Pros and cons of ship excursions vs book on your own?

[Ocean Air]

Curious. I like ship excursions for convenience and also if something goes wrong the ship has to wait for us to get back. Twice we have walked off the ship with no plans and then decided to hire a van to do sightseeing and enjoyed that just as much.

 

The ships excursions are the same things over and over again and I am thinking of looking going on another website for recommendations and booking that way.

 

Curious what others have to say.

[sail7seas]

Curious. I like ship excursions for convenience and also if something goes wrong the ship has to wait for us to get back. Twice we have walked off the ship with no plans and then decided to hire a van to do sightseeing and enjoyed that just as much.

 

The ships excursions are the same things over and over again and I am thinking of looking going on another website for recommendations and booking that way.

 

Curious what others have to say.

 

 

Go to the Roll Call for any cruises you have booked and you will often find others on your cruise booking independent tours. You may be able to join up with them to put together private tours.

 

[Lionesss]

Although ship excursions cost more than privately booked ones, we have always paid the cost and did them booked thru the cruise line.

--people know where you are

--supposedly the ship has to wait for you to return

--guarantee re-imbursement for cancellations,

Sea Ya

[iuki]

Although ship excursions cost more than privately booked ones, we have always paid the cost and did them booked thru the cruise line.

 

--people know where you are

 

--supposedly the ship has to wait for you to return

 

--guarantee re-imbursement for cancellations,

 

Sea Ya

 

Same here. I think of the extra cost as "travel insurance." Anything can happen when you're on your own - vehicle breakdown, accident that causes a traffic jam, etc., possibly causing you to miss your ship.

[DonnaK]

I think that in most ports, it is best to use a private tour guide. I usually arrange for them in advance, after researching on the cruise critic ports of call forum and on TripAdvisor. Reputable tour guides in the ports are very conscious of your safety and of getting back well in advance of the ship's departure. Their livelihood depends on it, and they would be out of business if there were any such issues. Some of them also guarantee that you will not miss the ship, or they will be responsible for getting you to the next port. Many of them take payment or a deposit upon arrival (not in advance) or have a refund policy in case of cancelation. (Note: this is different from just picking up a guide in the port without any prior research into their reputability)

 

For the most part, private tours are much less expensive than ship-sponsored tours, and offer a significantly better experience. It's a better value for the money.

 

We have taken ship's tours in certain cases. For example, an all-day tour that takes you far from the ship, because we want the added security. Or, something offered exclusively through the cruiseline which cannot be arranged on your own. Or, a post-cruise excursion that stows your luggage during the tour, and drops you off at the airport afterwards. Etc.

 

Also, it's my understanding that the ship is NOT guaranteed to wait for you if your ship's excursion is late. They usually do, but I believe that their guarantee is to arrange to catch you up with the ship at the next port at their expense in the rare case that the ship cannot wait.

Edited September 28, 2013 by DonnaK

[puddles99]

As newbie cruisers, we always booked through the ship - for all the reasons noted by other posters. But we really wanted to expand our options & experiences. I think the trick to private excursions is doing your homework on each port, spending time on TripAdvisor and other reputable sites, and choosing wisely. In some ports its perfectly fine to wing it & in others, you need to book in advance. By researching in advance you can be sure that you're making choices you're comfortable with (and be confident that you'll make it back to the ship on time!). I'm a huge fan of branching out - on our upcoming cruise, we have privately booked excursions in three ports and are winging it in the fourth!

[cruzeluver]

We will book ship excursions if that is the only way to have a specific experience or if travel from the port to the excursion location is a good distance away. Otherwise, its private tours for us. We prefer smaller groups and a more customizable experience.

[lamchops]

I try to DIY whenever possible but I know my limitations and comfort zone. If there are possible issues with distance, time, or difficulty, we'll do a ship's excursion.

