Is HAL Overpricing Excursions

[Typhoon1]

Probably. You can find similar tours cheaper with an independent operator. We always book with HAL. The cost is higher, but its cheap insurance you will be touring with a reliable company and you'll be back in time for departure.

 

We'll spend the extra money for peace of mind.

[cruisenfreak]

Probably. You can find similar tours cheaper with an independent operator. We always book with HAL. The cost is higher, but its cheap insurance you will be touring with a reliable company and you'll be back in time for departure.

 

We'll spend the extra money for peace of mind.

 

Ditto.

 

We've done private tours in the past but, as we get older, that " peace of mind" is very, very important.

[donaldsc]

Cruise lines always grossly overprice everything. Anyone who cruises knows that. So what else is new?

 

Unless you are going to take an excursion that is far away from the port and you are not sure of getting back on time or if the cruise company has tied up every excursion in town, I can not imagine why anyone would voluntarily buy any excursions from the cruise line.

 

Granted that some cruise companies cheat you more than others but they all cheat you.

 

DON

Edited November 18, 2014 by donaldsc

[sammiedawg]

Private and independent touring is basic consumerism whether on land or at sea. On land we like to stay in nice hotels but we rarely eat in their restaurants. We know there are better options.

When I read discussions about "risk taking" I think of the Holland America passenger who was raped and nearly beaten to death by a crew member while in her own cabin.

I have never read an account of a private tour customer missing the ship because the tour was late. People miss the ship for all kinds of reasons, including alcohol consumption, having a great time at the local watering hole, losing track of time or not knowing the all aboard time. Private tour operators are in business for the long haul, they rely on CC and trip advisor to sell their product. They monitor travel times, traffic and they get you back to the ship early.

[cruisenfreak]

Sorry, double post.

Edited November 18, 2014 by cruisenfreak

[tip]

Cruise lines always grossly overprice everything. Anyone who cruises knows that. So what else is new?

 

Unless you are going to take an excursion that is far away from the port and you are not sure of getting back on time or if the cruise company has tied up every excursion in town, I can not imagine why anyone would voluntarily buy any excursions from the cruise line.

 

Granted that some cruise companies cheat you more than others but they all cheat you.

 

DON

 

I would agree with the above and with what many others have written. Cruise ship sponsored excursions are nothing more than overpriced cattle herds. If someone wants to put up with that for "peace of mind", they are welcome to spend their money. I will spend the money that I have saved with private excursion elsewhere!:D

[Tarpeian Rock]

Ditto.

 

We've done private tours in the past but, as we get older, that " peace of mind" is very, very important.

 

 

I'm with you. When a cruise per diem, with all that is included, is less than a nice hotel room in the middle of a concrete jungle, it's hard to be totally outraged at excursion costs, especially with the peace of mind an official excursion offers.

[take us away]

One of the shore excursion staff was from Hawaii and in talking with him at an event, o a cruise found out he used to have a tour company. Asked if he did tours for HAL and he said he couldn't afford to and when asked why, he mentioned HAL requires insurance of $1,000,000 - and he could just not handle that cost. Liability is always an issue and thus adds to the price.

[bert425]

We got off Noordam less than a week ago, and with TWO exception, we did only HAL sponsored excursions (and they were lovely).

 

When we sail X, we also only use their excursion choices. Yes, they are more expensive, but if the Cruise line is offering something we want to do? We'll pay the extra to have guarantees (ie: Guide who speaks clearly, the Ship won't leave without if you run late, safety, Near front of line for tender ports, etc).

 

 

how about those two exceptions I mentioned above?

 

one was in Curacao, where we wanted to go to the Aquarium (and did so after our HAL sponsored Excursion to the Hato Caves. .that we loved). But HAL didn't have any options for the Aquarium.

 

The other was in Bonaire, and HAL was only offering a longer excursion to No-Name-Beach than we wanted (it was 3 hours, and we didn't want to spend that much time at the beach). It was also $39.

