Excursions- prebooking vs "winging it"?

[Alice514]

Hello all,

 

I’m generally kind of a lurker, so this is my first CC post.

 

I am the primary planner for an Alaskan cruise on the Solstice with the extended family. (Party of 5.) My mom and I have one cruise under our belts, a short 3-day Disney Bahamas cruise. My mom gets seasickness, so we did the short cruise to test the waters, so to speak. Since our only real port day was Nassau, we didn’t even bother looking into excursions. This Alaska cruise will be the first ever cruise for the other three members of the family. Since cruising is new to so many of us I’ve been reluctant to commit to prebooking excursions. I have no idea what everyone is going to think about this new vacation experience. Two of us are definitely interested in doing excursions, but I just don’t know how the others will feel once the cruise is underway. Basically I’m afraid to prebook excursions because of the upfront payments and I’m afraid people might change their minds at the last minute. (Like someone might just want to say onboard the ship, someone else might just want to walk around town, etc.)

 

So what I’m wondering is, how realistic is it to wait until the last minute and book excursions onboard? Since we’re all pretty much newbies I think everyone would be more comfortable booking through the cruise line, even though it may cost a little more than private vendors. The kinds of excursions I was looking at weren’t very fancy. No float planes or helicopter tours. A couple of us were looking at a zipline, Mendenhall Glacier, and the White Pass Rail/bus combo. I'm thinking if we wait until we're onboard we could have some flexibility in our plans, but I know there's a danger that the excursions that interested us could sell out.

 

 

 

Any thoughts or advice?

 

 

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

.

[Wj420]

Encourage each person to review the options online. To avoid disappointment I'd highly recommend booking ahead before things sellout. Most will book prior to boarding. Excursions will be available inboard, but not all and not at your first choice time.

[mickeysgal]

If you're flexible and won't be disappointed that you didn't get a particular excursion, then I think you'd be fine to wait until you're onboard. I think most others do the same...wait until they're onboard. If there is something you have your heart set on...then book it now. Enjoy!

[Phxazzcruisers]

We have never pre booked excursions. We have never had a problem getting signed up on the first day of the cruise. WE have also found that many excursions can be purchased once at the port from local tour companies, many at lower prices. If there is something you definitely absolutely positively do not want to miss, then pre-book. Enjoy

[az_tchr]

I think you are asking the wrong question. I would be researching each port and sort of decideing what I would like to do. Trip Advisor works well for this. I then would be looking at the roll call for my cruise and the ports section to get additional ideas of what to do. Then I would make a decision. Private tour, ship tour or wing it.

 

The problem with some of the Alaskan ports is they are small and it you do not plan ahead you are left out. For example - Skagway - is impossible to get to everything unless you rent a car. with a car you can get to everything and follow the train route at your own pace. Visit dyea, cemetery and everything. The problem is Sourdough Car Rentals has about 6 vehicles!

 

FYI - I only use a ship's tour when there is an issue of being able to return to the ship on time. Except for a couple boat tours out of Ketichikan that should not be an issue in Alaska. While there simply used the city bus to get to totem Bight Park - cost was free as over 65!

Edited March 22, 2016 by az_tchr

[ClaudiaB]

Unrelated to excursions but specific to your cruise, make sure you attend the lecturer Brent Nixon if he's on your cruise. He is phenomenal. We went to every lecture and followed his suggestions about going up onto the decks to watch for whales and other marine life at the times he suggested.

Alaska is a different kind of cruise. It's all about the scenery, the beauty and the majesty that is Alaska. It's not a cruise to hang out by the pool or in the casino as much as other cruises are. It's more laid back and quiet, as people are watching, looking, searching for wildlife and soaking in the beauty. Do bring a good pair of binoculars!!

Mendenhall Glacier is a nice thing to do, as is a whale watching excursion. I still would look into Marv and Harv for that.

Get your seasickness-prone person some patches but make sure they don't wear them on land or if they don't need them. It can play havoc with the GI system on some people Guest Relations desk can hand out Bonine type pills for seasickness if you forget yours.

