Can you cancel excursions without penalty?

[kpgclark]

Can you cancel excursions without penalty? We are planning on booking an excursion online for our Thanksgiving cruise today or tomorrow. Can we cancel a booked excursion prior to sailing or when we get on the ship? What is the policy?

[wrp96]

You can book online until 10 days before your cruise after that you have to wait until you are on the ship. You can cancel and get your money back as long as you do it at least 24 hours before the excursion. If you cancel before you leave for the cruise, the money will go back to the credit card you used to book with. If you cancel while onboard, the money will go on your seapass card onboard.

[Croozin Soozin]

Yes, you can cancel without penalty up to 24 hours before your excursion.

[Treven]

That's pretty much industry wide.

[Madzulu]

What they don't point out,

 

They bill your credit card immediately.

They will only process the refund 2 billing cycles later.

[Frazzle]

And can I then ask...

 

What if you have pre-booked an excursion ex. snorkelling and the weather isn't good for it, but it's the same day...can that be cancelled even though it's within 24 hours?

[KelJ]

What they don't point out,

 

They bill your credit card immediately.

They will only process the refund 2 billing cycles later.

 

This has not been my experience, even though they advise you that it MAY take up to two billing cycles for it to show up on your statement. Prior to our last cruise, I canceled an excursion that I had booked. The credit showed up within a week. For our upcoming cruise, I canceled an excursion last month and substituted a different one. The credit and the new charge both showed up in two days.

[KelJ]

And can I then ask...

 

What if you have pre-booked an excursion ex. snorkelling and the weather isn't good for it, but it's the same day...can that be cancelled even though it's within 24 hours?

 

If the ship-sponsored excursion is canceled for any reason at any time while you are on board, you will receive an on-board credit. If the excursion goes on as scheduled and you back out within the 24 hours because of weather, I think you will be on the hook for the cost.

[nlcentralchmps03]

If the ship-sponsored excursion is canceled for any reason at any time while you are on board, you will receive an on-board credit. If the excursion goes on as scheduled and you back out within the 24 hours because of weather, I think you will be on the hook for the cost.

Yup.

 

In Cozumel we did a beach break and it was a cloudy, at sometimes rainy day, but the excursion still went on as planned. We were forced to go, but still had a great time!

[Cruise-Nut]

What they don't point out,

 

They bill your credit card immediately.

They will only process the refund 2 billing cycles later.

 

They tell you that to cover all basis. They give you the credit after the paperwork goes through. Give them a break - It is not them that cancelled the excursion.

[zebra36]

That's pretty much industry wide.

I did notice a sign posted at the excursion desk on another line that an administrative fee would be imposed on cancellations and would not be surprised to see this work its way through the rest of the industry.

[rsscaptain]

When do the excursions become availible in relation to the sailing date? Also, are there any companies that do excursions that some of you have had success with besides RCI?

 

Our cruise is the Western Carib.

[takeavacation]

When do the excursions become availible in relation to the sailing date? Also, are there any companies that do excursions that some of you have had success with besides RCI?

 

Our cruise is the Western Carib.

 

Check out the ports board -- you'll find lots of vendors to use besides RCI. I just came back from Western Carib - and used Phil Lafayatte in Jamaica (Ocho Rios). He was incredibly awesome! We went tubing on the White River and climbed Dunns River Falls - plus a great tour. In Grand Cayman - we used Nativeways for a tour of the island (turtle farm, hell) and to go out to Stingray City to visit with the stingrays -- they were great for the water portion and ok for the land portion of the trip.

[ElvisandTracey]

In 2003 on the Navigator we pre-booked an Atlantis submarine ride in St. Thomas-we were chasing a trop. storm the whole trip, so excursions were iffy at best.

 

When we got to St. Thomas, our ride was the first to leave, and it was raining heavily. After our tour, weather got even worse, and it was unsafe to go between the boat and the sub out in deep water, so they cancelled the rest of the tours for the day due to heavy rain, and all those who were cancelled got on-board credit for the amount of their excursion-we did ours in choppy water and pouring rain, but had to pay for it anyway.

 

They don't go if it isn't safe, but they may go if the weather is unpleasant!!