Are Cruise Excursions Overpriced??

[sandiego1]

6 hours ago, ceeceeDee said:

P&O Australia states the following on their website:

 

When you book your Shore Tours with P&O, you know you are getting great value. If you find the same tour for less elsewhere, we will offer a 110% of the price difference back to enjoy in the form of non-refundable onboard spending money.

 

I can't comment further as I have never had to try to claim, but it would appear that at least one cruise line is not particularly over priced.

 

 

HAL has the same guarantee. They just add an insignificant item to their itinerary to prevent you from making an exact match to an outside tour. For example, there’s a brief stop at a hotel for a waffle on the train ride in Flam, Norway. That waffle cost over $100 per person compared to booking the train online! And there’s an escort from the ship to the train station (line of sight from the ship). Those are the 2 differences that eliminate the possibility of getting a refund using their guarantee. 

[sparks1093]

10 hours ago, donaldsc said:

There ar only 3 ways I would ever book a ship -

 

1) The tour goes a good distance from the ship and I do not want to take the very very very miniscule chance of missing the ship and being forced to spend overnight in a place I don't want to sleep in

 

2) The tour goes a good distance from the ship and the next port is several sea days away.  We have a friend who was on a cruise that made several stops in the Caribbean and then headed off to Europe.  Two passengers missed the ship at the last port before Europe.

 

3) If the cruise company had bought up all the tours available in the port.  This happens more often than you think.  We did a cruise that stopped at the Falkland Islands and the cruise company had bought up 100% of the spots on the tours to the penguin colony and I had to pay more than a 100% markup to get to the colony.

 

Otherwise I never ever take a ship tour.

 

DON

Number 3 struck a memory. Some cruise lines sign contracts with the tour operator to the effect that the tour operator cannot independently provide an excursion to a passenger, it has to be through the cruise line. If you book with such an operator online prior to the cruise and they find out that you are a passenger you could end up with a cancelled excursion with no refund. This should be clearly outlined when you book the cruise but it might be buried on the web page. Just something to be aware of.

[ontheweb]

11 hours ago, ceeceeDee said:

P&O Australia states the following on their website:

 

When you book your Shore Tours with P&O, you know you are getting great value. If you find the same tour for less elsewhere, we will offer a 110% of the price difference back to enjoy in the form of non-refundable onboard spending money.

 

I can't comment further as I have never had to try to claim, but it would appear that at least one cruise line is not particularly over priced.

 

 

Carnival and other lines owned by Carnival have (or at least had) that same guarantee. We used it once for a tour in Barbados and were given the price drop for the tour and the OBC.

[mnocket]

19 hours ago, broberts said:

The suggestions that cruise line excursions are overpriced ignore the fact that cruise lines handle advertising, bookings, payments, and refunds; perform provider qualification; coordinate with providers; and assume the risk of having to hold the ship when things go wrong. Oh, and need to make a profit.

 

Private tour operators do all those things except hold the ship - and they do it for half the price.  IMHO the "hold the ship" thing is largely a marketing ploy intended to prey on the fears of customers. Yes, many people are willing to pay 2X the price for this "insurance" and I have no issue with them doing so, but I have found a mix of private tours and ship tours, when circumstances dictate, works best for me.

[jsn55]

I agree ... look at all those silly hotel guarantees that never actually 'worked'.  InterContinental was famous for never honoring their room-price guarantees.  

[9tee2Sea]

keep in mind the shore excursion tours include entrance fees to attractions, and usually no waiting in long lines with the general public.  In museums, you get guided commentary ( usually via headset) that explains the intricacies of the things your are looking at.  Some shore excursions also include food ( which when, on you own you have to pay separate). Some shore excursions are overnight, and include lodging in some pretty nice hotels.  I always take shore excursions when the port is far from the city center, or the major sights to see. So yes, excursions are pricier that on your own, but sometimes its just worth the extra expense when factoring all the other variables and add ons you have to pay if you did a DIY

[broberts]

1 hour ago, mnocket said:

Private tour operators do all those things except hold the ship - and they do it for half the price.  IMHO the "hold the ship" thing is largely a marketing ploy intended to prey on the fears of customers. Yes, many people are willing to pay 2X the price for this "insurance" and I have no issue with them doing so, but I have found a mix of private tours and ship tours, when circumstances dictate, works best for me.

 

Really? Who checks out the operator? How much work does one have to do to find available excursions and evaluate them? My point is that there is a value add on the part of cruise lines. It's sad that some place such a low value on their own work.

[BruceMuzz]

Most cruise passengers do not realize that the cruise lines are stuck in a legal limbo that causes them to raise the prices of tours to ridiculous numbers.

The number of North Americans who travel without insurance is very high.

When they do have problems on a ship-based tour (injuries, etc), they either pay huge medical bills out of pocket - or they sue the cruise line.

