baja mama Posted August 1, 2017 #1 Share Posted August 1, 2017 When do you buy shore excursions either private or through the ship. My husband and I are going on a cruise through the canal in November with another couple. I have already bought excursions in 3 ports and one of the tours is private through our roll call, but my friends want to wait until they are on the ship to buy anything. What does CC members do? Thanks Lynn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthC Posted August 1, 2017 #2 Share Posted August 1, 2017 I book my HAL shore excursions as soon as what I want is posted for booking. That way it is done, paid for, and I get the excursions and times I want. If, for some reason, I change my mind, I can always cancel and the money is refunded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirkNC Posted August 1, 2017 #3 Share Posted August 1, 2017 We usually book early, shortly after booking the cruise. We primarily use private excursions and often the best guides book early. You can always cancel later if you need to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveOKC Posted August 1, 2017 #4 Share Posted August 1, 2017 My friend is going on an Alaska cruise next week and he just started looking at excursions. The three I recommended for him we already sold out! So much for waiting until the last minute on the better tours, especially those with limited seating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kruizers Posted August 1, 2017 #5 Share Posted August 1, 2017 As soon as HAL posts shore excursions, we book them. We don't want to be disappointed if one of them should sell out before the cruise. HAL can't always add extra buses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easyboy Posted August 1, 2017 #6 Share Posted August 1, 2017 As soon as ship's excursion is available, we compare with private excursions and book with the better option. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtl513 Posted August 1, 2017 #7 Share Posted August 1, 2017 ... but my friends want to wait until they are on the ship to buy anything. Why? The best ones could be sold out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwb101 Posted August 1, 2017 #8 Share Posted August 1, 2017 When do you buy shore excursions either private or through the ship. My husband and I are going on a cruise through the canal in November with another couple. I have already bought excursions in 3 ports and one of the tours is private through our roll call, but my friends want to wait until they are on the ship to buy anything. What does CC members do? Thanks Lynn We're new to shore excursions, and are going through the Panama Canal next spring. Can you recommend where we can find info on private tours? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herfnerd Posted August 1, 2017 #9 Share Posted August 1, 2017 We buy as soon as we know what we want to do after booking the cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 3rdGenCunarder Posted August 1, 2017 #10 Share Posted August 1, 2017 We're new to shore excursions, and are going through the Panama Canal next spring. Can you recommend where we can find info on private tours? Thanks! Do some research on port of call boards. Also check to see if there's a roll call for your cruise. Sometimes people organize private tours and ask if others are interested in joining. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 3rdGenCunarder Posted August 1, 2017 #11 Share Posted August 1, 2017 I agree with others who say they book tours asap. We generally book ship's tours or go sightseeing on our own. We seldom book private tours. The only reason to wait until you're on board is if you have a lot of OBC and want to use it that way. But there's a risk that what's left at that point won't be what you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Gail & Marty sailing away Posted August 1, 2017 #12 Share Posted August 1, 2017 We book them as soon as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baja mama Posted August 1, 2017 Author #13 Share Posted August 1, 2017 My friends say they always do it this way and never had any problems getting the tours they want. They also want to wait and see the video the ship shows of each port and the excursions they offer. I know they both want to do the zip lining in Costa Rica and I'm really worried it will be sold out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baja mama Posted August 1, 2017 Author #14 Share Posted August 1, 2017 KWB, Our roll call booked a tour on Gio tours in Costa Rica. Lynn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellieanne Posted August 1, 2017 #15 Share Posted August 1, 2017 If we want to do something in the port other than just walk around the port area/town, we only consider ship-based shore excursions. I've seen too many people have issues with independent shore excursions -- either getting left when the ship sails or have issues with scheduling and refunds if the itinerary is changed or port stop times changed once on-board. We start discussing shore excursions as soon as we book the cruise and they are up on the HAL website. We don't actually purchase anything until after we've made final payment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazey1 Posted August 1, 2017 #16 Share Posted August 1, 2017 I book my HAL shore excursions as soon as what I want is posted for booking. That way it is done, paid for, and I get the excursions and times I want. If, for some reason, I change my mind, I can always cancel and the money is refunded. This is exactly what I do and for the same reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lenquixote66 Posted August 2, 2017 #17 Share Posted August 2, 2017 When do you buy shore excursions either private or through the ship. My husband and I are going on a cruise through the canal in November with another couple. I have already bought excursions in 3 ports and one of the tours is private through our roll call, but my friends want to wait until they are on the ship to buy anything. What does CC members do? Thanks Lynn We wait till we are on the ship because we will know what the weather will be in port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loreto Posted August 2, 2017 #18 Share Posted August 2, 2017 If it is something we really want, I will book before sailing. On our recent Alaska cruise the Tracy Arm catamaran was going fast and I am glad we booked early. It was a great excursion. Often we have a lot of ship board credit, so we will book other excursions the minute we get on the ship. This strategy has worked well for us! Karen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Scrapnana Posted August 2, 2017 #19 Share Posted August 2, 2017 I book the ones I absolutely must have as soon as available. The others I may book before the cruise or onboard if still available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChinaShrek Posted August 2, 2017 #20 Share Posted August 2, 2017 Why? The best ones could be sold out. Why let HAL (or a private supplier) have your money interest free for months? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChinaShrek Posted August 2, 2017 #21 Share Posted August 2, 2017 My friends say they always do it this way and never had any problems getting the tours they want. They also want to wait and see the video the ship shows of each port and the excursions they offer.I know they both want to do the zip lining in Costa Rica and I'm really worried it will be sold out. Why worry for them? They should be able to book when they want to. If it's sold out, they'll find something else to do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare geoherb Posted August 2, 2017 #22 Share Posted August 2, 2017 Why let HAL (or a private supplier) have your money interest free for months?Because your money isn't earning much interest sitting in the bank and you'll get to go on the excursions you want to go on. If booking an independent excursion, I look at the company's cancellation policies. For our upcoming cruise on a Princess ship, we've booked independent excursions in two ports. Both operators will refund our money if the ship doesn't make it to the port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janmcn Posted August 2, 2017 #23 Share Posted August 2, 2017 Definitely book ones I know I want and are popular as soon as I make a reservation...sometimes that's almost a year out. The best tours are not even in "the book" once you get on board since they've already been sold out. Private tours also...the best recommended ones are always gone well in advance. (And no, you don't necessarily pay for them up front...sometimes a deposit with balance when you take the tour.) If I'm spending thousands to go somewhere to see something I want to be assured I'll see it. If it's just going to a beach or a snorkel tour like on a Caribbean cruise there will be plenty of opportunities. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthC Posted August 2, 2017 #24 Share Posted August 2, 2017 Why let HAL (or a private supplier) have your money interest free for months? I'm willing to spot them the nickel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iancal Posted August 2, 2017 #25 Share Posted August 2, 2017 We never buy cruise line excursions. We either sign up/arrange for a private tour in advance or get one when we dock. So far so good. Just did a South American cruise. We signed up for one arranged on this forum. It was excellent. We did the balance of the cruise stops by either buying a tour at the dock or doing our own thing. This turned out to be best for us. The cruise line tours were outrageously priced compared to the private and DIY tours. We do private tours because of the quality and the limited amount of people on the tour-usually 6-12 with no stops for trinkets, trash, or carpets. The cost savings is an additional benefit. At Ephesus we had a private van, driver, tour guide for four people. With the tip it cost us about the same as the it would have on the ships tour bus. Much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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