 

after FINALLY getting someone at the Excursions desk - yes, yes, I know they have kiosks.. .don't like them, I want to speak to a person -- and he acted like I was bothering him, we simply went ashore and ended up with a water taxi that not only took us to the EXACT same spot the HAL boat takes you (but we got there about an hour 1/2 earlier than the HAL boat, so had the place to ourselves basically). . but it was also 1/2 the cost, at only $20 round trip. With option to take trip back whenever we wanted to, as it made the drop hourly.

 

I highly recommend them if you want to go to No-Name-Beach in Bonaire: Good Return Bonaire (associated with the little Bar/restaurant near where the ship docks)

Edited November 19, 2014 by bert425

[donaldsc]

, the Ship won't leave without if you run late, safety,)

 

I realize that the CC group is a non-representative sample but are there any CC members who do independent tours have missed the ship because they got back late or know anyone who has had this problem? How many of you or people you know had safety issues on a tour that you felt might have been avoided if you took a ship tour?

 

I would bet that the number for both issues is close to zero. I also suspect that these issues are just cruise ship propaganda designed to convince the gullible to take ship tours instead of private tours.

 

DON

Edited November 19, 2014 by donaldsc

[iancal]

No. We usually schedule our private tours or car rentals so that we leave early and return 2 hours or so prior to sailing. I like the insurance. Then, we typically grab the ipads, find a bar w/wireless and catch up on our mail, or tour the town.

 

We spent some time with an expat in St. Vincent-we were on a private tour a few years ago. He and his wife ran a charter sail boat.

 

He gave us a run down on how the cruise lines deal with the tour operators on the small Caribbean Islands. Not very nice. He was charging slightly more than 1/2 what Princess was charging and he was making more money.

[OCruisers]

When HAL is offering an excursion we would like to take with a time that suits us, we rather book thru HAL and have no problem with paying extra for the convenience of doing so. :)

LuLu

[DeckLife]

Taking ship excursions means the cruise line does all the work. I just show up and follow instructions. This is worth something, to me at least, and I recognize I'm paying for it. However, the cruise lines could devote less excursion time to shopping!

[ellieanne]

I realize that the CC group is a non-representative sample but are there any CC members who do independent tours have missed the ship because they got back late or know anyone who has had this problem? How many of you or people you know had safety issues on a tour that you felt might have been avoided if you took a ship tour?

 

I would bet that the number for both issues is close to zero. I also suspect that these issues are just cruise ship propaganda designed to convince the gullible to take ship tours instead of private tours.

 

DON

 

On at least three of my cruises I know people missed the ship because they were on privately arranged tours. I know this from speaking to ship's officers not fellow passenger gossip. One cruise there was a ship's tour that was delayed by four hours because of a traffic accident and a medical emergency with one of the passengers. The ship waited for that tour.

 

One cruise there was a lady who fell and badly broke her leg on a privately arranged tour. Not that the fall could not occur on a ship-sponsored tour, but dealing with it was made more difficult because she was not on a ship-sponsored tour.

 

Those experiences alone are enough for me to use ship's tours exclusively. But even if they were not, I'm on vacation to relax, not do research, chase up tour operators, or organize things that I can pre-arrange with the ship and just show up with my tour ticket in hand. My time and stress levels are worth more than any potential savings.

[Hlitner]

Taking ship excursions means the cruise line does all the work. I just show up and follow instructions. This is worth something, to me at least, and I recognize I'm paying for it. However, the cruise lines could devote less excursion time to shopping!

 

As a humorous aside, your comment sounds like exactly what we used to hear when in the military. Except in the military we go paid to follow orders :).

 

Hank

[LindaSSF]

We have a favorite (scuba) dive shop on Curacao. We'll spend a couple of weeks diving with them on land based vacations. Curacao is a diver's paradise!

 

He explained that HAL has no scuba excursions on Curacao because the dive ops have just said no as a collective group. The pricing was insulting and the size of the group and # of divers to leaders was beyond what they felt was safe for people & the environment.

