mellibee Posted April 3, 2019 Report Share Posted April 3, 2019 Hello my fellow cruisers, This will be my 5th cruise, but first time at 4 different ports with nothing planned. I'm usually OCD with planning my itinerary for the ports, not including the planning I do once I get my cruise compass ha,ha..BUT I'm trying to "wing" it this trip. I don't have any excursions locked on as of yet and I leave next wknd. For all you experience cruisers...Do you think I'll be able to do any of the excursions Royal offers on the cruise planner, if I just get off at the ports and decide to do one with an outside company? I'm trying to "relax" as this is a birthday cruise for me and I'm generally going 60 MPH with work, kids, sports events, just life as a whole. My anxiety is going through the roof knowing I have nothing "planned" , it sounds crazy but just looking for some guidance or advice. I stop at San Juan (I'm Puerto Rican) so no worries there...St. Maarten, St. Kitts and Haiti. I have already decided that Haiti, I will get off cruise early get a quick tan, and back on boat. The other two ports, I don't want to miss out on anything because I know there is tons to do, yet thinking of winging it...Sorry this is so long, but just reaching out for some positive vibes and reassurance that I'll be ok if I don't plan anything..lmaoo Thanks in advance. p.s. I LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE THIS SITE AND ALL OF YOU! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted April 3, 2019 Report Share Posted April 3, 2019 Just now, mellibee said: Do you think I'll be able to do any of the excursions Royal offers on the cruise planner, if I just get off at the ports and decide to do one with an outside company? Possibly. Depends on what you want to do, and how popular that offering is. In general, if you opt to do something on shore, there's usually a lot of vendors happy to assist. 1 minute ago, mellibee said: I'm trying to "relax" as this is a birthday cruise for me and I'm generally going 60 MPH with work, kids, sports events, just life as a whole. My anxiety is going through the roof knowing I have nothing "planned" , it sounds crazy but just looking for some guidance or advice. Totally get what you're trying to do. Ironically, this laissez faire approach to planning could arguably give you more anxiety. By not planning anything, you run the risk of having to scramble to find something at the last minute. Not saying it will happen, but depending on your personality, you may find yourself trying to figure out what to do with limited options. If nothing appeals to you, that can lead to frustration. The advantage of planning ahead is you can weigh all options and lock in something that looks great. It's not to say if you plan ahead you have to spend hours and hours researching either. 4ensic and Vee2525 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiny260 Posted April 3, 2019 Report Share Posted April 3, 2019 We have done this on a couple of cruises lately, ironically some if not most of the ports you mention. I didn't plan a thing and just winged it. With that said though, the cruises were our 2, 3, 4 and more to these destinations, so we knew exactly what to expect and where to go when we wanted. Interestingly though, we had just been to San Juan in October 2018 and found this restaurant that we really liked and planned to go back, when we got to San Juan January 2019 the restaurant had closed, which lead us to another restaurant which lead my wife to this little pop up boutique that she fell in love with. So winging it can be a good things as long as you know where you are going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tts42572 Posted April 3, 2019 Report Share Posted April 3, 2019 Well....I always feel better having a plan. Either I plan an excursion of some sort or plan to stay around the port/ship and just relax. There's just too many people on these cruises and often times multiple ships in port.....I never feel good just winging it. Most of the time I find myself doing some sort of excursion to take advantage of the time I'm at the stops since I may never get back there. I've only been on a few cruises though and haven't been to the same port yet. I suppose if I start repeating ports I might take a different approach and "wing it" a bit more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedi Jason Posted April 3, 2019 Report Share Posted April 3, 2019 If you have never been to the port, I wouldn't recommend you just wing it and hope you find something you like. In St. Maarten you could wing it somewhat. Check the flight schedule and grab a taxi to see the airplanes come in over Maho Beach and you could make the rest of the day a beach day at a better beach elsewhere. Alternatively, there is a public beach, restaurants and shopping within walking distance of the ship you would just need to pay a fee to rent a chair/umbrella. St. Kitts has a couple of unique excursions that you probably won't be able to do without booking an excursion in advance. There is a train tour and also a safari tour of the island that includes a beach stop that are both really nice but could sell out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted April 3, 2019 Report Share Posted April 3, 2019 When I visit a new port I always take one of the "familiarization" type of excursions that is basically just an overall tour of the area. That way I will know where I might want to go back and visit if I make it back again. ...but then again, I am not all that adventurous nor that much of a beach person so these kinds of tours are fine for me. If you are looking for a high energy experience, the familiarization tour is probably going to be boring for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedNoodles Posted April 3, 2019 Report Share Posted April 3, 2019 41 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said: When I visit a new port I always take one of the "familiarization" type of excursions that is basically just an overall tour of the area. That way I will know where I might want to go back and visit if I make it back again. ...but then again, I am not all that adventurous nor that much of a beach person so these kinds of tours are fine for me. If you are looking for a high energy experience, the familiarization tour is probably going to be boring for you. Drive me around, tell me stuff, and let me sloth it the whole way? Sign me up! WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiny260 Posted April 3, 2019 Report Share Posted April 3, 2019 6 minutes ago, SpeedNoodles said: Drive me around, tell me stuff, and let me sloth it the whole way? Sign me up! Reminds me of the movie Wall e. WAAAYTOOO and SpeedNoodles 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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