The White Pass Railroad is a great excursion. But you'll need to book it ahead.

 

You'll want to go to Alaska again, as soon as you finish your cruise. It's just beautiful.

[PROCRUISE]

I concur that tours in Alaska is a different ball game than the Caribbean.

 

Surely all the members of your traveling group could find the time to look at ship shore excursions so that you could get an idea if there is any consensus at different ports as to what everyone would like to see or do.

 

I would then go ahead and prebook any ship tours that everyone is happy with participating in and know that you are booked.

 

Doing private tours, which is usually much less expensive is really not that hard to pull together either, just takes time. CC Alaska site is filled with recommendations and you only need E-mail the company that might interest you for all the needed information and costs.

 

While in Alaska for the one week land tour/one week cruise, we took six private tours and three ship tours, all quite excellent and with no problems pre booking them many months in advance.

Edited March 22, 2016 by PROCRUISE

[waterbug123]

You mentioned worrying that if you prebook, someone might change their mind or not want to do something, so I have to ask: Are you set on doing things only if all 5 of you do them? Personally, I would not want to limit myself only to what 4 other people may or may not want to do. Maybe there are 1 or 2 ports where you all agree and you can prebook. But if you have differing opinions, then maybe for 1 or 2 ports you can suggest that you break into 2 groups of 2 or 3 people each, and either do different things or you can do something while others choose to remain onboard or whatever. Just my .02

[wendychloecruiser]

The White Pass tour to the Yukon sells out all the time. I highly recommend that one in particular.

[4774Papa]

Always book ahead. Usually private tours.

[karlsselindh]

If you book ahead, your credit card will be charged immediately. Some people prefer to book on board and use their on-board credit.

 

Celebrity has a 24-hour cancellation policy. If you cancel your tour more than 24 hours prior to the tour, you'll get a full refund and no penalty. You may want to book in advance, and those who decide they don't want to go can cancel 24 hours prior.

 

You'll love Alaska!

[LouisV]

We have never pre booked excursions. We have never had a problem getting signed up on the first day of the cruise. WE have also found that many excursions can be purchased once at the port from local tour companies, many at lower prices. If there is something you definitely absolutely positively do not want to miss, then pre-book. Enjoy

 

Good suggestion about purchasing something in port! I've seen tour operators in ports but have never used them.

[diesel1973]

6 of us doing a Car. cruise next year also have a similar problem. We got extra OBC from X but can't use it to prebook excursions. We have decided to not prebook and book when on ship. We just hope they are available when on board. Sure wish they would change policy especially when they keep loading on more OBC in their specials.

[4774Papa]

Good suggestion about purchasing something in port! I've seen tour operators in ports but have never used them.

 

Not sure where you cruise, but taking a chance in the port is like Russian Roulette. You have not checked the companies rating or reviews. Also, don't have the ability to compare what your get for what you pay. In some countries finding someone at the dock is a problem since no-one is there with tours. This is true in Asia. Also, many of the best South American tour companies book up early.

 

It might work for the Caribbean and perhaps for some ports in Europe, but not everywhere.

Most private tours allow you to pay on the dock or only pay a modest deposit in advance.

[LouisV]

Not sure where you cruise, but taking a chance in the port is like Russian Roulette. You have not checked the companies rating or reviews. Also, don't have the ability to compare what your get for what you pay. In some countries finding someone at the dock is a problem since no-one is there with tours. This is true in Asia. Also, many of the best South American tour companies book up early.

 

It might work for the Caribbean and perhaps for some ports in Europe, but not everywhere.

Most private tours allow you to pay on the dock or only pay a modest deposit in advance.

 

We are cruising in the Caribbean so hopefully it won't be an issue.

[cb at sea]

I hope you're researching Alaska...so you'll have some idea of the things you want to see and do...as long as you have an idea, "winging" it is doable. If you have NO idea of what's what in each place, you may very well miss something you'd enjoy! Get a guidebook and read it...libraries are free...and the research will give you an idea IF you need a guided excursion or not!

