Ship Shore Excursions Required

[Potstech]

No problem.  It is what it is. Cruises already deposited for '21.

[azbirdmom]

1 hour ago, Thrak said:

 

Grabbing a beer in the local brew pubs isn't offered by Princess... We've been to Ketchican, Juneau, and Skagway multiple times. If I can't get off the ship unless it's with Princess excursion I won't be cruising. However, I have no evidence that Princess will have such a stricture in place. I don't need to borrow trouble. There's enough to worry about these days without adding something that likely won't ever happen.

 

Princess likely will not have a choice.  CLIA made recommendations for resumption of sailing today to the CDC and if these are all implemented, Princess will have no choice.  https://cruising.org/en/news-and-research/press-room/2020/september/clia-and-its-cruise-line-members-announce-mandatory-core-elements-of-health-protocols

 

• Shore Excursions: Only permit shore excursions according to the cruise operators’ prescribed protocols, with strict adherence required of all passengers and denial of re-boarding for any passengers that do not comply.

 

[caribill]

And of course, even with excursions at reduced capacity to allow distancing on transportation vehicles, Princess will offer enough excursions so that eveyone on the ship who wants an excursion in a port can have one.

[leck57]

3 hours ago, caribill said:

And of course, even with excursions at reduced capacity to allow distancing on transportation vehicles, Princess will offer enough excursions so that everyone on the ship who wants an excursion in a port can have one.

 

At a ridiculous price I'm guessing. The odds are now that we'll have a vaccine. I'll just wait the extra 6 months or so (my estimation only) until all the restrictions pass and we can be back to normal, or close to it.

[mrgame101]

I think for us, depends on the Ports. Caribbean? I am fine treating is as cruise to nowhere!

 

Europe? Where the excursions can be more pricey, then it depends on the stops!

[Esprit]

We are more than happy if this is introduced. We are booked on Enchanted Princess next August around the Med' and have been to most places before anyway. The ship will be a destination in itself.

[ukestrummer]

Will not cruise on ship that does this, require you take tours of THEIRS

[RLK33853]

We are certainly on the "will cancel if required to take ship tours". 

 

For all of the obvious reasons - large groups, slow moving, etc - but just as much due to not being able to go for a quiet hike, then just wander, sit at a cafe or brew pub, and people watch.

[ontheweb]

10 hours ago, Ombud said:

MSC has walking tours in their cruise excursion bubble and is also investigating shopping / open market alternatives. That's how 1 family was denied getting back on the ship --- they walked away from the group. Should've paid attention to the restrictions 

 

How do you do shopping while keeping in the excursion bubble? Will the store be forced to kick all other customers out while the excursion is there?

 

And what about places you really want to see that are never on a shore excursion? An example for us would be when we were in Oslo---the Munch Museum.

 

And what about the serendipity of accidentally finding a place on your own? In Santorini, we were lost and stumbled upon a museum in a cave. We took the tour (in English for us and Greek for the other couple). Afterwards we showed the guide our HAL map and asked us to point our where we were on the map. He laughed, and said we were off the map, and then showed us a shortcut back.

Edited September 22, 2020 by ontheweb
punctuation

[ontheweb]

9 hours ago, donaldsc said:

No private excursions.  No cruise.  No more to say.
 

DON

Well said, no wasted words.

[Tak8]

For the short term to resume cruising, I'd have no problem with ship only excursions.  I use a combo of ship and private excursions in the past.  I will add except for one British Isles cruise, I tend to do Caribbean, so it may be easy for me to say this than someone who will be traveling to somewhere for the first time or maybe their only time.  

[pms4104]

Tender ports ought to be challenging 

[pcur]

14 hours ago, Desert Cruisers said:

Based on what's happening with cruises starting up in Europe, the cruise lines looking to sail out of USA ports may require passengers to take ship-sponsored shore excursions in order to get off the ship in port. This requirement would likely make us rethink whether we would cruise.  We aren't interested in having to take a shore excursion in a place like Honolulu in order to get off the ship. We have been there many times and like to do certain things that aren't offered as a ship tour.  

 

How do people feel about having to take ship-sponsored shore excursions?  Would it change your likelihood of taking a cruise?

