Best Way to Book Excursions?

[ohshin]

A long time ago, we used Shore Excursioneer.  Not sure if that is still a good option.

 

For example, we are looking at Playa Mia @ Cozumel.  Booking direct is the same price as Shore Excursioneer.  I assume just taking a taxi there is going to be the same or more expensive?

 

Are there any other good options or discounts/coupons?  Thank you!

[firefly333]

I've got my fingers crossed for excursion sales on black friday. 

 

Families I think cheaper to book private but solo usually better for me to wait for a sale and book direct. Imo depends how many you are booking for.

[c-leg5]

1 hour ago, ohshin said:

A long time ago, we used Shore Excursioneer.  Not sure if that is still a good option.

 

For example, we are looking at Playa Mia @ Cozumel.  Booking direct is the same price as Shore Excursioneer.  I assume just taking a taxi there is going to be the same or more expensive?

 

Are there any other good options or discounts/coupons?  Thank you!

 

53 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

I've got my fingers crossed for excursion sales on black friday. 

 

Families I think cheaper to book private but solo usually better for me to wait for a sale and book direct. Imo depends how many you are booking for.

Are you asking if it is better to book direct with beach club, through a broker like shore excursioneer, or direct with cruise line?

[Airbear232]

1 hour ago, ohshin said:

A long time ago, we used Shore Excursioneer.  Not sure if that is still a good option.

 

For example, we are looking at Playa Mia @ Cozumel.  Booking direct is the same price as Shore Excursioneer.  I assume just taking a taxi there is going to be the same or more expensive?

 

Are there any other good options or discounts/coupons?  Thank you!

Book in advance, we made the mistake last year of assuming we could get a deal at the pier but they were sold out.  Have a great trip!

[ohshin]

7 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

Are you asking if it is better to book direct with beach club, through a broker like shore excursioneer, or direct with cruise line?

 

Yes, just trying to see if there is a recommended way to get a good deal...  (avoiding cruise line b/c it is much more expensive).

[lenquixote66]

We book from the cruise line only

[1025cruise]

Since you are not asking about RCI excursions, you should post on the ports of call boards for your ports.

[clackey]

4 hours ago, ohshin said:

 

 

Are there any other good options or discounts/coupons?  Thank you!

You might check cozumelmycozumel.com and cozumelinsider.com.  They have gobs of info and coupons to some of the beach clubs.  It is usually 20% to 30% cheaper to book direct.  Cozumel is very easy to do on your own.  There are a few ports where we will use ship tours.  Jamaica and Belize come to mind, but Coz is no problem.

Edited October 25, 2023 by clackey
spelling

[baldilocks]

We have for the most part booked shore excursions through Royal. They will not leave you stranded if the tour goes long. We had that experience once and that was enough nerve racking for us. That happened on a Celebrity cruise last December in Panama. A tour was to go on a ferry through a lock for the experience. Well, the freighter ahead of them had a problem in the lock. They were scheduled for 3-hour tour. It lasted 6 hours in the heat with little shade and hardly enough snacks and water aboard for everyone. The ship waited an extra hour to get them back on the ship. We saw a couple come through the lounge where we were having drinks. Boy, did they ever look haggard.

[Mick B]

Hi all,

Just thought I'd give you my ideas about this.

 

It will depend on the ports of call you are visiting and the time you have there and also if the ship is actually going to dock there if there has been bad weather or something else that has delayed the ship such as a rescue at sea or a diversion to remove an ill passenger.

 

Obviously booking through the cruise line covers you if the port is cancelled but that doesn't take away the disappointment of missing that port of call especially if thats the main reason for booking that cruise.

 

If you want to do the port yourself then I suggest searching on the internet for a good and reliable firm based at that port that may offer a refund if the ship does not get into port.

 

Most ports we visit end up with us simply getting off and having a walk around for a few hours. However some ports may be some distance from any local towns/cities and a taxi may be the only way to visit them if you have not booked a cruise line tour. Please be aware that at some ports of call the ship may not actually have a dock area to pull into and may get berthed down the coast and... there may be more than one ship in that day so make sure you know when returning to the ship that you tell a local taxi driver which ship you want to get back to or he may take you to another one first running up a bill.

 

Now, for the times we have used the cruise lines tours and why.

 

1) Gibralter, Included in the price is a coach from the ship to the cable car. A cable car ride to the very top, a guided tour down the cliff and into the caves and gun tunnels and a coach ride back to the ship.

Given the time the ship may stay in port, it may not be possible to do this tour by yourselves due to the time needed to queue for the cable car and the walk to and from the ship. If you look at the breakdown of paying for the individual parts of this tour, you really cannot beat the tour the ship offers and we have done the same one several times. This tour is best, however, when the sun is out and there sky is clear of fog/mist but not too hot as your are exposed to the elements for most of the tour.