[owensamo]

We are taking our first Celebrity cruise this summer to Alaska, and we will be primarily winging it! We have a lot of OBC that I'm hoping to use for one or two excursions that we will sign up for on the first day. But otherwise, we will DIY some stuff in the ports. I have a list of excursions we're interested in, in semi-priority order, and will just fill in what we can get and afford with our OBC - and not worry too much about it, since there's nothing we feel we *have* to do.

 

I think some of this is because we're just sick of planning. We had a very port and tour intensive vacation in France and the Baltic last summer (using every mode of travel known to man except bicycles!), so this year we just want to relax and enjoy.

 

Even if it's our only trip to Alaska, I think we'll cope without doing float planes or whale watching trips or eating salmon with bears. I'm looking forward to some quiet relaxation as well as a lack of stressing about seeing-and-doing-it-all on this particular trip. We will be doing some post-cruise time in Anchorage and Denali, and will explore those areas on our own as well.

[OCruisers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

If you see a tour either thru the cruise line or independent that you really want, book it as quickly as possible. Seriously, the popular ones sell out quickly.

Otherwise, wait and make a decision later.

Enjoy! :D

Edited March 23, 2016 by OCruisers

[phoenix_dream]

We are taking our first Celebrity cruise this summer to Alaska, and we will be primarily winging it! We have a lot of OBC that I'm hoping to use for one or two excursions that we will sign up for on the first day. But otherwise, we will DIY some stuff in the ports. I have a list of excursions we're interested in, in semi-priority order, and will just fill in what we can get and afford with our OBC - and not worry too much about it, since there's nothing we feel we *have* to do.

 

I think some of this is because we're just sick of planning. We had a very port and tour intensive vacation in France and the Baltic last summer (using every mode of travel known to man except bicycles!), so this year we just want to relax and enjoy.

 

Even if it's our only trip to Alaska, I think we'll cope without doing float planes or whale watching trips or eating salmon with bears. I'm looking forward to some quiet relaxation as well as a lack of stressing about seeing-and-doing-it-all on this particular trip. We will be doing some post-cruise time in Anchorage and Denali, and will explore those areas on our own as well.

 

I understand what you mean 100%. That said, I would strongly encourage a whale watching trip, unless you have done that type of thing in other places. There is nothing in the world quite like a mammal the size of a school bus jumping out of the water a dozen yards from your boat! I personally recommend Captain Larry at Orca Enterprises in Juneau.

[emagdnim900]

Hello all,

 

I’m generally kind of a lurker, so this is my first CC post.

 

I am the primary planner for an Alaskan cruise on the Solstice with the extended family. (Party of 5.) My mom and I have one cruise under our belts, a short 3-day Disney Bahamas cruise. My mom gets seasickness, so we did the short cruise to test the waters, so to speak. Since our only real port day was Nassau, we didn’t even bother looking into excursions. This Alaska cruise will be the first ever cruise for the other three members of the family. Since cruising is new to so many of us I’ve been reluctant to commit to prebooking excursions. I have no idea what everyone is going to think about this new vacation experience. Two of us are definitely interested in doing excursions, but I just don’t know how the others will feel once the cruise is underway. Basically I’m afraid to prebook excursions because of the upfront payments and I’m afraid people might change their minds at the last minute. (Like someone might just want to say onboard the ship, someone else might just want to walk around town, etc.)

 

So what I’m wondering is, how realistic is it to wait until the last minute and book excursions onboard? Since we’re all pretty much newbies I think everyone would be more comfortable booking through the cruise line, even though it may cost a little more than private vendors. The kinds of excursions I was looking at weren’t very fancy. No float planes or helicopter tours. A couple of us were looking at a zipline, Mendenhall Glacier, and the White Pass Rail/bus combo. I'm thinking if we wait until we're onboard we could have some flexibility in our plans, but I know there's a danger that the excursions that interested us could sell out.

 

 

 

Any thoughts or advice?

 

 

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

.

