Shore Excursions

[twentyatheart]

Are there any benefits to booking through the cruise line as opposed to booking directly through one company or another.

[xlxo]

Main benefit is insurance so you don't "miss the boat". As you travel further away from the port, your risk is higher for missing the boat because of weather, road and rail incidents.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=46278812&postcount=14

• Mt. Roberts Tram is one I encourage to skip the cruise booking and book at the tram. If the weather is bad, you may choose to skip going there.
  

There are a few excursions you want to consider that exclusively available on the ship...

• captain's tours... see the bridge, engine control room and various operations of the ship.
  
  • http://www.princess.com/news/backgrounders_and_fact_sheets/factsheet/Ultimate-Ship-Tour.html
    
  • http://experience.usatoday.com/cruise/story/cruise-buzz/2013/10/15/how-a-cruise-ship-works/2986403/
    
  • NCL
    
    

  [*]some ships will do their glacier viewing in Glacier Bay, but the cruise ship will go by Tracy Arm briefly on their way to Juneau. There's a mid-ocean transfer excursion that takes you deeper into the arm and hopefully to see Sawyer.

  • HAL http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise-destinations/ExcursionDetails.action?excursionCode=100030935
    
  • Princess http://www.princess.com/excursion/exDetails.do?t=A&exType=S&tourCode=TA1-665
    
  • NCL
    http://www.ncl.com/excursions/search?N=4294934624+4294908777&Nao=24&Ne=8057&Ns=p_Shorex_Search_Weight%7C0%7C%7Cp_Shorex_Title%7C0&Nu=p_Shorex_Package_Id#
    

Edited May 9, 2015 by xlxo

[CowPrincess]

Are there any benefits to booking through the cruise line as opposed to booking directly through one company or another.

 

There's the assurance that you will get back to your ship but most reputable private operators offer that assurance too. There is a convenience factor in that you don't have to do any research or scheduling -- it is done for you. Some cruise lines (Holland America, for one) give you "points" for spending, that may affect your loyalty status. There's also sometimes a better refund policy through the ship, if a port is missed, or if you cancel in advance of the excursion. Some (not all) private operators will refund you 100%, while others may not. You need to verify the private operator's cancellation policy in advance of booking. You also need to know the ship's cancellation policy, if you decide to cancel the excursion.

 

What value each of those holds is entirely up to you :) We do both private and ship excursions and for us the deciding factors are how much "hassle factor" is there in arranging our own, and will we be going a vast distance (subjective :) ) from the ship?

[dbsb3233]

There's the assurance that you will get back to your ship but most reputable private operators offer that assurance too. There is a convenience factor in that you don't have to do any research or scheduling -- it is done for you. Some cruise lines (Holland America, for one) give you "points" for spending, that may affect your loyalty status. There's also sometimes a better refund policy through the ship, if a port is missed, or if you cancel in advance of the excursion. Some (not all) private operators will refund you 100%, while others may not. You need to verify the private operator's cancellation policy in advance of booking. You also need to know the ship's cancellation policy, if you decide to cancel the excursion.

 

What value each of those holds is entirely up to you :) We do both private and ship excursions and for us the deciding factors are how much "hassle factor" is there in arranging our own, and will we be going a vast distance (subjective :) ) from the ship?

Well said. We tend to do about half one way and half the other too. Just depends.

 

Ship excursions are also easier to change while on the ship should you decide to do so (such as making friends with others on the ship and you decide you'd like to go on the same excursion together).

 

Logistics tend to be easier with ship excursions too. Depending on the cruise line, they often have everyone gather in the theater and leave as a group from there. Or meet on the pier with big signs. Private tours, while usually pretty good, can sometimes be a little trickier to find the meeting point.

 

Private tours have a tendency to be cheaper, but not always. For Alaska, I'm finding a few that are actually cheaper through the ship. We're doing a Carnival cruise in July, and the exact same excursion (floatplane to George Inlet Lodge for a crabfeast) is slightly cheaper through Carnival than it is through Orbitz or a couple of other private operators.

