DO I really need to book shore excursions and pay for them now?

[crookedicat]

Seems like there will be tons of vendors at the pier ready to take us. I hate to pay now and have the ship not make port or one of us get sick, or lord knows what could happen. Would rather just decide that day what we want to do. Is this possible?

[JohnMI]

Depends on the port and what you want to do. In general, I'd say "yes" to what you suggest. But, that being said, there may be specific things in specific ports that fill up, sell out, and/or have better deals beforehand as opposed to when you are right there. (Although, I'm sure there are also the reverse -- where the deal to be had is when they are trying to fill spots at the last minute in the port, of course.)

 

So, to answer your question: it depends.

 

Maybe post in the port-specific threads about what you were interested in and see if people can recommend pre-booking or not for those activities in those places.

 

- John...

[cruiserking]

Seems like there will be tons of vendors at the pier ready to take us. I hate to pay now and have the ship not make port or one of us get sick, or lord knows what could happen. Would rather just decide that day what we want to do. Is this possible?

 

If you decide to to excursions with independent vendors the benefit to booking them ahead is to research them and make sure they are trust worthy. Sure, you can hook up with any driver on a pier but, you don't know anything about them. Take the time to research some of the tour operators listed on the various port of call boards and book them a couple of months before you go.

 

Jonathan

[chipmaster]

Welcome to CC,

 

Excursion availability all depends on the port and excursion popularity. Depending on where you go some of the best tours can be fully booked by the time you get to the port.

 

Private tours, the best ones of the most popular tours can be booked months ahead, even the ship offered ( which are always more expensive ) also have limited availability on some of the best excursions.

 

The one good thing withbooking thru the ship ( NOT THE PRICE), is if you miss port or give I believe 24 hours notice they will refund your payment. Many of the better private vendors do the same for boats missing ports and 24-48 hour cancellations.

 

To get a feeling of what is offered in each port go to the cruiseline website as most of these now offer early reservation of the excursions in the ports and you can see what is available.

 

Good luck planning

 

Seems like there will be tons of vendors at the pier ready to take us. I hate to pay now and have the ship not make port or one of us get sick, or lord knows what could happen. Would rather just decide that day what we want to do. Is this possible?

[Sheffie]

We usually take private tours. We check with the operators, and they have all said that if our ship skips that port, we will not be charged. They usually have a 24-48 hour cancellation policy, also, so if we are sick before that time, we can cancel.

 

We like private tours; less people on them, usually cheaper and always better (IMHO) than the ships' tours.

 

Some private tours book up early. I know that when we went on the Silver Moon in Barbados, we booked a year ahead of time to be sure we had spots.

 

Bottom line is, that it is up to you.

 

Have fun deciding!

[cb at sea]

Unless there is something particular that we MUST do---that will kill us if we don't do it, we just wait! We usually end up doing NO excursions...most things are easy to do on your own....a guidebook helps with that!

[Gatguy]

Michelle,

Where do you find these "private tours" on the net. Am on the Epic in September going to Casa Maya, Rotan and Cozumel

 

Any info would be helpful - thanks

 

Bruce

[Sheffie]

Michelle,

Where do you find these "private tours" on the net. Am on the Epic in September going to Casa Maya, Rotan and Cozumel

 

Any info would be helpful - thanks

 

Bruce

 

Bruce, if you go to the bottom of this page to "Forum Jump" in the drop-down box go to Ports of Call, then Caribbean, and then those ports. There is a wealth of info there that CCers have posted regarding tours for the ports.

 

In Costa Maya, we have enjoyed going to see some ruins with a private tour (Native Choice) and then to the beach for a little relaxation.

 

Last month in Roatan we did a private sailing/snorkeling excursion and had a great time.

 

Cozumel has some good beaches, some of which are free and fun (Paradise comes to mind), and last time we went to Nachi Cocum for an all inclusive.

 

Enjoy looking those boards over!