 

 

 

 

If you can hold out and purchase trips once at port it will save you some money! If you go on a private tour just make sure you go early in the day to ensure plenty of time to re-board the ship

 

Tim

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

For Alaska, most definitely pre-book if you definitely want to do something - especially anything involving float planes or bear watching as those are very limited size excursions.

 

I get that people may have OBC they want to use for them, but this past summer I was on a RCCL cruise to Alaska and was at Guest Services to discuss that my mattresses were not staying together and I was being eaten by my beds every night and while dealing with that, the three poor Guest Services officers were being loudly and rudely berated by people who waited to book on board and use OBC only to discover that the excursions that were "the WHOLE reason we came to Alaska" were already sold out and had been since before the cruise.

 

If you don't give a rat's patootie what you do and are cool with a limited selection, waiting is ok. But if you want something specific, book ahead and use the OBC on something else.

[keithm]

Hello all,

 

I’m generally kind of a lurker, so this is my first CC post.

 

I am the primary planner for an Alaskan cruise on the Solstice with the extended family. (Party of 5.) My mom and I have one cruise under our belts, a short 3-day Disney Bahamas cruise. My mom gets seasickness, so we did the short cruise to test the waters, so to speak. Since our only real port day was Nassau, we didn’t even bother looking into excursions. This Alaska cruise will be the first ever cruise for the other three members of the family. Since cruising is new to so many of us I’ve been reluctant to commit to prebooking excursions. I have no idea what everyone is going to think about this new vacation experience. Two of us are definitely interested in doing excursions, but I just don’t know how the others will feel once the cruise is underway. Basically I’m afraid to prebook excursions because of the upfront payments and I’m afraid people might change their minds at the last minute. (Like someone might just want to say onboard the ship, someone else might just want to walk around town, etc.)

 

So what I’m wondering is, how realistic is it to wait until the last minute and book excursions onboard? Since we’re all pretty much newbies I think everyone would be more comfortable booking through the cruise line, even though it may cost a little more than private vendors. The kinds of excursions I was looking at weren’t very fancy. No float planes or helicopter tours. A couple of us were looking at a zipline, Mendenhall Glacier, and the White Pass Rail/bus combo. I'm thinking if we wait until we're onboard we could have some flexibility in our plans, but I know there's a danger that the excursions that interested us could sell out.

 

 

 

Any thoughts or advice?

 

 

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

.

I guess a lot has to do with the popularity of a location. Alaska has a lot of popular excursions, so you might have issues booking on board. If you wish to go this route..check online, the excursions you might like. Research it carefully. Then once you board get to the excursion desk really quick. For us, we only had one excursion in all our times cruising that we couldn't book on board.

[Ereggae]

Also, on Celebrity, you can book tours on the TV in your room so you don't have to wait on the long lines.

[Bodhi]

Erreggae, wow I've been on 7 X cruises and yanno, I've never paid attention to the ability to book excursions via the TV! Thanks for the tip!

[Alice514]

Thanks to everyone who's replied thus far. All of your tips and advice are really useful.

 

It looks like 3 of us are going to pre-book a White Pass Rail/van combo in Skagway with Chilkoot Charters. The other two in our party might try and book that one last minute, but they say they'll be fine if they can't get it.

 

Several of us will also prebook the Alpine zipline in Juneau through Celebrity so we can get on the list for priority tendering. (A great bit of info I got reading CC posts!) I'd also like to get out to see Mendenhall Glacier, so my plan is once the zip is over those of us that want to continue on to the glacier can grab one of the shuttles out to the visitor center without having to arrange anything ahead of time. Eight hours in Juneau seems like plenty of time for both.

 

And we're just going to wing it in Ketchikan. Oh, and when I say "wing it" I don't mean go in completely blind. I'm the obsessive trip planner of the group. I've been known to hand out itineraries complete with confirmation numbers. Sometimes my travel buddies think I'm nuts at first, but they usually thank me in the end. ;) With this group communication has been a little more challenging, which is why I've been trying to allow for more flexibility.

 

Any and all tips are appreciated!