A surprisingly high number go for the legal route.

To protect themselves, the cruise lines buy a lot of liability insurance -or force the tour operators to buy that insurance.

Most cruise lines require $1 Million liability insurance for every pax on every tour.

I have worked for companies that require $2 Million per pax per tour.

If you are going on a tour in Hawaii or Maine, that liability insurance is not very expensive.

If you are on a tour on Komodo Island or going up the Amazon, the insurance rates are ridiculously high.

Who is going to have to pay for that expensive insurance ?

The people who take the tours. It is added into the price of the tour.

 

The same tour operator can sell you an independent tour with no insurance for a much lower price.

If you are healthy, willing to take calculated risks, have good travel insurance, and feel a bit lucky, why not take the cheaper tour instead of the one from the ship? 

[Szt]

There are so many considerations that make the ship SO more or less practical. One of the things we love most about travel is meeting locals and learning more than you will see in a tour guide. Hearing about the politics and history from a local is so enlightening. For this reason we use a local driver whenever safe and practical. You will almost always see more of what you want for less money. We’ve been able to do the same as 3 or 4 shore excursions in the same amount of time for less $. I agree with the post about stopping to shop. For us, that wastes precious time. The more people in your group the more economical private tours are. 
There are some places this isn’t safe or the time is tight. When taking a private tour of any type- be sure you plan to be back where you need to be to get to the ship several hours before you are told to. Don’t pay the driver or guide till the end but be sure you agree on the price up front. It’s also nice to help the local economy more directly. 
We do ship excisions in places like Santorini, where the line for the lift will take the better part of your day on your own, or short stops with tenders where being first off gains valuable times, or ports that are less than safe.
A great way to research is using YouTube, and travel shows on streaming services. You will get a lot of different perspectives. 
Lastly, don’t forget, the travel industry has taken a hard hit through Covid, especially the cruise lines. Don’t fault them for making a profit. A lot goes into planning and running those excursions. You always have the choice to pay or not. 

[zqvol]

On 8/18/2023 at 8:16 AM, Hlitner said:

It is difficult not to notice the ridiculous pricie points of some excursions.  We are currently in a Seabourn cruise where even simple “walking tours” are usually priced around $80 (with some above $100) which generally are 2 hour walks (from the ship) around parts of a port city.    These tours are easy to DIY.  Many other excursions are priced in the hundreds of dollars (per person).  
 

While many experienced cruisers routinely book private tours (easily done online) and others hire taxis or use Hop on Hop Off buses, there are still many passengers who pay the big bucks for the cruise line excursions which are often priced 2, 3 or more times the price of alternatives.

 

What do you think?  Are the cruise lines pricing their excursions too high?

 

Hank

If they are being purchased then they are not too high.

[Joebucks]

As with anything it depends. I've seen some things only offered on the ship. Some that made more sense to book through the ship (factoring in travel and whatnot). However, good luck convincing some people that they grossly overpaid because of a fear of missing the ship.

 

Some of our favorite excursions were booked right at the port for a fraction of what it would have cost to book through the cruise line.

[Ombud]

On 8/18/2023 at 8:47 AM, lenquixote66 said:

We only book excursions from the cruise ship even though they are overpriced.

On our first cruise in 1973 there were no shore excursions.We were young and healthy and were able to explore on our own.

I'm seriously thinking of a Princess excursion for A$108 ($70usd) after loyalty discount but it more than covers my top 3 'wants' in Hong Kong: limited to 20 cruisers in each group, street market, murals, one of the most elaborate temples per Lonely Planet, the Central Escalator, and the old PD Square with supposedly sculptures.  If I take a cab to the free tours that's $20 each way according to WhatsInPort and Kai Tak cruise terminal and no idea what they cover.  So the excursion is $30 vs $0. I'm from a small city (>10k) and get overwhelmed in large cities. Hope it really is just 20 per group. Will DIY Temple St Night Market in the evening. Maybe. 

 

On 8/18/2023 at 8:12 PM, GeezerCouple said:

"...If you find the same tour for less elsewhere, we will offer a 110% of the price difference back to enjoy in the form of non-refundable onboard spending money...."

Princess tour misrepresented itself in Bali (was supposed to be 9 pax but was 25 pax) and was refunded 50% afterwards. No idea why it was 50%

 

12/21 Disembarkation tour cut out 1 stop. The tour with 2 stops was 79 and the 1 with 1 stop was 59. Reimbursed 25 but as OBC on next cruise .... took 2+ months to get it just in time for next cruise (4 months later)

[cruisemom42]

@Hlitner are you on the Seabourn ship that was in Qaqortoq with us today? If so, missed a chance to say hi (currently on Oceania Insignia).

 

Speaking of excursions, I took a (rare) ship one today as I’d heard from others that the ship books up all the local resources in advance that do the only thing I was interested in: a visit to a Viking site.

