Excursion times

[jbu]

Hi, all!

 

I have a quick question (I think!).  How accurate are the posted times of the excursions you book through the cruise?  I'll be in Alaska in August, and I want to do one Juneau excursion through the ship that is listed as 12:00-1:30.  I then want to book another excursion right after that which is NOT with the ship, that is scheduled from 2:00-5:30.  Is that too tight?  Will we be okay booking both of those, or would that be too risky?  Thanks in advance!

 

Jenny

[Pine Man]

The timings cannot be guaranteed and frequently ships have been held up waiting for excursions that have been delayed for traffic conditions etc.

 

I think you know the answer.............

[Steelers36]

Doesn't seem like much of an excursion - only 1.5 hrs and a certain amount of that will be wasted time.

[karatemom2]

The excursion times are pretty accurate barring an unforeseen problem or delay, but depending on the meeting location for your private tour 30 minutes between may be cutting it quite close. 

[Rick&Jeannie]

1 hour ago, jbu said:

Hi, all!

 

I have a quick question (I think!).  How accurate are the posted times of the excursions you book through the cruise?  I'll be in Alaska in August, and I want to do one Juneau excursion through the ship that is listed as 12:00-1:30.  I then want to book another excursion right after that which is NOT with the ship, that is scheduled from 2:00-5:30.  Is that too tight?  Will we be okay booking both of those, or would that be too risky?  Thanks in advance!

 

Jenny

That's pretty tight...and keep in mind that *neither* of those are likely to provide lunch...so you may be quite hungry *if* you were able to even squeeze both excursions in...

[BamaVol]

6 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

That's pretty tight...and keep in mind that *neither* of those are likely to provide lunch...so you may be quite hungry *if* you were able to even squeeze both excursions in...

Maybe grab a sandwich to go from the IC on the way out?

[Rick&Jeannie]

Just now, BamaVol said:

Maybe grab a sandwich to go from the IC on the way out?

True...but we're always in such a mad rush just to *make* the first excursion there's no way would have time to do that! 😄

[BamaVol]

2 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

True...but we're always in such a mad rush just to *make* the first excursion there's no way would have time to do that! 😄

I’m in the same boat.  But since the first excursion starts at noon, for once I might not be in a rush.

[Rick&Jeannie]

1 minute ago, BamaVol said:

I’m in the same boat.  But since the first excursion starts at noon, for once I might not be in a rush.

Ah...I skimmed right across that point.  Yeah, I would probably just do an early lunch that day...or a late breakfast/brunch.

[cr8tiv1]

7 minutes ago, BamaVol said:

Maybe grab a sandwich to go from the IC on the way out?

As long as there is no meat in the sandwich.  P & B is okay.  Boxed cereal.  No fruit.

[BamaVol]

4 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

As long as there is no meat in the sandwich.  P & B is okay.  Boxed cereal.  No fruit.

I guess my usual tuna salad on a croissant wouldn’t qualify. ☹️

[Joanne G.]

It's my experience on most of the major cruise lines that the tour operators on ship-sponsored excursions make every effort to keep to the pre-arranged schedule.   A friend and I decided to take a similar risk as the OP by booking morning and afternoon excursions on the same day on a European cruise on NCL this coming May.   On paper, there is enough time to grab a quick lunch, but we are going to pack snacks just in case. These are ports we may never get back to, and we want to see as much as possible.  We will hope for the best, but we accept the small risk that we might miss the afternoon excursion and not be eligible for a refund.  We would be more disappointed if the morning excursion returned at the scheduled time (the most likely outcome), but we had missed the opportunity to book the afternoon tour before it filled up. 

 

To the OP, that's how I suggest you make your decision.   How badly to you want the 2nd excursion, how much does it cost, is any part of that cost refundable, and how disappointed would you be if circumstances cause you to miss it without any refund.  Have a great cruise, whatever you decide.

 

Edited to add:  I have experienced start times changing on ship-sponsored excursions, usually with no notice other than seeing it on the ticket once I am onboard.  So anyone booking multiple activities during a port stop should be sure to double check the start time of any ship excursions as soon as they get their tickets.  

Edited February 13 by Joanne G.

[jbu]

I will clarify...  The first excursion IS a meal, so to the poster who said that an excursion that's only an hour and a half doesn't sound like much of an excursion, that was a harsh response when you didn't even know what the excursion was!

 

Also, that first excursion is only a 15-minute shuttle from the ship, and we're told the shuttles run very regularly so we can return on any one we want, even an earlier one if we're ready.  And the second excursion meets at a place that is a 5-minute walk from the ship.  Since we will have just finished eating lunch at the first excursion, we won't be hungry so we believe we'll be okay.  

 

I've obviously looked into this a little more since I first posted my question.  Thanks to all who answered helpfully.

[Rick&Jeannie]

2 hours ago, jbu said:

I will clarify...  The first excursion IS a meal, so to the poster who said that an excursion that's only an hour and a half doesn't sound like much of an excursion, that was a harsh response when you didn't even know what the excursion was!

 

Also, that first excursion is only a 15-minute shuttle from the ship, and we're told the shuttles run very regularly so we can return on any one we want, even an earlier one if we're ready.  And the second excursion meets at a place that is a 5-minute walk from the ship.  Since we will have just finished eating lunch at the first excursion, we won't be hungry so we believe we'll be okay.  

 

I've obviously looked into this a little more since I first posted my question.  Thanks to all who answered helpfully.

Sounds as if you've resolved your dilemma...have a great cruise!

[Potstech]

Did this once in Alaska and will never attempt it again.  Just too hectic and any problem just adds to it. Your decision as always.

[sherryf]

On 2/13/2024 at 8:47 AM, BamaVol said:

Maybe grab a sandwich to go from the IC on the way out?

You aren't supposed to take ANY unpackaged food or drink (except water) off the ship in Alaska.  I was once told that I could not take a cup of coffee that I'd just picked up at the IC.  I had to go sit down and finish it before leaving the ship.  Or throw it away. 😕