 

I can only imagine what they are paying the dive shops. The shorex dives are only about $25-30 more than what I book independently.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited November 19, 2014 by LindaSSF

[cruisemom42]

I know the original topic is the cost of shore excursions, but quality is also an issue, IMO. I mostly cruise for the destination and not the ship, so good experiences ashore are probably the MOST important thing for me on a cruise vacation.

 

Many folks have said they are willing to pay extra for the HAL tours for the peace of mind. Understandable if you are older, cautious, less well traveled, etc... But are all of you satisfied with the tours? That would be the sticking point for me. I have often been on tours that are -- again, in my admittedly subjective opinion -- pretty mediocre for the cost.

 

I am not yet willing to throw in the towel and accept mediocrity at a higher price when with a little effort on my part I can find a way to have a better experience -- and often at a lesser cost.

 

My ship-sponsored tours in the past have led to: lengthy stops for shopping opportunities at every kind of "factory" known to tourists (rugs, ceramics, perfume, cameos, leather, wooden boxes, jewelry, diamonds, you name it); poor guides who cannot give even basic information without significant errors; guides that make fun of ethnic minorities in their country in a most uncomfortable way; guides that cannot manage time and end up having to drastically shorten or even skip scheduled stops; and probably most annoying of all, fellow tour passengers who cannot or will not listen to the tour guide and be back on schedule.

Edited November 19, 2014 by cruisemom42

[bcd2010]

... quality is also an issue, IMO.

 

My ship-sponsored tours in the past have led to: lengthy stops for shopping opportunities at every kind of "factory" known to tourists (rugs, ceramics, perfume, cameos, leather, wooden boxes, jewelry, diamonds, you name it); poor guides who cannot give even basic information without significant errors; guides that make fun of ethnic minorities in their country in a most uncomfortable way; guides that cannot manage time and end up having to drastically shorten or even skip scheduled stops; and probably most annoying of all, fellow tour passengers who cannot or will not listen to the tour guide and be back on schedule.

 

Precisely. Saving money is a side benefit to me. If I ever miss the ship, I have decided not to look at it as a cruise-ruining event but as an additional adventure. It may be more adventure than I'd like while I'm handling things but I will rise to the challenge and turn it into a great story afterwards.

[sammiedawg]

Deleting, the quote function is not working well.

Edited November 19, 2014 by sammiedawg

[sammiedawg]

I know the original topic is the cost of shore excursions, but quality is also an issue, IMO. I mostly cruise for the destination and not the ship, so good experiences ashore are probably the MOST important thing for me on a cruise vacation.

 

Many folks have said they are willing to pay extra for the HAL tours for the peace of mind. Understandable if you are older, cautious, less well traveled, etc... But are all of you satisfied with the tours? That would be the sticking point for me. I have often been on tours that are -- again, in my admittedly subjective opinion -- pretty mediocre for the cost.

 

I am not yet willing to throw in the towel and accept mediocrity at a higher price when with a little effort on my part I can find a way to have a better experience -- and often at a lesser cost.

 

My ship-sponsored tours in the past have led to: lengthy stops for shopping opportunities at every kind of "factory" known to tourists (rugs, ceramics, perfume, cameos, leather, wooden boxes, jewelry, diamonds, you name it); poor guides who cannot give even basic information without significant errors; guides that make fun of ethnic minorities in their country in a most uncomfortable way; guides that cannot manage time and end up having to drastically shorten or even skip scheduled stops; and probably most annoying of all, fellow tour passengers who cannot or will not listen to the tour guide and be back on schedule.

 

Bingo, well said.

[sammiedawg]

On at least three of my cruises I know people missed the ship because they were on privately arranged tours. I know this from speaking to ship's officers not fellow passenger gossip. One cruise there was a ship's tour that was delayed by four hours because of a traffic accident and a medical emergency with one of the passengers. The ship waited for that tour.

 

One cruise there was a lady who fell and badly broke her leg on a privately arranged tour. Not that the fall could not occur on a ship-sponsored tour, but dealing with it was made more difficult because she was not on a ship-sponsored tour.

