I am so confused....

[sgmburt]

So to book shore excursions, you do not HAVE to book through the cruise line? We are going to Alaska in May, 2010 and I thought we had to book any excursions through Holland America. Are there any cons to booking outside the cruise line? I may never get all this figured out! :o

[gabbyisadog]

You do not have to book with the cruise line. You usually will save money and avoid crowds and waiting by booking a private tour or joining with fellow passengers for a tour.

 

If a tour booked thru the cruise line does not return on time the ship will wait, they are not obligated to do so if you are on a private tour.

 

Some feel more secure taking the ships tours. We do mostly private tours with our friends.

[DFD1]

Hang in there. It's not really complicated. We often book shore excursions directly with local operators, whom we find either by reading here or by using google on the internet.

 

Prices are often much cheaper that thru HAL.

 

We also sometimes just book a private tour after we arrive, usually just at the end of the pier where there are often tour guides looking for business. In these cases, we negotiate a deal before we leave with them.

 

BEWARE....This is very important. If, for any reason, a privately booked tour encounters problems and does not get back to the ship prior to sailing time, the ship will not wait for that tour to return. On the other hand, if a tour booked thru HAL is late, the ship will wait for that tour to return before sailing.

 

When we book tours directly, we always are careful that we do so in the morning so that we can be confident of getting back to the ship by about noon or so, well ahead of sailing time....and we leave enough safety margin to overcome most any difficulty we might encounter while on a privately booked tour.

 

Hope this helps. Have a great cruise.

[alaskancruzr]

You can book your excursions independently. In my experience, it is cheaper and less crowded to do so and the quality of our excursions has been excellent. The disadvantage is that you take the risk of missing the ship sailing if something goes wrong and you don't get back on time (the ship will wait if you are on a ship's excursion). There is a wealth of information about independent excursions on the Ports of Call board.

[CowPrincess]

You are not required to use HAL's suppliers. Many private operators are availabe, esp in Alaska. If you use a private operator you usually end up with a more personal tour, in a smaller group. As mentioned there IS a sense of security using the ship's tours, but VERY many people use private operators.

 

We often do a combination -- some thru the ship, some independent, in order to get what we want.

 

If you check of the Alaska board here on CC, you will find MANY recommendations and review of private operators. Many of the ships' tours are great too.

[fann1sh]

There are always private shore excursion companies in every port. Many places, the local companies provide similar experiences for much less money.

 

The advantage to booking with the ship is if your tour bus has a breakdown, the ship will not leave without you, but will wait until your tour's return.

 

In Alaska, the difference between private excursions and ship's own isn't as wide. Prices are very close. However, you may be able to go whale watching (for example) on a much smaller vessel (Harv and Marv 6 seat boat versus Allen Marine 200+ catamaran). Private tours can be tailored to go exactly where you wish.

 

On my Alaska 2 week August Ryndam cruise, one port day's schedule was upset by arriving late and heavy "fog" (actually smoke from a forest fire). HAL rearranged the schedule for those booked with them. I had to cancel my private plans.

 

I heartily recommend you visit the Alaska board here at CruiseCritic for comments on excursions available in each port.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

 

Some people purchase TourSaver books, which offer "2 for 1" deal on some excursions that are booked privately.

 

(P.S. - there were no replies yet when I started typing. Sorry for information duplication.)

[sgmburt]

Is it a common occurence for a private excursion to not make it back to the ship on time? This is a scary thought.

[VermeulT]

If a tour booked thru the cruise line does not return on time the ship will wait, they are not obligated to do so if you are on a private tour.

 

This is KEY.

 

We were stuck in traffic coming back to port in St Thomas. Because we were with the ship sponsored tour - we were fine - they waited... we showed, hurried onto the ship and the ship left. Had we not - we would have waved from the hillside....

 

Because of that experience - I will only do a trip on my own if there is plenty of time to get back and no chance the ship will leave without me.

[uppitycats]

Is it a common occurence for a private excursion to not make it back to the ship on time? This is a scary thought.

 

 

No, it's not common. But that's why it's important to read through folks' recommendations here, and book only those independent tours where lots of folks have praised them! The tour operators are trying to get the business of the cruise line, and so are pretty careful to make sure to get you back to the ship on time (so maybe THEY can become a "recommended tour" by a cruise line). But "stuff" can happen: tour buses break down, traffic jambs, detours, etc. And if it happens to a private tour, it's too bad -- you have to make your own way...at your own expense...to the next port. If it happens to a ship-sponsored tour, the ship will do it's best to wait for the tour bus to arrive.

