Excursions through the ship or not?

[pugmadkate]

We're doing it! We're taking our very first cruise and it's going to be to Alaska in June 2018. It will be a three generation family trip with (so far) eight of us. Having never cruised before, I just assumed I would book all of our excursions through the ship (leaning towards Holland America but have not decided yet.) Now I'm seeing that some people don't do that.

 

What do you recommend? As a first time cruiser, I'm a bit overwhelmed with all the details and it seems doing it through the ship would be the most simple but I'm open to other ideas. Thank you!

[hlsess]

IVe booked all of ours except one (bc it was booked )on my own much less $$$ we are a group of 12 (three generation)

[pugmadkate]

I'm all about saving some money! How do you go about booking things that are not through the ship? Look up local businesses in the ports we'll be stopped in?

[SuperCrewBear]

Booking on your own, especially for the number of people in your group, should save you a significant amount. The cruise line "scare tactic" will be to say that you'll be guaranteed getting back to the ship on time with their tours. Search on here to see how many people have actually been left behind. The local vendors are well aware of what time the ship will leave and how important it is to get you back. Just a few negative comments here and other similar places would sink them. I like knowing I'm getting exactly what I'm wanting instead of hoping it's what I want. You can probably get into smaller groups by going with the independent operators instead of the herds of people on the ships excursions - for me a smaller group means a better experience. If you're feeling overwhelmed why not concentrate on one port at a time instead of thinking about the whole cruise. Get what you want scheduled for Port A then concentrate on Port B. It will all fall into place. You'll have a great time! Good luck!

[CruiserBruce]

I'm all about saving some money! How do you go about booking things that are not through the ship? Look up local businesses in the ports we'll be stopped in?

 

Do some reading here on this board. Each port is covered extensively, with recommended activities and vendors in each port. Just takes a little research.

[Beach4me]

I'm one of the folks who prefer to book through the ship. There are a number of reasons for this - first and foremost, if there is a need to cancel for some reason, there isn't a cancellation charge. And, if we miss port or for some other reason, the excursion is cancelled, the refund is immediate and I don't have to worry about notifying anyone, etc.

 

We've taken a lot of excursions through the various ships and have yet to be disappointed. I have been disappointed in a couple independent tours I've taken, however - and there is no recourse.

 

I've read folks talking about "herding of people" on the ship's tours but have never felt that way. The Allen Marine tours booked via the ship on the Alaska cruises have all been top-notch.

 

It comes down to what you want. If you prefer a small boat that just holds your family, independent is the way to go. If you want a larger boat for comfort, the ship's excursions will fit your needs. Some of the ships offer smaller groups in some ports- ex: we took a large van for 10 in Skagway vs a bus on a Royal Caribbean tour.

 

Research your option, know what you feel comfortable with and be comfortable with your choice.

[SuperCrewBear]

Also, if your cruise stops in Skagway (probably a 99% chance it will) a great guy to do business with is Dyea Dave Tours. If you're nervous about putting up a deposit or having to prepay and then cancelling, don't with Dyea Dave. His policy is that you don't have to put a deposit or prepay. You only pay AFTER the tour and IF you're satisfied. He does not take credit cards!!! You pay either with cash or a personal check. We had a great time with him last year - he picked us up at the ship around 7:45 AM then we did a ride all the way to Emerald Lake in the Yukon Territory. Dave would stop here and there, for pictures - he'll even ask if anyone wants to stop for something in particular. There was only FOUR on our tour that day and I was really the only one taking pictures - quite a few times he'd kind of pull over on the side of the road, I'd jump off and take a picture or two and get back on. The big bus loads can't do that! We rode the train back from Fraser and he picked us up when the train stopped in Skagway. I tried to pay him when he left us at the train in Fraser but he said I could pay him later. Cool! We ate lunch at a small bakery/deli place in Carcross. Oh, on the way out of town after Dave picked us up we stopped at the White Pass ticket office to get our tickets for the train. Dave never rushed us. I'll be back there again next year and we'll do a Dave tour again! You can search for his web page - it should come up easily.

[Yesflygirl]

With a group of eight, you should really look into private tours. Go on the roll call for your cruise date to get ideas of what others are doing, and also look through the ship's offerings to get ideas. It's very easy to plan (but as said, take it one port at a time). It's not only far cheaper... it is worlds better. You'll not only be able to do what you want to do when you want to do it, but when you get there, there will be just eight of you to worry about. No waiting for inconsiderate strangers, and You can go to the little, local restaurants, or hit the little shops, whatever you want, without being held back by the crowd. I, too, hesitated at first, but now I will NEVER go back.

 

 

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[MC40528]

Also, if your cruise stops in Skagway (probably a 99% chance it will) a great guy to do business with is Dyea Dave Tours. If you're nervous about putting up a deposit or having to prepay and then cancelling, don't with Dyea Dave. His policy is that you don't have to put a deposit or prepay. You only pay AFTER the tour and IF you're satisfied. He does not take credit cards!!! You pay either with cash or a personal check. We had a great time with him last year - he picked us up at the ship around 7:45 AM then we did a ride all the way to Emerald Lake in the Yukon Territory. Dave would stop here and there, for pictures - he'll even ask if anyone wants to stop for something in particular. There was only FOUR on our tour that day and I was really the only one taking pictures - quite a few times he'd kind of pull over on the side of the road, I'd jump off and take a picture or two and get back on. The big bus loads can't do that! We rode the train back from Fraser and he picked us up when the train stopped in Skagway. I tried to pay him when he left us at the train in Fraser but he said I could pay him later. Cool! We ate lunch at a small bakery/deli place in Carcross. Oh, on the way out of town after Dave picked us up we stopped at the White Pass ticket office to get our tickets for the train. Dave never rushed us. I'll be back there again next year and we'll do a Dave tour again! You can search for his web page - it should come up easily.

I'm another past cruiser that had an amazing time with Dyea Dave on the exact tour described above. We had the 3 in our party plus one other couple = 5 total people on a Minibus. Everyone had their own window seat on the minibus with more scenic stops than I can count. It was very satisfying to watch the large tour buses keep on going, when we were stopped at the scenic pullouts getting picture perfect photos. Book with Dyea Dave and you'll have a great day. He likely can accommodate your family group on your own private minibus.

[xlxo]

In addition to WHO.... also think about WHAT excursions.... here's some inspiration...

 

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Some excursions are only available from the cruise line... eg Tracy Arm with a mid-ocean transfer.

[easyboy]

After booking a cruise, we join the cruise' Roll Call here on CC and learn the possible options on port excursions, ship or private tours. That's when we decide to take the ship's excursion or not.

 

 

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[mr.roboto]

We're doing it! We're taking our very first cruise and it's going to be to Alaska in June 2018. It will be a three generation family trip with (so far) eight of us. Having never cruised before, I just assumed I would book all of our excursions through the ship (leaning towards Holland America but have not decided yet.) Now I'm seeing that some people don't do that.

 

What do you recommend? As a first time cruiser, I'm a bit overwhelmed with all the details and it seems doing it through the ship would be the most simple but I'm open to other ideas. Thank you!

You have over a year before your cruise which will give you plenty of time to make choices for your excursions. Look over the what the cruise line offers and then do an on-line search of the activities and cities you plan on visiting. Another resource is Trip Advisor, use their "things to do" in the various cities as well.

[hlsess]

I looked here under Alaska and read posts and also TripAdvisor - if ship does not go into port you will not be charged and they all will get you back in time

[pugmadkate]

Thank you all so much!