Excursion Strategy

[Jack E Dawson]

We are booked on the QV for next May going from Istanbul to Rome with various stops in the Greek Isles. Normally, we would book our excursions in advance but on this voyage we will have considerable OBC. So the dilemma is that if we book excursions in advance of the cruise, we pay out of pocket. However, if we book onboard, we can use the free OBC but risk availability issues (we are on the 2nd leg of this 4 leg cruise). We were thinking of booking the excursions in advance, then checking on availability when we board. If the specific excursions are still available, we would cancel our precooked excursions and rebook on the ship. It's my understanding that excursions cancelled 48 hours in advance are fully refundable. The first of the excursions we are looking at is on day 3. 

Is this a do-able strategy or am I missing something?

Thanks,

Jack

[bluemarble]

10 minutes ago, Jack E Dawson said:

... It's my understanding that excursions cancelled 48 hours in advance are fully refundable. ...

 

That's not my understanding from reading the Shore Experiences "Terms and Conditions" found here on the Cunard US website. This indicates there is a 10% cancellation fee for cancelling a shore excursion on board.

 

https://www.cunard.com/en-us/my-cunard-tcs#shoreexperiences

 

"(i) Pre-paid Shore Experience bookings

 

Once on board, if you wish to cancel your Shore Experiences before the cancellation deadline (generally 48 hours prior to the arrival in port) a 10% cancellation fee will be applied to your on board account and the full amount paid will be refunded to your original credit/debit card."

 

 

The other factor which may be worth mentioning is that there is a 10% discount for booking shore excursions in advance. So as I understand it, cancelling and re-booking on board would incur both a 10% cancellation penalty and the loss of that 10% discount for booking prior to boarding.

[Pushpit]

Cunard have a good margin on excursions, and so they have every incentive to absolutely ensure that excursions are available. I don't think I've ever had a port visit where every single excursion is taken, and those on the Cinderella excursions seem to come back delighted with their choice. I would guess one or two of the current excursions you feel quite strongly that you want to be on (if Pompeii is on it, and you've not been before, then that may be a good example). So pre-book the real top hit or two on your list, OBC the rest, and do a bit of "on the day" arrangements for suitable locations, typically those with an interesting town near the dock. A pleasant wander around and a coffee / glass of wine in a nice café can give unforgettable memories as much as any formal excursion. 

 

I think there's a general travel point about some places. I think it's quite a positive stance to say "yes I enjoyed the city of X, but I didn't get to see Y, so that's a good excuse for me to try to return to X one day". For places like big cities you have no choice but to take this position, but even smaller ports all have some gem waiting for your next visit.

[TowandaUK]

When we were on Queen Anne in May we prebooked excursions. Once onboard we decided we had booked one day-long excursion that we felt would be too taxing. There was a half day excursion that we preferred. We could not cancel online, and as the excursion office was closed we could not visit to cancel in person at that time. We booked online for the excursion we wanted (we were surprised that the system allowed us to do that when we were already booked for that time). First thing next morning I went to the shore excursion office and explained the situation. The day-long excursion was cancelled. I think this was 3 or 4 days before it was due. We received full refund to our card the next day. We were not charged a cancellation fee. 

[Jack E Dawson]

Goos point about the 10% cancellation fee but on a $100 excursion, that will only be $10 which I will chalk up to Peace Of Mind and a chance to save $90.

Thanks

Jack

[sogne]

18 minutes ago, Jack E Dawson said:

Goos point about the 10% cancellation fee but on a $100 excursion, that will only be $10 which I will chalk up to Peace Of Mind and a chance to save $90.

Thanks

Jack

Don't cancel on board if your tour is wait listed. As soon as you cancel your place will go to the pax at head of wait list automatically. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

2 hours ago, Pushpit said:

Cunard have a good margin on excursions, and so they have every incentive to absolutely ensure that excursions are available. I don't think I've ever had a port visit where every single excursion is taken, and those on the Cinderella excursions seem to come back delighted with their choice. I would guess one or two of the current excursions you feel quite strongly that you want to be on (if Pompeii is on it, and you've not been before, then that may be a good example). So pre-book the real top hit or two on your list, OBC the rest, and do a bit of "on the day" arrangements for suitable locations, typically those with an interesting town near the dock. A pleasant wander around and a coffee / glass of wine in a nice café can give unforgettable memories as much as any formal excursion. 

 

I think there's a general travel point about some places. I think it's quite a positive stance to say "yes I enjoyed the city of X, but I didn't get to see Y, so that's a good excuse for me to try to return to X one day". For places like big cities you have no choice but to take this position, but even smaller ports all have some gem waiting for your next visit.

 

 

Good advice!. Some excursions may be limited and if there's something I absolutely want to see, I book in advance.

