Planning Excursions / CCL Circle C

[myamifin]

Can anyone advise how to get around planning your excursions while CCL cannot advise you prior to boarding what the kids club excursion will be (or if they will even have one)?

When I spoke to CCL, they advised that if we booked our excursions and cancelled once we boarded to arrange for the kids to do the kids excursion, there would be a minimum 10% cancellation fee.

We don't want to wait until boarding to arrange for our excursions (as some of the ones we are looking at are limited) but we don't want to incur cancellation fees to allow our kids to fully enjoy their experience.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to handle this?

[crusinmama06]

Ouch, 10%? I get your point.

 

The only way I can think the "get around it" is to go to the roll calls right before your sailing and see if you can get someone to email you the Circle C pages when they get back (before your cruise)

 

But even that isn't full proof because they may cancel the kid excursion for your sailing. :(

 

I haven't heard much about anyone's kids going on those excursions. But I have seen them listed in Circle C. I would love to hear about their experiences when you get back.

[cb at sea]

Any excursions that aren't "must do's"--just wait until you board. If it won't ruin your vacation IF an excursion is full (and they do hold back a certain number of spots for onboard booking), then you won't risk losing your money.

Talk to the kids and see if they'd be willing to risk missing out on what you (as a family) want to book.

If they REALLY want to do your excursions, then they can skip the kid's club thing!

[myamifin]

Thanks for the replies.

I talked to the kids last night and I think we are going to forget the kids excursions and just book on our own. Too bad for CCL - they lose out on the business.

 

I don't want to wait until on board, as one of the excursions will be booked wiht an independent, and I can't do that on board.

 

Thanks again

 

38 days and counting! :D

[siestakim]

That must be a fairly new policy. We've been on many carnival shore excursions and booked them on the internet beforehand. They always told us that as long as you cancel before 24 hours of the excursions you get a full refund. We actually canceled one of ours b/c a friend of mine sprained her ankle 3 days before getting on the boat, but we had already purchased the shore excursion. So we went to the desk and got a full refund.