 

It depends on how they structure the shore excursions.  For instance, many people take the shuttle to Walmart in Honolulu.  If Princess had a shopping excursion for a low price to multiple locations, then I'm OK with that. Drop me off, make the rounds to the other shops, then pick me up. 

 

It's no different than going to Walmart here at home with a mask on.

 

I'm not going to second-guess what they will do.  When the shore excursions are available, I'll check them out before the 30 day cancellation date (based on my current bookings made before 9/30/20).  I just looked at the shore excursions for two ports on their 12/21/20 Hawaii cruise from San Pedro.  They have a long COVID19 "special note" about keeping up with protocols, etc.  But, they are still offering a wide variety of excursions.

 

The one thing I can say is Princess is not going to alienate their customers, so I think they will get creative with this. 

Edited September 22, 2020 by pcur

[Ombud]

According to MSC (and this is for this week who knows what it will be like next spring), they have shopping excursions handled. Ask how on those boards. I don't care to shop so I haven't kept up on that. ALASKA: The 2 ziplining & 1 hiking excursion in Alaska are great! The company with the best ziplining can only be booked through Princess when its there so I have to book through the ship anyway. I would normally go up Roberts Tramway and hike to the top on my own but as long as the others keep up -- good.TA: the 2 jeep excursions have their own natural bubble. They have no control once i disembark in Barcelona.  So its only 2 ports that the walking tours are iffy (shopping is not my thing).

 

For those who really do not like the parameters perhaps no cruises until 2022?? 

[Musky Ike]

An effort to make up some lost revenue?

 

[voljeep]

11 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

Grabbing a beer in the local brew pubs isn't offered by Princess... We've been to Ketchican, Juneau, and Skagway multiple times. If I can't get off the ship unless it's with Princess excursion I won't be cruising. However, I have no evidence that Princess will have such a stricture in place. I don't need to borrow trouble. There's enough to worry about these days without adding something that likely won't ever happen.

yeah, but - way too expensive, but with lots of OBC to burn... why not

 

Routan

 

WHAT YOU VISIT
Roatan Island Brewing Co.
Tour Roatan's only microbrewery with owner and founder Ilias Maier. During the visit, you'll learn the secrets of the weeks-long brewing process and how its main ingredients (grain and hops) are imported and how many of the added infusions like watermelon, hibiscus, and pineapple are locally grown.

PHOTO OPPORTUNITY
Enjoy the brews with views of mango, banana, and cashew trees that surround the 23-acre brewery.

SNACKS
Following the tour, you'll be treated to a flight of four beers, which include a choice of eight varieties and lagers paired with a German style snack plate of German sausages, premium mustards and pretzel bites.

WHAT YOU SEE ALONG THE WAY
From the ship, you'll travel north through a bucolic landscape of pine-forested hills and dense jungle.

[Tapi]

Required excursions won’t stop me from cruising, but it will determine where I cruise to.

 

I wouldn’t take a cruise to destinations where I would never consider taking excursions, (ship sponsored or not). For example, we did a port intensive Mediterranean a year ago where I researched every port of call and did them all on our own. I would NEVER take that cruise under the current limitations. 
 

But I do have an inexpensive back to back cruise for February 2021 (MSC Seaside) just to get myself back in the water. It will be for a total of 7 nights visiting Ocean Cay twice and Nassau twice. Ocean Cay will most likely not require an excursion so we’ll be able to move around somewhat freely. In Nassau, we’ll take a snorkeling catamaran excursion one day (which is all I would’ve care for pandemic or not) and then we’ll enjoy a relaxing day on the ship on the second stop. On this particular cruise, I’m perfectly OK with the excursion requirement because it won’t have a huge impact on our regular enjoyment. 
 

But I will hold off on booking longer cruises that are more port intensive, to more diverse destinations, and specially to places that are on my “bucket list”, until we can move past this pandemic and the restrictions are eased. 

