When do you pay for excursions?

[WS80]

We'll be on a cruise to Iceland this summer and got a nice OBC from.our TA.

We would like to book the Golden Circle tour but now I wonder: do.we have to pay it immediately if we book it now? In that case it would be better to wait until we're on board, on the other hand I'm a bit worried that the tour might sell out.

[skt4cruise]

We'll be on a cruise to Iceland this summer and got a nice OBC from.our TA.

We would like to book the Golden Circle tour but now I wonder: do.we have to pay it immediately if we book it now? In that case it would be better to wait until we're on board, on the other hand I'm a bit worried that the tour might sell out.

 

We also booked that cruise and trying for days to book that excursion as well as 3 others, it takes the reservation but never shows up on our account as booked. It has a blurb when you reserve that says you should pay or you may lose it, so I guess we need to pay right when reserved :mad:

 

I don't like to pay so early but I suppose you would get a refund if you cancel in good time. Celebrity holding $900 of my dough is not inviting either.

[Xport]

We also booked that cruise and trying for days to book that excursion as well as 3 others, it takes the reservation but never shows up on our account as booked.

 

But ship-sponsored excursions are not in any way reserved until paid for via credit card if booked online or until posted to your onboard account if booked once aboard ship... Given their need to make commitments to subcontracted tour operators [who in turn garner guides and commit to transportation resources in advance], Celebrity does not maintain lists of guests who express potential advance interest in a tour for payment later... Both the cruise line and their subcontracted tour operators are in the game to make a profit and plan accordingly...

 

Cancellation terms are quite liberal with full refund generally granted if you were to cancel at least 2 days/48 hours prior to tour commencement; I say "generally" as the refund terms can be more restrictive if the tour is scheduled to occur less than 2 days/48 hours after the ship's initial sail-away and you wait to cancel until aboard ship... Tours cancelled online before ship embarkation will be refunded to the credit card used to purchase the tour; tours cancelled after ship embarkation are--whether initially purchased by credit card or once aboard ship--refunded to your onboard account [unlike most Onboard Credit, unused amounts--if any--are refundable to the credit card associated with your onboard account at cruise conclusion (charges are applied to non-refundable Onboard Credit first; charges in excess of that non-refundable Onboard Credit are then applied to any refundable Onboard Credit you may have)]...

 

It's difficult to assess whether or not a tour in which you are interested will have space available for booking once you are aboard; Celebrity often--but not always--holds back some space from the online booking process for onboard sales [if you choose to do that; get to Shore Ex as soon as you board but recognize that you may still be disappointed (X does maintain wait lists once aboard); some tours are fully subscribed pre-cruise]... In highly evolved tourism markets with lots of available resources of every required type, it's often easy enough--depending upon how many other tourists/ships are in a port town when you visit--for Celebrity/their tour partners to adjust capacity to meet demand... In some places, that's just not possible...

 

If the tours you are considering are ones that you view as essential to your travel experience [and especially if there aren't a whole lot of tour offerings at a given port; fewer offerings create competition for space], I'd personally be inclined--your mileage may vary--to bite the bullet and reserve/pay online in advance...

[Lawhouse]

You can book and pay in advance or on the ship. In advance negates the chance that it is full.

 

However consider other companies or local excursions usually much better value in terms of both the cost and the product.

[fishycomics]

Ship shore excursion allows a 24 hour cancelation.

 

Ship shore excursion will cancel ANY excursion at a drop of an hat, without notification

 

Ship shore excursion will add excursions in replace

 

Ship shore excursions can be paid in advance, on board.

 

Ship shore excursion if paid in credit will issue credit back, if obc , obc back.

 

Ship shore excursion may also add additional buses to sold out tours

 

Ship shore excursions may also add a later excursion as well.

 

Ship shore excursions has a private tour if it is a last resort,

 

And other options do apply private tours outside the ship

 

Ask the ship excursion director on board so you know for the future, the person is a nice gentleman who we dealt with, and will answer any questions.

 

contracted is I prefer, not sub contracting. a big difference and tells you something about a company.

 

you asked and got a response.

[NLH Arizona]

If it is a must do excursion for me, I reserve and pay as soon as it is available, otherwise I will wait until I'm on the ship.

[waterbug123]

We also booked that cruise and trying for days to book that excursion as well as 3 others, it takes the reservation but never shows up on our account as booked.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by "it takes the reservation." You can't reserve an excursion in advance without paying for it at that time. :confused:

[skt4cruise]

We will pay up for one of the most important excursions but we have so much OBC would have preferred to use that. Thanks for all the polite replies.

Sandie

[gimletgal]

We'll be on a cruise to Iceland this summer and got a nice OBC from.our TA.

We would like to book the Golden Circle tour but now I wonder: do.we have to pay it immediately if we book it now? In that case it would be better to wait until we're on board, on the other hand I'm a bit worried that the tour might sell out.

 

Yes you do need to pay immediately if booked on line. Like others have said, you can wait until you are onboard, but then you take the chance that it may be sold out.

 

If the excursion is cancelled for some reason, and you are already on the ship when that happens, they will credit your onboard account for the amount that was charged to your credit card. (Had this happen in St. Thomas last year.)

[wvufan]

We will pay up for one of the most important excursions but we have so much OBC would have preferred to use that. Thanks for all the polite replies.

Sandie

 

Sandie, you can get cash at the casino for a 5% fee to use up any unrefundable shipboard credit.

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl

[skt4cruise]

Oh thanks for the tip!:cool:

[WS80]

Thanks for the advice everyone!

Guess well book this excursion now and book others once on board to use up our obc.