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How do You Book Excursions: ship or private or all on your own?


Quilting_Cruiser
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I'm a solo cruiser and I've noticed on the NCL board when a solo cruiser asks about excursions or cruising tips, they're often advised to book all their excursions through the ship since they're solo. This always has me scratching my head. Personally, I don't book through the ship (and haven't in about 15 years) because I don't like the large groups on most ship excursions I usually set up or join private tours with my roll call. I've never done a solo cruise where the roll call didn't have tours set up or no one joined any that I set up, but if that occurred I would look for a reputable vendor that has open groups.

 

I asked last night why people were giving the original poster of a thread the advice to book her excursions through the ship since she's cruising solo. I said I don't understand why solos are so often given this advice and another solo cruiser explained her reasoning. I felt that it was more her personal style than that she's solo.

 

That's a long intro to ask how all of you book your excursions and what is your reasoning for the way you do it?

 

I book private 99% of the time if I book an excursion. The only reason I would book a ship's excursion is if it were gong someplace that is a significant distance from the port or the activity would take up almost all of the time in port. And, even with that, for my upcoming Alaska cruise I've booked a private fishing charter in Ketchikan with their assurances that no one has ever missed their ship.

 

So, what's your story? :cool:

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When I did my first few solo cruises I did book through the ship as I wasn't aware you could book them your self. And as I have become more informed and with the help of info here in Cruise Critic and Facebook I do book more on my own. But if I wasn't sure about a port I may book through the ship just to be safe.

 

 

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The advice might have been one to maximize safety......some solo cruisers are not seasoned solo travelers and are nervous about being out and about on their own (or nervous about making their own arrangements as they've never done it before).

 

Personally, I'm not an excursion kind of person.....I'm more of a poke around and investigate on my own kind of traveler. But I've been going on solo trips for over 15 years to all sorts of places around the world, and I'm comfortable and confident on my own. That's not true of all solo cruisers, who might never have done anything other than solo cruising before and are used to having things arranged for them.

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The advice might have been one to maximize safety......some solo cruisers are not seasoned solo travelers and are nervous about being out and about on their own (or nervous about making their own arrangements as they've never done it before).

 

Personally, I'm not an excursion kind of person.....I'm more of a poke around and investigate on my own kind of traveler. But I've been going on solo trips for over 15 years to all sorts of places around the world, and I'm comfortable and confident on my own. That's not true of all solo cruisers, who might never have done anything other than solo cruising before and are used to having things arranged for them.

 

 

Good point. Like you I'm a seasoned solo traveler -- did my first solo vacation to China about 12 years ago and loved every minute of it! I hadn't thought about people being nervous about making their own arrangements and that it may be simpler for them and make them feel more secure booking through the ship. That, of course, doesn't explain why people seem to just automatically assume solos should book or would feel more comfortable booking that way. I suspect that's what the person giving the advice would do so it's colored by their own personal style or insecurities or values.

 

thanks!

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The ports I feel comfortable with I go on my own, the ones I don't feel comfortable with I do shore excursions from ship. Simple as that.

 

I wanted to go to Europe for the longest time. However I was just too nervous to go on my own to another country, even an English speaking one. This year I finally feel I am ready. Doing a land based vacation in September to London, yes still nervous but excited as well.

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I do a mix. I will join a private group tour arranged by someone on the roll call if it is something I'm interested in, and if they will accept a solo--sometimes because the group size is usually set at an even number the organizer is nervous about taking on a solo, but usually I have managed to get into the groups because there is a party of 3 or another solo who also wants to join.

 

I will take a ship's tour if it's a place that wouldn't be convenient to go on my own, or the time is limited and I'm worried that I might miss the ship if I go on my own, and if there is no private tour on the roll call for it, though I try to avoid them if I can because they are more expensive.

 

And I often just head out on my own for something I really want to see, or if it's a port where I have no particular plans and just want to have a look around.

 

I think lots of people worry about missing the ship, or about being on their own in a strange place--whether they are solo travelers or not. I know when I was married and cruising with my husband, he would have been unable to enjoy himself if we weren't on a ship's tour because he'd be so worried about missing the ship. So we always took ship's tours back then.

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I think lots of people worry about missing the ship, or about being on their own in a strange place--whether they are solo travelers or not. I know when I was married and cruising with my husband, he would have been unable to enjoy himself if we weren't on a ship's tour because he'd be so worried about missing the ship. So we always took ship's tours back then.

 

 

If you'd known my ex-husband, you'd think he'd be the same way but apparently he had enough confidence in me to choose independents wisely. Eventually, he just stopped getting off the ship so it was no longer a concern. :)

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I am another person that books depending on what port we are in. If I am familiar with the port I will go on my own. If it is a port that I am unfamiliar with, I will usually book a ship's tour. As a solo the price is not that much different than booking it with outside tour companies. Sometimes the tours are a busload of people that stops mostly for shopping, so I try to avoid those and look for smaller tours that are actually more tours than shopping expos.

