Booking Excursions as a group

[ciabrad]

We are traveling with a group of 10 (5 couples / 5 cabins). At all of the ports, several combinations of these couples are booking excursions together. Princess recommends booking these excursions under one passengers name to insure that we are on the excursion together.

 

My question is how do we book under one passengers name but still bill it to each passengers account?

[JSWalk]

We are traveling with a group of 10 (5 couples / 5 cabins). At all of the ports, several combinations of these couples are booking excursions together. Princess recommends booking these excursions under one passengers name to insure that we are on the excursion together.

 

My question is how do we book under one passengers name but still bill it to each passengers account?

 

I don't think you can have each couple pay ther own if it is charged to one account. What I did was booked everyone under my name and then my freinds and family wrote me checks for their share.

[Toto2Kansas]

There is no way to bill the excurions to each person that I have ever seen. Each couple will have to pay the one that booked, the rate for the excursion, if they are all booked under one name.

[Bucky3]

This is what has worked for us: We booked the excursions under one person's name (ours!). Once onboard, my husband under whose account the booking was made went down to the shore excursion office (or it could have been the Passenger Service Desk - can't quite remember which) with the other person and had that person's excursion amount transferred from our account to his. Not a problem on Princess as shore excursion charges are made to your onboard account and not paid for ahead of time - just one more plus for Princess in our opinion. Unless something has changed, you should have no problem doing this. It was a very simple procedure.

[caribill]

They do not have to be booked under one name, but doing so ensures that they get booked without an excursion selling out before each person in the group makes their own booking.

 

Booking under one name does make getting it booked easier, even if payment is made more complicated.

 

Since you do not have to pay for the excursions until being on board (put on the account of the person who booked them), why not:

a) Book under one name

b) Have the others give that person cash when on the ship and then put that cash on the onboard account of the person who booked them.

 

However, what is required to be sure you are all together is to show up at the same time for the excursion. When the stickers are given out which indicate which bus each person is on, you must all enter the room tiogether to get a sticker for the same bus.

 

By the way, the tickets will all be printed with the name of the person who booked them. That is OK, as you do not have to have the name of each person on each person's ticket.

[Woobstr112G]

Of course one could always book private excursions for their group.....:):):)

 

Bob

[paul929207]

When you show up at the lounge for the excursion, you must all enter together and the first person needs to tell the shore excursion rep the number of people in your group. By doing this you will all be on the same bus if there are multiple buses.

[Abercrombie2007]

If you want to be absolutely certain that you are all on the same excursion bus together you should buy the excursions under one name for the group and show up at the excursion meeting point as a group.

 

It is possible that if the tickets are not purchased under one name at the same time, some members of your group may not get on the excursion if it fills up.

 

The price for the excursion could also rise between the first person booking their excursion and the last.

 

Whether one person buys the tickets or each person buys their own, it is far more important to show up at the tour meeting place as a group. As you enter the designated waiting area you will be assigned a sticker with a colour and number. The colour indicates the excursion type that you will be taking and the number refers to the bus that you will be on. If you show up as a group then the excursion staff will know to put you on the same bus. If you do not show up together it will greatly reduce your chances of getting on a bus together.

[ciabrad]

Thanks for the quick responses & help.

 

Being a first time Princess cruiser I had not been aware that the excursions were reserved but not paid for until cruise time. This simplifies the problem for us. One of us will book for our group at a given port & we can straighten out the billing on board or amongst ourselves.

[gleach4259]

we just went on the Crown and traveled w/another couple. The princess CSR told us to book the excursions under one name as well. Once on board, I took the tickets to the shore excursion desk (do this very early on, as thier lines get very long) and they split up the charges perfectly.

[Stevesan]

of course one could always book private excursions for their group.....:):):)

 

bob

 

even better!!:)

[garden2]

We have been doing this for several years--book together then transfer charge to each couple or individual depending who we are traveling with on the cruise. Even if 2 people are in the same cabin but paying their own charges -- Princess will put on each person's charge on their individual account. Makes it very easy & organizied. Usually, we do it on a Sea day. Sometimes, the Shore Excursion desk person will ask you to wait until the tour is taken before transferring the charge. have done this on 4 different ships with no problem at all. Never had had them reissue the Tour voucher as we usually had completed the tour. We always take a sheet detailing each tour (number, island, price) & transfer information including Name of person(s), Cabin number etc. Makes it very easy for Princess person to do it then.

[sunsetbeachgal]

Ciabrad,

 

You didn't say where your cruise goes to, but as others have suggested, and which I echo, for a group you are usually better in all respects to book a private tour. Your group will travel by private vehicle as a group, rather than on a large bus with others, and the tour time and itinerary can be customized for your interests, and in most cases it will be less expensive than a ships tour.

 

If you tell us where your cruise is going to, we can make suggestions about where to find tour operators. Good luck!