TillyDora Posted May 23, 2011 #1 Share Posted May 23, 2011 We're leaving on the Regatta 6/17 Vancouver-Anchorage, and O has been encouraging us to sign up online for shore trips. We know which ones we want (hard work plowing through the boards and internet and O booklet). I'm traveling with family, 3 cabins altogether, and we have enough Shipboard Credit to cover everyone's excursions -- but I found out today that we can only use Shipboard Credit to pay for excursions booked on board. So now we have to decide -- pay thousands out of pocket to lock in the trips we want, and use the credit for spa treatments and gratuities (nobody in this family drinks)? Or hope that the trips are still available when we get on the ship? 1. So I ask the veterans -- do the excursions sell out? Some? All? 2. I asked O when the Shore Excursion Desk opens, and the agent was completely clueless. My mom is in a Concierge level cabin (I'm in a veranda cabin), so she gets to board first. Should Mom have the excursion list and sign us all up? Does she get priority? Will she be able to access the credits attached to the other two cabins? Please help us strategize this once in a lifetime trip! Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted May 23, 2011 #2 Share Posted May 23, 2011 Welcome to CC & Oceania forums If she gets on early she can go to the excursion desk (it may be open) fill out the forms (usually in a tray or in the cabin) & just put the other people's cabin numbers on the form excursions purchased onboard are posted to your onboard account so any OBC will come off anything that goes on the card It depends on the excursion whether they will sell out before the cruise or not If it is something that you cannot DIY I would pay ahead if you really want to do the excursion ..that is just me Join the Roll call for your cruise maybe other have some private tours you can join or at least information on how to DIY http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1191770 Enjoy Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted May 23, 2011 #3 Share Posted May 23, 2011 As you may, or may not be aware, this will be Oceanias' first season in Alaska, so there are not any "veterans" to speak of. :o In other areas of the World, the problem with Oceania sponsored excursions is that they are canceled for lack of participation, rather than being sold out. That is one of the hazards of sailing on a 600 passenger ship. Alaska, however, is likely to be the exception to that rule, because it is more difficult to book privately there Dependant on how "In Love" I was with the particular tour, and how cranky the others in your group are, I'd be tempted to pay in advance and then reward yourself with something thrilling from the jewelry shop on the ship :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oceans&Rivers Posted May 23, 2011 #4 Share Posted May 23, 2011 Although I am not an Oceania veteran, I have done a lot of Alaska cruises, and can speak to the popularity of excursions there. Flightseeing tours, especially those that land on glaciers, are quite popular and if there are any of those listed that you want to do, and especially if they say "limited participation," then I would go ahead and pre-book one of those with Oceania at the earliest opportunity even if the tour(s) require pre-payment. I would also look at the port schedules that show which cruise ships are in port on the same day that the Regatta will be there, and determine the maximum number of passengers (competitors all!) that might be vying for the tours you want, as everyone can book them if they are still available. Some of the small boat companies will have passengers from more than just one cruise line on the same excursion. It is also helpful if your ship is one of the first in port that day, or stays in port later than other ships if there is a late afternoon version of the trip you want. It would help to know the names of the excursions that are most important to you in order to guide you further. Do know that you can enjoy Alaska a great deal even if you miss out on a particular tour. Also, since you list your residence as California, a cruise to Alaska is very doable in your future, hopefully on Oceania, as we want them to return to do Alaska cruises from San Francisco again. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wripro Posted May 23, 2011 #5 Share Posted May 23, 2011 I am boarding the Regatta this Thursday for Alaska. I booked every single excursion privately months ago. You save money and don't have to worry about a bus full of people or that the excursion you want will be sold out. That said you will certainly be able to use your OBC for tips, alcohol and other expenses onboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TillyDora Posted May 23, 2011 Author #6 Share Posted May 23, 2011 Thanks to all for your comments & suggestions. I especially like JimandStan's comment about something thrilling for me from the jewelry shop on board :). Too bad that would bust the bank... Lyn, thanks for your welcome. I did check the Roll Call. Nothing much happening over there yet. Oceans and Rivers, you asked which excursions we are hoping for. Here they are: Ketchikan - Rainforest zipline Juneau - Mendenhall Glacier Native Canoe for 2 and Underground Gold Mine for the others Hoonah - Whale & Marine Mammals Cruise 2.5 hrs Skagway - White Pass train to Yukon Suspension Bridge Seward - Kenai Fjords Cruise Homer - Glacier Lake Hike We also have a list of walking tours that we'll do on our own in the ports, no need to be led on those. Wripro, I can see from these boards that lots of folks book the excursions privately. But in this family, I'll have to do all the legwork and will be responsible for the fabulosity of everyone's experience. Not a vacation for me. I'd rather have less of a trip that's planned for me than do the work myself. Yes, of course we'll have a wonderful trip no matter what excursions we get to or not. Oceania is making dinner and cleaning the room and the scenery is amazing. But it would be nice to supplement with experiences off the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted May 24, 2011 #7 Share Posted May 24, 2011 We are on the 8/14 Vancouver-SF sailing and so far I've been ignoring tours because I've also been planning a land trip to Maine and Quebec in June. We did book privately (with 2 other couples) a whale watching trip out of Juneau. Wripro talks about DIY tours being cheaper but what little research I did did NOT seem to bear that out. As an example, the flight to Misty Fjords (which we did in 1990 on Princess) costs about the same as the private agencies I researched. I wouldn't be surprised that they use the same planes. When we did this trip in 1990 it seems to me our seaplane carried all of about 8 passengers. That's not to say that I think that all DIY tours cost the same as ship's tours! But in some cases, especially in Alaska, a ship's tour could be worth it. Our roll call is also pretty inactive. There is a small group that posts, but nothing like my usual roll calls. The ship is not sold out but the cabins from A3-OS are wait listed as it the G category. Everything else seems to be available. (When I first checked it was A1-OS, then it was A2-OS and now it is A3-OS.) We also have a lot of ship's credit available and I hesitate to prepay for a tour when I intend to use some of that credit for ship's tours (even though I generally avoid ship's tours). We don't drink enough to use that OBC for alcohol! And we don't gamble ... I guess I could live on the internet with the OBC ... but the slowness is hard to live with. Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted May 24, 2011 #8 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Lyn, thanks for your welcome. I did check the Roll Call. Nothing much happening over there yet. I am surprised with almost 300 messages some Roll Calls do not have a lot to offer but good to post anyway enjoy the cruise Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountain grandma Posted May 24, 2011 #9 Share Posted May 24, 2011 We had this same situation during our Bangkok to Beijing cruise last February/March on the Nautica. There were some tours that we did privately but also some that we really wanted to do with the ship and didn't want to take a chance that they would sell out. We had an OBC and pre-paid gratuities, we don't drink much and really wanted to use the credit for our tours. We booked the tours in advance and then, when we boarded, we went to the Destination Services Desk and asked to cancel and re-book to be able to use our OBC. It worked like a charm and they had no problem doing this for us. Yes, we had to charge the tours upfront but then the money was refunded to our credit card and the OBC was used to pay for the tours. Hope this idea helps and have a wonderful cruise in Alaska. It is truly a beautiful destination. Billie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted May 24, 2011 #10 Share Posted May 24, 2011 We booked the tours in advance and then, when we boarded, we went to the Destination Services Desk and asked to cancel and re-book to be able to use our OBC. It worked like a charm and they had no problem doing this for us. Yes, we had to charge the tours upfront but then the money was refunded to our credit card and the OBC was used to pay for the tours. Billie I would make sure that none of the excursion fall under these cancellation penalties The following applies to the cancellation of the Optional Facilities and Services listed below: Pre-/Post-Cruise Hotel Packages - Within 45 days of cruise departure - 100% fee Pre-/Post-Cruise Land Packages - Within 60 days of cruise departure - 100% fee Overland Tours - Within 45 days of cruise departure - 100% fee Shore Excursions - Within 36 hours of tour departure - 100% fee Shore Excursions Packages - On or after embarkation day - 100% fee Executive Collections - Within 36 hours of tour departure - 100% fee Regular and Private Transfers - Within 4 days of transfer date - 100% fee Visa Packages - Within 30 days of cruise departure - 100% fee http://www.oceaniacruises.com/corporate/legal/ticketcontract.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountain grandma Posted May 24, 2011 #11 Share Posted May 24, 2011 I would make sure that none of the excursion fall under these cancellation penalties The following applies to the cancellation of the Optional Facilities and Services listed below: Pre-/Post-Cruise Hotel Packages - Within 45 days of cruise departure - 100% fee Pre-/Post-Cruise Land Packages - Within 60 days of cruise departure - 100% fee Overland Tours - Within 45 days of cruise departure - 100% fee Shore Excursions - Within 36 hours of tour departure - 100% fee Shore Excursions Packages - On or after embarkation day - 100% fee Executive Collections - Within 36 hours of tour departure - 100% fee Regular and Private Transfers - Within 4 days of transfer date - 100% fee Visa Packages - Within 30 days of cruise departure - 100% fee http://www.oceaniacruises.com/corporate/legal/ticketcontract.aspx LHT28--You are right about these but I was talking about just regular individual, day shore excursions and we did it right in the beginning of the cruise which was well before the 36 hour cancellation deadline. TillyDora--So, it will depend on what you were looking at and when the tours are in relation to the time you board. Billie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TillyDora Posted May 24, 2011 Author #12 Share Posted May 24, 2011 LHT28--You are right about these but I was talking about just regular individual, day shore excursions and we did it right in the beginning of the cruise which was well before the 36 hour cancellation deadline. TillyDora--So, it will depend on what you were looking at and when the tours are in relation to the time you board. Billie Billie, that's a great idea. You're right, the tours we're looking at are all beyond the 36 hour deadline, standard day excursions. It all depends on how strong everyone's nerves are, whether my mom (who gets to board first because she's in a concierge cabin) feels up to getting straight to the Destination Desk. Thanks for the idea, I'll present it to the gang :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbwex Posted May 24, 2011 #13 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Of the ones you listed, the Kenai Fjords tour is probably a bit less likely to sell out as there are a bunch of boats that do that tour, and they each hold somewhere between 100 and 150 passengers. On the other hand, that is one tour that I would not miss. Of everything we did in a tour and cruise, the Kenai Fjords trip probably ranks second, just behind Denali N.P. Seeing a 500 foot tall glacier from just 1/2 mile away on a small boat really put it in perspective that you don't get from a cruise ship. You are very likely to see calving, because you stay there a long time, and you get to hear the noises the glacier makes. Plus lots of wildlife -- seals, sea lions, puffins and more. Didn't do the zipline in Ketchikan, but from the talk on these boards, I take it that they are popular. In Juneau, we did the whale watch and trekked on a glacier, so I cannot help you there. On our Baltic cruise two years ago, we were able to sign up on board for a couple of tours that we decided on at pretty much the last minute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelglobetrotter Posted May 29, 2011 #14 Share Posted May 29, 2011 We're just back from Regatta, and did two of the tours you'r interested in. I called O to find out availability before we left and we prebooked the RR and Suspension bridge, but waited and booked on board for the Hoonah whale watch. We had no problems booking anything on board, but for your peace of mind, check with O on availability then decide what you want to do. And booking, canceling and rebooking should work too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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