bkirkham Posted January 17, 2015 Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 I was wondering who recommends booking excursions on board the ship or booking with an outside company? If an outside company which one do you choose and why? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted January 17, 2015 Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 Generally I book on my own for a few reasons: 1. 3rd party excursions are usually cheaper 2. More variety in terms of choices 3. I prefer a more personal experience than touring with a large group 4. Greater flexibility in doing what I want, when I want. I will say the decision may depend greatly on the port you visit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkirkham Posted January 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 Generally I book on my own for a few reasons: 1. 3rd party excursions are usually cheaper 2. More variety in terms of choices 3. I prefer a more personal experience than touring with a large group 4. Greater flexibility in doing what I want, when I want. I will say the decision may depend greatly on the port you visit. Can you suggest a company that you like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted January 17, 2015 Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 Can you suggest a company that you like? I don't go with just one company. It depends on the island but in general I will research what's good to see/do there and come up with options based on reviews I find on sites like TripAdvisor or even Cruise Critic. Most of the time I will find a driver either online before I go or walk into port and find one and tell them what I am interested in doing and negotiate a fair rate. I have on occasion purchased tour group services but I've found my pace of travel and the group's pace of travel are not in sync. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted January 17, 2015 Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 It really depends on what you want to do and pricing. On our recent Jewel cruise, we mostly, but not entirely, did ship-based excursions as the pricing on what we wanted to do was competitive or because there was no other way to book the excursion. For long and/or late excursions, there is safety with booking through Royal. For instance, in Barbados, our excursion returned right at the all aboard time, so we were the last to board the ship before the Jewel set sail. If we weren't on a ship-sponsored tour, I would have panicked. Check sites like TripAdvisor and you might find some interesting tours. For instance, if we go back to Aruba, I'd book the Trike tour, which is a tour where you drive three wheel motorcycles across the island. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted January 17, 2015 Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 For long and/or late excursions, there is safety with booking through Royal. For instance, in Barbados, our excursion returned right at the all aboard time, so we were the last to board the ship before the Jewel set sail. If we weren't on a ship-sponsored tour, I would have panicked. I agree, there's something to be said about safety DocLC and markinct 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkirkham Posted January 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2015 If there is bad weather or we have to skip a port are refunds given for excursions that have been prepaid? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted January 18, 2015 Report Share Posted January 18, 2015 If there is bad weather or we have to skip a port are refunds given for excursions that have been prepaid? If your ship cannot dock at a port for whatever reason, RC will refund your money. Most 3rd party shore excursions I've dealt with have similar deals. HOWEVER, if it's just poor weather BUT your ship can dock, then there are no refunds usually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted January 19, 2015 Report Share Posted January 19, 2015 Similarly, if you port arrival and departure times change, most 3rd party providers will not provide a refund. I read about a couple who didn't want to do an excursion because it ended up being right in the middle of the day because of altered arrival and departure times and the tour provider wouldn't provide a refund since they did make it to the port. Something else to consider. Royal was very flexible with their excursions and refunds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonD Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 I've even had RCI refund the cost of my excursion the night before because we decided we didn't want to do it anymore.. Helped a lot that there was high demand for it, but it was a pleasant outcome for us. bkirkham and Matt 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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