 

So it's always good to only go with those tours that other folks here have recommended..and make sure you know when the ship is to leave the port, and try not to book a tour that ends very close to that time. Give yourself plenty of time to get back to the ship (even if it means you have to leave the tour and catch a taxi, for example), and you'll be fine.

[jtl513]

I suggest that you do not use Dolly Varden to go to the Saxman Village in Ketchikan. We saved a few bucks, but got a real dud of a driver/guide, who got us to the S.V. after everything but the gift shop was closed, after wasting much time elsewhere.

 

A complaint email to Dolly Varden wasn't even acknowledged.

[Tricia724]

Is it a common occurence for a private excursion to not make it back to the ship on time? This is a scary thought.

 

No....it is not common, but before you book with a private excursion, you should consider your ship's scheduled departure time, the length of the excursion, and the "breathing time" you have in case there is a problem.

 

In Alaska, you have several things going for you. First, it's an American port, and everyone speaks English. Second, the port times are usually longer....because the ports are closer together, ships usually arrive early and depart late. And probably most important, the excursion operators are professionals and they are well aware of the ships' schedules....perhaps even more so than many of the passengers. They do this every day from May through September, and you will be hard pressed to find people who have missed the ship because of an irresponsible tour operator. Now the weather, that's a different problem. If you are taking a flightseeing tour where the weather may delay the flight, that's something else to consider.

 

There are some other risks, too, in booking your own excursion. Several years ago I booked a private helicopter excursion in Juneau for a glacier landing because it was approx. $40 less than a similar excursion offered by the ship. At the designated pickup time, I was informed that my excursion was canceled because I was the only person who had booked that particular time and they would not do a flight with fewer than three people. They did offer me the same excursion at a later time or an alternative excursion (dog sledding for an additional $200), but since I had plans for later in the day, I declined. So, all of the people who had booked with the ship got to do their glacier landing but I didn't.

 

Even with the risks involved, I usually prefer doing private excursions....and this is from someone who almost missed the ship in Cozumel because the fishing boat we chartered had mechanical problems. We just got back by the narrowest of margins. Even that hasn't stopped us from booking our own excursions.

 

As others have said, go the the Alaska "Ports of Call" and read the recommendations for private tour operators. I personally have never had any problems anywhere with the tour operators I've found recommended on these boards.

 

In the end, it all depends on your comfort level. Good luck to you.

[pipedreams62]

Is it a common occurence for a private excursion to not make it back to the ship on time? This is a scary thought.

 

 

I wouldn't worry about it. These private guides know what time the ship gets in and what time it leaves. We always book independently. To give you an example,we went with a private guy in Sitka,there was a whopping 6 of us on his boat. We zipped out to the otters,puffins and whales and had a great day. The ships tour had 100 people crammed in like sardines on their tour boat (sounds like NO fun)

 

I would go to the ports of call board and you'll hear all about the private guides. Once you find one you like look them up on trip advisor and read some of the reviews.

 

The only ships tours I book is if the area is somewhat dicey,like Cartagena etc.

 

have fun

[Aunty Pat]

In Alaska compare the cost of the independent tours with those being offered by HAL. In some cases HAL owns Grayline of Alaska and you’ll find the prices are the same, if so go with HAL’s tour because if the port is cancelled (Sitka because of high seas) the refund will be taken care of right there on the ship through your onboard account. Other things like the tram in Juneau are right at the pier and you can buy the tickets, for the same price. right at the tram. Make sure you know the refund policy and procedure if you buy your tours independently before you leave home. If you decide to wait to purchase your tour when you get off the ship, check the port schedules to see how many ships and thousands of other passengers will be in town competing for the limited number of seats on the helicopter, small boat or train in Skagway.

Aunty Pat

 

Barefoot Windjammer - Phantom ‘81

K&D German Rhine Line ‘84

NCL - Norway ’85, Pride of America ’05, Southward ’87, Star ’97 & ‘05, Starward ’92, Sun ’02 & Windward ’93

RCC - Song of America ‘89

American Hawaiian - Independence ‘98

HAL - Volendam ’99, Noordam ’06, Oosterdam ’07 & ‘09, Statendam ’02 & ‘08, Prinsendam ’03 & ’06, & Zuiderdam ’04, ’06 & ’07, Westerdam ‘09

Carnival - Spirit ‘05

Celebrity – Summit ‘05

Cruise West - Yorktown Clipper ‘06

Princess - Golden Princess ‘07

A & K - East Queen ‘07

Cunard - QM2 ’08

Pending Cruises:

Crystal – Serenity, December 10, 2009

Oceania – Insignia, June 17, 2010

[Suzie-Q01]

We are driving from the Phoenix area, and would like to find a hotel/motel where we can stay and then leave the car for the duration of cruise.