 

Most often I prefer doing things DIY. I research meticulously and bring detailed notes with me. Where I feel it’s worthwhile I’ll hire a GOOD qualified guide.

 

One thing that troubles me is the recent trend of some lines to ‘bundle’ credit for a certain number of shore excursions in their optional or included packages. HAL does this with their Have It All package and Oceania has just introduced it’s new amenities package (not optional) that gives you a certain amount of credit that MUST be used on excursions. Much grumbling about this on the O board….

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

@Hlitner are you on the Seabourn ship that was in Qaqortoq with us today? If so, missed a chance to say hi (currently on Oceania Insignia).

 

Speaking of excursions, I took a (rare) ship one today as I’d heard from others that the ship books up all the local resources in advance that do the only thing I was interested in: a visit to a Viking site.

 

Most often I prefer doing things DIY. I research meticulously and bring detailed notes with me. Where I feel it’s worthwhile I’ll hire a GOOD qualified guide.

 

One thing that troubles me is the recent trend of some lines to ‘bundle’ credit for a certain number of shore excursions in their optional or included packages. HAL does this with their Have It All package and Oceania has just introduced it’s new amenities package (not optional) that gives you a certain amount of credit that MUST be used on excursions. Much grumbling about this on the O board….

Hola,

We are on a different ship (Quest) and have been in Saguenay today.  You might have seen the new Seabourn Pursuit, which is an exploration ship on her maiden voyage.

 

We have an upcoming O cruise and are using our excursion credit to book various culinary tours.

 

Hank

[mnocket]

On 8/19/2023 at 9:48 AM, BruceMuzz said:

Most cruise passengers do not realize that the cruise lines are stuck in a legal limbo that causes them to raise the prices of tours to ridiculous numbers.

The number of North Americans who travel without insurance is very high.

When they do have problems on a ship-based tour (injuries, etc), they either pay huge medical bills out of pocket - or they sue the cruise line.

A surprisingly high number go for the legal route.

To protect themselves, the cruise lines buy a lot of liability insurance -or force the tour operators to buy that insurance.

Most cruise lines require $1 Million liability insurance for every pax on every tour.

I have worked for companies that require $2 Million per pax per tour.

If you are going on a tour in Hawaii or Maine, that liability insurance is not very expensive.

If you are on a tour on Komodo Island or going up the Amazon, the insurance rates are ridiculously high.

Who is going to have to pay for that expensive insurance ?

The people who take the tours. It is added into the price of the tour.

 

The same tour operator can sell you an independent tour with no insurance for a much lower price.

If you are healthy, willing to take calculated risks, have good travel insurance, and feel a bit lucky, why not take the cheaper tour instead of the one from the ship? 

And here I thought the cruise line terms and conditions specified that they were not liable for the private tour companies they use for their excursions.  Learn something new every day. 

[ldubs]

2 hours ago, mnocket said:

And here I thought the cruise line terms and conditions specified that they were not liable for the private tour companies they use for their excursions.  Learn something new every day. 

 

Saying it in the T&C's isn't going to stop a civil suit for negligent acts.   My would-be legal analysis of the day!  😀

[sparks1093]

After reading through the responses it triggered a memory of something that happened on our last cruise. We had booked a tour of a plantation in Jamaica and the tour guide took the group to a retail place where it was obvious that she was getting a cutback from the owner. Thing was, this wasn't part of the tour. The party received a 50% discount from the ship as a result. On an excursion in Freeport we were delayed throughout the tour, which resulted in us returning to the ship late. The ship was talking to the bus driver frequently on our return trip. Upon reaching the port they pulled the gangway up after we crossed. 

[sparks1093]

10 hours ago, mnocket said:

And here I thought the cruise line terms and conditions specified that they were not liable for the private tour companies they use for their excursions.  Learn something new every day. 

To echo ldubs, companies put a lot of language in their contracts. Some of it holds up in court, some of it doesn't. Saying "we aren't liable" is one of those phrases that might hold up, but it might not. A company cannot shield itself from liability that easily. If they could there would be many fewer lawsuits. (The language is included to scare off the nuisance suits.)

 

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

To echo ldubs, companies put a lot of language in their contracts. Some of it holds up in court, some of it doesn't. Saying "we aren't liable" is one of those phrases that might hold up, but it might not. A company cannot shield itself from liability that easily. If they could there would be many fewer lawsuits. (The language is included to scare off the nuisance suits.)

 

 

Perhaps a company cannot shield itself from all liability law suits. But, the real questions of importance to an unhappy cruise ship passenger with perceptions the they have been wronged are:

1) where exactly do they think they’ll sue that cruise line and

2) at what potential expense to that passenger  should they not prevail.

