How do you book your excursions?

[bostongal123]

I am a newbie so I apologize for these basic questions. :)

 

I was on CruisePlanner on RCL website and noticed I could book excursions there. My question is this, do most of you book your excursions through RCL? I seem to remember it is more expensive this way and we don't have to book through RCL. Is this correct? If yes, where do I go to find and book these excursions? Thanks.

[Allyce21]

We always book excursions though the cruise line. Yes it is more expensive but to me it's worth the extra money to be guaranteed to get back on the ship on time.

 

 

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[Merion_Mom]

I am a newbie so I apologize for these basic questions. :)

 

I was on CruisePlanner on RCL website and noticed I could book excursions there. My question is this, do most of you book your excursions through RCL? I seem to remember it is more expensive this way and we don't have to book through RCL. Is this correct? If yes, where do I go to find and book these excursions? Thanks.

 

Since you are new to cruising, I would recommend using the ship's excursion this first time. You will have opportunities later to be more independent.

 

What are your ports?

[bostongal123]

Thanks - Port Canaveral. We are sailing on Oasis next month for a 7-day trip.

[Johnamac123]

In case you didn't know, RCI will wait for late passengers on a excursion booked thru RCI. Not so for excursions not booked thru RCI. You don't want to be late for the ship.....

Edited March 13, 2017 by Johnamac123

[Merion_Mom]

Thanks - Port Canaveral. We are sailing on Oasis next month for a 7-day trip.

 

 

No - you LEAVE from Port Canaveral. What ports do you VISIT? You want to know about excursions; I want to know which ports those excursions will be in. :)

[Desert Cruizers]

If we are traveling to new Ports and on our own and not with a group tour through our Roll Call, then I tend to book with the Cruise line

[reallyhooked]

We always book excursions though the cruise line. Yes it is more expensive but to me it's worth the extra money to be guaranteed to get back on the ship on time.

 

 

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Agree 100%

[iahawkfan21]

First cruise we booked with the cruise line. After that one, we got more comfortable with the process, did plenty of research on here, and now always book independently. Almost always cheaper, more personal excursions, and the reputable ones many recommend here will ensure you get back to the ship in plenty of time. Bad business for them to operate otherwise.

 

As someone asked earlier, what ports are you stopping at? If you're in a port and just wanting, say a beach break, its often easier to just get a taxi rather than book an excursion. Certain excursions it may be easier to book with the cruise line for a first timer. Let us know where you're going and what you want to do and you'll get p,entry of good recommendations. I also encourage you to check out the boards for each port of call to find some good reviews and recommendations.

[trev71]

Always have booked direct with royal. For my upcoming cruise I did book my first ever non royal excursion in Bonaire. But this one is really good at getting people back and I am not too worried since there is at least 5 other couples from our roll call on the same excursion at the same time

[George C]

For decades we booked via cruise lines, now we rarely do so, cruise lines excursions are way to crowded and over priced, we did Europe last year had 9 ports , 2 we did on our own , 1 RCCL excursion, rest were other tour groups none over 10 people. Just do your research and find reliable tour guides

[Bruin Steve]

I am a newbie so I apologize for these basic questions. :)

 

I was on CruisePlanner on RCL website and noticed I could book excursions there. My question is this, do most of you book your excursions through RCL? I seem to remember it is more expensive this way and we don't have to book through RCL. Is this correct? If yes, where do I go to find and book these excursions? Thanks.

 

I guess I have a different take than those who have posted here already...

...and the answer may be a little complex, but please bear with me...

 

First understand that most cruise line shore excursions can be a bit unsatisfying...they usually put you on a big bus with about forty plus others and often, there are many places they can't get a group that big into and the group may move rather slow, getting 40 people herded on and off a bus at every stop. If the activity is such that it doesn't really matter with the group, then all of this may not matter. But if the tour is one of say, historical places and you really want to keep close to and hear your guide, then a small private group can be much better.