 

The #1 thing I do for every port research is use "Google Maps" directions. I "click" on the "bus" icon/tab and it will tell you what buses to take to the sites. You can then determine whether you want to take an excursion or not based of how complicated it may be to get there. I print the instructions and bring them with me. No more than 1 transfer is my criteria. Saves me a ton of cash!;)

 

I have used this feature:

 

Victoria station to most London sites including Windsor castle

 

Lisbon port to Belem sites

 

Bermuda to beaches

 

Trevi fountain to forum

 

and for my next cruise today::)

 

Victoria Inner Harbor to Buchart Gardens

 

Seattle port to Underground tour

 

Santa Barbara port to Old Mission & Museum of Science

 

https://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&tab=wl

 

"click" get directions

"type" cruise port or starting point in "A"

"type" site name or address in "B"

"click" get directions

"click" bus icon

choose a day & time that similiar to your arrival for bus schedule

"click" on the route that you prefer based on ease, time, schedule

"click" on reverse direction for return trip

__________________

[Keith1010]

The pro is that if the excursion does not go well then the cruise line has recourse against the vendor and if you are running late the ship will wait and sometimes an excursion will include a tour that you can't do on your own or in a private tour. The con is that they often are more expensive and you are with a larger group.

 

Keith

[Ocean Air]

Same here. I think of the extra cost as "travel insurance." Anything can happen when you're on your own - vehicle breakdown, accident that causes a traffic jam, etc., possibly causing you to miss your ship.

 

Iuki so true, peace of mind also comes to mind.

 

Sent from my DROID4 using Forums mobile app

[boogs]

The pro is that if the excursion does not go well then the cruise line has recourse against the vendor and if you are running late the ship will wait and sometimes an excursion will include a tour that you can't do on your own or in a private tour. The con is that they often are more expensive and you are with a larger group.

 

Keith

 

Another con is that you may be visiting sites you aren't interested in, such as those side stops to a carpet factory or pottery maker who pays a commission to the cruise line for bringing a captive audience to their facility. Some of these stops are actually interesting, but many are not.

Edited September 28, 2013 by boogs

[Viv0828]

We always DIY. We have no desire to do an excursion with 50+ other cruisers. We like to either have a private tour or go with another couple or two.

[Kartgv]

We usually do ship's tours in a new port where we're not completely comfortable with the surroundings and culture. If it's a port we've been to and/or know what to expect, we'll go off on our own. "On your own" is less expensive in most cases, and can work out very well if you've done your research. The older we get, the more we like the security of the ship's tours. As others have said, there is an element of 'insurance' in using them.

 

On one of our recent cruises, a passenger fell getting off a ship sponsored ship tour bus and broke an ankle; the ship's medical facility took care of everything, great care at no charge. I don't think it would have gone quite so well on a private tour. We also had an experience in Cabo where we took a ship sponsored whale watching tour while others on our roll call went on a private tour. We had a spectacular trip, saw plenty of whales; our roll call tour saw only one whale and the boat operator violated safety standards chasing it and getting much closer than allowed. Many of those passengers were very unhappy with the experience but had no recourse.

 

On the issue of '50 passenger buses' - we've had some great experiences on them, often meeting people who we later socialize with on the ship. There have been a few where things weren't quite so great, but that can happen on a private tour also. Some of our best excursions involved wine tasting - the bus became an extension of the party. Unless you're heading to a very small venue, 50 people don't cause problems or crowding issues.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

If you have to pre pay and miss the port ...

[JimAOk1945]

Although ship excursions cost more than privately booked ones, we have always paid the cost and did them booked thru the cruise line.

 

--people know where you are

 

--supposedly the ship has to wait for you to return

 

--guarantee re-imbursement for cancellations,

 

Sea Ya

 

 

We book excursions through the cruise lines for the same reasons, as well as the peace of mind it gives us.

[cruiserking]

We got back quite late from a Catamaran excursion in St. John. When we returned to port all of the tenders had gone only a tent from Celebrity cruises was still there.

 

But, there yonder just chugging in was a welcome sight, a tender baring one of the ship's officers of the MS Noordam come to collect us and bring us back ship side.

 

I would always book through the cruise line, always.

 

Jonathan

Edited September 29, 2013 by cruiserking

[Ehpride]

It depends on the port and the excursion. The only cruiseline excursion I've done is an all day tour of Mayan ruins in Belize. Otherwise, I do independent excursions or something on my own.

[Hlitner]

We have spent over 3 years cruising to 6 continents and very seldom take a cruise ship excursion and also take very few private excursions. We prefer to do what we want, when we want, with whom we want (which is not a big group). After nearly forty years of cruising (101 days just in 2012) we have never missed a ship (came close a couple of times). On long cruises we sometimes will save in excess of $5000 by avoiding cruise ship excursions.

 

We do realize that a majority of CC posters primarily cruise in the Caribbean, and that is an area we never take a cruise ship excursion. There is just no reason. Islands are relatively small, there are usually plenty of DIY options (including taxis, walking, rental cars, etc) and one can save money doing their own thing. We live in a cruise port during the winter (Puerto Vallarta) and sit on our condo balcony watching some cruise ship walking tours go by. In a city where a local bus costs about $1 round trip from the port to the city we just shake our heads as to why folks will pay more then 50 times as much for a walking tour. But it is the nature of travelers (especially fellow Americans) that many are simply scared to do anything on their own without the supposed security of a tour guide. So now, when folks tell us they are worried about missing the ship, getting lost, language barriers, etc.. we simply say....tis OK...just book a cruise line excursion. After all, we own stock in both major cruise companies and love to see others contribute to the bottom line :)

 

Hank

Edited September 29, 2013 by Hlitner

[chipmaster]

The amount of advantage or disadvantage for ship excursion versus DIY vary depending on location and excursion.

 

Take helicopter excursion in Alaska, the difference in price might be 50 bucks but the final experience almost the same, and you get ship to vendor transportiation.

 

Take the most extensive Rome excursion and you are looking at 220 bucks or more / person and likely a big bus affair where you meet 40 of your new friends in some lounge on the ship and wait for the slowest of them. While you can do a tour share for 500/car and have a private car waiting for you as you walk off and go from site to site at far faster pace. Price the same, experience wildly better on the private.

 

The moral of the story, there is no always better/best, there is clearly "best" for each unique situation.

 

So research and depending on what you want to do, how you want to do, and $ will determine.

 

Hire a reputable private tour and this thing about ship waiting while true won't likely ever matter, as private you'll generally see more, for less and be back at the ship before any of the ship tours. I would almost never take a distant and expansive tour by walking of the boat and hiring a "van" If all I'm looking for is a taxi, sure. But I don't spend my $ to ever let the last mile and most memorable part of the trip be left for chance by walking off the boat and see what happens.

 

Curious. I like ship excursions for convenience and also if something goes wrong the ship has to wait for us to get back. Twice we have walked off the ship with no plans and then decided to hire a van to do sightseeing and enjoyed that just as much.

 

The ships excursions are the same things over and over again and I am thinking of looking going on another website for recommendations and booking that way.

 

Curious what others have to say.

Edited September 29, 2013 by chipmaster

[mizLORInj]

Agree that it is personal preference. We prefer to book independent companies and enjoy a less-crowded and personalized experience.

The only ship-sponsored excursion we've done in many years was to ruins in Belize City.

We research carefully if visiting a new-to-us port using sites others have mentioned. "real people" reviews.

Also most reputable tour companies realize their business, which is dependent on tourists, is on the line here and that the internet has powerful information and can affect them for good or bad. We have never had an issue booking with a non-cruiseline excursion and have not ever even come close to missing the ship.

[KirkNC]

We very seldom take the cruise lines excursions.

[OCruisers]

If the ship is offering an excursion that we want to take at a time we like, we still prefer to book through the ship.

 

Why: It's the easy way!

 

They pick us up from the ship, take us to have fun, and return us to the ship ... all with no planning on our part! :D

 

LuLu

~~~~

[dsrdsrdsr]

If it's a country where English isn't widely spoken or where there are security issues, then we take a ship's excursion. Or if there's somewhere ww can't get to because it's closed to the general public, out of season, or parties only. Or if we're going a long way from the ship and are scheduled to get back somewhere near departure time.

 

Otherwise, we DIY.

[PoppyandNana]

If it's a country where English isn't widely spoken or where there are security issues, then we take a ship's excursion. Or if there's somewhere ww can't get to because it's closed to the general public, out of season, or parties only. Or if we're going a long way from the ship and are scheduled to get back somewhere near departure time.

 

Otherwise, we DIY.

 

We took private tours in St. Petersburg, Rome, Montenegro, Crotia, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Oslo, and other countries too many to mention. All were fantastic and English as sporadic

[LeeBe]

I completely understand why people avoid the cruise lines tours. However in ports that we have not been to, or excursions that take you great distances from the port, I am more inclined to take a ship's tour. YMMV