excursions in general

[Lady Vidora]

I notice that for excursions like snorkeling, on the princess website, many are just 3-4 hours. Does that mean drive time? Do they bring you directly to the ship, or can you maybe go to shops without running into the problem that you'll be late for the ship. I guess I'm wondering about flexibility. If we sign up for an excursion that is just 3 hours, that seems to mean we'll spend the whole rest of the day on the ship...and while I'm sure the ship is VERY nice, it'd be nice to do a little bit of wandering without having to worry about the time and getting to the ship. I'm not too comfortable booking my own excursions because we've never cruised before. Thanks for all the help.

[NancyN]

Lady Vidora,
What ports will you be visiting, as that makes a difference in how to respond to your question? The times listed for most excursions includes the travel time to and from the ship (or pier if tendering). Just because the excursion delivers you back to the ship - doesn't mean you have to go back onboard and often the shopping is within walking distance of where the ship is docked.