 

Prices can often be a bit misleading. On full day tours, cruise line shorexes often include a meal and all of your entry fees. Private tours are often priced with such things as extra...so, make sure you compare "apples and apples". But, that said, small group private tours, in most ports, usually work out to be a bit cheaper if you have assembled a group of 6-8.

 

A note there: You will find two kinds of non-cruise line tours. First there is the true small group private tour--where you hire the guide and put together your own group. Then there is the non-ship bus tour--where a local tour company runs a bus trip similar to what the cruise line offers and you just sign up for their trip instead of the cruise lines. The first type has many advantages whereas, with the second type, the only likely advantage may be the price.

 

 

Unless you already have 6-8 or more in your party, the best place to locate an already existing group or to start your own group is on the Roll Call boards here. Go there and you may find others putting together groups for your cruise. If you want to put together your own group, you can find guides or tour providers either on the ports of call boards here or on Tripadvisor.com.

 

Personally, I have NEVER had an issue with the "getting back to the ship on time" thing. Most of these private shore providers are very experienced and know exactly what they are doing regarding the ship's departure. One cruise, we were in Panama and did an excellent private excursion with an outfit called "My Friend Mario" which came highly recommended here on Cruise Critic. On the way home, a woman in our party became worried about getting back to the ship on time since we were running a few minutes late. Our guide chuckled...then told her that 1) They had been monitoring radio communications from the ship and 2) If she'd look behind us, she'd see three large buses--and those were the buses from the cruise line's shore excursions!

 

One more note: Another thing I take into consideration is the port. I've never had a problem going with private tours in Europe, Alaska, Australia/New Zealand. I do think twice, though, when arranging a private tour in some third world countries. I don't really know the standards for things like insurance coverage, vehicle maintenance and security in some places. In some places--say Jamaica or parts of Mexico, I don't necessarily want to be off on my own with a small group in a van in what may be an off-the-path dangerous area. So, important to research your port and your prospective tour providers carefully.

 

Good luck...

[BillOh]

I am a newbie so I apologize for these basic questions. :)

 

I was on CruisePlanner on RCL website and noticed I could book excursions there. My question is this, do most of you book your excursions through RCL? I seem to remember it is more expensive this way and we don't have to book through RCL. Is this correct? If yes, where do I go to find and book these excursions? Thanks.

 

I love Royal and am one of those cheerleaders. However, their excursion program and website leaves much to be desired and has been a source of frequent disappointment so I look for a lot of private excursions. I do a lot of travelsadvisor and google search as welll as look at the port of call forums here. I've also found the roll calls for my cruises have been a great source.

 

For my upcoming cruise, our first stop is St Martin, this will be our4th time there and we will be striking out on our own with friends who have been there too. Aruba, I've arranged a private excursion I found and have been following for a year on Facebook - Aruba Trikes. For Bonaire, this is my dive stop,but I am traveling with non divers, so I wanted to book an early morning dive and then join my friends for an afternoon excursion they picked from Royal. I booked this cruise 700 days ago and am an obsessive planner. From Jan 1 to Feb 28th Royal had no dive excursions shown. Rather than wait for them, I found a private company with good references and experiences with cruise ships and booked that a month ago. Now, Mar 1st Royal finally updates their offerings.

[bostongal123]

No - you LEAVE from Port Canaveral. What ports do you VISIT? You want to know about excursions; I want to know which ports those excursions will be in. :)

 

:'):'):') I was so silly!

