Do all excursions have to be booked in advance?

[ms.weirdwell]

We are a family of 4 going on our first ever cruise. We will be joining my parents. Do we have to book all of our excursions in advance? What happens if the weather is awful or one of us gets sick the day of the excursion - are we able to cancel or switch the credit to another excursion? Or can we book some of them once we're on the boat? Will different excursions get added as we get closer to the sail date? We're going to Alaska in early June and I'm anticipating lots of cold, wet weather.

[Flatbush Flyer]

51 minutes ago, ms.weirdwell said:

We are a family of 4 going on our first ever cruise. We will be joining my parents. Do we have to book all of our excursions in advance? What happens if the weather is awful or one of us gets sick the day of the excursion - are we able to cancel or switch the credit to another excursion? Or can we book some of them once we're on the boat? Will different excursions get added as we get closer to the sail date? We're going to Alaska in early June and I'm anticipating lots of cold, wet weather.

Cold, wet weather? First time to Alaska?

As for excursions, regardless of where you’re going in the world, there are some ship excursions, particularly those with limited availability due to controlled access, specialized equipment et al. that can sell out quickly after they are added to the itinerary.

 

A perfect example is the Nazca Lines in Peru. For the brief time your (and other) ship(s) are in a close-enough Peruvian port, there will only be a very limited number of regularly scheduled flights available for the flyover.

 

Anything in the air (at anywhere of real interest) will often sell out quickly (whether you’re on a ship or not).

 

For example, helicopters for a flyover of Kauai’s NaPali Coast (probably one of the best 

natural beauty experiences you could ever have) book many months in advance.

 

Alaska? A lot of folks want to do a glacier flyover and landing (helicopter) or they want to do a float plane that adds a mountain lake landing to that glacier flyover. Expensive, it can be. Nonetheless those few seats per air carrier sell out quickly.

 

Last thought on the Alaska flying item. I highly recommend that you find a float plane excursion that uses one of the few remaining Dehavilland Beavers. That’s the real deal!

[shipgeeks]

Excursions will be sold on the ship as well as in advance.  If you have your hearts set on a particular one, it might be wise to pre-book; however booking while onboard will also be an option.

What are your ports? You can do some research here on the Ports of Call, Alaska section further down on the Cruise Critic site. You can also ask further questions there. Don't hesitate to ask!  And welcome to CC!

[Mum2Mercury]

Admittedly, my experience is all Caribbean, but here are my random thoughts: 

 

- My biggest thought:  You may never return to Alaska in your whole life.  If your kids are old enough to "suck it up" for a couple hours, I'd suggest you bring ample warm clothes and boots and GO even if the weather is bad -- then come back to the ship for hot-hot showers and warm drinks.  My husband and I are okay with being out in the rain (again, we're talking Caribbean, and I fully admit that's different) as long as we have a hat to keep the rain off our faces.  I see it like this:  I'd rather regret being cold/wet a few hours rather than being close to a glacier and staying on the ship.  

 

- It's better to reserve excursions ahead of time.  They will probably be cheaper (and when you're paying for four, face it, that matters -- plus Alaskan excursions are particularly expensive), and the most popular excursions may sell out.  

- Before you reserve, read each vendor's policies carefully -- most of them have a clause about what they do if the weather is bad or if your ship can't make port.  And a whole lot of private vendors don't require payment until "day of".  

- Yes, you can find excursions "day of" -- when you exit the ship, you'll see people with signs offering this or that experience.  Personally, I'm a whole lot more comfortable making these choices ahead of time /verifying the quality of the vendors online.  

- Do not limit yourself to ship's excursions.  Other vendors offer superior experiences in smaller groups.  That they're cheaper is just a bonus.  

 

 

Edited February 12, 2023 by Mum2Mercury

[1025cruise]

For Alaska, yes, if you know what you want to do, book it.

[CruisingWalter]

On 2/12/2023 at 12:02 AM, ms.weirdwell said:

We are a family of 4 going on our first ever cruise. We will be joining my parents. Do we have to book all of our excursions in advance? What happens if the weather is awful or one of us gets sick the day of the excursion - are we able to cancel or switch the credit to another excursion? Or can we book some of them once we're on the boat? Will different excursions get added as we get closer to the sail date? We're going to Alaska in early June and I'm anticipating lots of cold, wet weather.

