Shore Excursions

Hi All- first cruise coming up so these may seem like stupid questions to the initiated :o

We have planned our shore excursions online via the cruise line Manage My Booking page and they appear against our cabin details. Is this a definite reservation at this point? Can we pay for them with our onboard account on embarkation day or do we have to pay now online? What happens if we have paid and the weather does not allow the excursions to take place? Am I worrying unnecessarily? Any other tips greatly appreciated.

As far as I know, Carnival doesn't let you pay for pre-booked excursions on-board, you have to pay for them as you book (or wait to book on-board, if you want to use OBC). But I could be wrong, since I haven't sailed Carnival in years; I'll let someone else confirm that.

If you book an excursion through the ship, and it's canceled due to weather, your money will be refunded, don't worry.

If you haven't paid for the excursion it is not confirmed. It is simply in your cart. Confirmed excursions will read "1 excursion booked" vs "1 excursion in cart". If the ship doesn't make a port where you have a ship-sponsored excursion your money is refunded.

Fivearms is correct. You pay via credit card online when you book your excursions. You will get a confirmation in your email box which you should print and bring with you in case of an error or cancellation. By booking online and not on board, you will be assured of getting the excursions that you want as some can sell out before the ship leaves. Do not try to book on embarkation day!!! There is ALWAYS a long line at both the excursion and guest services desk and I am sure that you would rather be enjoying your time on the ship than standing in line!

Just so you know....if you do some research on your ports, and get to know something about where you're going, you might not NEED excursions at all! Excursions are one of the costliest parts of a cruise.

If you book thru the ship, there are no worries...it's a foolproof way to do things.

Next cruise, get a guidebook and find out what is in each port that interests you! Things like beaches or shopping seldom need an excursion. The guidebook will detail the how and where so you can have a lovely, fun, and CHEAP day ashore!!!!

Have had major computer crash so apologies for delay in replying - no internet, no emails.....aarrgghh!. Many thanks to everyone who responded to my questions re: Shore Excursions. As first-timers, guess we are playing it safe.

Very helpful responses re: Carnival procedures. Great advice and hope that this will be the first of many cruises. Really grateful that forum exists and so many people are so supportive.