 

Nassau, St Thomas/Charlotte Amalie and Philipsburg

[OKCcruiser8]

My first 2 cruises we booked excursions exclusively through the cruise line. This one I have no excursions booked through the cruise line. I'm not a fan of long bus rides & the big crowds associated with cruise line excursions. I did a great deal of research here, on cruise critic, and was able to find some great alternatives to booking through RCI. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to beat the crowds to the locations we wanted to visit & the cheaper cost to get there. The Port of call boards have loads of trustworthy information on just about any place you would like to visit at every port. One of our stops is Cozumel, which I have been to before. We actually booked Nachi Cocum & that can't be booked through the cruise line even if you wanted to. We also have a private tour booked in Jamaica. The thing to remember about private tour companies, especially the ones recommended by members of cruise critic, is that these company's very livelihood is based on the tourist industry & cruise ship passengers. The last thing they want to have happen is to cause someone to miss their ship & the ensuing bad publicity that could come from that. Now, that doesn't mean we are going to wait until the very last minute to try to return to port. As long as you constantly stay aware of the time & don't try to do too much, you shouldn't have any problems.

[NewToTheCruise75]

:'):'):') I was so silly!

 

Nassau, St Thomas/Charlotte Amalie and Philipsburg

 

I just got back from doing that cruise with RCI on the Harmony.

 

I did one shore excursion at Nassau through the cruise line and it was fine, but out of the 3 I did, the other two were other companies, this seemed the least organized. Now not trying to say it didn't work or wasn't fun, but it seemed more of a cattle call and assembly line once they finally figured out what was happening.

I booked through Viator for one for St. Maarten and that went very well, got me back in 2 hours of all aboard. I did Sunny Liston Tours for St. Thomas and that was great too.

 

So all 3 worked for me and this was my first time ever cruising. I would just do a lot of research on what you really want to do and you can figure it out from there. Or just keep asking on here :p

[kawagama]

We found our own excursions on our Alaska cruise last year. However, they weren't much cheaper than those offered by the ship. I guess Alaska is one of those places where the small towns you dock in rely on the cruise ships to bring in the tourists, so the private companies don't really offer great deals. We did, nevertheless, have two very small trips--sea kayaking out of Ketchikan where we were the only customers and got a private tour; and a hike and float out of Skagway. It was us and another couple only, so we got a lot of attention. I don't like the idea of big coach buses either. Now we are planning excursions for our October cruise that visits Greece. I've heard that in Europe it is quite a bit cheaper to arrange your own excursion. And like others have already said, if you are mindful of the time, you should be okay. The only real concern is if for some reason you fail to stop at one of the ports. I think if you are booked through the ship you will get a credit or a refund. If you have booked independently you may not get a refund. This happened this year to a Norwegian ship cruising Australia. It lost power and had to be pulled back to shore. Apparently all the ports for that cruise were missed while the ship was being fixed. Yikes!

[OCruisers]

For a first visit to a place it is far less stressful and more convenient to book thru the cruise line. ;)

[Casey2]

Four our first two cruises we booked our excursions through the ship. Then we discovered Cruise Critic and do many of our excursions independently of the ship. I do a lot of research into the ports to help me make the decision. If a travel time is to the point of interest is more than an hour away , or if the roads are heavily trafficked , I am more apt to book through the ship. Most of the time we get together with people on our roll call to book our excursions. I check out these excursions on Cruise Critic and Trip Advisor prior to booking. These excursions are generally more customized and less expensive. The only close call we ever had was when we were in Cairo,. We booked an overnight excursion with about 30 members of the roll call. There was heavy traffic getting back to the ship and we were not going to make it on time. The ship sponsored excursions were stuck in the same traffic as we were and our guide was in contact with them. It was arranged to allow our bus to enter the port first and everything was fine. However, it could have ended badly for us. This is the chance you take with a private excursion.

I have never had a bad excursion through the cruise line and have one booked for our upcoming cruise. Since this is your first cruise, I would recommend booking through the cruise line.

[BigHouseFootball]

I keep reading on here about how much money you can save if you book non-cruiseline excursions but I have never tfound that to be true. Now maybe it is just the type of activities my wife and I want to do. We like to do excursions like zip lining and other active things. Every time I have priced out the cost of the activity plus the transportation to and from the place I usually come within $10 or so of what Royal is charging and st that point it's just easier to. Ok through them.

 

Now if you just want to head to a beach then I agree it is cheaper to just hail a cab there and back.