We are doing the Mexican Riviera on Feb. 5th. Does anyone have a solution?

 

Suzie-Q01

[Jade13]

N

 

 

There are some other risks, too, in booking your own excursion. Several years ago I booked a private helicopter excursion in Juneau for a glacier landing because it was approx. $40 less than a similar excursion offered by the ship. At the designated pickup time, I was informed that my excursion was canceled because I was the only person who had booked that particular time and they would not do a flight with fewer than three people. They did offer me the same excursion at a later time or an alternative excursion (dog sledding for an additional $200), but since I had plans for later in the day, I declined. So, all of the people who had booked with the ship got to do their glacier landing but I didn't.

 

.

 

We booked direct with the same company HAL used and both were canceled because of bad weather. That was our one big cruise ship miss because we never saw Mendenhall.

[PatsyAnne]

Another protection of a ship's shore excursion is that if the ship misses the port for any reason (typically weather), you have a refund for the excursion. I don't know how many tour operators refund your money when you are booked directly.

 

One place to check is your roll call to see if there are people who have been on the cruise before and know about the operators.

[bbwex]

It seems that in Alaska, there is a large number of extremely experienced tour companies. I have talked with several for our cruise next summer, and one has never missed getting their people back to the ship in 17 years, etc. These companies live and die by the cruise industry, and they have to please. In most cases, they know the ship's schedule better than you do!

 

Can you get a private tour that's a dud? Of course. Can you get a ship's tour that's a dud? Of course. The private tours tend to be smaller -- a van instead of a 40-passenger bus. That makes the tour more personal, and more flexible. If you know of something you want to do, or see something you want to do or do more of, they can accommodate you more easily. Also they are more nimble since they have fewer people. A small group stays together and gets on and off the van or in and out of the car more quickly than a whole busload of people.

 

We did both on a Scandinavian cruise, and on balance DW and I preferred the private tours. Yes they are cheaper (sometimes a lot cheaper), but that is not the main reason. We liked the more intimate group of people, and if you form up a group (on CC or elsewhere) for the tours, you get to know one another and have a better time.

 

Just as an example, in St. Petersburg we had a bunch of things to add on. The tour guide had the usual list of things to do, but then discussed with us the items we wanted to add in, and then not only added several in, but knew all about those things as well -- most people just didn't care or ask about some of the extra things we knew. For example, someone suggested seeing the subway stations. This wasn't on any tour's list, but we asked, the guide took us down, then took us on the subway to see another station as well, and then we got back on a train to go back to where we started. In Berlin, we really were not having a very good time -- the guide just didn't seem to get it quite right. After a mediocre day, we saw a museum and asked to go in. As it turned out, that stop may have been the most impressive stop of all the tours in all of the cities.

 

On the other side of the coin, we did ship's tours in Stockholm, Tallinn and Amsterdam. The guide in Amsterdam was terrible, the other two were just fine and we had good tours.

 

As I said, overall, we liked the private tours better, they tend to be cheaper and as good or better than the ship's tours, and are reliable in probably well over 99.9% of the cases.

[Budget Queen]

I have extensive experience in touring Alaska. There are many excellent, long time, well established vendor's to choose from. There is a BIG difference going privately and being herded in large groups with seasonal guides. Verify cancelation policies, I know of NO Alaska vendor which would not fully refund, if they cancel or you don't make port. They certainly will try and reschedule, if late. Most important- go with their recommendation on tour scheduling. Tell them your ship and port time, they know what to do. You do NOT see people missing their ships in Alaska due to tours, they miss the ships due to their fault.

 

 

There are some savings booking direct. I also NEVER recommend using any booking agent. It's simple in Alaska, and getting direct, first hand, information is grossly superior.

[Brown Eyed Gurl]

Are there any cons to booking outside the cruise line?

 

Yes, as mentioned, if you are late returning, the ship will not wait for you and you would have to fly to the next port on your dime.

Also you might not have any recourse if you are unsatisfied or don't get what you pay for. Or what if you pre-pay and they cancel same day - you are left without an excursion and possibly a refund.

While I doubt this would happen in Alaska, I have read of other places where unknown companies take you somewhere, rob you, then leave you there. :eek:

HAL regularly stops offering tours that are unsafe or have many complaints. They do not contract with companies that have dangerous vehicles or hire criminals. But you do pay more for those factors.

[jtl513]

We are driving from the Phoenix area, and would like to find a hotel/motel where we can stay and then leave the car for the duration of cruise.

We are doing the Mexican Riviera on Feb. 5th. Does anyone have a solution?

 

Suzie-Q01

Welcome to Cruise Critic - but this is not a good thread to post your question on. :) I suggest you read and/or post your question on the West Coast Departures forum:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=413