[AmoMondo]

I never do excursions (ship or private). I hate being hoarded about in large groups. Instead I do loads of research before I go on the ports section here. I also use another website that has port reviews on it. So i know before i go on the cruise, what my options are and how I can do it on my own. i pront it all off and take it with me. Sometimes i do what I planned and other times I can't be bothered and just have a late breakfast instead and then just wander about in port for a few hours before coming back early and getting a sunbed and just chilling out whilst the still is still relatively quite.

[Gatguy]

Thanks Michelle and AmoMondo for your tips and advice

[popstarmom]

We couldn't book our excursions before we sailed due to a port schedule change. I've heard that the most popular excursions sell out, so I was nervous to wait until we got in the ship to book the "Deluxe Sail, Snorkel & Beach party" in Cozumel. The excursion ended up being cancelled because of rough seas, so we ended up having an absolutely fantastic time at Paradise Beach. It was a good lesson for me to know that I'll have a great time, even if I don't get the excursion I want. So yes, I'd say book before you go if you can, but if you can't, don't sweat it.

[nw_cajun]

i totally agree w Sheffie/Michelle. click 'search' on this website, entering your port in the search box. you'll see posts about the variety of activities others bought. list the businesses they used, the google each "and reviews". you'll learn a lot from a variety of sites. I booked 3 tours myself on our recent ncl cruise on Spirit & they were all 4 star quality & 40% - 50% cheaper (& better) than cruise tours. i saved a few hundred by doing ~ 3 hours of research. HAVE FUN:)

[FINTUCKYFARMS]

I have never been brave enough to book with a private company, I always book through the ship. That way if I change my mind or somebody gets sick, I just walk down to the desk and make the changes! I also like to pay before we go and just print off and take the confirmations with me. We had some excursions cancelled in the carribean due to weather and we were credited back our $$$$, no problem.

[carolinesmom]

Based upon a recommendation from my travel agent and research I did on CC in the ports section, I decided on a tour (in GC) for our upcoming cruise. It sounded like it books up, so I did book it ahead. They did not require any money ahead of time. I pay them when we arrive at the dock. So if the ship can't stop due to bad weather, it isn't a problem. I don't know if this is the norm or not. I personally like to have things booked ahead of time. We are a family of 6 and it is tough to get things accomplished when everyone has a different opinion. Must easier to deal with all of that ahead of time. Good Luck!

[UKBayern]

I never do excursions (ship or private). I hate being hoarded about in large groups. Instead I do loads of research before I go on the ports section here. I also use another website that has port reviews on it. So i know before i go on the cruise, what my options are and how I can do it on my own. i pront it all off and take it with me. Sometimes i do what I planned and other times I can't be bothered and just have a late breakfast instead and then just wander about in port for a few hours before coming back early and getting a sunbed and just chilling out whilst the still is still relatively quite.

 

Yes, same here. And sometimes you come to the conclusion that you do need the tour. My parents are going on a cruise to St. Peterburg, where the Russian authorities won't let you ashore without a visa. This is easily solved by booking the excursion. Also there are some ports that are advertised as being something they are not. On a Caribbean itinerary that is unlikely to happen, but I have seen European cruises where Le Havre was advertised as Paris, Dover as London and Warnemünde as Berlin. These capital cities are hours away by bus from the port, very hard to do on your own. If that is a must-see for you, then book the excursion. On our last cruise, some "must-see" excursions were sold out long before. I do think that most Caribbean ports do not have that many "must-see" attractions, most excursions are snorkling etc.

Another consideration: we have had 2 instances where it was pooring down with rain in a port. I would have hated to have to go on a preplanned excursion in that kind of weather.

 

I can also understand if you are elderly or can't walk very well, or are with young children, that you need the assistance to get around or have a need to plan ahead. We are young and healthy, speak multiple languages and are used to travelling around the globe independently. I recognize DIY is not for everybody.

 

Why not try an organized excursion on one of your first days? Then you can always decide if it is for you and if you want to book more.