 

One big advantage of many private tours though is many use a private van just for your group rather than a big bus with 30 other people on it. If you have 4-6 people in your group, private van tours often end up being about the same price per person, but you're not stuck wasting time waiting for the last 2 people that are late getting back to the bus. Many private vans will also vary the itinerary to your tastes too, if you want to see something different, or take a long lunch, etc.

 

Those advantages apply a little more to big cities though (Rome, Beijing, etc). In Alaska, the ports are small and most everyone is doing the same handful of things, so I don't know that there's as much advantage to booking private tours there.

Edited May 9, 2015 by dbsb3233

[Budget Queen]

In my opinion, if you miss your ship in Alaska- it's no ones fault but yours. :) You NEVER hear of any Alaska vendors who caused someone to miss their ship, outside of extreme issues that would be the same result with a cruise contracted tour.

 

Booking independent can have benefits. With ANY independent booking, ALWAYS disclose your cruise ship and port times, THEN go with the vendor's recommendation for scheduling. Occasionally there will be posts second guessing this, simply not valid, the vendors- who have some first hand patrons on this board, know what they are doing.

[dbsb3233]

In my opinion, if you miss your ship in Alaska- it's no ones fault but yours. :) You NEVER hear of any Alaska vendors who caused someone to miss their ship, outside of extreme issues that would be the same result with a cruise contracted tour.

 

Booking independent can have benefits. With ANY independent booking, ALWAYS disclose your cruise ship and port times, THEN go with the vendor's recommendation for scheduling. Occasionally there will be posts second guessing this, simply not valid, the vendors- who have some first hand patrons on this board, know what they are doing.

Particularly in Alaska. It's a little more disconcerting trusting an unknown private tour operator halfway around the world (where few people even speak English). But on that tiny chance that a van breaks down at just the wrong time, at least you're still in the US (or Canada) while on an Alaska cruise. That's much more comforting.

 

But having said that, we've had no problem with any of the private tours we've booked in China, Taiwan, South Korea, Spain, and other such places as well. We're very glad we booked private vans (4 people in our group) in those places. The private guide and personal touch is far better than being one of the cattle on a big bus.

[mek]

Many times I do private tours, but I'm using Princess for our cruise tour in June. In Skagway, we're doing two tours and it's just easier to coordinate the time by using the ships' tours. Same with the land portion - just seems to be less of a hassle using Princess for our optional excursions.

[Budget Queen]

Many times I do private tours, but I'm using Princess for our cruise tour in June. In Skagway, we're doing two tours and it's just easier to coordinate the time by using the ships' tours. Same with the land portion - just seems to be less of a hassle using Princess for our optional excursions.

 

When you get to Skagway- you'll see how easy, either way of booking two tours is. :) Have a fun time.

[4774Papa]

We are going on an Alaska cruise Sept 2016. I have been researching private and ship's tours. I am finding that private tours are generally modestly cheaper than the ship's tours.

 

On some cruised, I have found the ship's tours to be double or more of private tours.

On many cruises, I organize private tours myself, but frankly, it can be a headache. I frequently get late cancellations. The administrative work keeping up with those on the tour etc. can be a pain.

One thing that I will not do again is collect all the money for the tour company from everyone.

 

With the modest price difference, we may just go with the ship or perhaps viator.

[mek]

When you get to Skagway- you'll see how easy, either way of booking two tours is. :) Have a fun time.

 

This will be our 4th time there and familiar with the port. DH is handicapped, so we have limitations on what we can do and how much running around is possible. I'm doing the Ocean Raft tour in the morning and get back at noon, then were doing the tour on the open busses and the 98 show leaving at 12:45. We've done the train ride 2X and most everything else that appeals to us, so this will be fun for me and easy for him. Wish we could just take off like we used to, but we can't. Pre planning is just a part of our lives now.