 

 

2) Rome/Vatican tour.

We have stayed in Rome loads of times and had done everything except the Vatican due to the fact that the queues start to form very early and can take hours to go down and you are outside in the elements.

This year we finally did the RCI tour from the ship which included a coach ride from the port of Civitavecchia to Rom which is about 50 miles and takes just under an hour. Then we went into the gardens for a hour or so and then queue jumped and finally got into the Vatican. Also included was a 3 course lunch with wine at a nice restaurant nearby and an hour of free time, although that is not really enough to visit anywhere else. The coach ride back included a ride past the Coluseum. Make sure your ladies cover their knees and shoulders for this tour.

Now you can walk the 2 miles from the ship along the dock to the train station and there are trains to Rome frequently that only cost around 10 Euros each way and take just under an hour and you can get off at a station near the St Peter's or stay on to the Termini station. This is ideal if you just want to get some pictures outside the Vatican and then take a stroll further into Rome. If you go to the Termini station, you will require a taxi to take you to the main parts as they are quite a walk. I would recommend St Peter's as it easy to remember as its just almost next to the Vatican, so you should not be able to miss it. Also remember the time it takes the train to get back, plus the walk/bus to the ship and if you miss the train it is around 300 Euros in a taxi back to the port.

 

3) Toboggan ride in Funchal.

We have done both the cruise lines tour and a few years later our own, once we knew where to go. So, this really depends again on the time at the port the ship is docked for.

The cruise tour will take you by coach to the Cable Car and at the top you get transferred to the Toboggan for the ride down and then get taken back to the port where you can explore the town or get back on the ship.

If you decide to do this yourself then you can jump in a vintage type coach just outside the port and that will take you to the cable car station. Last time it was 10 Euros for the cable car ride. Then at the top you joined a queue (and this can be long depending on how many cruise ships are in that day amongst other things). and then pay the Toboggan drivers for the ride. The ride does not go all the way back down but stops near a market where local taxi drivers will try to offer a lift back into town. It is a far downhill walk back taking about 20 to 30 minutes so the taxi ride may be your best option depending on the time you have in port. Again, all these things need to be factored in and compared with what the cruiser line is offering.

 

4) Monaco/Monte Carlo/Grand Casino.

Some ships will dock at Villefranche and some at Cannes. It is possible to use the local bus and train services from the ports to get into Monte Carlo, but depending on the time your have it may only be possible to do this tour via the cruise line.

When we did it in 2008 the Indy docked at Cannes, We were put on a coach and the tour bypassed Nice and went to Monaco where we had time to get photos of the Yellow Submarine and go into the Cathedral where Grace Kelly and her husband are buried. Then the tour took us into Monte Carlo and we had spare time to sit in the square outside the Casino and also have a walk on part of the Grand Prix Circuit. IIRC the opening time for the Casino was something like 2pm so was almost impossible to do and a shot of JD in the square was 25 Euros but had to be had.

Again, for what was included the tour was worth it compared to the hassle of trying to get there by yourself in the timeframe.

 

There are plenty more that are worth paying the cruise line price for just to avoid the hassle of travel and delays such as...

 

Brugge. Ship docks at Zeebrugge and includes coach trip plus ride on canal boat.

 

Mexico, You get coach ride plus swimming with dolphins. Back in 2011 I had a swim with Simba.

 

St Lucia, Zip Line. Trip includes boat ride around the west coast down to Suffria (where the waterfall screne in Superman II was filmed) and then a coach ride up to the Zip line (which is not one big one, but several smaller ones) and if time allows a walk to the small volcano. Plenty of free booze too. Well worth the money and not really possible/practical to sort this yourselves.

 

Barbados. Trip in a submarine type vessel. You get taken by boat out to side and have to climb down the ladder through the hatch and then inside you sit in the middle facing out with a view through large portholes. It goes down approx 150 foot and visits old shipwrecks. Not mega expense and well worth the money. Ideal if the weather is not that good for the beach that day, but not too rough or it may be cancelled.

 

These are the occasions where I have used the ships tours and I would say they have been worth it, not just compared to the price of doing yourself, but for the sheer convenience of knowing you are not going to get left behind.

 

Looking at some itineraries on some of latest cruises, it looks like port time may be an issue to achieve doing things on your own. Not sure if this is to keep the port costs down for the cruise line or to make you choose their tours out of fear of missing the ship.

 

Again, you will have to do your own research and see what things cost doing it yourself versus the cruise lines tours. I would advise that if the the tour is going to be a long and complex one and the price difference is very small, then book the cruise line tour.

If you just want to travel a few miles from the ship to a place that has plenty cheap and local transport then do it yourself, but make sure you know how long it will take to get back.