 

Alaska has very limited capacity for most of their shore excursions. Yes you should book any and all excursions that you absolutely want to do in advance. The most popular excursions will sell out in Alaska well in advance.

 

I believe you must cancel your excursions 24 hours in advance to get a refund. You can switch to another excursions if one is available. Check the terms and conditions for the cancellation policy of your particular cruise line. 

 

It's possible an excursions may get added between now and June but they are pretty much locked in at this point. It's possible if an excursions sells out and there is more capacity, another run of the same excursion will be added, but for the most part, cruise lines lock in their excursions by now. 

 

Alaska is an excellent cruise for booking independent shore excursions. We booked Harv and Mark whale watching in Juneau, Temsco Helicopters Dog Sled/Glacier helo tour in Skagway and a bushplane tour with Pilot Michelle and Island Air Wings in Ketchikan. You can also use sites like shore excursions group to find more independent options. 

 

Weather in Alaska runs from cooler mornings to hot afternoons depending on where you are and which month it is. Our temps ranged from 30s to 70s when we did our land/sea tour with Princess in the last week of May, first week of June. The coldest temps were during our 7 days on land, especially in Denali and Copper River. On the ship, I don't think it got much colder than 40 in the mornings. If your hands and toes tend to get cold, chemical warms for your gloves and shoes are fabulous. I only used them in Denali National Park but they were godsend when I needed them. 

 

Other than Ketchikan and Glacier Bay it was primarily dry with a lot of sunshine. Some overcast from time to time but it wasn't wet all the time. It was simply stunning, I came home with 3600+ photos. If anyone in your family is a photo buff and has a camera that takes interchangeable lenses, look at lensrentals to rent a long lens. So much to see and photograph in Alaska. 🙂 

[bbwex]

Our Alaskan cruise in June wasn't cold, but we did have a bunch of rainy days -- not heavy rain, but some drizzle.  Yet it can be cold, so you need to be prepared to layer to get warm or remove layers to stay comfortable.

 

I am a strong proponent of private tours.  You get a more intimate tour, get better interaction with the guides, can do extra things you find out about, etc.  According to our ship, you could not do a whale watch and walk on a glacier in the same day.  I had no trouble booking both things, and it was a  spectacular day.  While in St. Petersburg, we heard that seeing a subway station was very interesting, so we had our tourguide add that to our tour.  You cannot do that on a ship's tour!!

 

I spend a good deal of time on the Ports of Call section and read through lots and lots of posts.  Do not rate a particular guide from a single posting, but rather read through a lot and get the overall comments. 

[ldubs]

On 2/12/2023 at 3:39 AM, shipgeeks said:

Excursions will be sold on the ship as well as in advance.  If you have your hearts set on a particular one, it might be wise to pre-book; however booking while onboard will also be an option.

 

I agree excursions are sold on the ship.  Others have already said, and we have found it is common to find popular excursions unavailable for on-board purchase because they are full up.

 

Since the OP asked, pre-COVID we never had a problem getting a refund for a cancelled excursion, even with short notice.  I would not count on that these days.   

 

On 2/12/2023 at 3:39 AM, shipgeeks said:

What are your ports? You can do some research here on the Ports of Call, Alaska section further down on the Cruise Critic site. You can also ask further questions there. Don't hesitate to ask!  And welcome to CC!

 

Great advice!!  

 

 

[Hllb]

We are doing Alaska this summer and I am very particular about planning things, so I've booked everything but one port in advance. I plan to book that last one as well, but we haven't decided what we want to do. If you aren't picky about what you do, you can afford to wait. I am such a planner, with a spreadsheets and hour by hour time allotted to activities, it would stress me out way too much.

[Mum2Mercury]

3 hours ago, Dino Hunter Jones said:

The downside of waiting is getting locked out of the better tours ...

Or the better time slots.  Many excursions run a morning and an afternoon option, and most people prefer to get up and do the morning excursion ... then have the afternoon for a meal and shopping on shore ... or a late lunch back on the ship, then the afternoon at the pool.  