 

Your touring sounds a lot like mine. I do some ship tours, some non-ship tours, and some, as you say, wanders. On my Britain cruise on QE, I wanted one port to be an easy day, so I did a ramble around Greenock. Found a lovely church, interesting small museum, several "homage to James Watt" sites, and a great yarn shop. The only thing missing was an ice cream stop because the place I expected to go to was closed that day. 

 

I learned long ago not to try to see everything in one day. I think of a cruise stop as a chance to sample a new place. Some places are a one and done, but you never know what place will speak to you and call you back. Who knew that we would like Reykjavik so much that 15 years later we would do a land tour driving all the way around Iceland? It was DH's favorite trip of all the places we went.

[57eric]

Is the 10% fee a new thing?  I cancelled an excursion on board last year and got a full refund.

[WantedOnVoyage]

We called at Reykjavik and Greenock aboard QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 and enjoyed the best weather we had on the whole cruise in both.   It was special to be aboard QE2 as she returned to the river of her birth and the scenery of the Clyde is so stunning it has even been confused with that of Geirangerfjord on this site! 

 

We sat next to the most wonderful Clydebank couple in the then "Princess Grill" which was, wonderfully quite original from its days as "The Grill" on QE2.  The gentlemen told us the most off colour and so Clydebank joke about Greenock (which I shall not repeat here as there are too many tender souls about I fear) that whenever we think of the place, we just smile and laugh.  Now that is a special memory of people and places that makes a lifetime of travel worthwhile. We went on a tour whilst at Greenock and you know, I don't remember much about it, either! But that joke... will stay with us forever.  

[bluemarble]

54 minutes ago, 57eric said:

Is the 10% fee a new thing?  I cancelled an excursion on board last year and got a full refund.

 

No, that wording in the shore excursions terms and conditions about the 10% cancellation penalty is not new. I have a version of those terms and conditions from 2013 containing exactly that same wording.

 

Based on the experiences reported here, perhaps it's a policy that isn't actually enforced. Perhaps it's something akin to the limits on the amount of wine and spirits that may be brought on board which are not enforced.

[exlondoner]

4 hours ago, bluemarble said:

 

No, that wording in the shore excursions terms and conditions about the 10% cancellation penalty is not new. I have a version of those terms and conditions from 2013 containing exactly that same wording.

 

Based on the experiences reported here, perhaps it's a policy that isn't actually enforced. Perhaps it's something akin to the limits on the amount of wine and spirits that may be brought on board which are not enforced.

I suspect that, if they have other people who want the tour, they may not charge.

 

i have never booked an excursion until on board, partly because of using credit, and partly because I don’t understand how I can possibly know what I would feel like doing so far in advance. We don’t do many tours, but I have never failed to get on the ones I wanted through booking on board. And if I did, I would be more than happy spending the day on the empty and beautiful ship.

[exlondoner]

9 hours ago, sogne said:

Don't cancel on board if your tour is wait listed. As soon as you cancel your place will go to the pax at head of wait list automatically. 

Why is that a bad thing? 

[sogne]

5 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Why is that a bad thing? 

The OP was asking about booking tours b4 boarding and then cancelling and rebooking on board with OBC.

[King Amo]

We've just come back from 14 nights on QV, and if this year is anything to go by, I'd suggest waiting until you were on board and using your credit. There was availability for everything aside from the extremely niche and limited (e.g. 4x4 treks etc.), and in some cases they were saying that people could just turn up at the meeting time and they would sort everything out there and then. 

 

The clientele was very different to a TA or sailing from Southampton, and it appeared that most opted not to take Cunard's excursions. 

 

Perhaps if there is something you are absolutely dead set on, you could book that and not risk it, but I was very surprised by how much was still available. 

[exlondoner]

39 minutes ago, King Amo said:

We've just come back from 14 nights on QV, and if this year is anything to go by, I'd suggest waiting until you were on board and using your credit. There was availability for everything aside from the extremely niche and limited (e.g. 4x4 treks etc.), and in some cases they were saying that people could just turn up at the meeting time and they would sort everything out there and then. 

 

The clientele was very different to a TA or sailing from Southampton, and it appeared that most opted not to take Cunard's excursions. 

 

Perhaps if there is something you are absolutely dead set on, you could book that and not risk it, but I was very surprised by how much was still available. 

Hope you have had a nice time. Even sailing from Southampton, I have never failed to get on an excursion I wanted. Once in St. Petersburg we were on the waiting list, but they organised another tour. Anyway that is no longer a port that need concern us.

[King Amo]

1 hour ago, exlondoner said:

Hope you have had a nice time. Even sailing from Southampton, I have never failed to get on an excursion I wanted. Once in St. Petersburg we were on the waiting list, but they organised another tour. Anyway that is no longer a port that need concern us.

Fabulous, thanks. Will put together my thoughts and observations at some point as naturally there are many! 

