Independent excursions vs. cruise excursions

[joannewilmes]

I am told it is better and cheaper to book excursions on shore and not through the cruise.  As a first time cruiser to Alaska I am wary of this because I dont want to waste time finding them and then not knowing how good they are.  What is the general consensus?

Also, Helicopter or float plane glacier tour??  So excited!!!

[Flatbush Flyer]

5 minutes ago, joannewilmes said:

I am told it is better and cheaper to book excursions on shore and not through the cruise.  As a first time cruiser to Alaska I am wary of this because I dont want to waste time finding them and then not knowing how good they are.  What is the general consensus?

Also, Helicopter or float plane glacier tour??  So excited!!!

Save your helicopter $$$ for the NaPali coast on Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands. I recommend the float plane for Alaska (as long as it's a classic like a dehavilland beaver). Opt for one with a route that includes a mid-flight landing/takeoff on a mountain lake.

The pluses/minuses of private tours are price/group size/etc vs problem handling (particularly time delay repercussions if you're late returning). That said, do understand that sometimes in some places, it's the same operator doing both ship and private tours (e.g., Spain Day Tours).

[joannewilmes]

thank you

[CruiserBruce]

To find out if an excursion or vendor is good, you have to do your research. Start with the Alaska board, here:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/33-alaska/

 

You will find lots of recommended vendors and excursions there.

[paul929207]

Check the Roll Call for your cruise. There may be people planning private tours and looking for people to join them and share the cost.

[joannewilmes]

thank you

 

[SbbquilterUT]

Also, Alaska has a limited season and number of operators so it would be good to pin down what you want before you get there.  We chose to rent a car and drive the Yukon road rather than taking the train/bus excursion and it worked out great.  In Juneau we also rented a car so we could drive out to Mendenhall and hike at our leisure, then stopped on the way back at the Alaska Brewing Company for a bit of tasting.  We are comfortable doing this but not everyone is.

[cb at sea]

Cruise ship excursions are "fool" proof...can't mess it up.    They tell you where to meet, and they take it from there. You may pay more for the experience, but you need do NOTHING but book it.

 

If you want to do a private excursion, research your options online beforehand....that way, you're not wasting time in port looking for a tour!  Some ports, like the Caribbean islands are pretty easy, but in Alaska, what you want to do might not be available when you arrive in port.  Research is key to having a good port day!

[joannewilmes]

thank you

[crystalspin]

5 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

The pluses/minuses of private tours are price/group size/etc vs problem handling (particularly time delay repercussions if you're late returning). That said, do understand that sometimes in some places, it's the same operator doing both ship and private tours (e.g., Spain Day Tours).

@joannewilmes

What Flatbush Flyer said MAY be true, but in other places the tour company contracts to NOT offer their tour independently (to cruise passengers) as a condition of getting the cruise-organized group. This was true in South America; whether this is true for your Alaskan tours will take some research. 

 

I have not done either helicopter or float plane in Alaska. But if you want to do independent tours in Alaska, it is certainly not necessary to wait until you are on the dock (!). Line up your operators in advance. They have websites -- Alaska is not THAT much a frontier!

[Flatbush Flyer]

5 hours ago, crystalspin said:

@joannewilmes

What Flatbush Flyer said MAY be true, but in other places the tour company contracts to NOT offer their tour independently (to cruise passengers) as a condition of getting the cruise-organized group. This was true in South America; whether this is true for your Alaskan tours will take some research. 

 

I have not done either helicopter or float plane in Alaska. But if you want to do independent tours in Alaska, it is certainly not necessary to wait until you are on the dock (!). Line up your operators in advance. They have websites -- Alaska is not THAT much a frontier!

Actually, there are a variety of smaller port stops throughout South America (e.g., AlterDoChao on the Amazon, Pisco in Peru [for flights to the Nazca Lines - including only one regional "airline"]) where the charter bus companies (sometimes only a single company) and associated licensed tour guides for both ship and private tours are provided by exactly the same source.

In my earlier "Spain Day Tours" example, the only difference for trips to see the Alhambra was the size of the transportation: 40 passenger bus for ship tour and 16 passenger bus for private tours.

Edited June 25, 2019 by Flatbush Flyer

[MCC retired]

OP mentions Alaska helicopter and float plane excursions.

Since these are very limited availability excursions , I would advise booking them in advance 

with the cruise line .

A helicopter to land on a glacier and float plane into the interior are the  most memorable Alaska shore excursions for us .