[SbbquilterUT]

Juneau - we rented a car and drove out to Mendenhall Glacier and hiked , went to watch for the eagles then finished with a beer flight at Alaska Brewing Company - much less expensive than taxi or tour.  In Skagway we usually hike a bit, maybe end up at Jewell Gardens and then wander in town.  The movie at the National Park exhibit is worth watching - awesome what the miners encountered.  Alternately we have rented a car and driven the Yukon Highway (along the route of the White Pass Train) entered Canada (need passport) and ended up at Emerald Lake - again a bargain as compared to buying 6 seats on the White Pass train.  A raincoat with lightweight layers (wool is a great choice) underneath is our normal dress along with water resistant hiking pants and waterproof walking shoes.  The excursion that was worth it for us was Helicopter and Hike on the Glacier in Juneau.  Can't wait to return again this August for our anniversary.  

[Blondilu]

Agree that's it better to book in advance, cancellation policy is usually 24 hours.  If you are OK with this kind of thing there are usually vendors selling tours on the docks.

 

Regarding the weather; get a waterproof raincoat or poncho and either waterproof shoes, or bring an extra pair to switch out while the other pair dries.  It is most likely to rain at some point.  You can't let that stop you from enjoying yourselves.  It can either rain all day, or rain on and off, or be sunny and beautiful.  Actually I don't remember any day where it just rained nonstop.  More like, rain, then drizzle, then just kind of gray.   

 

The best thing to do is get the right clothes, which of course, you will only need if you don't have them!

 

Regarding the cold; the coldest day I remember is glacier day on the ship.  I don't remember being especially cold any other time, a sweatshirt was usually all I needed.  Wear that sweatshirt under you rain jacket and you shouldn't have a problem as long as your feet are dry.  And if one sweatshirt isn't enough they sell them everywhere.  Rain jackets and fleece jackets, too. 

 

 

[Cruise Kay]

For an Alaska cruise, yes absolutely book them very far out in advance. I disagree with the suggestion that excursions will be available at the last minute to be purchased on board ship. That used to be the case but I have found that to not be true lately. I could be wrong of course! But keep in mind when you are in Port you will be there with other cruise ships as well and there will be thousands upon thousands of people descending into town all wanting to do the same things. Some of the excursions like bus tours are large and have lots of tickets but some of them are much smaller.  Book those excursions early and lock them in. The refund and cancellation policy will be spelled out for you when you book. If you decide to book a third-party vendor through a site such as TripAdvisor for example, they will also spell out their cancellation policy and it's usually within 24 hours of departure. This is your room to lock in some excursions now and then if you change your mind later you can shop around with the option of canceling and picking something else, if it's available.
 

Alaska is an incredible place to get out and see wildlife, maybe go to a dog sled mushers camp, go whale watching, see Mendenhall Glacier, take a wild life rafting or float trip. Things like that.

Edited February 25, 2023 by Cruise Kay

[Hlitner]

I could not help but notice it is the OP's first and only post on CC.  It would be helpful to know a little more about the OP and their party in terms of age, do they have any other travel experience, etc.  If we assume they are Americans/Canadians, we would remind them that Alaska is simply another State.  There are no language issues (for English speaking) and while cruise line excursions are a decent option in AK, depending on what they want to do there are other options.  In some ports, one can even walk to many of the things that might be of interest and save a lot of money :).  A good example is the Totem Poll Park in Ketchican which can be accessed by the inexpensive local bus (Silver Line).  In Sitka, one can get (on their own) to the Raptor Center.

 

On the other hand, if you want to fly to the Dog Sled Camp near Juneau,  you will need to book that excursion far in advance and mortgage your home to pay for trip :).  DW and consider the helicopter tour to the glacier, visiting the dog sled camp, and driving a dog sled, as one of the best tours we have ever taken anywhere in the world.

 

There are also private tour options in many AK ports.  One can look online for various options, prices, etc. and make advance reservations.  With a group of 4, a private tour might be a great option in some ports.

 

Hank

[lenquixote66]

On 2/12/2023 at 12:02 AM, ms.weirdwell said:

We are a family of 4 going on our first ever cruise. We will be joining my parents. Do we have to book all of our excursions in advance? What happens if the weather is awful or one of us gets sick the day of the excursion - are we able to cancel or switch the credit to another excursion? Or can we book some of them once we're on the boat? Will different excursions get added as we get closer to the sail date? We're going to Alaska in early June and I'm anticipating lots of cold, wet weather.

We always book on the day of the excursion .We have never been closed out.