Shore Ex credit vs. free gratuities

[Peachypooh]

We are booked on a cruise with family and were able to get cabins just a few doors down from each other. We are well within the time period where we could cancel and rebook. If we cancelled and rebooked with the free gratuities (when we booked it was shore ex credit for three port stops which meant $150 if we even used it).it would mean a savings of $152. I came up with that number by doing a mock booking for the total it would be with the new promotion and then subtracting the value of the free gratuities and comparing it to our original booking. I am thinking $152 divided by 4 people is not that big a savings and it would only be worth it if we were to save a few hundred dollars. Has anyone been in this situation and what happened? Thanks.

My main concern is losing our good location near family members. Thanks.

Edited September 6, 2016 by Peachypooh

[khaide612]

If not even sure I would even use the excursion credit and the price of the cruise is the same or lower than first booked, I would not hesitate to cancel and rebook. Your savings will be your original total plus daily service charge minus new total.

[Peachypooh]

Thanks! I think you are right.

[LMaxwell]

Why would it NOT be worth rebooking to save $152? That's totally worth a few minutes of time to do. The ShoreEx credit is meager and requires you to spend even more on top of it, so your "real" savings between the two promos is likely to be even greater. I'd definitely make the switch if I were you, IMO.

[esm54687]

and the excursion credit is not a guarantee !! If the ship skips a port or an excursion is cancelled for any reason..... you do not receive the $50 or carry it to the next port... it is lost (GSC is a great example of the loss of $50 since this port is consistently skipped due to tender safety)

Edited September 6, 2016 by esm54687

[Cubechick]

I did this myself. I re-booked a cruise I had booked just days earlier because the pre-paid service charge was a better value than the shorex credit. I am always looking to save myself a few bucks!

[Travel Junkie Judy]

The free gratuities is one of the best perks when cruising NCL.

It is pure money in your pocket.

 

Shore Excursions are probably the worst.

 

Judy

[pokerpro5]

Definitely free gratuities (even though that's a misnomer).

 

That's real money back in your pocket, as already mentioned here.

 

Shore excursions are VERY expensive, so the $50 doesn't even do you very much. You can save the same $50 (or more) by just booking the same excursions in port (or even better, by doing a bit of research and doing it in advance with a local tour operator).

 

Also, depending upon where you're going, sometimes it's just best to rent a car and adventure out on your own. Much cheaper that way, too!

 

I did this both in Alaska and the Canada Cruises I took.

[CRAustin]

I did it, the tax on my other perks went up $13 total. You keep the same room. Take the daily service charge and times it by number of nights x 2 guests per room. 3rd and beyond do not get perk. You can't lose here on this one.

[Nola26]

Family cruise $243 SVC charge vs. $150 excursion credit, would have taken SVC charge (wasn't a perk for our booking).

 

Solo cruise $95 SVC charges vs $200 excursion credit. This time I will keep the credit.

[WeBeCruisers?]

As always the answer to the question is "it depends". On the surface the free gratuities is a better deal, always, unless...

And for someone to say the cruise excursions are far more expensive than private Excursion is IMO again "it depends ". I hear this far more often than I want to on this site that NCL excursions are far more expensive than Private Tours when in fact it's hard to compare. An NCL tour is very seldom comparable to a private tour. So, in my opinion, the final answer is "it depends.".

So, if you're happy with private tours so be it if you feel better with NCL excursions so be it.

Edited September 14, 2016 by WeBeCruisers?

[cruizinwithkids]

I'm taking my first ever European cruise next year. I have already decided that I am willing to pay more to go on NCL excursions because I only speak English. And since I'm also a nervous person by nature, the shore excursion is a very good option for me.

[karenpstok]

i had the shore excursion credit back in february for a four port cruise. Used the first one in Jamaica, it was great. Next 3 ports my trips were cancelled as they were snorkeling or boat type excursions and the water was too rough. I could have booked something else if I had more time to plan but 2 out of 3 of the cancelled ones i only found out when i went to the meeting place when i got off the ship. I usually dont book through the ship as they are WAY more expensive. Shore Excursioner is a good site for half the price and they guarantee you back to the ship on time as well. So for me I dont think i would book that perk again. Still had a great time but wasn't worth the perk. The free gratuities are a guaranteed amount of money so a way better option in my opinion. But whatever you choose, you will be on a cruise and should have a great time!!

[Number34]

The shore excursion credit can only be used with NCL excursions and those tend to be more expensive. I did use them in February whilst on Epic but I still had to pay extra on top of the $50 per port, maximum of 4. Free gratuities would have been better value.

Edited September 14, 2016 by Number34

[zqvol]

I'm taking my first ever European cruise next year. I have already decided that I am willing to pay more to go on NCL excursions because I only speak English. And since I'm also a nervous person by nature, the shore excursion is a very good option for me.

 

90% of Europeans, and 100% of tour guides speak English. In Europe the worst mistake you can make is going on ship excursions.

[helpthejuggler]

90% of Europeans, and 100% of tour guides speak English. In Europe the worst mistake you can make is going on ship excursions.

A little harsh. There are worse mistakes, but ship excursions are normally in large groups which makes them a poorer choice.

[cruizinwithkids]

In Europe the worst mistake you can make is going on ship excursions.

 

Not for ME.

 

I was left with a very bad taste in my mouth after booking a Caribbean island tour, that came highly recommended on cruise critic threads and highly recommended on other sites.

 

We were quite late getting back to the ship. About 5 miles out the tour vehicle stopped and gave a big speech about how hard they work and how little they get paid and how much they rely on tips. Then they passed a tip bucket around. Once they had collected their tips, we continued on.

 

Yes, I completely understand that I shouldn't base everything on that one bad experience. I do know myself and how nervous I would be the entire tour. So for ME, THAT would be the worst mistake I could make.

[cb at sea]

We almost NEVER book any "excursions"...we do our own thing, after due research! Grats. would be a better value, for us!

[detroitlions]

Definitely free gratuities (even though that's a misnomer).

 

That's real money back in your pocket, as already mentioned here.

 

Shore excursions are VERY expensive, so the $50 doesn't even do you very much. You can save the same $50 (or more) by just booking the same excursions in port (or even better, by doing a bit of research and doing it in advance with a local tour operator).

 

Also, depending upon where you're going, sometimes it's just best to rent a car and adventure out on your own. Much cheaper that way, too!

 

I did this both in Alaska and the Canada Cruises I took.

Do the math... I take gratuities every time.