When do you buy shore excursions?

When do you buy shore excursions either private or through the ship.

 

My husband and I are going on a cruise through the canal in November with another couple. I have already bought excursions in 3 ports and one of the tours is private through our roll call, but my friends want to wait until they are on the ship to buy anything.

 

What does CC members do?

 

Thanks

Lynn

I book my HAL shore excursions as soon as what I want is posted for booking. That way it is done, paid for, and I get the excursions and times I want. If, for some reason, I change my mind, I can always cancel and the money is refunded.

We usually book early, shortly after booking the cruise. We primarily use private excursions and often the best guides book early. You can always cancel later if you need to.

My friend is going on an Alaska cruise next week and he just started looking at excursions. The three I recommended for him we already sold out! So much for waiting until the last minute on the better tours, especially those with limited seating.

As soon as HAL posts shore excursions, we book them.

We don't want to be disappointed if one of them should sell out before the cruise. HAL can't always add extra buses.

As soon as ship's excursion is available, we compare with private excursions and book with the better option.

 

 

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... but my friends want to wait until they are on the ship to buy anything.

Why? The best ones could be sold out.

When do you buy shore excursions either private or through the ship.

 

My husband and I are going on a cruise through the canal in November with another couple. I have already bought excursions in 3 ports and one of the tours is private through our roll call, but my friends want to wait until they are on the ship to buy anything.

 

What does CC members do?

 

Thanks

Lynn

 

We're new to shore excursions, and are going through the Panama Canal next spring. Can you recommend where we can find info on private tours? Thanks!

We buy as soon as we know what we want to do after booking the cruise.

We're new to shore excursions, and are going through the Panama Canal next spring. Can you recommend where we can find info on private tours? Thanks!

 

Do some research on port of call boards. Also check to see if there's a roll call for your cruise. Sometimes people organize private tours and ask if others are interested in joining.

I agree with others who say they book tours asap. We generally book ship's tours or go sightseeing on our own. We seldom book private tours. The only reason to wait until you're on board is if you have a lot of OBC and want to use it that way. But there's a risk that what's left at that point won't be what you want.

We book them as soon as possible.

My friends say they always do it this way and never had any problems getting the tours they want. They also want to wait and see the video the ship shows of each port and the excursions they offer.

I know they both want to do the zip lining in Costa Rica and I'm really worried it will be sold out.

KWB,

Our roll call booked a tour on Gio tours in Costa Rica.

 

Lynn

If we want to do something in the port other than just walk around the port area/town, we only consider ship-based shore excursions. I've seen too many people have issues with independent shore excursions -- either getting left when the ship sails or have issues with scheduling and refunds if the itinerary is changed or port stop times changed once on-board. We start discussing shore excursions as soon as we book the cruise and they are up on the HAL website. We don't actually purchase anything until after we've made final payment.

I book my HAL shore excursions as soon as what I want is posted for booking. That way it is done, paid for, and I get the excursions and times I want. If, for some reason, I change my mind, I can always cancel and the money is refunded.

 

This is exactly what I do and for the same reasons.

When do you buy shore excursions either private or through the ship.

 

My husband and I are going on a cruise through the canal in November with another couple. I have already bought excursions in 3 ports and one of the tours is private through our roll call, but my friends want to wait until they are on the ship to buy anything.

 

What does CC members do?

 

Thanks

Lynn

 

We wait till we are on the ship because we will know what the weather will be in port.

If it is something we really want, I will book before sailing. On our recent Alaska cruise the Tracy Arm catamaran was going fast and I am glad we booked early. It was a great excursion. Often we have a lot of ship board credit, so we will book other excursions the minute we get on the ship. This strategy has worked well for us!

 

Karen

I book the ones I absolutely must have as soon as available. The others I may book before the cruise or onboard if still available.

Why? The best ones could be sold out.

 

Why let HAL (or a private supplier) have your money interest free for months?

My friends say they always do it this way and never had any problems getting the tours they want. They also want to wait and see the video the ship shows of each port and the excursions they offer.

I know they both want to do the zip lining in Costa Rica and I'm really worried it will be sold out.

 

Why worry for them? They should be able to book when they want to. If it's sold out, they'll find something else to do!

Why let HAL (or a private supplier) have your money interest free for months?

Because your money isn't earning much interest sitting in the bank and you'll get to go on the excursions you want to go on. If booking an independent excursion, I look at the company's cancellation policies. For our upcoming cruise on a Princess ship, we've booked independent excursions in two ports. Both operators will refund our money if the ship doesn't make it to the port.

Definitely book ones I know I want and are popular as soon as I make a reservation...sometimes that's almost a year out. The best tours are not even in "the book" once you get on board since they've already been sold out. Private tours also...the best recommended ones are always gone well in advance. (And no, you don't necessarily pay for them up front...sometimes a deposit with balance when you take the tour.) If I'm spending thousands to go somewhere to see something I want to be assured I'll see it. If it's just going to a beach or a snorkel tour like on a Caribbean cruise there will be plenty of opportunities.

 

 

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Why let HAL (or a private supplier) have your money interest free for months?

I'm willing to spot them the nickel.

We never buy cruise line excursions. We either sign up/arrange for a private tour in advance or get one when we dock. So far so good. Just did a South American cruise. We signed up for one arranged on this forum. It was excellent.

 

We did the balance of the cruise stops by either buying a tour at the dock or doing our own thing. This turned out to be best for us. The cruise line tours were outrageously priced compared to the private and DIY tours. We do private tours because of the quality and the limited amount of people on the tour-usually 6-12 with no stops for trinkets, trash, or carpets. The cost savings is an additional benefit.

At Ephesus we had a private van, driver, tour guide for four people. With the tip it cost us about the same as the it would have on the ships tour bus. Much better.