Booking Shore Excursions

[CruisingCookie21]

If you are booking shore excursions, how far in advance of the cruise do you book yours?

[leaveitallbehind]

It depends on whether you are  booking them through the cruise or independently.  You don't mention which cruise line you are considering, and If you are booking through them it would depend on which cruise line you are sailing with as they may have different timeframes in which you can book.  But most of them have on line cruise planners that open for bookings anywhere from 3 - 6 months in advance of the sailing date, some maybe longer. 

 

Booking when they are first offered will help assure your space as many popular ones may book full rather quickly.  Most on line cruise planners also let you cancel or change a booking without penalty so booking far in advance would not be an issue.  However, many require full payment at the time of booking, so that may be a consideration.  But if I were booking through the cruise line I would do so as soon as they are offered on the planner for booking.

 

If you are booking independently many operators will accept bookings up to a year in advance and may have flexibility with how much you have to pay and when.  You just have to seek out those operators based on port of call on your own and see what they offer.

Edited December 26, 2023 by leaveitallbehind

[no1racefan1]

As soon as you know what you want. On our 2024 Alaska cruise, several excursions are already sold out and most of them have gone up in price since we booked. 

[leaveitallbehind]

Just now, no1racefan1 said:

As soon as you know what you want. On our 2024 Alaska cruise, several excursions are already sold out and most of them have gone up in price since we booked. 

I understand price fluctuations with beverage and wifi packages, but aren't as familiar with changes on excursions once offered.  But to be fair we don't (typically) book excursions through the cruise lines so I don't often monitor that.  But that would seem unusual to me as they are third party contracted by the cruise lines which typically fixes the pricing for each itinerary.

[no1racefan1]

3 hours ago, leaveitallbehind said:

I understand price fluctuations with beverage and wifi packages, but aren't as familiar with changes on excursions once offered.  But to be fair we don't (typically) book excursions through the cruise lines so I don't often monitor that.  But that would seem unusual to me as they are third party contracted by the cruise lines which typically fixes the pricing for each itinerary.

Yeah, I don't know if its unusual or not, but many excursions have gone up by $20-$50! Maybe they had them listed at last year's prices until they confirmed with the vendors for 2024? I'm not sure, I'm just glad we booked early.

Ex. the Ketchikan fishing excursion I booked for DH at $369.95 is now listed at $419.95.

[leaveitallbehind]

16 minutes ago, no1racefan1 said:

Yeah, I don't know if its unusual or not, but many excursions have gone up by $20-$50! Maybe they had them listed at last year's prices until they confirmed with the vendors for 2024? I'm not sure, I'm just glad we booked early.

Ex. the Ketchikan fishing excursion I booked for DH at $369.95 is now listed at $419.95.

I was more curious than anything as I have not experienced that.  But as I said, I am not the best authority on that as we don't book ship sponsored tours.  (Other than certain things at the cruise line's private island, where they control the pricing - and in that case it most certainly does change.  And usually up! - LOL)

[SbbquilterUT]

We only book a cruise line excursion if it is some distance from the ship where transportation is a concern, otherwise we explore on our own or with a local guide.  We book those as soon as we see them knowing we can cancel and get a refund if things change.  

[donaldsc]

Need a whole lot more info on your plans - where, when, what kind of excursions, cruise line or private tours, how flexible you are, how important specific excursions are and a whole lot more.  Lacking this information your question is not answerable.

 

DON

[CruisingCookie21]

5 hours ago, leaveitallbehind said:

It depends on whether you are  booking them through the cruise or independently.  You don't mention which cruise line you are considering, and If you are booking through them it would depend on which cruise line you are sailing with as they may have different timeframes in which you can book.  But most of them have on line cruise planners that open for bookings anywhere from 3 - 6 months in advance of the sailing date, some maybe longer. 

 

Booking when they are first offered will help assure your space as many popular ones may book full rather quickly.  Most on line cruise planners also let you cancel or change a booking without penalty so booking far in advance would not be an issue.  However, many require full payment at the time of booking, so that may be a consideration.  But if I were booking through the cruise line I would do so as soon as they are offered on the planner for booking.

 

If you are booking independently many operators will accept bookings up to a year in advance and may have flexibility with how much you have to pay and when.  You just have to seek out those operators based on port of call on your own and see what they offer.

Thank you! I appreciate your feedback!