 

What kinda of activities are you interested in? We did that same itinerary last April on Allure so I could tell you what we did. All 3 were through Royal.

 

At Nassau we did a glass bottom boat tour and it far surpassed our expectations. Now maybe that was bc they were low to begin with. But it was a nice little cruise by all the mansions and then we floated over the reef and saw all the fish. Then we were able to feed the fish with bread up top. Very low key and what we were hoping for after a very long day of traveling to the ship the day before.

 

St. Thomas we did strike out on our own. Bought Paradise Point tickets on board and was able to skip the line of people buying them at the booth. It is a cable. At that takes you high above the harbour and the view is stunning. We hailed a cab from the ship to the station. Prices are clearly marked in St. Thomas. Then we took a cab from the station to Magens Bay. Paid the entry fee and swam for a few hours then took a cab back to the ship.

 

St. Maarten we did the SeaTrek helmet dive and it was absolutely one of the most amazing things I have ever done. You wear what looks like a space helmet then walk on the ocean floor all the while your head stays completely dry. You walk along a path and they attract fish with food and all sorts of cool things. Can't recommend it enough!

[JoyMouse]

 

One more note: Another thing I take into consideration is the port. I've never had a problem going with private tours in Europe, Alaska, Australia/New Zealand. I do think twice, though, when arranging a private tour in some third world countries. I don't really know the standards for things like insurance coverage, vehicle maintenance and security in some places. In some places--say Jamaica or parts of Mexico, I don't necessarily want to be off on my own with a small group in a van in what may be an off-the-path dangerous area. So, important to research your port and your prospective tour providers carefully.

 

Good luck...

 

 

This is very sound advice, but I've not seen anyone articulate on Cruise Critic. It's how I look at things as well. For my May British Isle cruise with my parents, we have all private tours. For two Mexican ports by myself this December, I already have ship tours booked.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[nelblu]

We always book excursions though the cruise line. Yes it is more expensive but to me it's worth the extra money to be guaranteed to get back on the ship on time.

 

 

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Same here. I try to take advantage of the sales when on, otherwise I book on board.

[bigque]

Our 1st couple of cruise we did with Royal as we didn't know any different because we were new to cruising. If you search around in Cruise Critic and in your roll call you will find many reviews of some of the private companies folks have used on excursions and they come highly recommended. Our last cruise was the 1st time we used all private companies for excursions after getting recommendations from the folks on CC and our roll call. Now we use a mixture of private and ship excursions as there are some that Royal does not have such as the Trikes of Aruba excursion and the Salsa, Salsa & Margarita excursion in Cozumel that can only be purchased on board the cruise lines (Not just (Royal). When we use private companies however I tend to book them in the mornings so that we are back to the port area around 2 or 3 at the latest giving ourselves plenty of time to shop in the port area close to the ship before getting back on board. :cool:

[zapman]

Trikes in Aruba was the best excursion i have ever taking.

 

I love Royal and am one of those cheerleaders. However, their excursion program and website leaves much to be desired and has been a source of frequent disappointment so I look for a lot of private excursions. I do a lot of travelsadvisor and google search as welll as look at the port of call forums here. I've also found the roll calls for my cruises have been a great source.

 

For my upcoming cruise, our first stop is St Martin, this will be our4th time there and we will be striking out on our own with friends who have been there too. Aruba, I've arranged a private excursion I found and have been following for a year on Facebook - Aruba Trikes. For Bonaire, this is my dive stop,but I am traveling with non divers, so I wanted to book an early morning dive and then join my friends for an afternoon excursion they picked from Royal. I booked this cruise 700 days ago and am an obsessive planner. From Jan 1 to Feb 28th Royal had no dive excursions shown. Rather than wait for them, I found a private company with good references and experiences with cruise ships and booked that a month ago. Now, Mar 1st Royal finally updates their offerings.

[bigque]

Trikes in Aruba was the best excursion i have ever taking.

 

I concur 100%! :cool: