Booked excursions - what if port is skipped?

[phieaglefan]

Hi all,

 

First time cruiser here. Headed southbound from Whittier to Vancouver in July on the Crown Princess.

 

I have read a few reviews where ports had to be skipped due to weather. What happens if/when you have an excursion booked with through a vendor other than the ship, and the ship skips the port, or docks late enough that you miss your transportation, or whatever? Are you out of luck on the expense?

 

I assume if you book through the cruise line, you would not be out the cost of the excursion.

 

Any input?

Thanks,

Heidi

[CruiserBruce]

The answer here varies by vender. Thus, if you are booking with a private vender, you need to ask them. Sometimes they refund, occasionally they don't.

[leaveitallbehind]

If it is booked through the cruise line typically they would refund the cost as an on board credit, any balance of which would be yours at the end of the cruise. But the details of this may vary by cruise line and it would be best to ask them to be sure.

 

As mentioned, individual vendors likely have their own policies from full refund to no refund and it would be best to have that discussion with them prior to booking when possible to be sure.

Edited April 8, 2014 by leaveitallbehind

[paul929207]

If you have pre-paid some or all of the cost then it would depend on the vendor's cancellation policy.

[iHeartGlaciers]

For not booked through the ship, it depends on the vendor. I found most vendors in Alaska had a policy where they'd refund if your ship didn't dock.

 

 

July 2012 ~ Celebrity Infinity ~ Alaska

[Flatbush Flyer]

Don't be "penny wise and pound foolish" on your first cruise. Use ship excursions and cross the excursion worries off your "to do" list.

 

 

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[iHeartGlaciers]

Don't be "penny wise and pound foolish" on your first cruise. Use ship excursions and cross the excursion worries off your "to do" list.

 

 

It's not just about saving money. In many cases the excursions I booked off-ship were trips to less crowded sights off the beaten path and the groups were always much smaller. In Ketchikan I went on a wonderful hike and to a totem park where we were almost the only ones there. We were a group of 9.

 

 

July 2012 ~ Celebrity Infinity ~ Alaska

[Hydrokitty]

It's not just about saving money. In many cases the excursions I booked off-ship were trips to less crowded sights off the beaten path and the groups were always much smaller. In Ketchikan I went on a wonderful hike and to a totem park where we were almost the only ones there. We were a group of 9.

 

 

July 2012 ~ Celebrity Infinity ~ Alaska

 

We did that same tour only we booked with the ship. Price was reasonable and there were maybe 12 of us in a small bus with a terrific guide. I agree with PP though, for your first cruise I would recommend buying with ship..you won't have to worry if for any reason you're later returning to the ship because they will wait for you whereas if you're with a private tour that you booked yourself and you're late returning, they may or may not wait for you. I have never heard of any cruise line refusing to return money for an excursion booked with them that had to be cancelled for any reason, let alone not being able to make port. We sailed with Celebrity and they were taking cancellations and bookings for shore excursions as late as the night before. We were no show for our last shore excursion in FLL because when we disembarked one of our bags was there and one of them wasn't and we had to wait for the bag. They waited for us but finally left without us and Celebrity credited the full amount to my credit card without argument.

[iHeartGlaciers]

My experience is very limited, but from what I've read from others here, most ship tours aren't that small in size (the ones I didn't weren't, but I'm sure it depends on the activity). I usually do a mix of tours through the ship and external vendors. The factors I weigh are how tight the port time is, if we're tendering, tour group size, and of course what I really want to see (for instance on my upcoming trip to Lerwick I really wanted to go to the bird reserve and the trip is not offered through the ship).

 

The external tours I've taken are only ones that get me back to port hours before the departure time so there's a lot of wiggle room. I wouldn't chance cutting it close! If there's something I want to do that would take nearly the whole port time, I'd definitely go through the ship!

 

 

July 2012 ~ Celebrity Infinity ~ Alaska

Edited April 8, 2014 by iHeartGlaciers

[phieaglefan]

Thanks everyone for your prompt and thorough replies.

 

I like the guideline suggested by I Heart Glaciers - don't cut it close. We will likely do most or all of our excursions through Princess, but I have not yet finished my research.

 

Heidi

 

And to leaveitallbehind, love your avatar!

 

 

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Edited April 8, 2014 by phieaglefan

[iHeartGlaciers]

You're welcome! Also check out the CC roll call for your sailing. Usually there are people coordinating private tours :-)

 

 

July 2012 ~ Celebrity Infinity ~ Alaska