 

Those experiences alone are enough for me to use ship's tours exclusively. But even if they were not, I'm on vacation to relax, not do research, chase up tour operators, or organize things that I can pre-arrange with the ship and just show up with my tour ticket in hand. My time and stress levels are worth more than any potential savings.

 

I would hesitate to believe the officer's explanation of why someone missed the ship. Fear mongering is the main selling point for ship excursions.

Edited November 19, 2014 by sammiedawg

[LindaM]

I know the original topic is the cost of shore excursions, but quality is also an issue, IMO. I mostly cruise for the destination and not the ship, so good experiences ashore are probably the MOST important thing for me on a cruise vacation.

 

Many folks have said they are willing to pay extra for the HAL tours for the peace of mind. Understandable if you are older, cautious, less well traveled, etc... But are all of you satisfied with the tours? That would be the sticking point for me. I have often been on tours that are -- again, in my admittedly subjective opinion -- pretty mediocre for the cost.

 

I am not yet willing to throw in the towel and accept mediocrity at a higher price when with a little effort on my part I can find a way to have a better experience -- and often at a lesser cost.

 

My ship-sponsored tours in the past have led to: lengthy stops for shopping opportunities at every kind of "factory" known to tourists (rugs, ceramics, perfume, cameos, leather, wooden boxes, jewelry, diamonds, you name it); poor guides who cannot give even basic information without significant errors; guides that make fun of ethnic minorities in their country in a most uncomfortable way; guides that cannot manage time and end up having to drastically shorten or even skip scheduled stops; and probably most annoying of all, fellow tour passengers who cannot or will not listen to the tour guide and be back on schedule.

 

We are 63, so you may consider that "old", but we are very well traveled---in Europe. We are fortunate to be able to repeat ports many times, so if we miss something, we will be back. I would get no enjoyment out of planning tours. I am lazy...I will admit it. We have gone on tours with other CC members, but I won't plan. I am quite fussy, but I really can't say that there are many tours that stand out as being led by someone not well educated, or with too many or lengthy shopping trips. It depends on what you like. I want a vacation to be a vacation, which means no thinking. Put me on a bus.... Here's another example....we missed Alhambra on our last trip to Spain. The onboard lecturer thought we were crazy to miss it...but we will be there a year from now. We knew we'd be back! It is wonderful to travel in Europe and be able to relax and not come home totally exhausted, because we have the luxury of being able to go back (as long as our health holds out!). I would not want to be on an 8 hr private tour and knock myself out seeing everything. But, that's just me. Good thing DH is in agreement. We've done all the land tours, so now we can relax and enjoy!

[ellieanne]

Many folks have said they are willing to pay extra for the HAL tours for the peace of mind. Understandable if you are older, cautious, less well traveled, etc... But are all of you satisfied with the tours? That would be the sticking point for me. I have often been on tours that are -- again, in my admittedly subjective opinion -- pretty mediocre for the cost.

 

My ship-sponsored tours in the past have led to: lengthy stops for shopping opportunities at every kind of "factory" known to tourists (rugs, ceramics, perfume, cameos, leather, wooden boxes, jewelry, diamonds, you name it); poor guides who cannot give even basic information without significant errors; guides that make fun of ethnic minorities in their country in a most uncomfortable way; guides that cannot manage time and end up having to drastically shorten or even skip scheduled stops; and probably most annoying of all, fellow tour passengers who cannot or will not listen to the tour guide and be back on schedule.

 

I must pick better ship-sponsored tours than you. I have never been on any with lengthy shopping stops. I have only ever had 10-15 minutes dedicated to shopping on my tours. And more often than not, the shopping is merely dropping passengers who wish to shop off in the main shopping area of the port and returning everyone else to the ship. Additionally, on several tours, we took longer at a particular non-shopping attraction and the minimal shopping component was dropped from the tour entirely.