Edited May 10, 2015 by mek

[BigGuy25]

I have no exceptions to ship's tours ... especially for those new to cruising. But, I now book almost exclusively private tours. They are usually less expensive, nearly always significantly less crowded, and often get you into areas the large tours (read: tour busses) can't get to. The cruise line will usually try to scare you with the "you might miss the ship" line. They even often tell you to bring your camera on a private tour because you might get shots you can't get on the ship's tours ... like "your ship sailing away into the sunset." That said, I NEVER book a private tour without doing considerable research right here on Cruise Critic. And, I don't rely on just one favorable review. I read a lot of reviews and then book with those tour providers that get high marks from Cruise Critic's frequent travelers. We've cruised a lot and I've never met a person who missed a ship on a reputable private tour. One missed ship and, because of social media, they'd be out of business! But, you'll have fun with whatever tour you decide!!

[brainerdgal]

I have no exceptions to ship's tours ... especially for those new to cruising. But, I now book almost exclusively private tours. They are usually less expensive, nearly always significantly less crowded, and often get you into areas the large tours (read: tour busses) can't get to. The cruise line will usually try to scare you with the "you might miss the ship" line. They even often tell you to bring your camera on a private tour because you might get shots you can't get on the ship's tours ... like "your ship sailing away into the sunset." That said, I NEVER book a private tour without doing considerable research right here on Cruise Critic. And, I don't rely on just one favorable review. I read a lot of reviews and then book with those tour providers that get high marks from Cruise Critic's frequent travelers. We've cruised a lot and I've never met a person who missed a ship on a reputable private tour. One missed ship and, because of social media, they'd be out of business! But, you'll have fun with whatever tour you decide!!

 

Well said! We have only cruised 3 previous times, all to Alaska, and we are sailing again to Alaska in August. We booked all of our excursions through the ship the first time, simply because we didn't know there was any other way. They were crowded, but still wonderful because it was Alaska! Since discovering Cruise Critic, we have booked only private tours, and only with vendors that receive consistently good reviews on CC and/or TripAdvisor. The prices aren't always cheaper than the ship's, but for us, a smaller group and more personal service make all the difference between a great experience and a fantabulous one. I'm not sure I would feel the same way if we were sailing to other countries, however. Everyone has to decide what choice is best for their particular situation.

[Budget Queen]

We are going on an Alaska cruise Sept 2016. I have been researching private and ship's tours. I am finding that private tours are generally modestly cheaper than the ship's tours.

 

On some cruised, I have found the ship's tours to be double or more of private tours.

On many cruises, I organize private tours myself, but frankly, it can be a headache. I frequently get late cancellations. The administrative work keeping up with those on the tour etc. can be a pain.

One thing that I will not do again is collect all the money for the tour company from everyone.

 

With the modest price difference, we may just go with the ship or perhaps viator.

 

Individuals setting up "Group tours, aren't usually done in Alaska as these are primarily sightseeing van tours. Vendors book direct and individually with a most of the tours, the "groups" that may be advantage for scheduling or price, are usually a very small number, like a 6 seater fishing charter, where you only need 4 more people.

 

The vendor's are important in my opinion, so I never recommend using any booking agent independent like Viator. They haven't been on these tours, aren't based in Alaska and book based only on who commissions them. I have heard of several screw ups they also have made- with not knowing the details of Alaska. It is always superior to get your information first hand and reservations direct.

Edited May 10, 2015 by Budget Queen

[4774Papa]

Individuals setting up "Group tours, aren't usually done in Alaska as these are primarily sightseeing van tours. Vendors book direct and individually with a most of the tours, the "groups" that may be advantage for scheduling or price, are usually a very small number, like a 6 seater fishing charter, where you only need 4 more people.

 

The vendor's are important in my opinion, so I never recommend using any booking agent independent like Viator. They haven't been on these tours, aren't based in Alaska and book based only on who commissions them. I have heard of several screw ups they also have made- with not knowing the details of Alaska. It is always superior to get your information first hand and reservations direct.

