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Cruise Shore Excursions, Who should you book with?
There are many different Cruise Shore Excursions to choose from, each offering you different sites and sounds that cater to different tastes and preferences. So you are wondering when the best time to book Cruise Shore Excursions is? And who should you book through?
There are a number of options on when to book your Shore Excursions and tours and who to book you Shore Excursion through -
- Prior to boarding through the Cruise Ship company.
- Prior to boarding through an independent operator.
- When on board through the Shore Excursion desk.
- When you arrive at the port and find a local operator.
In this article I will look at each of these options advantages and disadvantages as well as some important tips to remember when you are looking at potential Cruise Shore Excursions.
The first thing you need to do is research exactly what it is you want to do at each port. Do you want to just go to the beach or go Zip lining high above the canopy floor in a remote rainforest. The options for Shore Excursions are almost endless and reading through what your Cruise Ship company provides and what is offered independantly is always a good idea.
Myan Ruins at Tulum, Mexico
Prior to boarding through the Cruise Ship company
By booking online or over the phone with the Cruise Ship company you have a number of guarantees that are provided and also the knowledge that you will have tickets waiting for you when you board the Cruise Ship for you holiday. Some of the guarantees that are offered include -
Safety and Insured Operators
In most cases the cruise line will have had a full safety review to ensure the Shore Excursion is safe for there passengers, also as part of the agreement between the cruise line and the operator they have to be insured.
Pick up Drop off at Pier
If you take a Shore Excursion organised through the Cruise Ship company you are picked up and dropped off right back at the pier. It is nice to know that all you have to do is meet where you ticket says to meet, usually right of the gangway on the pier.
The Ship Will Wait!
Make sure you check this with your Cruise Ship Company but in most cases if you are on a Shore Excursion where the ship is running late the ship will wait. It is very good to know that if the tour is held up you will not miss your boat.
Itinerary Changes
If there are itinerary changes because of weather or some other unforseen circumstance then your will get your money refunded.
But these guarantees provided by the cruise lines come at a price, the Shore Excursions are usually more expensive than local operators but that is the price you pay for convienance.
(Big Tip - If you do book prior to boarding one of the first things you should do is check your Shore Excursion tickets, if their not in your state room then you should head straight down to the Shore Excursion desk and find out where they are. Computers make mistakes sometimes )
Prior to boarding through an Independent Operator
There are many companies offering Shore Excursions at your ports of call, you can often research them online or do a quick search through google and find many of them offering the same tours that your Cruise Ship company is offering (sometimes they are even the same companies). There are some things you need to make sure of when you look at these tours -
Dolphin swim in Belize
- How long is the tour (you need to make it back to the ship!).
- Does the tour meet in a easy to find place, or pick up from ship.
- Does the operator have insurance? if not make sure your insurance will cover you over seas.
- How much will it cost? compare this to your Cruise Ships offering.
If you find out all the answers to these questions and are comfortable with the answers, book the tour and in most cases you will have a great time.
(Big Tip - If possible try and find a company that provides the Shore Excursions to your Cruise Ship and see if you can book the same tour with the same group but directly through the company, this will always work out cheaper and if you are with the group from the ship the ship will wait for them (and you!).)
When on board through the Shore Excursion desk
Booking on board at the Shore Excursion desk has many of the advantages of booking online prior to the cruise, however one of the big advantages that is not available prior to the cruise is the access you will get to the Shore Excursion Staff.
These will be the best people you can possible talk to when planning your Shore Excursions for your ports of call. They have been there, done that and bought the DVD. on many of the tours you are looking at and in most cases will tell you straight what is good and what isn’t. This is your most valuable resource in regards to Shore Excursions and even Non-Shore Excursion related questions (they wont like me for saying that).
The one problem with booking once onboard is that Shore Excursions do and will sell out, this can be frustrating if you have something you really want to do. If this does happen check back with the Shore Excursion desk as people do get to much sun, sick or decided that flying 300ft above the ground is a bad idea.
Also if a tour is sold out that you really want to do you can ask to be put on a wait list and the Shore Excursion staff will deliver the tickets when they become available.
Norwegian Pearl docked in Ocho Rios, Jamaica
When you arrive at the port and find a local operator
Winging it when you get to the port can be the cheapest way to find a tour…..but also the most risky. Those who have been cruising before will know that when you get off the ship in the Caribbean there is often many independent operators offering tours, often these guys don’t have insurance and their normal job is the local taxi driver who is a little bit enterprising.
These operators can also be a cheep way to get to a place you already know about and all you want is a lift. Make sure you negotiate a price with them as this is always an option, also don’t forget to tip, wages in the Caribbean are low and tourism is one of their primary sources of income.
What every option you chose make sure you are comfortable with it, each of these has its advantages and disadvantages but as long as you are happy with what you are doing you will have fun.
If you have any tips or ideas about booking Shore Excursions or who to book through you can add them to the comments below.
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