Should we book our excursions before we get onboard??

[c4blunjit]

We're going on the Grand to Hawaii in 2 weeks. Are the excursions online the same as the ones offered on the ship? Are there any different ones offered onboard?? Do they sell out?? In other words...should we book our excursions now?? Thanx everyone.

[Astro Flyer]

They're the same availability & probably the same price only 2 weeks before your cruise & think they cut off reservations about 5 days before sailing.

 

I book excursions as soon as they're available because I've seen some that have doubled in price prior to sailing. Unlike some cruise lines Princess doesn't require prepayment & can be cancelled onboard up until about 36 hours in advance without any cancellation fees.

 

If you go to your cruise's roll call you may find less expensive tours organized by others. Hawaii is a good place to rent a car although traffic can be bad in Honolulu which ranked #2 just behind LA for the worst traffic in the US in a recent USA Today survey.

Edited January 4, 2014 by Astro Flyer

[Vexorg]

I've actually seen some excursions (mostly the higher priced ones it seems) cost slightly more when on board than if booked in advance, but got them at the lower price since they were booked ahead of time.

[leavingocalaagain]

We're going on the Grand to Hawaii in 2 weeks. Are the excursions online the same as the ones offered on the ship? Are there any different ones offered onboard?? Do they sell out?? In other words...should we book our excursions now?? Thanx everyone.

 

Some of the most popular excursions get sold out so it can be a good idea to book ahead even if there is not a price difference. You can always cancel before the Princess deadline and not be charged. The other posters are correct that DYI excursions by renting a car are popular in Hawaii.... And private group excursions (see your roll car) may be less expensive.

[caribill]

If you find ship excursions that youy like, book them when you see them.

 

As pointed out by others, popular ones will be sold out by the time you board the ship.

 

Onboard prices may be the same or higher than if booked in advance. On one Princess cruise we took:

 

We used a combination of Princess tours and private tours arranged on our roll calls. One thing about the Princess tours: The prices on board were higher (up to 89%) than the prices for most tours that we booked in advance.

Tour 1 In advance $49 Onboard $59, $10 more

Tour 2 In advance $99 Onboard $129, $30 more

Tour 3 In advance $69 Onboard $69, same pricing

Tour 4 In advance $69 Onboard $89, $20 more

Tour 5 In advance $29 Onboard $55, $26 more

Tour 6 In advance $129 Onboard $139, $10 more

Tour 7 In advance $59 Onboard $69, $10 more

[satxdiver]

We're going on the Grand to Hawaii in 2 weeks. Are the excursions online the same as the ones offered on the ship? Are there any different ones offered onboard?? Do they sell out?? In other words...should we book our excursions now?? Thanx everyone.

 

I will echo most of what has been said. The excursions online are the one and same as offered on the ship and on Princess you do not have to pay in advance. It will be put on your onship statement. No excursions are added that are not online in my experience.

 

Yes, indeed they do sell out sometimes so those who wait until they board are out of luck unless they are among the very privileged. I have had this happen on several sailings.

 

I always book my excursions as early as possible. No money changes hands upfront and they can be canceled up until 24 hours before the excursion in most cases. Another advantage is that I have had excursions increase in price from the time I booked it and when we boarded the ship. Princess honors the booked price if the price went up and cuts the price if it goes down (never has happened to me).

 

In answer to your question, book now! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

I would it saves time ..

[sweetsleep]

There are often VERY long lines at the shore excursions desk and they move SLOWLY. Agree that popular excursions sell out early but you can get on a wait list.

[Colo Cruiser]

I agree if you see some you like book them now, don't be dissappointed once onboard.

[beg3yrs]

Even if you're not completely sure as to which tour you want, book your most likely. You can always cancel if you change your mind and then your reservation and price are protected.

[west coast cruiser]

If you are planning to go on Princess Excursions you really should book them online before leaving home. Often they are sold out by the time you are on board the ship.

WCC

[chubbypiggy]

Even if you're not completely sure as to which tour you want, book your most likely. You can always cancel if you change your mind and then your reservation and price are protected.

 

 

If you booked ahead online, then changed your mind and want to cancel, do you need to get in the long line at the Shore Excursion desk to cancel?

 

Thank you.

[Astro Flyer]

If you booked ahead online, then changed your mind and want to cancel, do you need to get in the long line at the Shore Excursion desk to cancel?

 

Thank you.

They say that you can write "cancel" on them & put the tickets in their drop box. I'd suggest checking your folio because once they made a mistake by canceling both reservations & then mistakenly added back one of them. They keep canceled tickets & after confirming their mistake removed the charge from our account.

[RetiredNTraveling]

We're going on the Grand to Hawaii in 2 weeks. Are the excursions online the same as the ones offered on the ship? Are there any different ones offered onboard?? Do they sell out?? In other words...should we book our excursions now?? Thanx everyone.

