Questions on shore excursions through HAL via their website

[meaclasact2]

We are new to HAL. We're on the Ryndam for 14 nights this August going from Harwich up to the North Cape. I was just on the HAL website trying to get an idea of what shore excursions are available.

 

How can you tell the real cost? They are only showing dollar signs from $ to $$$$.

 

If we decide to book, when are we charged for the excursion? Do we have to prepay before we sail or will it be charged to our onboard account?

 

For those of you who are more experienced with HAL - do you have any suggestions in using their website to book shore excursions?

 

Thanks in advance.

[PSR]

You need to log on to the hal website to see your booking (need to register if you haven't yet). Not sure you can see your booking if you used a TA. It may be too soon to see the exact excursions available for your particular cruise. Our September ones are not available yet. The ones you can see on the HAL website without logging in are just excursions that have been done in the past, not ones for your exact cruise date, that's why there are no prices. On HAL, if you prebook, you pay immediately, with a credit card.

 

Hope this helps.

Penny

[Krazy Kruizers]

We use a TA and book our own shore excursions.

You do need to log into HAL's site to see your reservation and to see what shore excursions are available for your cruise. At this early date, I doubt if there are any showing yet.

The ones you see with the dollar signs are the ones available for all the ships in your cruising area.

Once your shore excursions show, and you select what you want, you will be charged right away for them -- to your credit card.

If you change your mind about an excursion and decide to cancel it, the refund will go back onto your credit card IF you cancel up to 3 days before your cruise. After that the monies come back to you will be in the form of shipboard credit. Also if you decide once you are on the ship to cancel an excursion on embarkation day you will get a full refund -- shipboard credit. If you cancel by the deadline listed in the brochure in your cabin, you may or may not be charged a 10% fee. If you miss the deadline, you get nothing back.

[Cakeyandbeano]

We're on the same cruise on 4th July, the excursions are online if you register & log in. I've found them very expensive & after a bit of research can do nearly all the excursions for a Lot less. EG. RIB safari in Geiranger about $150 per person with HAL. I've booked RIB safari & sightseeing coach trip for £60 per person direct

[summersigh]

DH and I have a rule of thumb that paid off for us on a previous cruise.

 

Our rule is that if, in an emergency, we're in range of getting a regular taxi to get back to the ship before sail-away time we go independently or with a private tour company. If we're going out into the countryside or the wilderness we book with the cruise line.

 

If booked with the cruise line the ship will wait for you if something happens. In Belize a couple of years ago we were sitting in traffic in "downtown" Belize City at the time the ship was due to sail. It was a huge load off the mind to hear the tour guide say she was in direct contact with the ship and a tender was waiting for us at the docks. We may be over careful but having a layer of stress removed for out of the city tours is worth the extra $$ to us

Edited December 12, 2014 by summersigh