 

The only truly bad tour guide I've had was treated a nature walk as a competitive walk and took no notice of reasonably fit adults having trouble and tripping over the roots and leaf litter along the paths. Three people fell on that tour and the guide took no notice at all. In fact, even after we yelled at her to stop for a moment, she complained about breaking her pace. That was a bad tour, and I complained to HAL and actually got my money refunded AND a shipboard credit. One bad tour guide out of all the tours I have taken over 11 cruises is not enough to make me stop taking ship-based tours.

 

With that one exception, and I blame that solely on the the guide, not the tour itself, I have been completely satisfied with my ship-sponsored tours.

 

I don't see what the big deal is. If people want to do the research and arrange their own tours, fine. If people want to pay the cruise line for making all the arrangements, fine. Overcharging is in the eye of the dissatisfied payer. I have been completely satisfied, and never felt I was overcharged or given a substandard product.

[Cruising-along]

I must pick better ship-sponsored tours than you. I have never been on any with lengthy shopping stops. I have only ever had 10-15 minutes dedicated to shopping on my tours. And more often than not, the shopping is merely dropping passengers who wish to shop off in the main shopping area of the port and returning everyone else to the ship. Additionally, on several tours, we took longer at a particular non-shopping attraction and the minimal shopping component was dropped from the tour entirely.

...

 

I have to agree with you, and will add that once when we were on a HAL tour in Istanbul, we preferred not to go to the shop, and arranged with the guide to meet later at an agreed time. We instead browsed around and I had my first cup of Turkish coffee in a little coffee/pastry shop. :) The guide had no problem with our request.

 

Will also add that the only time we have ever been delayed significantly by a passenger was on a private tour.

[cruisemom42]

We are 63, so you may consider that "old", but we are very well traveled---in Europe. We are fortunate to be able to repeat ports many times, so if we miss something, we will be back. I would get no enjoyment out of planning tours. I am lazy...I will admit it. We have gone on tours with other CC members, but I won't plan. I am quite fussy, but I really can't say that there are many tours that stand out as being led by someone not well educated, or with too many or lengthy shopping trips. It depends on what you like. I want a vacation to be a vacation, which means no thinking. Put me on a bus.... Here's another example....we missed Alhambra on our last trip to Spain. The onboard lecturer thought we were crazy to miss it...but we will be there a year from now. We knew we'd be back! It is wonderful to travel in Europe and be able to relax and not come home totally exhausted, because we have the luxury of being able to go back (as long as our health holds out!). I would not want to be on an 8 hr private tour and knock myself out seeing everything. But, that's just me. Good thing DH is in agreement. We've done all the land tours, so now we can relax and enjoy!

 

I guess I have a lot of energy. :D I also travel to Europe often and have taken multiple cruises in the Med, although I usually look for itineraries with some new ports as well as old favorites. I have no difficulty spending 8-10 hours ashore not necessarily on a private tour. What I most prefer is to get around on my own using public transportation.

 

But some ports are not so easy to return to.

 

For example, I chose a HAL Westerdam cruise because (among other ports) it had a stop at Antakya, Turkey -- which corresponds to ancient Antioch. I had wanted to go there for ages to see the wonderful Roman mosaics museum. Private tour options were slim on the ground, so I took a HAL tour. Turned out to be a huge bummer as the guide was not knowledgeable about the sights on the tour (she had traveled down from Istanbul I guess because HAL needed extra guides but knew little about the area). Instead, she told us she would not give us any facts or dates "because we'd just forget them" and she told a lot of very off-color jokes about the Kurdish minority and about Syrians.

 

Because of the (not on the program) stop we made to shop at a place where she clearly got a kickback, we had a shortened time at the museum.

 

Did I complain when I got back to the ship -- you bet, and many others did too. I'm sure we got a partial refund. But the point to me wasn't that I got a refund, it was that I might never get back to Antakya -- or at least not for a long while -- and I felt that my chance to see what I dearly wanted to see was compromised.

 

Of course, Antakya being so close to the Turkish-Syrian border, it is now off limits. Who knows if there will even be a museum still there to go and see when all the fighting is over? :(