 

I do agree that it probably depends a lot on your travel experiences, the more traveled you are, probably the more comfortable you will be on your own rather than a ship's tour. There is no one way that is right or wrong, it should be what works best for you, and what you are comfortable with.

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I very often organise private tours for roll calls, I check them out on Trip Advisor and on Cruise Critic and happily have never been let down. I also do a ship's tour on the last day with drop off at the airport if convenient time, these are usually good value and save having to cart your luggage around or just stay at the airport.

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I have to agree with the "comfort level" post earlier in this thread. I have been cruising solo for close to 15 years. There

are times when I still go on the ship's tours and there are other times I go independent. It really depends on the tour, where

we are docked, what I feel like doing, etc....and so it just depends on a lot of factors.

I went on a cruise in February to the Caribbean and I could have just gone out on my own but the cruiseline was offering a

culinary excursion that looked really appealing to me. There were only 9 people and it was AWESOME:D...one of the

best excursions I have taken in a long, long time:D....2 restaurants, a wine and cheese shop, produce market, spice market,

fresh everything.....then the 9 of us had dinner together on the ship that evening (part of the excursion)........so a wonderful and

delicious day!

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm an "it depends" person as well. If the sight I want to see is quite far from the port where there is a concern about getting back in time, I'm more likely to do a ship's tour. While in Asia, I had 2 ports where my tour was one of the last aboard and the ship was waiting after the scheduled departure time, so that was a good decision. I SCUBA dive, and depending on the operation, they may require an extra fee to provide me with a buddy if I go solo, so going with the ship avoids that problem. Also, if I have OBC to spend, I may use it on a ship excursion.

 

I usually start by looking at the ship excursions to get a feel for what's available through the ship, then check out the roll call, trip advisor and google the ports to see what else I might be interested in, and then start making decisions from there.

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One of the things most of us on Cruise Critic have in common is that we're planners! :)

 

On my next cruise (fourth to Alaska) I'm going outside my comfort zone. Ketchikan is often a short call and I like to go salmon fishing when I'm there. That's the one excursion I typically book through the ship, but this time I booked a private charter. They get excellent reviews and have assured me they've never had a customer miss their ship. :o:o

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I asked to join some group excursions on the Roll Call, but seems like that they want a couple to join them. So, I have looked elsewhere. I've looked at TripAdvisor and Travelocity. My question is if they mail you the vouchers or can it be printed at home?

 

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I asked to join some group excursions on the Roll Call, but seems like that they want a couple to join them. So, I have looked elsewhere. I've looked at TripAdvisor and Travelocity. My question is if they mail you the vouchers or can it be printed at home?

 

Sent from my LG-H830 using Forums mobile app

 

Wow, I've never had that happen. To be fair, I usually coordinate tours for the roll call, but I've never had a situation where I wanted to join a tour someone arranged for the roll call and been told it's for couples. Sheesh. Seems they might be open to the possibility that another solo may be on the roll call and want to participate.

 

I've never had physical vouchers sent to me from a tour operator. But, it will entirely depend on the operator. I usually get either vouchers to print or e-vouchers.

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Wow, I've never had that happen. To be fair, I usually coordinate tours for the roll call, but I've never had a situation where I wanted to join a tour someone arranged for the roll call and been told it's for couples. Sheesh. Seems they might be open to the possibility that another solo may be on the roll call and want to participate.

 

I've never had physical vouchers sent to me from a tour operator. But, it will entirely depend on the operator. I usually get either vouchers to print or e-vouchers.

They didn't tell me that per se, but they were looking for a couple and didn't answer me even though I saw that they were online.

There are others who are friendly and accepted me as a solo. I've looked at the ship excursions and will probably sign up for a couple, but there are some that I'd rather not do with the ship.

Thanks 🙂

 

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I am also sorry the folks on your roll call did not want to include you.........in my opinion, that is totally rude.:mad:......

I know this sounds trite, but if they don't want to accept you as an individual, then go find something on your own....you

will probably have a better time that way:)......

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I am also sorry the folks on your roll call did not want to include you.........in my opinion, that is totally rude.:mad:......

I know this sounds trite, but if they don't want to accept you as an individual, then go find something on your own....you

will probably have a better time that way:)......

 

Of course I can't speak to how our fellow solo cruiser was treated by the folks on the roll call organizing the tours, I have been turned away--or told they will only take me if they find another interested solo cruiser--and I completely understand why. Most of those tours have a fixed price per tour, and if I come along in a situation where they could have had two people, then everyone ends up paying more for their tour because the per-tour price is split evenly among those on the tour.