Agree on using Viator. We have had success with them in foreign countries, where it was difficult to find reputable private tours. Still, we have never had a failure with Viator.

 

We try to keep our private tours at no larger than 12-14. The smaller group can sometimes go places where the big buses cannot. Still, we have had many very good tours and excursions with large groups on buses.

 

I found, what appears to be an excellent tour company in Vancouver called Key West (Canada not Florida). It comes highly recommended by TripAdvisor and others on cc. We may use them.

[Earplug]

In my opinion, if you miss your ship in Alaska- it's no ones fault but yours. :) You NEVER hear of any Alaska vendors who caused someone to miss their ship, outside of extreme issues that would be the same result with a cruise contracted tour.

 

June 2014 on the HAL Westerdam to Alaska about 40 people on a helicopter tour were stranded on the glacier overnight due to fog. They were picked up the next morning, given hotel rooms to clean up. They were then put on a fast boat to meet up with the ship and do a ocean transfer.

 

They were on a HAL tour. Not sure an independent tour operator would go to that amount of effort.

 

We did meet a couple of those folk and they said it was a great adventure.

[chipmaster]

Are there any benefits to booking through the cruise line as opposed to booking directly through one company or another.

 

Booking thru cruise line is easy and you just read up online and give Princess your money, you have the flexibility in most cases to change your mind/cancel with no penalty up to sailing and sometimes even later. Of course if weather impacts anything you get your money back.

 

This thing about missing the boat with independents while possible is very rare IMHO. A reputable and long standing tour company is built on reputation and any negative on TripAdvisor or others will kill the business. THey are very motivated to get you back to port.

 

A nice thing with Private, always a bit more personal, they keep the money, they are motivated very much to insure you have a good experience and vouch for them online or here ;)

 

Privates generally aren't big bus affairs, but I found that in some places like Mexico and Alaska, Princess and other lines seemed to have cornered the market on some excursions so research is critical to figure out what is best.

 

I always research private, but then do what makes sense from value, convenience and comfort.

 

Happy planning

[tntcruisers2001]

How do you find out information on private tours?

[CStorm]

How do you find out information on private tours?

 

 

Just start reading the posts. There's lots of private vendors. in 2006 we booked only with private vendors recommended here and are doing the same for our trip in July. If you post what ports you are in, what times you are there and what you are interested in doing, MANY will post their opinions and experiences.

 

Happy planning!

[xlxo]

We are going on an Alaska cruise Sept 2016. I have been researching private and ship's tours. I am finding that private tours are generally modestly cheaper than the ship's tours.

early September should be fine... mid-September many tours start shutting down because of lower demand and poor weather.

[mapleleaves]

How do you find out information on private tours?

 

There are about 65 detailed trip reports from last summer ( in a STICKY near the top of the page). Details include vendor names, sights, activities. They are a great resource. Many of the reports are photojournals with great photos from their trip.

 

The first line of the report usually indicates the ship, date, itinerary and who travelled.

[dbsb3233]

How do you find out information on private tours?

It's a bit of a "grind it out" process. I look through "Ports of Call" forums here at CC as one source. Another is to search for the city at TripAdvisor and look at their "Things To Do" rankings. Within there they often list tour operators.

 

And of course, a good old fashioned Google search for "Ketchikan Tours" (or wherever the port name is) is another place to start. Once you find a few tours that look like what you might want, search for them here at CC and at TA to start reading reviews.

 

At least that's the way I do it. If anyone has more tips we'd all love to hear them.

[Budget Queen]

How do you find out information on private tours?

 

Looking over your shore excursion list is an easy place to start. This has good descriptions. You then need to narrow your interests. THEN you can find independent vendors doing those specific tours of YOUR interests. it's not the other way around- the tour needs to be determined before you can find a vendor to offer it.

 

I never recommend the booking agents- which you will find with those google searches for "Alaska tours". I am picky about the vendors I use, if it doesn't matter, then booking through those options will give you tours, based on the booking agent's commission contracts. They usually aren't based in Alaska, and haven't been on the tours.