Norwegian Epic Excursions

[weezy123]

We are first time cruisers and seem a bit overwhelmed by all to do. In particular pre-booking excursions. Should we book our excursions ahead or are they they same price from the ship?

[MCC retired]

They should be the same price onboard . If less you can get an adjustment .

Booking now will assure you of a popular/limited availability tour that is a must do , will not sell out before you get to the tour desk.

Booking onboard has an advantage as tours get booked by charging them to your onboard acct , if you have any Onboard Credits from your TA or the cruise line.

NCL Board will be a better place to ask -any more ship specific questions

[papcx]

Your 1st cruise can be a little overwhelming. Just take a deep breath and relax.

 

As mentioned, you'll get a much better informed answer over on the NCL boards.

 

However, you don't HAVE to take the ships excursions. You can if it's something you really want to do, and you'll have the insurance of the trip getting you back to the ship on time. That's what we did on our 1st cruise.

 

Since then we refuse to pay the extortionate prices. Read up on your ports of call in the ports of call section. They'll be loads of tips about public transport and where to book tickets in advance etc.

 

Join your sailings roll call. I bet there are people who've hired a mini-bus and are looking for people to join them and share the cost. We've done that several times, and it's cheaper and probably more relaxed.

 

 

Reservations for shows onboard and dining is probably a different matter. A bit of time booking things now will probably make the time onboard go smoother.

 

Enjoy, your going to love it.

[cb at sea]

Excursions are seldom needed. 1st, get a guidebook...learn about your ports! Find out what interests you...then you can decide what you want to do, and HOW to do it! The prices are the same, whether you book in advance or onboard. You might not need to pay someone to do what you want to do, tho...RESEARCH is key!

Edited June 28, 2015 by cb at sea

[Huntingdon1701]

My experience is that they can get fully booked before you even set foot on the ship, so pre-booking is a better idea. Some lines also increase the prices as they get booked up so you could end up paying more (not sure about Norwegian).

 

However, it is very simple to pre-book them through your account on the NCL website. There are companies that provide cheaper tours, so you don't have to to use the NCL ones if you are on a budget. Your roll call will likely have posts from other people looking to share excursions with others on the same cruise.

 

Edit: I utterly disagree with cb at sea. Excursions add a huge amount to most ports and provide things that no guide book is going to give you. I'd always book one for your first time to a large port, although as I said - doesn't have to be with the cruise line.

Edited July 18, 2015 by Huntingdon1701

[Misself]

NCL excursion prices DO increase so best to book before you go. One trip I was looking at went up a few $ in the time I was thinking about it, and still 3 months to go. I'm booking ships own trips for my next cruise as I have excursion credit to use as part of promo and also as I'm travelling solo this time, but often I just research where I'm going, read forums such as this and do my own thing.

[clean1owner]

We are first time cruisers and seem a bit overwhelmed by all to do. In particular pre-booking excursions. Should we book our excursions ahead or are they they same price from the ship?

 

When are you sailing? Go to the roll call board and find your sail date. People there always have good advice. Also private tour sharing.

[SMerritt]

We are first time cruisers and seem a bit overwhelmed by all to do. In particular pre-booking excursions. Should we book our excursions ahead or are they they same price from the ship?

 

We have sailed the Epic three times - I have never seen the excursion rates change.

 

Browsing the excursions for your cruise online will give you an idea of what is available on each island - then you can book through NCL or a private tour. Being a first-time cruiser I would opt for 1 or 2 NCL excursions to get used to shore days. Visit each island here on Cruise Critic for great information - every island is very different as far as navigating. There are also reviews by past cruisers on each tour @ the booking pages.

 

Try to book your Blue Man and Cirque shows as soon as you decide on a date and time.

 

Hace a GREAT Cruise! Don't "plan" too much or you will just fret about what you missed - there is so much to do and see on the Epic, just take one day at a time.