 

Now, finally, a very funny story that we witnessed back in 2008.

We were on the Indy when she was brand new and had left Civitavecchia as a bad storm was brewing and on the then biggest ship in the world at the time, we got battered with massive waves all night.

The following morning we had left the storm behind (or so wee thought!) and had docked in Sardinia. We only planned to get off and have a walk around the town. There was an announcement that the planned ships tour to the beach was postponed until 1pm as they wanted to make sure the weather was not going to affect it.

We got off for our walk and the sun was shining and it was hot and lovely. We came upon a bus that had the word "BEACH" on the front and I asked the driver how much to the beach and how far and how long it was going to be. It was 1 Euro each and 20 minutes away. We got on at around 930 and was on the beach by 10am and I was in the sea until lunchtime. There was a beach side restaurant and toilets/changing rooms etc and I could see plenty of the local buses going by in each direction. 

It was so great, we did not want to leave. But... We have a rule we always stick to and that is to get back to the ship or the port/town it is docked in by 1pm and then go to the WJ for lunch and then chill on deck for the rest of the day.

We got changed and was at the bus stop for the journey back to the ship around 130 when two things happened. Firstly a RCI tour bus pulled up with a load of angry passengers who had waited all morning for their trip to the beach which coast $30 each, then as our local bus pulled in, so did the storm and the sky went black just like that and down came the rain and it was a complete washout.

Back on the ship I spoke with some of the passengers who got 5 minutes on the beach and no refund.

Sometimes, you just have to do your own thing and hope that things go well. Sometimes its best to do the ships tours, but not always!

 

Mick.

 

 

[jean87510]

12 hours ago, ohshin said:

A long time ago, we used Shore Excursioneer.  Not sure if that is still a good option.

 

For example, we are looking at Playa Mia @ Cozumel.  Booking direct is the same price as Shore Excursioneer.  I assume just taking a taxi there is going to be the same or more expensive?

 

Are there any other good options or discounts/coupons?  Thank you!

Shoreexcursioneer is still a good option.  But agree with others to post on the ports of call.  Ship excursions are more crowded and more expensive.  

[OCSC Mike]

We book direct with the vendor whenever possible after researching on the forums here and sites like TripAdvisor. I don't like dealing with a 3rd party if I don't have to and don't book through RC for the previously mentioned reasons.

[LobsterStalker]

17 hours ago, ohshin said:

A long time ago, we used Shore Excursioneer.  Not sure if that is still a good option.

 

For example, we are looking at Playa Mia @ Cozumel.  Booking direct is the same price as Shore Excursioneer.  I assume just taking a taxi there is going to be the same or more expensive?

 

Are there any other good options or discounts/coupons?  Thank you!

Viator is one i have used frequently 

And they do "guaratee" ,(FWIW), on time return to ship 

[nolatravelgirl]

19 hours ago, ohshin said:

A long time ago, we used Shore Excursioneer.  Not sure if that is still a good option.

 

For example, we are looking at Playa Mia @ Cozumel.  Booking direct is the same price as Shore Excursioneer.  I assume just taking a taxi there is going to be the same or more expensive?

 

Are there any other good options or discounts/coupons?  Thank you!

I would reconsider Playa Mia as it has lots of people who are on ship sponsored excursions. I would recommend checking out Paradise Beach Club as the food at Playa Mia was pretty dodgy IMHO. I liked that everything you order at Paradise is served by a waiter. They will also serve it to you poolside. 

[Mum2Mercury]

On 10/24/2023 at 6:41 PM, ohshin said:

A long time ago, we used Shore Excursioneer ... 

Just google shore excursions, tours, whatever for your specific stop.  Search this board and similar boards -- and Facebook -- to see what other people have done.  Always consider tour operators who've been praised by people on cruise boards.  

No, you don't typically find coupons or discounts from private tour operators.  

On 10/24/2023 at 7:06 PM, firefly333 said:

I've got my fingers crossed for excursion sales on black friday. 

 

Families I think cheaper to book private but solo usually better for me to wait for a sale and book direct. Imo depends how many you are booking for.

The cruise line might offer discounts on Black Friday; private tour operators wouldn't particularly be clued into that very American sale day.  

I use private excursions because they are so much better than the ship's tours:  smaller groups, more choice of what you do.  Private excursions get you out the door and on the road while the ship's tours are still milling around looking for those last people to show up, then are lumbering along the road slowly.  That they're cheaper is just a bonus.  

On 10/24/2023 at 8:04 PM, Airbear232 said:

Book in advance, we made the mistake last year of assuming we could get a deal at the pier but they were sold out.  Have a great trip!

If it's something you really want, absolutely book ahead of time.  If you don't make the port or weather doesn't allow you to participate, they'll refund you.  On the other hand, if you just don't show up, you've wasted your money.