Prepay shore excursions or pay onboard?

[velvetred]

Do we prepay our shore excursions when we book online them on HAL or do we pay on board when sail? In my experience some lines require prepay and some add it to your shipboard account. Thanks.

[sapper1]

Do we prepay our shore excursions when we book online them on HAL or do we pay on board when sail? In my experience some lines require prepay and some add it to your shipboard account. Thanks.
If you book online ahead of time, which is advisable, your credit card will be charged immediately. However, if you book onboard the charge will be put on your shipboard account. If you wait until boarding, you run the risk of finding the ones you want are sold out.
I had the recent experience of having to cancel a cruise and the shore excursions were refunded to my credit card within a day.

[velvetred]

Thanks, how far out can you prebook shore excursions?

[Harry1954]

Also, if you book before boarding and decide you want to do a different excursion, as long as you do so in advance of their cancellation timing while onboard, you get credit to your onboard account. We have done this several times where we meet some folks who talk us into taking a different excursion than the one we prebooked - we got credit for that one and then were charged for the replacement one.
harry

[Big Al B.]

You can also cancel anytime before their deadline (I think it's 10 days) and get a refund charged to your card. Inside the time it's an OBC (less 10%). They refunded our charge very prompt;y when we cancelled an excursion last year.

Because we can cancel easily, we book as soon as they come out on the website. We're booked for our October 4 Vancouver to Hawaii cruise. :D

[JerseyJaguar]

If it's important to me, I book right away, especially if it's limited number of people or something very popular. You can always change your mind, as others have noted.

Plus, the more I've paid for before I go on my trip, the easier the credit card bill after the trip will be to handle.