 

I WISH it wouldn't happen, but I would likely do the same thing if I were organizing the tour in that situation. I would try to do it politely, though! (Those I dealt with were polite to me. If they had been rude, I would likely have been mad--but about the rudeness, not about the decision to try to fill two spots instead of one.)

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It looks like Lois and I are of one mind on this! The world isn't made up of couples! When I was married, I still did things on my own if I wanted to. I'm a pretty organized person and love to plan my vacations, so as I mentioned I'm often the one who sets up the tours for the roll call. I didn't realize that one of the benefits is not having to be concerned about being a solo traveler. :) Typically the tours are for an even number of participants and there's never been a tour where another solo didn't sign up, which evened up the numbers. I've also been fortunate to have very friendly people on the private tours I've done. I do run into people now and then who don't seem to know how to talk to someone who isn't part of a couple, but I'm happy to say it's been rare!

 

Zjen, depending on how they're doing things on your roll call, you could set up a tour or two and invite others to join you and then you get to do what you want and don't have to be concerned about whether they'll welcome a solo traveler.

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Of course I can't speak to how our fellow solo cruiser was treated by the folks on the roll call organizing the tours, I have been turned away--or told they will only take me if they find another interested solo cruiser--and I completely understand why. Most of those tours have a fixed price per tour, and if I come along in a situation where they could have had two people, then everyone ends up paying more for their tour because the per-tour price is split evenly among those on the tour.

 

I WISH it wouldn't happen, but I would likely do the same thing if I were organizing the tour in that situation. I would try to do it politely, though! (Those I dealt with were polite to me. If they had been rude, I would likely have been mad--but about the rudeness, not about the decision to try to fill two spots instead of one.)

 

 

I understand your view point, but wouldn't do the same thing. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I often organize tours for the roll call. I make sure everyone knows before signing up that X is the total price of the tour and it will be split evenly between the participants and we can have up to 8 people. I don't feel that just because someone is solo it means they should have to pay double what everyone else pays. I'm sure there are some people who would feel they should. In my case, since I'm the one organizing the tour it would be an especially tough pill to swallow since I'm the one who's done the research, booked the tour, kept everyone informed of the details, corresponded with the vendor, etc.

 

All that said, I've never organized a tour or signed up for one that another solo didn't also sign up for so it hasn't been an issue.

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Yes, I am of the mindset that not everyone is a couple...because there are many of us who are not.:rolleyes:.....as for understanding

why the person organizing the tour and "not wanting a single individual".....I would not do the same thing......but that is just

me. To tell someone they are not welcomed because they are not a couple? If there is pricing difference, it would probably

be minimal.....one more person...divide it down by how many total guests are on the tour. And there are plenty of tours,

that have a "minimum" number of people needed......they don't have to be "couples".

 

Quilting Cruiser, yes we seem to think alike.......I would always want :"whoever" to be included as well.

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I can understand why they want a couple to fill up their tour. My cruise is in a month and I think people may be scampering to fill up the tours. I would setup a tour, but my Roll Call has been spectacularly quiet. Not very many people are active. I hope the ship is not like this hahaha

 

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Well, Zjen, I hope you have a wonderful cruise!! And, hopefully you'll find some great things to do in port. I don't think you said where you're off to, but I've found that it's not unusual to be able to get a taxi and negotiate a price for the day or half the day and get a pretty great tour for not too much.

 

Lois, like you, I wouldn't want to exclude people and certainly not just because they're solo and it might cost me a few dollars more. There are a lot more people traveling solo than there used to be and I imagine that will only increase.

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I understand your view point, but wouldn't do the same thing. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I often organize tours for the roll call. I make sure everyone knows before signing up that X is the total price of the tour and it will be split evenly between the participants and we can have up to 8 people. I don't feel that just because someone is solo it means they should have to pay double what everyone else pays. I'm sure there are some people who would feel they should. In my case, since I'm the one organizing the tour it would be an especially tough pill to swallow since I'm the one who's done the research, booked the tour, kept everyone informed of the details, corresponded with the vendor, etc.

 

All that said, I've never organized a tour or signed up for one that another solo didn't also sign up for so it hasn't been an issue.

 

Your tour, your rules. :)

 

I think it is great to do it the way you do, but most people (in my experience) don't see it that way when organizing tours. I sure don't want the responsibility of organizing a tour and I'm grateful to people who do--I couldn't handle the stress of worrying about what if some people don't show up and the others don't want to pay extra for the missing people and I'm stuck with the bill... So I'm willing to follow their rules if they are willing to organize the tour. :)

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