[YourWorldWithBill]

16 hours ago, CruisingCookie21 said:

Thank you! I appreciate your feedback!

The important point is: if you're booking through the cruise line, it makes sense to book as early as possible. On most lines the excursion bookings are fully refundable, so it's better to reserve them as soon as you have a good idea of what you want, before they get fully booked. On some lines the excursions can be booked as soon as the cruise is available.

 

Bookings through outside providers may not get fully booked so early, but even those usually offer free cancellation.

[Hlitner]

The issue of excursions is interesting, among frequent cruisers.  There are folks who constantly take only cruise line excursions, folks who tend to book private tours (sometimes sharing with others via CCs Roll Call boards) and DIY folks who tend to do their own thing without booking tours.  Many folks do a combination of all 3 options.   Recently, the cost of cruise line excursions has really soared, and I suspect more folks are now looking at the other options.

 

The strategy for booking cruise ship excursions will often depend on the specific cruise line.  Many lines require payment (to your credit card) at the time of booking the excursion.  If you later cancel (prior to the cruise) you can generally get a credit back to your credit card.  If you cancel on the cruise, most lines will credit the payment back to your onboard account.  If you happen to have a large On Board Credit, some lines will let you apply it to the original booking and others will not.  Depending on the line, you may be able to later (once aboard) apply your OBC to the previously booked tour and get a refund (back to your credit card).  

 

I mention all this, because folks might want to carefully evaluate the policy that applies to their cruise, before booking an excursion.  As to the timing, many argue that it is wise to book excursions as early as possible since the best excursions will often sell-out.

 

Some lines make things more complicated with other deals.  For example, Oceania will generally offer a 25% discount on most of their excursions as long as the cruiser books a specified minimum number of excursions (this varies by cruise).  There are also lines that include (at no extra charge) some excursions...and these you do want to book very early.

 

Hank

[CruisingCookie21]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

The issue of excursions is interesting, among frequent cruisers.  There are folks who constantly take only cruise line excursions, folks who tend to book private tours (sometimes sharing with others via CCs Roll Call boards) and DIY folks who tend to do their own thing without booking tours.  Many folks do a combination of all 3 options.   Recently, the cost of cruise line excursions has really soared, and I suspect more folks are now looking at the other options.

 

The strategy for booking cruise ship excursions will often depend on the specific cruise line.  Many lines require payment (to your credit card) at the time of booking the excursion.  If you later cancel (prior to the cruise) you can generally get a credit back to your credit card.  If you cancel on the cruise, most lines will credit the payment back to your onboard account.  If you happen to have a large On Board Credit, some lines will let you apply it to the original booking and others will not.  Depending on the line, you may be able to later (once aboard) apply your OBC to the previously booked tour and get a refund (back to your credit card).  

 

I mention all this, because folks might want to carefully evaluate the policy that applies to their cruise, before booking an excursion.  As to the timing, many argue that it is wise to book excursions as early as possible since the best excursions will often sell-out.

 

Some lines make things more complicated with other deals.  For example, Oceania will generally offer a 25% discount on most of their excursions as long as the cruiser books a specified minimum number of excursions (this varies by cruise).  There are also lines that include (at no extra charge) some excursions...and these you do want to book very early.

 

Hank

Thank you Hank!

[Mum2Mercury]

On 12/26/2023 at 3:06 PM, leaveitallbehind said:

Booking when they are first offered will help assure your space as many popular ones may book full rather quickly. 

Yes, book as soon as you have your cruise reserved /as soon as you know what excursions you want.  Not only do the most popular excursions fill up fast, the most popular times fill up fast.  I think this is true whether you're going through the cruise line or through independent tour hosts.  

 

If you're going through the cruise line (not recommended for most excursions) and they drop the price, you can always cancel and rebook.  They offered some good prices over Black Friday this year, but you're not really likely to see price drops on a regular basis.  

 

 

 

Edited December 28, 2023 by Mum2Mercury

[Mike_and_Co]

Hi, I'm Mike, a new guy here. The Mrs. and I have been "shopping" various cruise lines, (Viking, HAL, Celebrity, Princess, Azamara), and I'd appreciate if we could learn more from experienced cruisers here on the forum. 

 

We have very limited cruising experience. Our one-week 34-passenger small-ship tour of the inland passage in Alaska included kayak time, zodiac time, and shore walks for all on board, so it was a very inclusive experience by nature. 

