Where to book tours

[Morandi0917]

Hello explorers,

 

I'm travelling on the Queen Elizabeth in February in Australia. Where is the best place to book tours for each location? Are the ship tours overpriced? I'm not very good with technology.

 

Any information would be greatly appreciated

 

Cheers 

 

JH

 

 

[Aus Traveller]

There are pros and cons to booking the ship's tours. In my opinion, they are more expensive than a similar tour sourced locally, but the ship's tours have the advantage that you won't miss the ship if the tour runs late. We very rarely book ship's tours and always build in a safety factor by planning to return to the ship one hour before the deadline for boarding.

 

If you tell us the ports you will be visiting, people on this forum will make some suggestions for you. Maybe answer a few questions - If you live somewhere other than Australia, is this your first trip to Aust? What are you interested in - sightseeing or activities?

[MicCanberra]

Look at TripAdvisor, Viator, Get your Guide and the ships shore excursions  and see if there is something you want to do. Then research and compare.

[grozzy1]

The other question you need to ask yourself for each port is whether you want to do excursions in each port or DIY explore the town .

With my upcoming NZ cruise I've been to about half the ports so I'm comfortable doing a DIY wander.

[sayaguru]

Don't be scared of booking tours yourself. Some are exactly the same as the ship tours but half the price. People on our cruise said we were crazy booking the train trip in NZ. What if you are late? etc etc. Well yes the train broke down. BUT everyone was on the same train, whether they booked through Princess or not. 

Do your research. I can understand people being sceptical with bus trips etc hours from the ship. 

In NZ there are many options that you can book ahead and others you can just book when you walk off the ship. We did a lovely sailboat trip that was cheaper and heaps better than the cramped boat that the cruiseline was offering. 

[MicCanberra]

Researching options is the key.