Shore Excursions

[Claybuster58]

Going to Alaska in June on HAL. This is our first cruise. Can anyone tell me the pros and cons of booking the shore excursions through HAL verses trying to book them on our own?

[sailandcruise]

Going to Alaska in June on HAL. This is our first cruise. Can anyone tell me the pros and cons of booking the shore excursions through HAL verses trying to book them on our own?

 

We went to Alaska on the Zaandam in the summer of 2007. Booked one shore excursion through HAL -- the four glaciers and dogsledding by helicopter -- but others on our own.

 

Advantages of booking with HAL are convenience (sometimes the preferred tour times are completely given over to those who book through the ship; one-stop shopping) and a guarantee that the ship will wait for you if for some reason you don't make it back on time. Also you get Mariner credit for the shore excursions purchased through HAL.

 

Disadvantages are higher price, reduced selection (in most cases), and larger groups (which means more time waiting to load and unload and less time seeing the attractions). We were told by a staff member that HAL makes somewhere between 2/3 and 3/4 of its total annual profit for the entire line just on Alaska shore excursions.

 

There are many independent operators in Alaska. In Juneau the operator of the helicopter tour I wanted would only accept bookings through HAL when the ship was in port. In Skagway we rented a car and drove to the Yukon and back. In Ketchikan I took a kayak/float plane tour that wasn't offered through HAL.

 

Alaska is an especially easy place to book shore excursions on your own -- operators all speak English, they have lots of information available on their web sites, you can pay in dollars using your credit card, etc. Check out the Alaska boards for ideas and have a great cruise. :D

[cb at sea]

Pro...you do nothing except show up...they take care of everything. No worries. You will pay for that convenience, however.

 

Con...if you're late getting back, the ship will have left without you. HOWEVER..reputable guides will NOT make you late...they wouldn't stay in business long if folks missed the ship!

 

If you do some research, you can save lots of money by booking either private excursions, or going on your own

[CowPrincess]

You will not save a lot of money booking private excursions in Alaska. You will, though, most likely get a more personalized tour with fewer participants.

[Appygirl]

Alaska pricing is different than what you can find in Mexico, Costa Rica, etc where we found some good shore excursions at better prices than the cruise line.

 

We were on the Zuiderdam nearly 2 years ago to Alaska and we didn't find a whole lot of difference in prices from independent operators than the ship excursions.

 

As the above poster said I think the only difference would be a more personalized tour.

[CowPrincess]

Claybuster58, make sure you have a look at the Alaska forum here on CC

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=100&f=55

 

Super-helpful posters, some of whom live in Alaska, some who cruise there yearly, and there is a TON of info already on that forum about shore excursions, do-it-yourself, etc.

[slomotion]

We typically do our own shore excursions and end up with what seems to be a "better" more personal adventure or trip, at least according to the folks we've spoken with on-board at the end of each day.

 

As mentioned, it is easier to do your own thing in Alaska as it is a part of the US, they all speak English, and the currency is the dollar.

The White Pass Rail & Yukon railroad can easily be done on,your own by purchasing tickets in advance and walking into town (about half-mile) and getting on-board.

 

Helicopter tours (Temsco) are less crowded and you get a little more for your dollar as well as they do not share any of their revenue with the cruise lines.

 

Also as mentioned, the independent operators would not be in business if they ever failed to get you back to the ship on time.

 

[Claybuster58]

Thanks for all of the good comments.