Family Cruising Cruising First Timers need tips / help

Good day everyone!

We are a family of 5 going on our first cruise on the Norwegian Getaway in late February. We typically go away 2-3 times a year on all inclusive resort vacations and we know the process to book for tours and getting around etc..

This is our first cruise and not really sure the best way to approach this. We want to book excursions for the 3 ports of call we will be visiting during our trip but not sure with who or when to book these?

Is it best to book these in advance? Book through the cruise line, tour operator or book them when we get on the ship? I've also been reading around about people just getting off of the ship and booking them there on the spot.

Is there any advantage/disadvantage to booking an excursion in advance? We have 3 kids 1, 4, and 8 years old and wondering if others have any suggestions or recommendations?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

I can't answer a lot of your questions, but first and foremost, you would get a MUCH better response if you posted this on a different board. You have post on the St. Maarten board which generally will only draw people who can answer questions about st. maarten. If you repost in either the specific cruise line board that you are sailing on, or even in the 'first time cruisers' board...you will get a much better response.

IMHO--Depending on the things you want to do, will determine wether to book them on your own or with the cruise ship. If you time in port is limited, or the excursion you want to do is close to the time that you are getting off the ship or when you need to be back on the ship--then I would definintly recommend booking it through the cruise line. That way you are guarenteed to not miss the ship or miss the excursion. Also, the cruise line only works with known reputable vendors.

If you have plenty of time for the excursion, then you are probably fine booking it on your own directly thru the vendor. The choice about whether to book ahead of time or waiting until you get there will depend on what the excursion is, the time of year, how many ships are in port on the day that you will be there and the times. If you are doing a popular excursion and you know you want to do it, there is no disadvantage to booking it ahead of time. often they fill up fast and you could miss out. The only advantage to waiting until you got off the ship is if you were interested in doing like a tour with a taxi and then you can sometimes negotiate a rate in person for a better price than you would have booked ahead of time.

Often, if you book excursions on your own ahead of time, you dont pay until you get there in person anyway, so you are not out anything if you change your mind.

Others can correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that if you reserve an excursion thru the ship ahead of time, you can still cancel if you change your mind.

good luck!! (ps--it would also help when posting to state where your ports of call are as different areas could have different answers.)

Good day everyone!

 

We are a family of 5 going on our first cruise on the Norwegian Getaway in late February. We typically go away 2-3 times a year on all inclusive resort vacations and we know the process to book for tours and getting around etc..

 

This is our first cruise and not really sure the best way to approach this. We want to book excursions for the 3 ports of call we will be visiting during our trip but not sure with who or when to book these?

Is it best to book these in advance? Book through the cruise line, tour operator or book them when we get on the ship? I've also been reading around about people just getting off of the ship and booking them there on the spot.

 

Is there any advantage/disadvantage to booking an excursion in advance? We have 3 kids 1, 4, and 8 years old and wondering if others have any suggestions or recommendations?

 

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Is one of your ports St. Maarten? If so you could taxi to Le Galion beach which is a great beach for small children. LeGalion is shallow and calm and clear. About a five minute walk away there is a Butterfly Farm. This combination makes for a lovely day.

Post your question on each of your ports and on the Ask a Question board to get the most results. The ports boards are great for excursion information and the ask a question board is great for more general questions. :)