When to book excursions

[RunicTalisman]

When is it best to book the excursions. When you're on board or as early as you can. I can see that it could be nice to know everything is sorted before you even get aboard but do you end up paying more. I'm only thinking really about trips to say Rome where I think I would like to have the security of knowing that if you're late back it's their fault and they will wait rather than doing you're own thing and ending up stranded on the dock.

[BrianI]

You can usually book from around 12weeks before departure on the P&O cruise personaliser. The price is the same whether you book there or on board. The cost is charged to your on board account, which you dont pay until you leave the ship.

Brian

[bertyrozla]

have done rome diy twice now and it is probably one of the easiest, the cost of taking my wife and 2 kids was very expensive so opted for the diy version along with thescores of other people, just follow the trail of people to the rail stationwhich is just along the seafront from the port gates were the courtesy bus drops you off return train is about seven euro per person.

 

just make sure you catch the train iback n plenty of time.

 

obviously if you are not very mobile it may be better to take the organised tour.

[Host Sharon]

If the tour is likely to be a popular one and you really want to do it then book early online or you may end up on a waitlist. You can still cancel up to about 2 weeks before you sail anyway. Otherwise you may wish to watch the port presentations before you decide. If I am going to places I don't know I usually book walking tours first to find my way around.

 

I know Rome is much cheaper DIY but I prefer the ease of an organised coach as it is a fair way away from the port. Also, if visiting places like the Colloseum and St Peters, you usually get to bypass the long queues with your group ticket.

[tom_uk]

If it was an excursion that was advertised as having 'limited numbers' then we'd book very early - that's what we did last year for a Florence trip, and there's a Venice one for this year that I fancy that's also restricted.

 

Other than that, I think we'd probably wait until we were on the ship. We don't do many excursions but sometimes, either because of a change of weather or circumstances, we will. For example on Ventura last year I suffered a flare-up of my tendonitis and decided that I'd better stay on board and rest my foot. So when we were at Palma, where we had been planning on doing our own thing, I stayed in the cabin with my foot up while my wife went on a half-day excursion that she booked just the day before.

 

So for us, we'll use both approaches as appropriate.

[Rum Rat]

""If the tour is likely to be a popular one and you really want to do it then book early online or you may end up on a waitlist. You can still cancel up to about 2 weeks before you sail anyway.""

 

We have cancelled tours 'hours' before they are due to depart.

 

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[WATB]

We've just booked an excursion that we really want to do, not sure how popular it is but didn't want to take the risk of losing out ..............the blurb says that we can cancel 7 days before the cruise departs without charge , after that there is a 10% cancellation charge and no refunds if cancelled within 48 hours of arrival at the port. The cost is charged to your onboard account which I think is pretty good service compared to pre-booking trips with package holidays.

 

In view of Rum Rat's comment, maybe there is a certain amount of discretion applied depending on the circumstances.

[Rum Rat]

""maybe there is a certain amount of discretion applied""

 

A LOT of discretion applied. :D

 

NEVER been charged the 10%, in fact didn't know anything about it.

 

:):):)

 

But then we do do a lot of P&O Excursions and we are soon known at the Excursions Desk ;)

[Host Sharon]

.

 

In view of Rum Rat's comment, maybe there is a certain amount of discretion applied depending on the circumstances.

 

I suspect not! I enquired about cancelling a tour last year when on board about two days before and was told there was a cancellation fee, unless your ticket was stamped by the medical centre.

 

I don't know if Rumrat's experience was recent, but last year there was a definately a charge - at least on two ships.

[Rum Rat]

I suspect not! I enquired about cancelling a tour last year when on board about two days before and was told there was a cancellation fee, unless your ticket was stamped by the medical centre.

 

I don't know if Rumrat's experience was recent, but last year there was a definately a charge - at least on two ships.

 

Does one get a better bit of treatment/discretion for being on a long cruise, such as a World Cruise or part thereof, a 3 week+ cruise or being a Gold member?

 

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[Host Sharon]

Does one get a better bit of treatment/discretion for being on a long cruise, such as a World Cruise or part thereof, a 3 week+ cruise or being a Gold member?

 

.

 

 

Well I'm Gold too so not necessarily !

[jeanlyon]

Unless it's a really unusual excursion, why not go to the port lectures, where I can guarantee, you will change your mind and do a different excursion!!

[southwinds]

I book the ones I really want to do early... some do get sold out quicky . It pays to do research before they become available so you know in advance what you want to do. The other ports I might just wait and see what we are going to do there.. Some times once on board a new trip becomes available.

