Do we have to book excursions before we go?

[applequeen]

Hi Everyone,

 

My husband and I will be taking the Magesty out of Charleston on December 27 and I'm wondering about booking excursions.

 

Do we have to book before we go or can we book them on the ship (or will they be full by that time). I'm thinking we may do a couple through NCL but will do some (like a trip to NASA) on our own. I'm hesitant to book anything (water activities especially) until we have a better idea of what the weather/ water temps will be.

 

Any suggestions?....Thanks!

[johnql]

You do not have to book excursions beforehand, but you do run the risk of some of the more popular ones being sold out. There are always excursions available onboard. The decision really depends on how disappointed you would be if you missed out on a particular excursion. If it's that important, book it beforehand. If it's cancelled, you'll get a refund anyway (except for the rare exception where refunds are not granted because of the nature of the excursion, e.g., helicopter, scuba diving, snuba, sportfishing and golf tours).

[lukes]

have never found anything to be sold out before hand. We have booked very popular excurisions on board. I beleive they always hold spots for every excurision. Also it has been our experience that if the ship has to cancel an excurision due to weather even scuba or snorkeling you will get a full refund.

[applequeen]

Thanks,

 

I'm not really worried about cancellations due to weather... more worried about cold water or that sort of thing. I'm cold blooded and I'd hate to book something and then be miserable because the water is too cool for me. I'm thinking that after the first stop at Great Stirrup Cay I'll probably have a better idea if the water temps are going to be a problem for me.

 

There aren't really any that I've seen that I'll just die if I don't get to do but if there is anything special that my husband wants to do we'll probably book in advance otherwise we'll just figure it out when we get on board.

[garycarla]

Sometimes things get full.

 

But for us, that is not a problem. Most excurisions are overpriced and not always that great. There are great ones, but that is generally not the rule and you can enjoy yourself, by yourself.

[applequeen]

That's sort of what I'm thinking. I don't want to pay for something I could do just as well on my own.

 

If I decide to do a special activity (diving, sailing, etc.) I'll probably book through the cruise. It might cost a little more but sometimes it's worth the convenience. We learned that lesson the hard way on a trip to Puerto Rico last year (no cruise.. just resort vacation). We saved a ton on our DIY trip to the Bacardi tour but it was such a hassel getting to and from (bus, ferry, van, etc.) I'm not sure it was worth it in the end (if you've ever taken the tour you know what I mean). :)

[OHCruiser]

We always book in advance (on our first cruise to Mexico, many of the most popular were sold out and there was a lot of screaming at the excursion desk....). I like the fact that I can read the description online and then search it on Google. I can take my time and make informed decisions.

 

We're a bit different than many cruisers in that we always book thru the cruisline. I'm the first to want to save $$$, but the risk of losing lots of time or $ because an independent operator arrives late, gets me back to the ship late, etc., just doesn't seem worth it in most cases.

 

I feel that I'm paying a bit extra for the good relationship/goodwill that the cruiseline has with the tour operators and for the right to relax on the excursion knowing that there will be a refund if the operator creates a problem (or that they'll hold the boat if we're late).

 

Maybe I'm lucky, but I've never been on a ship sponsored excursion that I felt was grossly overpriced, given the itineraries and benefits offered.

 

Just my honest .02

[terrymtex01]

You do not have to book anything, as others have said. However, fair warning. If there is an excursion that you want to do so badly that it would ruin your cruise if you got on board and the excursion was sold out, book it. That happened to us one time. Well.. it didn't ruin our cruise, but I was SOOOOOO disappointed. If it is just a day at the beach, risk it. You can always get a cab to take you to a beach (although getting one to take you back maybe an issue..had that happen to us too).

 

You can save money by booking private excursions, etc. But I can tell you, the only way you are the most safe is by going through the cruise line. After almost missing getting back to the ship because we could not get a cab at the beach, peace of mind is worth every penny to us.

[applequeen]

Thanks to all for the advice.

 

I guess we'll be doing a combination of all options.

 

If there is any particular excursion we must do we will book before we go (I agree it's worth the $ for the convenience to book through NCL).

 

We may book something else once on the ship if we need/ want to and we'll be doing the NASA tour on our own since it seems easy to DIY although I'm going to take another look at the cost comparison between booking it versus cab fare plus ticket prices. Does anyone have any idea how much cab fare between the port and the space center might run?

[terrymtex01]

Thanks to all for the advice.

 

I guess we'll be doing a combination of all options.

 

If there is any particular excursion we must do we will book before we go (I agree it's worth the $ for the convenience to book through NCL).

 

We may book something else once on the ship if we need/ want to and we'll be doing the NASA tour on our own since it seems easy to DIY although I'm going to take another look at the cost comparison between booking it versus cab fare plus ticket prices. Does anyone have any idea how much cab fare between the port and the space center might run?

 

I don't have an idea about cab fare, but you might check ports of call section of threads and ask a local person there if they could give you an idea.

 

On something like this, I would probably not be as nervous booking a "DIY" tour because you should have no problems getting a cab at the space center. On our last cruise at Cozumel we did a DIY (which like I say usually makes me very nervous) but we are fairly knowledgeable about Cozumel and felt more safe. We figured if we were not able to get a cab at the beach club we went to that we could just a half mile away at Carlos and Charlies so at worst we would have a little walk along the beach to catch a cab. So I really do think you will be fine doing the space center thing on your own.