a place called Krazy Lobster which was great if you want a beach/drink type day. But next time I'd probably be perfectly happy just hanging out at the port and having a few drinks with my feet in the pool DRLPP and JennyB 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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