[geekgiant]

My research for my upcoming trip has shown that most of the Alaska excursions are the same price on or off the ship. If I were doing a plane or helicopter, I would book that in advance but leave the hikes and food tours for on the fly to maybe score a cash discount etc…

[ed01106]

Generally for things like helicopter ride in Alaska the difference in cost is minimal and going thru the cruise line involves a lot less hassle.

 

OTOH, if you want to go to the beach on a caribbean island you can typically do a lot better on your own than there $35/person for bus and beach chair.

[Kate P.C]

It's just that booking a tour with the cruise line is more convenient. You either book before you go on your cruise to make sure there is space left, or you book your tour while you are on the ship. It is a guarantee you won't miss the ship, whatever happens on the tour you can blame it on the cruise line 🙂 and it is just less hassle than booking your tours online.

There are exceptions of course, but in this case for Alaska, the difference in price is nothing. The only thing you need to do is book well in advance for the helicopter tours.

Have fun!

[Toofarfromthesea]

We booked our excursions online, long before our cruise, 1 through the cruiseline, 3 through private companies.

Our particular favorites were

a floatplane flight over several glaciers, followed by a water landing , followed by an amazing king salmon dinner at the Taku Lodge, followed by a water take off and fly back to port, and

the crab boat excursion

[martha48]

I am

also interested in private tours in ports in Western Caribbean.

[crystalspin]

1 hour ago, martha48 said:

I am also interested in private tours in ports in Western Caribbean.

Hi Martha, welcome (back) to Cruise Critic!

 

Your best bet will be your Roll Call -- if you provide your ship and date of sailing, I'd be happy to help you find it. After that, there is the Caribbean Ports-of-Call board which has sub-boards for just about every port or island:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/456-caribbean/

 

This thread started as a discussion of whether or not to do private vs ship tours and has meandered all over the place and is not probably going to help you out since you're ready to try private tours already!

[paul929207]

Nearly all our excursions in the Caribbean are arranged on the pier as we disembark. Most are 2 to 3 hours and cost $25 to 35.

[CruiseDigits]

16 hours ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

We booked our excursions online, long before our cruise, 1 through the cruiseline, 3 through private companies.

 

4 hours ago, paul929207 said:

Nearly all our excursions in the Caribbean are arranged on the pier as we disembark. Most are 2 to 3 hours and cost $25 to 35.

 

We've taken both approaches, it depends on the port.  Biggest thing is to do your research (you are in the right spot with Cruise Critic) so you know what to expect and what approach works best for you.

[brillohead]

On 7/2/2019 at 11:36 PM, martha48 said:

I am

also interested in private tours in ports in Western Caribbean.

LOTS of reputable tour operators can be found with a simple google search. Type in what island/port and what you're looking for (Jeep, food, snorkel, walking, history, beach, resort, zipline, dolphin.... whatever) and tons of options will pop up.  

Read some reviews, examine the cost and time involved, and make your decision from there.  

[chipmaster]

On 6/24/2019 at 1:19 PM, joannewilmes said:

I am told it is better and cheaper to book excursions on shore and not through the cruise.  As a first time cruiser to Alaska I am wary of this because I dont want to waste time finding them and then not knowing how good they are.  What is the general consensus?

Also, Helicopter or float plane glacier tour??  So excited!!!

 

Do your research but IMHO independent / DIY is always the way to go except....

1) If you want to do a mass big bus tour then of course the cruise ship will be best,.  Never read a tour discription nor the on ship video that didn't sell it well.  Most will be big bus, that is nice and convenient, you meet at the appointed time/place on the ship, often get priority disembarkation ( especially important for tendering ), join 50 of your best new friends limited by the slowest and longest shopper / looker in the group, get it 😉

2) In major ports it's big business there most certainly are good local.  The best and biggest often do 1)  but if you look at tripadvisor and other sites, those local tours with their own websites as well as tripadvisor are worth a look

3) I broke down and did a ship tour this past cruise, ultimate Santorini because it was tendering and we got private and prioritized boat ( all the ship tours ) to a different pier avoiding all the non-tours, a huge savings in time.    In every port even the Taxi drivers were offering reasonable tours, sounds scary but actually that also worked out well and far cheaper than the ship in almost every respect.  

 

If you like big crowds and a guide then the ship tours are likely a good option.    

 

Helicopter in Alaska was one of my all time greatest experiences ever.  My kids still remember it fondly, beware that glacier landings and dog sledding are dicey due to the low clouds in Alaska and variable weather.  

 

Float plane sounds interesting but do your research, if they aren't going somewhere unique for fishing, bear watching  and or some scenic views the helicopter might be a better option/choice.