I look at 5 biggest mistakes that cruise passengers make with cruise excursions, often ruining not only their time in port but putting a huge dampener on their total cruise.
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00:00 Start
00:29 Know Before You Go
02:21 Check These Details
06:16 Check These Options
07:53 Early Bird Wins
09:18 On Tour Mistakes
32 Comments
In Gibraltar the shore people explicitly asked the tour company if they’d take my wheelchair. When we got to the buses they wouldn’t! They did offer to help us arrange a taxi tour, but they are harder to get in and out of. We chose just not to go as we’d been there a couple of times and I’d just found a piece that we hadn’t been to. Nbd.
Great tips thank you
I agree with all you have said. I am off to Iceland next June. Before I booked the Puffin island tour which was very expensive I researched which months the Puffins were there. The cost is worth it as I know I will see them
THANK YOU.
Will use your tips for my upcoming cruises.
Dear Gary, Many, many thanks for this most helpful video. Such great advice !
Great video as always.
The one thing I have noticed is that the description of the excursions offered by the cruise line don’t always go into great enough detail or are not totally accurate. Sometimes even Guest Services is not sure about every aspect of the excursion. So it’s good to research as much as possible beforehand.
Just FYI: In this video you point to another follow up video, but the video link doesn’t appear in this video. I don’t know if you’re aware of that.
Fantastic points, some great information. Thanks.
You make a reference to another video, but there isn’t a title or a link to get to it.
Great info, thanks Gary.
Be Mindful of your time if you book off the ship
One exception to booking excursions outside the cruise line is when timing is very tight. You really WANT to book through the cruise line since they WILL wait for you to return.
Best example of this I can think of is visiting the ruins of Tulum if making port in Cozumel. It's a long ride over on a ferry to the mainland, then a long bus ride to the ruins, then reverse it all. The cruise line won't even offer it on shorter port-stops, and with good reason.
Even with a long stop, say 8 hours, the timing is tricky and I've seen the returning ferry pull up directly at our ship and return the passengers back onboard through the tender gangway, on the other side from the dock, to save time.
We are still planning both our first Princess Cruise and our First Alaskan Cruise in June 2024. None of the offered excursions appeal to us yet but we still have time. Most are way overpriced for the value but, in general, gems can be found. I think one of the largest mistakes people make is believing they have to take an excursion to begin with. Cruise ships are rarely in port long enough to really appreciate the port destination. You can still have an unforgettable cruise without adding on excursions.
The cruise ship is a very nice mobile hotel, but the shore excursions are the reason for traveling. Outside of US locations and English speaking locations, I would say that trying to do your own shore excursions require a lot of work, planning and timing. With the Shors Excursions through the cruise line, my only experience is with Holland America and I feel the disclosures provide the right amount of detail, without being fine print requiring legal training to read. Pretty much what Gary said tests with the tourist not paying attention or narcissistic in not being on time (set a.arms on your phones for every timed point).
I always tour on my own. It’s the only way to meet local people and interact with them.
Gary, you forgot the link to the next video that you promote….
If you need accessible tours they are extortionate costs, how do you get accessible tours that are not the ship tours
Dear oh dear….I keep learning and realise the mistakes I've made, but at least you'll help me NOT make them in future!
I don't getbthe weight limts on zip line. Ive seen huge people getting on these zip lines that are way over the weight limit. I've also seen the same excursions with a max weight limit of 225 and then another one with same excursion has 300 lb weight limit for the same excursion. Don't get it.
Thank you, thank you for asking people to look at the activity level and read the description of the tour!! We have been on two different excursions where people were barely able to walk or climb stairs and yet insisted on doing a demanding tour, even when the guide suggested to them otherwise. Needless to say, they held up the entire group and we missed seeing several sites that were on my list. Very disappointing for us, our group and very inconsiderate of them! Wasted our money and ruined our day!
The distance tip is a very good one. I will only do a long bus ride for something that is a MUST SEE.
Great points but there are exceptions to every rule. My recent windstar cruise changed its itinerary in Colombia a few weeks beforehand but did not have the excursions available for the new date until embarkation si I booked with shore excursions group for the extra day in Cartagena. It turned out the tour was actually $10 less thru windstar!
Hey Gary, there was no video that popped up when you referred to the video where you'll always go with the cruise line at the end of this video. Could you send me that link please?
There is no thumbnail at end to the video you recommend.
One problem is that the cruise lines' excursions' ratings are extremely variable. For example, on our recent Oceania cruise Pompeii was listed as "strenuous" or the equivalent. Although there was a great deal of walking and movement, it wasn't as strenuous as others I've seen. There was another excursion listed as "moderate" that was much more strenuous!
When you are disabled, using the cruse line excursions can be the best options because you start and end on the ship and have a guide who is going to be making sure you get back.
SHIPROCKED 2024! SEE YOU ON THE BOAT!
Oh, I don't see the video you mentioned at the end show up as a link.
Never booked an excursion. Walking around or even taking some public transit is more enjoyable for us. One time I did buy a tour to some ruins and Merida from a local operator in Progreso for significantly less than anything the line was offering.
Sounds like cruising is not for the disorganized!
Uh oh, when you point upward to link to the other video, there's not link
The reason I don't like to book a tour BEFORE boarding ship
is the cruise line IMMEDIATELY charges my Credit-Card.
We usually receive generous amount of OBC and would like to use our OBC to pay for the tours.
Conversely… most private tour operators don't require pre-payment.
Good point about the fitness level. We did a Viking River Cruise and were grouped with people with walkers on a strenuous tour. It was a complete waste of time.