[Rum Rat]

I book the ones I really want to do early... some do get sold out quicky . It pays to do research before they become available so you know in advance what you want to do. The other ports I might just wait and see what we are going to do there.. Some times once on board a new trip becomes available.

 

""I book the ones I really want to do early... some do get sold out quicky ""

 

BUT, if they can, they will put an extra coach on and release more places.

 

:)

 

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[littlesteelo]

You can usually book from around 12weeks before departure on the P&O cruise personaliser. The price is the same whether you book there or on board. The cost is charged to your on board account, which you dont pay until you leave the ship.

Brian

 

That's one thing where P&O is irritating, the fact that excursions are charged to the onboard account. We have £600 OBC on Ventura in July, and after excursions there isn't going to be much left. I prefer to pay them upfront, like what Royal Caribbean do.

[RunicTalisman]

That's one thing where P&O is irritating, the fact that excursions are charged to the onboard account. We have £600 OBC on Ventura in July, and after excursions there isn't going to be much left. I prefer to pay them upfront, like what Royal Caribbean do.

 

 

Sorry am I missing something here. I thought the on board account was just what you ran up in the way of expenses whilst on board i.e drinks, spa treatments, shops etc. and you paid this off at the end of the cruise. Thus saving you from having to pay at the bars etc. Basically everything you do gets charged to your account. You make it sound like you set up a limit beforehand and are stuck with that. That can't be right.

[Rum Rat]

Sorry am I missing something here. I thought the on board account was just what you ran up in the way of expenses whilst on board i.e drinks, spa treatments, shops etc. and you paid this off at the end of the cruise. Thus saving you from having to pay at the bars etc. Basically everything you do gets charged to your account. You make it sound like you set up a limit beforehand and are stuck with that. That can't be right.

 

I wonder if he feels that there is a limit to spend on board, in this case the OBC of £600 and THAT'S IT. No more spending ;)

 

Or am I missing something :(

[littlesteelo]

I wonder if he feels that there is a limit to spend on board, in this case the OBC of £600 and THAT'S IT. No more spending ;)

 

Or am I missing something :(

 

Thats not what I mean. What I'm trying to say is that i have 600 pounds of free on board credit. I would prefer to just spend this on things on board, e.g drinks and speciality restaurants. I guess maybe Its just a psychological thing on my part, but I prefer to know that whatever I purchase on board, I'm not running up a tab which inevitably has to be paid at the end, and I don't have to think about that throughout the cruise. Since there are 4 people going, the cost of the excursions will probably be drawing on £600, and so I would prefer pay that a couple of months in advance and just forget about it rather than have it eat into my free onboard credit.

[Rum Rat]

"""I guess maybe Its just a psychological thing on my part,"""

 

Yes it is .

 

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[jeanlyon]

I'm confused. What difference does it make which part of the OBC is spent on which. Everything you purchase, drinks, excursions, shopping goes on to your on board account, then the OBC is taken off and you pay the rest - Simples!

[RunicTalisman]

I'm confused. What difference does it make which part of the OBC is spent on which. Everything you purchase, drinks, excursions, shopping goes on to your on board account, then the OBC is taken off and you pay the rest - Simples!

 

Thats exactly what I thought. As long as you keep a track of the bill you are running up what difference does it make.

 

My only issue now is why he has £150/person and we only got £50 each. Is this the disadvantage of booking early (Aug 2010). I've been tracking the price and overall since last Aug the cost has gone up each month and is now over £400 more expensive. The only thing I didn't keep track of was what OBC was being offered.

[littlesteelo]

Ok, It may be wise now if we forget my crazy ramblings, as I seem to have caused quite a lot of confusion here :P (sorry!) And RunicTalisman - the OBC was a special offer by Thomson for that specific cruise. We booked in August as well :)

[cruiser1955]

Personally, I book the excursions as soon as they are available online. When the cruise book arrives around 5 weeks before departue (if you haven't clicked the dreaded Go Green button) I then review what I have booked and change if needs be. Some excursions have very limited numbers - e.g. the helicopter flight to Monserrat - so, as others have said, if you want to go, you have to book very early.

 

It may pay to check how many are going on an excursion if there is a particular one that you want to do. I had booked the astronaut training experience at Cape Canaveral and there weren't enough people booked on it, so it was cancelled. I wasn't told until a couple of days before I was due to go, so had to take what was left. Excursion tickets are numbered, and if you have a very low ticket number (in my case it was 1 on that excursion) that may be an indication that an excursion may be cancelled - of course, someone always has to have ticket 1.