Shore excursions booked on land

[cruisinpoler]

Hi. I am planning a large family cruise this August on the Allure of the Seas. My sister-in-law and I have very different planning styles. I prefer to book all excursions ahead of time on the the RCI website, through the cruise line. She prefers to save the money and find vendors on shore once we have reached the destinations.

 

I understand the risk of doing it her way (most importantly being left behind!!!), and also the potential savings. I obviously prefer to do it my way, but she is very adamant, and our kids and her kids will want to do things together.

 

My question to you is- how risky is it to go with the onshore vendors? Who among you has done this and do you recommend it? Any particular vendors to avoid, or particular ones you recommend?

 

Thanks

Jen

[kccrzr]

How about trying for a happy medium by researching tour operators on the ports of call forums and reserving in advance with one which is highly recommended? it is a win/win situation: you get your certainty, your sister-in-law the lower cost and all of you a smaller tour group in all likelihood.

[suncruiser]

I agree with the above poster. We have had great success researching ports and various vendors on Cruise Critic and having a great experience and saving money. The vendors are used to the cruise schedules and you should have no trouble at all.

[kymbakitty]

Hi. I am planning a large family cruise this August on the Allure of the Seas. My sister-in-law and I have very different planning styles. I prefer to book all excursions ahead of time on the the RCI website, through the cruise line. She prefers to save the money and find vendors on shore once we have reached the destinations.

 

I understand the risk of doing it her way (most importantly being left behind!!!), and also the potential savings. I obviously prefer to do it my way, but she is very adamant, and our kids and her kids will want to do things together.

 

My question to you is- how risky is it to go with the onshore vendors? Who among you has done this and do you recommend it? Any particular vendors to avoid, or particular ones you recommend?

 

Thanks

Jen

 

I'm going to guess this is a Caribbean itinerary.

 

Just consider giving up all control in this area on this one cruise. Just make it an adventure. She may end up showing you that some of the best things are completely serendipitous!

 

If you were anywhere else where language may be an issue, perhaps a little more precaution would be necessary. But I think you will be in the Caribbean and they are probably the same tour operators that serve the cruise lines on alternate days. It is their livelihood. Yes, it happens every once in a blue moon, but sometimes it even happens with cruise tours.

 

I think you can have some really fun times and make some great memories! Yes, out of your comfort zone, but show your children that you are open to new experiences...they will probably love to see this side of you! Besides, you can blame her if something does happen, which it won't.

 

Let go--have fun and think of the adventures ahead of you. I know it's not easy (trust me), but when you step out of your comfort zone, you really open yourself up to some really awesome times (partly because your expectations are not too high).

 

By the way, we often have done it that way....even in Cartagena, Columbia ! To this day, it is still one of our best non planned tour! We just did it again in Tenerefe, Canary Islands. We don't think twice about doing it anymore. They'll take you everywhere the tours take you--quicker, cheaper and you'll see/experience more!

 

Go for it!

[DrD]

I was always a fan of booking through cruise line, but have started to change my mind. The clincher was when I found out RCCL wants you to pay in advance.

 

I've been on 11 cruises and excursions have always been charged to shipboard account. I don't like making interest-free loans.

[kymbakitty]

I was always a fan of booking through cruise line, but have started to change my mind. The clincher was when I found out RCCL wants you to pay in advance.

 

I've been on 11 cruises and excursions have always been charged to shipboard account. I don't like making interest-free loans.

 

I don't like being boxed into something either.

 

The beauty of just going out to port area is that you can choose to go or not to go. No one has any of your money so no pressure and no trying to get your money back.

 

If that's how they do it now, I doubt we'll ever book another tour through the cruise line. Once you step outside your comfort zone and just select driver/tour at port, you actually look forward to what the next tour will be like--without the company of 98 more cruise passengers!

[T_Bone2012]

We have booked both ways, but lately I have booked exclusively non RCCL tours. Research the forums and just make sure you are extra safe at ports where you have to tender, as it's harder to get on and off the ship.

[salboz]

Our over 42 cruises have included local vendors 95 per cent of the time. Smaller groups, more flexible, more local knowledge, much less money, etc. We have done this both in the Caribbean and in europe. You often can see the whole city or whole island for less that the ship charges to go to one place. Never close to missing ship.

[Iluvcruising2]

We plan ahead before the cruise and go with non-ship vendors or just do-it-ourselves (e.g. rent a car, or just walk and/or take the taxi)

 

It is because of forums like cruise critic that we have gotten the confidence to do it.

 

It has certainly saved us a whole load of $$$.

[JulieRose]

We book a mixture. On our last Princess cruise, we booked exclusively independent tours before hand and they turned out well for the most part. This cruise, since there was one we could not find offered independently for less, 1 stop at Labadee where we want to do the dragons breath flight line and a particular excursion where we will have to drive a bit of a distance we booked all but 1 of our tours with the cruise line.

 

I think it really depends on where you are going and what you want to do with your time. There are some ports (like Belize or Samana) that I would never just show up without a plan but others (like Grand Cayman or Cozumel) where it would be easier to just wing it and take your chances.

[Host Faith]

How about trying for a happy medium by researching tour operators on the ports of call forums and reserving in advance with one which is highly recommended? it is a win/win situation: you get your certainty, your sister-in-law the lower cost and all of you a smaller tour group in all likelihood.

 

I can't imagine the confusion trying to find a tour guide in the hot sun and chaos that can occur the morning you arrive in port. For such a large group, the suggestion above is the way to go. You may be able to get the tours reserved exclusively for your group if you book early enough. And with most local tour guides, you don't have to pay in advance or you may have to give a small deposit. If you do plenty of research here on CC and on Tripadvisor, you'll find the right guide/company for your group. This will give all of you peace of mind and a bit of organization.

[trev71]

ive always booked threw royals carribeans. This way its booked and its soild , i only book stuff I know I want to do for sure. I dont mind pre paying for anything its not really a loan. On a plus side if you booked threw the cruise line they have to wait for you.. So it just depends on how you want to do it.

 

That is a downside on going on a huge trip with family everyone wants to do something different.

[akcruz]

I am another who says go for the happy medium. Do your research ahead of time and find a dependable non cruise line vendor for your group. If you do your research you will find that there are a number of such vendors recommended both here on CC and other places like Trip Advisor. Their reputation lies with having good reviews on these sites. If they mess up everyone knows and they know that is the case.

 

We have done a mix of cruise sponsored excursions (for long days or trips far from the port, or when the only option for what we wanted), independent tours, or do it yourself day. We mostly do independent tours now, we book ahead and have always been pleased. For most no payment is due until you are there, but have heard for some groups they may want at least a deposit. Make sure the vendor will refund any pre-paid amount if the ship doesn't make it to port.

 

I also agree, with a group that large, waiting until you get to the port may be tough to get everyone on the same excursion if that's what you want.