Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Are ship excursions to disembark next?

KirkNC

By KirkNC,
in Holland America Line

 Share

Recommended Posts

crystalspin

crystalspin

Posted
Posted

Requiring passengers to be on a ship's tour to disembark in ports is one thing that comes up as a deal-breaker along with mask-wearing on the ship. Since the latter was announced Wednesday, some people feel the former is coming.

 

However, if it is, it's not because HAL has it up their sleeve (or on the other foot) -- those requirements will be dictated by the countries or municipalities being visited. 

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Caribbean Chris

Caribbean Chris

Posted
Posted

When we booked our Hawaii cruise for January 2122 (replacing Pandemic-cancelled March 2020 cruise) DH and I decided to book an excursion for each port, which we have never done in 41 years of cruising together, because at that point we figured


1) The pandemic might not be over.

2) Ports of call might permit cruise people ashore but only in controlled groups.

3) Excursions are fully refundable after cancelling or embarking.  After the first Covid cancellation, tour refunds were prompt.

4) Tours that interested us might sell out early, especially on a small island.

5) Sometimes a pricey excursion splurge (like the wonderful full-day Road to Hana tour we booked on our 2013 Hawaii cruise) creates lasting memories.

 

So we hope to celebrate our two-year-belated 40th anniversary if that Hawaii cruise sails, even with required excursions, pre-testing, and mask-wearing.

 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Florida_gal_50

Florida_gal_50

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:

When we booked our Hawaii cruise for January 2122 (replacing Pandemic-cancelled March 2020 cruise) DH and I decided to book an excursion for each port, which we have never done in 41 years of cruising together, because at that point we figured


1) The pandemic might not be over.

2) Ports of call might permit cruise people ashore but only in controlled groups.

3) Excursions are fully refundable after cancelling or embarking.  After the first Covid cancellation, tour refunds were prompt.

4) Tours that interested us might sell out early, especially on a small island.

5) Sometimes a pricey excursion splurge (like the wonderful full-day Road to Hana tour we booked on our 2013 Hawaii cruise) creates lasting memories.

 

So we hope to celebrate our two-year-belated 40th anniversary if that Hawaii cruise sails, even with required excursions, pre-testing, and mask-wearing.

 

Let’s hope the pandemic is over by 2122 😛.  It’s a long shot but maybe 😔.

  • Like 2
  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Tampa Girl

Tampa Girl

Posted
Posted
12 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

If you look at the context he is talking about independent shorex or just going ashore although it could have been stated a little more clearly IMO.

 

Yes.  I wasn't even sure what the title of his post meant, which said "Ship Excursions."  I also wish that posters refer to some news announcement, be it a HAL or media announcement, that they provide sufficient information or site so that people can adequately respond.   

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Daniel A

Daniel A

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, KirkNC said:

I guess it is one of those times where you know what you mean and assume others will as well.  Luckily most of you figured it out.

You did just fine.  I understood what the thread is about before I got past your thread title. 😏

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
ontheweb Holiday Sharing Rare

ontheweb

Posted
Posted
37 minutes ago, KirkNC said:

I guess it is one of those times where you know what you mean and assume others will as well.  Luckily most of you figured it out.

I was one of the ones who was perplexed and not sure what you meant. My first thought was that ship excursions to disembark meant leaving the ship on the last day for an excursion. For example, if our Princess Norwegian Fjords cruise had been a go last summer, we would have disembarked on a ship's excursion to Heathrow with a stop at Stonehenge.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ontheweb Holiday Sharing Rare

ontheweb

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, KirkNC said:

No, just wondering if they will require ship excursions to get off in a port.  

Sometimes they won't have a choice as a port may not allow independent travel or anything other than "bubble" excursions.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
KirkNC

KirkNC

Posted
  • Author
Posted
2 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

Sometimes they won't have a choice as a port may not allow independent travel or anything other than "bubble" excursions.

True but remember some of the original rules by CDC and/or the cruise lines also required ship shore excursions to get off.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
SLC1954

SLC1954

Posted
Posted

I would actually have preferred that on the 1st cruise, in Sitka we had to share the shuttle into town with a ship that was not 100% vaccinated, and multiple families on the shuttle were not masked or were wearing their masks under their nose and mouth.

I really want HAL to succeed in continuing on with cruises and if limiting contact with potential carriers can be limited it might help with the success of cruising during COVID.

 

 

  • Like 6
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
meeann

meeann

Posted
Posted

Going on Alaskan cruise (should have been 2020, 2021, now 2022 - hopefully) we’ve booked ships excursions as coming from the U.K. and it’s a once in a lifetime cruise(plus we’re doing a tour of Canada). Yes we would have liked to go with independent operators, which we would normally do on previous cruises, but hedging our bets now.  As everyone knows you can cancel excursions with full refund up to a day/ couple of days before hand, so if things change for the better then we have the opportunity to change our plans, if they don’t then we know that we’re booked on excursions we want and we won’t have the possibility of an excursion being sold out, which I think could happen due to people rebooking cancelled cruises. 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Heartgrove

Heartgrove

Posted
Posted

On the VO cruise around Iceland before ours, they had a passenger test positive (VO is doing daily PCR tests) and reported it to authorities. Police were sent to escort excursion buses back to the ship, and ship left missing the next two ports under Icelandic Coast Guard order as local communities did not want them to dock. Our cruise a week later did not have any testing problems so had a normal cruise and visited those ports. We did miss Heimaey due to rough seas and it being a tender port.

 

During this time of restarting, passengers need to be flexible. Bottom line is we enjoyed a cruise!

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
KirkNC

KirkNC

Posted
  • Author
Posted
4 hours ago, Heartgrove said:

On the VO cruise around Iceland before ours, they had a passenger test positive (VO is doing daily PCR tests) and reported it to authorities. Police were sent to escort excursion buses back to the ship, and ship left missing the next two ports under Icelandic Coast Guard order as local communities did not want them to dock. Our cruise a week later did not have any testing problems so had a normal cruise and visited those ports. We did miss Heimaey due to rough seas and it being a tender port.

 

During this time of restarting, passengers need to be flexible. Bottom line is we enjoyed a cruise!

The early cruises will certainly have to work a few kinks out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
prescottbob

prescottbob

Posted
Posted

"Bubble" Ship tours only + on-board masking in all public areas (other than brief non-masking when at the feed trough / aka Lido, MDR, PG, etc.), in the cabin, etc.  = no cruise for us (and please refund in cash whenever applicable / possible versus anymore FCC's).

 

Be well.

Bob

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Taters

Taters

Posted
Posted

While in port, sometimes we DIY, sometimes we book a private excursion, and sometimes we book a ship sponsored excursion.  It just depends on where we are, if the port is new to us, if the area around the port is sketchy or not, etc.

 

We have B2B cruises coming up on Koningsdam beginning in late November.  Both cruises are 7 nights each to the Mexican Riviera, where we've cruised to many times before.

 

For these cruises our main objective is to be on the ship, and we've opted to take one HAL excursion each week so that we can spend most of our time on K'dam.  

 

Mexico has underreported COVID and we do NOT want to get sick.  We are just thrilled to be taking a tour where we hope everyone is masked up.  We don't want to go to any busy marketplaces, busy beach bars or mingle with much of anybody.  For us on THESE particular cruises, we wouldn't get off the ship at all if not for having some interesting HAL excursions to choose from in Puerto Vallarta and Cabo.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...