Shore Excursions

[Karen Lynn]

Sailing the Baltic in July and it's been so so long since I've booked a Princess excursion. Do you pay at time of booking online or onboard?

 

Thanks!

[john watson]

These still come under your on board account as far as I know, last cruised in August.

 

Regards John

[Karen Lynn]

Great! Thank you!

[cnd crsr]

You can wait and pay on your shipboard account or you have the option to pre-pay. You will find this option when you go into your personalizer.

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

We will be doing a Baltic cruise also. Looking at the excursions, I was surprised with the high costs. One would think that with the dollar at all time highs against the euro, the price Princess pays the European tour operators would be way down. Like oil price declines, this must be an area in which the savings to the company are not being passed down to the consumer.

 

For that reason, it may be best to use private tour operators in Europe.

[skf]

the price Princess pays the European tour operators would be way down

Just guessing here...possibly Princess' contracts with operators are at the older exchange rate and may not change until the next round of contracts..

[JF - retired RRT]

You can wait and pay on your shipboard account or you have the option to pre-pay. You will find this option when you go into your personalizer.

You just need to decide if you want the $$ in your bank account until you sail or in Princess' bank account.

Just be sure to book the excursion as soon as you know you want to go on it. Prices can and do go UP.

[-Lew-]

 

One would think that with the dollar at all time highs against the euro, the price Princess pays the European tour operators would be way down. Like oil price declines, this must be an area in which the savings to the company are not being passed down to the consumer.

 

For that reason, it may be best to use private tour operators in Europe.

Your statement is incorrect! The US dollar is not at an all time high vs the euro. For a period of time in 2002, 86¢ US equaled €1,00.

 

With the currency markets being as volatile as they are, I don't see how Princess or anyone else could possible predict what the exchange rate might be in July. Princess is following a sensible business practice by keeping excursion costs level and not attempting to follow each change in rates.

 

Lew

[JanetMarie]

DH and I are utilizing the private tour companies/mostly cabs while there. We have learned over the many years we have been cruising (since 1984) that a lot has changed!

[eandj]

Sailing the Baltic in July and it's been so so long since I've booked a Princess excursion. Do you pay at time of booking online or onboard?

 

Thanks!

 

 

Go over to the northern Europe ports of call board. There you will find lots of info re some big, reliable tour companies that will save you a lot of money. AND as a bonus, the group size will be MUCH smaller. Baltic itineraries are very easy to do privately or on your own feet.;)

[OCruisers]

Happily, we can still book an excursion on Princess in advance and have it put on our on board account if we wish. :)

 

On our last Baltic Cruise we found we liked taking the excursions offered by Princess unless we only wanted to take a taxi into town.

 

LuLu

[jagsfan]

Your Roll Call will probably have a lot of discussion about shore exes. We've booked many private tours with other Roll Call people and thoroughly enjoyed them. We generally charged them in advance with the promise of full refund if we cancelled.

[kaya49]

Sailing the Baltic in July and it's been so so long since I've booked a Princess excursion. Do you pay at time of booking online or onboard?

 

Thanks!

 

Hi Karen

We are also going to the Baltic,( on the Regal Princess - 7/29/2015 ) , and comparing the Princess's excursions with several very good tour operators, I don't consider the ship's as a possibility at all. All the local ones are cheaper, and taking much smaller groups ...And if you book with them the St. Petersburg, and several more tours in the other countries, the price is dropping even more.

Eilat

[PROCRUISE]

We will be doing a Baltic cruise also. Looking at the excursions, I was surprised with the high costs. One would think that with the dollar at all time highs against the euro, the price Princess pays the European tour operators would be way down. Like oil price declines, this must be an area in which the savings to the company are not being passed down to the consumer.

 

For that reason, it may be best to use private tour operators in Europe.

 

Just a suggestion, particularly with regards to St. Petersburg. We booked a two day private tour for St. Petersburg through Red October. It was fabulous, NO waiting in lines, itinerary was open to what we wanted to see with our own driver and tour guide, who also make additional suggestions of things to see as we went along. We saw so much more than what the cruise line excursions offered and we weren't stuck on a bus with 40 other passengers! Again, just a suggestion. :)

Edited April 25, 2015 by PROCRUISE