 

Our 15-day Emerald Danube river cruise included many "basic" shore excursions, and the additional-cost "Discover More" excursions were all booked while we were on board. Availability was generally very good and I don't think very many people were unable to book whatever they wanted to. 

 

It appears we are now looking at an entirely different world on the larger ships.

 

Our interest remains largely focused on shore excursions. In essence, the ship is more a combination of transportation and lodging than a resort destination to us.

 

I understand that excursions sponsored by the cruise line tend to be more expensive than those provided by on-shore vendors that we might contract with independently. However, it seems the sponsored excursions also offer a simpler approach to making bookings. So, some questions follow. 

 

1) HAL: The "packages" offer excursion credits in $100 increments. It appears that an $80 excursion would "cost" $100 of credit. A subsequent $120 excursion would then "cost" $100 of credit and an additional $20 out of pocket. In this scenario, could we book the $80 excursion with "cash" so we could apply the $100 to more expensive excursions, or would we have to use the excursion credits first? 

 

2) It appears an Antarctic cruise is only allowed to put 100 people on shore at a time. Additional people are apparently allowed in the water in kayaks, etc. It also appears that some people have booked Antarctic cruises and subsequently found that there was no space for them to actually land and set foot on the continent. It seems that would be a disappointing scenario as the marketing always features meeting penguins onshore. Is this something someone here has more knowledge of? 

 

3) In general, it appears that prices are up, excursions fill up early, and more expensive cabins get priority in making reservations. Is Viking (or some other cruise line?) any better than other lines in terms of allowing passengers the opportunity to participate in excursions and thus avoiding the disappointment of not being able to book popular excursions? 

 

Thanks in advance. While I've been attempting to read up on the subject here, like all forums, the information is widely scattered and, I anticipate, also subject to significant change over time. 

[crystalspin]

1 hour ago, Mike_and_Co said:

1) HAL: The "packages" offer excursion credits in $100 increments. It appears that an $80 excursion would "cost" $100 of credit. A subsequent $120 excursion would then "cost" $100 of credit and an additional $20 out of pocket. In this scenario, could we book the $80 excursion with "cash" so we could apply the $100 to more expensive excursions, or would we have to use the excursion credits first? 

Hi Mike, and welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

I can speak to the HAL question. The $100/200/300 ShoreX credits in the Have-It-All packages are money towards excursions. The original verbage did make it sound the way you understand it, but it was swiftly ironed out to be money towards whatever combination of ShoreX you want to take. But you must spend it on excursions OR end-of-cruise transfers sold as excursions by the ship, or forfeit. 

 

ETA: On HAL the very price-iest Neptune or Pinnacle suites get to cut the ShoreX desk line -- but only on the ship! Therefore book your excursions pre-sailing and you will be safe. 

Edited January 9 by crystalspin

[Hlitner]

Shore excursion credits can be a real pain.  For example, on our Westerdam cruise (last spring) we had a significant amount of shore excursion credits (we normally avoid excursions like the plague) so booked more than enough excursions to use our credits.  Once aboard the ship, HAL started to cancel numerous excursions which meant we had to scramble to find other excursions (most were sold out or cancelled) to use up our credit.  And then HAL cancelled our final port (due to weather) which meant that the shore excursions for that port were also cancelled.  The unused shore excursion credits could not be used anywhere else, and that money is simply "donated" to the cruise line.  

 

This is not a problem unique to HAL and is an issue on other lines that have included shore-excursion credits.  It has become a discussion topic on Oceania because their new pricing provides included shore excursion credits.  But when all or most of the excursions are sold-out or cancelled (by the cruise line) folks lose the credits (for which they paid as part of their cruise fare).  In a sense, folks pay for something they may not be able to get.  Kind of like paying an air fare, having your flight cancelled, and the airline says...oops but does not give you a refund.

 

Hank

[lenquixote66]

On 12/26/2023 at 2:59 PM, CruisingCookie21 said:

If you are booking shore excursions, how far in advance of the cruise do you book yours?

If it is an outdoor trip less than 24 hours because weather could be a factor.

[MWarren3549]

On 12/26/2023 at 2:59 PM, CruisingCookie21 said:

If you are booking shore excursions, how far in advance of the cruise do you book yours?

As soon as possible.  The one I am on for my upcoming Jan. 2024 cruise has been sold out for a couple of weeks.  

