Is It Better To Buy Excursions Through Cruise Ship

Once your cabin aboard a cruise ship is booked your inbox floods with email pitches for shore excursions.

Is it better to buy excursions through cruise ship. One of the biggest questions cruisers have is whether or not theyre required to book shore excursions in port. Imagine all the questions you have now then multiply it by the 15 people in front of you at the shores desk. Of course everything comes with a cost.

Any ships tour means less hassle and time spent planning than doing your own thing but some cruise lines offer imaginative excursions that may. Another reason often cited by the cruise lines for booking a tour through them is that the ship will not sail until all of the ships shore excursions have returned. The primary benefit of booking excursions through the cruise line is that they guarantee your return to the ship.

The excursions offered through the cruise lines have some big advantages. Yes I just wanted to mention it since the majority of posts I have seen here on CruiseCritic regarding the Shore Excursion credit have stated that you can NOT book the shore excursions yourself online if you want the credit when on board you have to call NCL and book the shore excursions through. If you want to buy the cruise line excursions it is much better purchased in advance.

Is it such a big deal to hold the ship for late passengers. If you make independent arrangements and your bus breaks down or your taxi becomes lost so that you are not back to the ship by the time specified in the ships daily program the ship may well sail without you. Cruise ship excursions are more expensive but have the advantage that the ship will wait if you are late.

Something I get asked quite often is whether or not cruisers should book shore excursions with their cruise line or independently through third-party tour companiesThis question is a bit tricky so I have highlighted some of my reasons to book shore excursions with your cruise line as well as. However if you DO NOT feel comfortable in this process of purchasing once you arrive on the pier often at a very sizable savingsthen I suggest you purchase your excursion through the Cruise Line just remember it is never a good idea to wait till you board the ship to do so as generally all of the desirable excursions will have already been purchased in advance. You can do your research avoid the huge lines and maybe save a buck or two.

Cruise lines are typically good at pointing out which excursions are strenuous and even which are best for travelers with limited mobility. Can I avoid overpaying The short answer is Yes you canbut with some risks involved. Although you might not save money youll probably have a much better excursion through an independent vendor than with the cruise excursion.