 

To be honest, I generally only give a passing glance to excursions, more for curiosity value as to what is being offered and what appears to be popular. There has generally been, in my experience, a greater demand for excursions when either the number of US guests is high, the ports of call are somewhat tricky (such as St Petersburg for visas etc.) or local infrastructure is poor or unreliable. On this trip the only real places that would have warranted a booked excursion would have been Toulon if you were wanting to get to St Tropez, or Naples if you were wanting to guarantee getting back in time from Capri. Other than that it was dead easy to do it yourself, and helped massively by the free shuttles provided everywhere we weren't docked right in the centre of town. 

[exlondoner]

3 minutes ago, King Amo said:

Fabulous, thanks. Will put together my thoughts and observations at some point as naturally there are many! 

 

To be honest, I generally only give a passing glance to excursions, more for curiosity value as to what is being offered and what appears to be popular. There has generally been, in my experience, a greater demand for excursions when either the number of US guests is high, the ports of call are somewhat tricky (such as St Petersburg for visas etc.) or local infrastructure is poor or unreliable. On this trip the only real places that would have warranted a booked excursion would have been Toulon if you were wanting to get to St Tropez, or Naples if you were wanting to guarantee getting back in time from Capri. Other than that it was dead easy to do it yourself, and helped massively by the free shuttles provided everywhere we weren't docked right in the centre of town. 

Yes, I agree. Particularly in the Med, we usually like just to wander round the town centre, availing ourselves of coffee and ice creams and viewing the occasion cathedral.

[3rdGenCunarder]

5 hours ago, King Amo said:

We've just come back from 14 nights on QV, and if this year is anything to go by, I'd suggest waiting until you were on board and using your credit. There was availability for everything aside from the extremely niche and limited (e.g. 4x4 treks etc.), and in some cases they were saying that people could just turn up at the meeting time and they would sort everything out there and then. 

 

The clientele was very different to a TA or sailing from Southampton, and it appeared that most opted not to take Cunard's excursions. 

 

Perhaps if there is something you are absolutely dead set on, you could book that and not risk it, but I was very surprised by how much was still available. 

 

I think part of the tour availability is that people are getting better at online research all the time. Just do a search for "tours in xxx" and you'll see options and also get a sense of price. People have long complained that cruise line tours are more expensive, and I hadn't seen a lot of that until recent years. But now, do some research and you can see how much the cruise lines are padding the costs.

 

I dumped a long HAL cruise with a lot of small ports because the ports themselves had very little to do-- an hour's ramble taking pictures and that's it OR an expensive long bus ride to see something less than thrilling to me. All the local vendors had been snapped up by HAL. I could find out what these tours cost on non-cruise days, and for some, HAL was charging 40% more. 

 

Cunard is guilty, too. Wrangell, Alaska, is a small town. The main touring thing is a boat to see whales or bears or a glacier (I think). Just a few companies. NO availability for tours on the day we would be there. I contacted a vendor who said they were all booked up with Cunard and now it was a matter of which company would do which tours. A month later, the tours were posted for the cruise. Prices were about 30% higher than if I'd been there the day before and booked on my own. In this case, I sucked it up and paid the higher price for a tour I really really wanted. I just hope Cunard paid the vendors well.

[stephen@stoneyard.co.uk]

Most of ports on our Iceland cruise (not Cunard) offered very little unless you booked a day long tour.
 

I enjoy Norway cruises as I can see so much from easily from the ship. I like to be up at 5am for the sail in through the Fjords, and then explore the lovely village by myself. A longish walk up a valley is often nice too.  In the UK or Ireland I am happy to hire a car and get ahead of the tour busses. In the Mediterranean I might try local trains knowing that the next port is often only an hour away if I missed the ship. Islands are always a bit of a risk. So I tend to stay closer to the ship. 

[Jack E Dawson]

Thank you everyone for your insights and suggestions. We have gone ahead and booked and paid for  2 excursions to the locations that are really important to us. Once we board, if there is still availability, we will cancel and rebook using OBC. The risk, about $20, is well worth the reward, saving about $180. But now I can check this off the list and enjoy peace of mind. Unfortunately the cruise is not till next May but I will report back on how it goes.

Thanks

Jack

[3rdGenCunarder]

3 hours ago, stephen@stoneyard.co.uk said:

Most of ports on our Iceland cruise (not Cunard) offered very little unless you booked a day long tour.
 

I enjoy Norway cruises as I can see so much from easily from the ship. I like to be up at 5am for the sail in through the Fjords, and then explore the lovely village by myself. A longish walk up a valley is often nice too.  In the UK or Ireland I am happy to hire a car and get ahead of the tour busses. In the Mediterranean I might try local trains knowing that the next port is often only an hour away if I missed the ship. Islands are always a bit of a risk. So I tend to stay closer to the ship. 

 

We rented a car on PEI one time because I wanted to see the red sand beach and then go to Green Gables. We got to Green Gables just as the morning tour busses were leaving and we left just as the afternoon busses arrived. Avoiding crowds is one of the advantages of going on your own. And we also found a good lunch "off the beaten track."