[Mike_and_Co]

19 hours ago, crystalspin said:

I can speak to the HAL question. 

Thank you. When we went to France, we tried to learn a few phrases such as please, thank you and good day. Now I find that it would be useful to learn the languages of TA and OBC and ShoreX. 

 

I guess it can't be any more difficult any other language, but I expect it will take some application and practice... 

 

Edited January 9 by Mike_and_Co

[Hlitner]

4 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

If it is an outdoor trip less than 24 hours because weather could be a factor.

I understand, from your posts, that you are no longer cruising.  Times have changed and on many cruise lines, the most popular excursions are sold-out weeks/months in advance,  Wait to the last minute and you will likely get no options (this has been the case on our most recent HAL, Princess and Seabourn cruises,   

 

This creates a real dilemma for those that prefer the crowded large group excursions.  They book far in advance and deal with weather related issues, or wait until the last minute and get no excursions,  For those of us who are independent DIY types, none of this is an issue.  

 

Hank

[lenquixote66]

27 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I understand, from your posts, that you are no longer cruising.  Times have changed and on many cruise lines, the most popular excursions are sold-out weeks/months in advance,  Wait to the last minute and you will likely get no options (this has been the case on our most recent HAL, Princess and Seabourn cruises,   

 

This creates a real dilemma for those that prefer the crowded large group excursions.  They book far in advance and deal with weather related issues, or wait until the last minute and get no excursions,  For those of us who are independent DIY types, none of this is an issue.  

 

Hank

Correct that I am no longer cruising.I post re past experiences.

[Hlitner]

40 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

Correct that I am no longer cruising.I post re past experiences.

Like you, we have plenty of past experiences.  But things have changed, and generally not for the better.

 

Hank

[lenquixote66]

Just now, Hlitner said:

Like you, we have plenty of past experiences.  But things have changed, and generally not for the better.

 

Hank

We last cruised December ,2019.

[Mike_and_Co]

On 1/9/2024 at 8:26 AM, Hlitner said:

Kind of like paying an air fare, having your flight cancelled, and the airline says...oops but does not give you a refund.

Well oops is certainly a start… ; ) 

 

OBC is like scrip at the company store, but as you note it’s used by most lines so we’re left to deal with it as best we can. 

[Hlitner]

7 hours ago, Mike_and_Co said:

Well oops is certainly a start… ; ) 

 

OBC is like scrip at the company store, but as you note it’s used by most lines so we’re left to deal with it as best we can. 

Not exactly the point I was making in regard to Shore Excursion credits.  When it comes to On Board Credit (OBC) most cruise lines break that down into two types, refundable and non-refundable.  The refundable OBC is more like cash in a checking account.  If left unused, it will be refunded by the cruise lines (the method varies by line and amount).  We have been on many cruises when we have post cruise refunds of over $1000.  

 

The problem with "shore excursion credits" is that most lines treat this as non-refundable OBC.  If unused (at the end of the cruise) it is lost!  With the schemes used by some cruise lines (such as Oceania) the cruise fare INCLUDES a component for shore excursions.  Cruisers may be required (in the case of Oceania) to pay for shore excursions as part of the cruise price!  But there are times when it can be impossible to use that shore excursion credit because of cruise line cancellations and/or no acceptable available shore excursions.  So, in a sense, cruisers may be required (in order to book the cruise) to buy shore excursion credits that cannot be used.  Kind of like being forced to buy 10 gallons of gasoline at the station, but only being given 8 gallons at the pump.  In most places this is considered a crime (theft by deception).

 

What is a cruiser to do?  We are already seeing the comments on the Oceania boards (where recent changes in price policy make the purchase of shore excursion credit. Mandatory) when some cruisers say they will no longer book that line.  We know folks who will not book Regent Cruise Lines because the fare includes excursions that they do not want to take (or pay for).  There are other cruise lines, such as Seabourn, that do not include any shore excursion credit in their fare.

 

Why are cruise lines, like Oceania, forcing folks to pay for shore excursions?  I think the reality is that cruise lines over price (in a big way) their excursions which have become a major profit center.  Some cruisers (including moi) seldom to never book excursions because we are not fans of overpaying for overcrowded group events.  DW and I are happy to go most places in the world "DIY" which allows us to go where we want, when we want, with who we want!  When on a line like Oceania, we do compromise and book the minimum amount of excursions required to utilize the shore excursion credit.

 

Hank