[sparks1093]

1 hour ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Perhaps a company cannot shield itself from all liability law suits. But, the real questions of importance to an unhappy cruise ship passenger with perceptions the they have been wronged are:

1) where exactly do they think they’ll sue that cruise line and

2) at what potential expense to that passenger  should they not prevail.

I'm sure those two questions winnow out a good number of potential suits.

[Heidi13]

On 8/18/2023 at 5:16 AM, Hlitner said:

It is difficult not to notice the ridiculous pricie points of some excursions.  We are currently in a Seabourn cruise where even simple “walking tours” are usually priced around $80 (with some above $100) which generally are 2 hour walks (from the ship) around parts of a port city.    These tours are easy to DIY.  Many other excursions are priced in the hundreds of dollars (per person).  
 

While many experienced cruisers routinely book private tours (easily done online) and others hire taxis or use Hop on Hop Off buses, there are still many passengers who pay the big bucks for the cruise line excursions which are often priced 2, 3 or more times the price of alternatives.

 

What do you think?  Are the cruise lines pricing their excursions too high?

 

Hank

 

Hank - just noted this one, an excellent question and one I'll suggest is not a simple yes or no. I'll agree that cruise line shore-ex are expensive, but in determining whether they are overpriced, we need to consider the value added services they provide, and the needs of different pax.

 

Some cruise pax just want to book a cruise and visit some ports without completing any pre-cruise research or risk analysis. For this type of pax, the cruise line is providing a value added service, as they have vetted each vendor, provided vendors with safety & security standards, regularly audit tours & vendors on an ongoing basis, provide tour descriptions (detail varies by cruise line), provide ship escorts on many tours, etc. As a pax, you will often receive a fairly reasonable standard of tour, generally not the best, but adequate. These pax do not invest any time with research, so are happy to pay the cruise line for these services.

 

Many pax are often risk adverse, believing if the shore-ex is late that the ship will definitely wait for them. This is a misconception, as the Master will place operational concerns ahead of late returning tours. In cases the ship doesn't dock, or is delayed, many pax want the cruise line to take care of refunds onboard, rather than researching refund policy of private tours. Many consider the additional cost of shore-ex to be cheap insurance.

 

In determining if shore-ex are overpriced, I also consider the supply and demand. Based on the demand for shore-ex, I'll suggest many pax do not consider them overpriced. This arrangement is mutually beneficial, as while many pax believe bar and/or casino is the # 1 revenue generator, in fact on many ships it is actually shore-ex, especially in Alaska.

 

Personally, I research every port and conduct a risk assessment. Based on what we want to see, available private tour options and the associated risks, we determine the best option for us. If we elect a shore-ex, it was because I couldn't find an acceptable alternative, or the risks are unacceptably high. If the shore-ex price is not providing us with acceptable value, we will spend a quiet day onboard.

 

Since shore-ex are selling well, I'll suggest they meet the needs of many pax, so do not consider them overpriced.

[Flatbush Flyer]

39 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

I'm sure those two questions winnow out a good number of potential suits.

I’d say pretty much all of them unless you’re talking about a higher priced five figure trip.

[Heidi13]

On 8/18/2023 at 11:08 AM, drsel said:

Just check out the things to see and do at all ports on toms port guide and whatsinport.

There are maps and details about public transport etc

 

I found Tom's port guides useful, but they covered a fairly limited number of ports and are now offline. Personally, I find whatsinport provides minimal information for my level of research. Other superior sources are readily available.

[Heidi13]

On 8/18/2023 at 4:16 PM, ceeceeDee said:

P&O Australia states the following on their website:

 

When you book your Shore Tours with P&O, you know you are getting great value. If you find the same tour for less elsewhere, we will offer a 110% of the price difference back to enjoy in the form of non-refundable onboard spending money.

 

I can't comment further as I have never had to try to claim, but it would appear that at least one cruise line is not particularly over priced.

 

 

Haven't cruised with P&O Australia since I worked for them and that was before they were Carnivalised. However, we have completed Australia cruises with Princess, which at the time had the same management group as P&O Australia.

 

Shore-ex prices were similar to other cruise lines - expensive. I'll suggest you need to review the fine print for the definition of "same tour". Cruise line contracts often specify that vendors cannot sell similar tours to pax and when the ship is in port. The tender documents probably also have boilerplate language specifying the tour is specifically for the cruise line, so vendors cannot sell exactly the same tour.

 

The first key difference on almost all shore-ex v's private tours is the start and finish. Most shore-ex start on the pier and end on the pier, whereas with private tours you generally meet them outside the port. A small difference, but still technically not the same tour.

[ldubs]

33 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

I found Tom's port guides useful, but they covered a fairly limited number of ports and are now offline. Personally, I find whatsinport provides minimal information for my level of research. Other superior sources are readily available.

 

I like whatsinport to help find which pier we will be docked and for port shuttle info.