 

If you book through PCL then booking ahead will sometime assure you of getting on the tour that you desire. After all, there are a lot of people besides those on the ship that go on tours while in Hawaii, particularly in Honolulu.

 

As for Kauai, we booked on-line instead of with PCL. While we wanted to see some of Hawaii by air, I knew that if we flew on a Helicopter, that I would be stuck in the back row middle because I am 6' and 235#. I found this site on line and it was a perfect match for the wife and me. http--www.wingsoverkauai.com- (Every seat has a window!)

My wife and I fell in love with Kauai and "Wings Over Kauai". Try it you'll like it! :D

 

PCL's Maui Whale Watching, JHM640C, PCL Depart: 09:45AM Return: 11:00, was so popular that they sold out before we left SP, CA. Since Maui is a "Tender" port it is great that the Whale Watching Tender comes right up to the ship to pick you up.

 

Be sure to get up early to view the sunrises at sea and over Hawaii. :)

 

Aloha.

Edited January 4, 2014 by RetiredNTraveling
addition

[c4blunjit]

Morning seems better to get us off the ship, but afternoon seems better so that we get back to the ship on time!! Does the whale watch bring you back to the ship too???

[c4blunjit]

I just posted this question, but in case you don't see it...

 

Does the whale watching excursion bring you back to the ship in the afternoon???

Thanx.

[RetiredNTraveling]

I just posted this question, but in case you don't see it...

 

Does the whale watching excursion bring you back to the ship in the afternoon???

Thanx.

 

Sorry to say, NO! They drop you off in Lahaina so you get to visit the town, eat, shop and spend money. It is a quaint tourist shopping town, but the food is good and do try a Longboard Island Lager with your lunch. It is a cold drink that make the island food that much better.:eek:

 

Later, you catch a tender back to the ship.

Edited January 4, 2014 by RetiredNTraveling

[Mare10]

Sorry to say, NO! They drop you off in Lahaina so you get to visit the town, eat, shop and spend money. It is a quaint tourist shopping town, but the food is good and do try a Longboard Island Lager with your lunch. It is a cold drink that make the island food that much better.:eek:

 

Later, you catch a tender back to the ship.

 

Hi Mike... Marilyn here from the New England cruise! With the holidays behind us I'm enjoying the beginning of my excursion research for Hawaii. I made note of your two suggestions.... keep them coming!

[Bases5]

I see where you don't have to pre pay for excursions on princess. But can you pre pay if you chose?

[leavingocalaagain]

I see where you don't have to pre pay for excursions on princess. But can you pre pay if you chose?

 

You can prepay through gifts to yourself of onboard credit. Call princess to arrange or use the gift form on Princess.

 

http://www.princess.com/learn/onboard/gifts_services/Gifts_Services.pdf#page17

[beg3yrs]

I see where you don't have to pre pay for excursions on princess. But can you pre pay if you chose?

 

All of your expenses on the ship, including excursion charges, are lumped into one account. Before your cruise, you can call Princess and purchase onboard credit (OBC) in the amount of your excursions if you wish. I know some people do that as it helps them with budgeting their cruise expenses. You can also figure in the amount of auto-tip, drinks estimate, purchases and so on, and send that in ahead of time as well.

Edited January 5, 2014 by beg3yrs

[ontheweb]

I think it's great that you do not have to prepay for excursions.

 

We're on the 3 free deal that includes a $200 OBC good only on excursions. I would not want to have to wait to be on board to use it, and possibly have the excursion we want most to have already been sold out.

 

Two summers ago, we were on the NCL Epic in the Western Mediterranean. On NCL, you pay in advance. The day before one of the excursions that we had paid for months ago and we were really looking forward to was cancelled by NCL because not enough passengers had signed up for it. They had our money for months for an excursion that they did not provide.

[Pia1913]

We're going on the Grand to Hawaii in 2 weeks. Are the excursions online the same as the ones offered on the ship? Are there any different ones offered onboard?? Do they sell out?? In other words...should we book our excursions now?? Thanx everyone.

 

You should always book in advance since you lock it in; tour and price. You can always cancel what you don't want when you're on the ship. That being said, some tours sell out and some are priced higher once you board.

[c4blunjit]

Thanx all.

[LMaxwell]

Another great and useful post in my Hawaii planning. Princess does this differently, and better IMO, than RCI. RCI requires you to pay ahead of time, and OBC can not be applied for excursions booked ahead of time. I'm not a big fan of paying for an excursion months before I go to it, or a penalty if I change my mind onboard to another excursion. I like this Princess way.

 

Is there a list of excursions for the Hawaii itinerary? I am trying to wrap my head around a low - high range of potential costs for if 2 people took a Princess tour at each port. Not cheapest to most expensive, just an average per person per day price to budget for.