NCL shore excursions

[Peachypooh]

We have had good luck with some shore excursions and have taken

advantage of tours we otherwise would not have known about such

as the Tuk Tuk tour in Bonaire. Also the transfer to Cocoa Beach in

Florida. With the shore excursion credit they were almost free. That said

I was  recently checking shore excursions in St. Thomas for an upcoming cruise and 

I noticed that the Pirate Museum and Tram tickets were around $50 more for

the two of us instead of us walking there and buying tickets on the spot.

It is probably obvious to frequent cruisers but for the newbies out there

check what it would cost to do some of these tours on your own before

buying the NCL shore excursions. We did see the lumberjack show

in Ketchikan with  NCL shore ex tickets for the exact same money as if we

bought them there on the spot. So it varies.

 

[mjkacmom]

Cruise line excursions are almost always more expensive than private of just doing it on your own. I remember wondering g who paid for the NCL cocoa beach shuttle on our cruises (this was before the excursion credit so it was all oop). You could see cheaper options from the ship.

[jrt.mom]

I know the NCL shore excursions cost more, but to me it's like buying insurance. If an NCL excursion is late returning they will either hold the ship, or if they can't,  they'll pay any costs associated with meeting up with the ship. It would only take the cost of missing the ship on a non NCL excursion to more than make up the difference in NCL's higher price.

[mskaufman]

As NCL Silver there is a 10% discount in addition to the $50.  That said, we do a mix of NCL, private, and DIY.

[chill6x6]

Normally in the Caribbean we do our own thing.  We know where to go and what to do! In March we have Mexican Riviera...Probably will do all NCL excursions unless I figure some alternative out.

[mek]

51 minutes ago, mskaufman said:

As NCL Silver there is a 10% discount in addition to the $50.  That said, we do a mix of NCL, private, and DIY.

I'm also Silver - I don't sail on NCL very often and didn't realize there is an additional 10% discount.  Will be sailing on Joy in September. 

[Asawi]

5 hours ago, mek said:

I'm also Silver - I don't sail on NCL very often and didn't realize there is an additional 10% discount.  Will be sailing on Joy in September. 

Just so you know: The 10% is on the price AFTER the $50 discount. Not that it makes a huge difference ($5) but still...

[ontheweb]

3 hours ago, Asawi said:

Just so you know: The 10% is on the price AFTER the $50 discount. Not that it makes a huge difference ($5) but still...

Funny, I pointed that out before our Prima cruise this past summer and was then FLAMED for pointing that out.

 

And it was done exactly as you said for our excursion to Alesund and the excursion Brugge on your own that we had booked before the port was cancelled due to an extremely low tide. (The reason we booked that rather than public transportation was the $50 off + 10%.) But when we on the ship booked an excursion to the airport with a museum stop, the 10% was actually taken off first and then the $50.

[Asawi]

3 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

But when we on the ship booked an excursion to the airport with a museum stop, the 10% was actually taken off first and then the $50.

That's ineresting! 

[ontheweb]

7 minutes ago, Asawi said:

That's ineresting! 

I kept checking our account on the television and not seeing the $50 off. I went and asked about this at guest services and was told it comes off after the excursion, but go check with the excursion desk. I asked how can it come off after the excursion and be on our onboard account when it would come off after the cruise. At the excursion desk, they assured me it would come off on the last day, and it did.

 

I think this is why that happened with the $50 coming off afterwards. So, if I am correct in this analysis, it would only apply to excursions taking you to the airport with a stopover.

[Asawi]

5 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

I think this is why that happened with the $50 coming off afterwards. 

This was my thoughts as well!