Edited September 22, 2020 by Tapi

[Ombud]

I hope they add more small excursions limiting the number of participants.  Alaska has them, Bali has them, I'm sure there's tour operators in other ports that would let Princess add a surcharge to letting people book through them. So much nicer being 1 of 7 (jeep tours) than 1 of 50

[Cruiserkenn]

The OP mentioned Honolulu.  I love the Honolulu shore excursions!  Pearl Harbor, Battleship Missouri, Pacific Aviation Museum, all great!  Not to mention the flight seeing tour, allowing a bird's eye view of Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona.  I love it!  Count me in!  

[memoak]

Personally I will not cruise until there is a vaccine 

[satxdiver]

We always take a combination of ship, private and personal tours when we cruise.  Although Princess has not mentioned ship tours only similar to what the Carnival cruise lines in Europe is now doing, we would not object to staying safe.  In these times we do not go out here and wander around like we did before the pandemic so not doing so on the ship would be much the same.  We have several cruises lined up for 2021 and would welcome shore excursions in a controlled atmosphere so that everyone is as safe as possible from infection.  

 

This is the new normal.  We will not be going back to the way it was before the pandemic.  The vaccine is not the end all to the pandemic nor will the conditions return like they were before the pandemic.  If anyone is waiting for the vaccine thinking things will go back to normal, they are sadly fooling themselves.  Do what our ancestors had to do, adapt to the world as it now exists.

[memoak]

5 minutes ago, satxdiver said:

We always take a combination of ship, private and personal tours when we cruise.  Although Princess has not mentioned ship tours only similar to what the Carnival cruise lines in Europe is now doing, we would not object to staying safe.  In these times we do not go out here and wander around like we did before the pandemic so not doing so on the ship would be much the same.  We have several cruises lined up for 2021 and would welcome shore excursions in a controlled atmosphere so that everyone is as safe as possible from infection.  

 

This is the new normal.  We will not be going back to the way it was before the pandemic.  The vaccine is not the end all to the pandemic nor will the conditions return like they were before the pandemic.  If anyone is waiting for the vaccine thinking things will go back to normal, they are sadly fooling themselves.  Do what our ancestors had to do, adapt to the world as it now exists.

If we did that in the past we would still have polio ravaging the planet and measles epidemics. Any cruise will entail people congregating and the tests are not all that reliable. If any ship gets a case then that many be the end of cruising

[donaldsc]

2 hours ago, RLK33853 said:

We are certainly on the "will cancel if required to take ship tours". 

 

For all of the obvious reasons - large groups, slow moving, etc - but just as much due to not being able to go for a quiet hike, then just wander, sit at a cafe or brew pub, and people watch.

 

Your people watch comment is very apt.  One of the very enjoyable part of any city or town visit to us is to spend an hour sitting  at a cafe with a cup of coffee or a drink and just watch the people or get an idea of the city.  People who try to jam 3 tours in a city on a single day will never understand that.  NTW - that is one of the advantages of a DIY land tour - you do not feel that you are rushed.  I remember our trip to Barcelona where we went to the same cafe every morning for breakfast.  By day 3, the wait person at the cafe knew us.  People who only cruise will never enjoy that experience.

 

DON

[donaldsc]

1 hour ago, pcur said:

 

It depends on how they structure the shore excursions.  For instance, many people take the shuttle to Walmart in Honolulu.  If Princess had a shopping excursion for a low price to multiple locations, then I'm OK with that. Drop me off, make the rounds to the other shops, then pick me up. 

 

It's no different than going to Walmart here at home with a mask on.

 

I'm not going to second-guess what they will do.  When the shore excursions are available, I'll check them out before the 30 day cancellation date (based on my current bookings made before 9/30/20).  I just looked at the shore excursions for two ports on their 12/21/20 Hawaii cruise from San Pedro.  They have a long COVID19 "special note" about keeping up with protocols, etc.  But, they are still offering a wide variety of excursions.

 

The one thing I can say is Princess is not going to alienate their customers, so I think they will get creative with this. 

 

If you do that, you are out of the bubble.  The whole group is going to have to go to Walmart together and will have to stay together and separated from the rest of the other people in the store.

 

Ain't going to happen.

 

DON

[caribill]

2 hours ago, pms4104 said:

Tender ports ought to be challenging 

 

Less people per tender. More time needed for more tender trips to get everyone from/to the ships