When to book excursions?

[yancmo]

Hello all,

 

First time cruiser here. And boy am I excited!! 221 days and counting. :)

 

My question is; Is it best to book excursions ahead of the cruise or if I wait will I find better deals on the boat? I'm doing the 7 Day Eastern with stops in Key West, Freeport and Nassau. I plan to do the Pub Crawl in Key West. I want to do a beach trip with drinks and maybe a catamaran with snorkeling.

 

I know there are a lot of opinions on whether to book through CCL or on your own. Since this is my first cruise I'll book through the CCL until I learn more.

 

Thank you all in advance!!

 

Yancy

[beachbum53]

Hello all,

 

First time cruiser here. And boy am I excited!! 221 days and counting. :)

 

My question is; Is it best to book excursions ahead of the cruise or if I wait will I find better deals on the boat? I'm doing the 7 Day Eastern with stops in Key West, Freeport and Nassau. I plan to do the Pub Crawl in Key West. I want to do a beach trip with drinks and maybe a catamaran with snorkeling.

 

I know there are a lot of opinions on whether to book through CCL or on your own. Since this is my first cruise I'll book through the CCL until I learn more.

 

Thank you all in advance!!

 

Yancy

 

Some excursions have a limited capacity and/or are very popular and tend to fill up quickly. If you're considering an excursion that falls into one of those categories, it's best to book it sooner than later. It's not uncommon for some excursions to be sold out before the sailing date. If it's an excursion through Carnival, the price on the ship will be the same as it is on the web site. Also, some excursion companies have a contract with Carnival and those specific excursions won't be available elsewhere. The main advantage to booking through Carnival (as opposed to an independent contractor) is that you can rest assured that you won't be left behind. Even if there's an unforeseen delay, the ship won't leave without you.

[asalligo]

I have never seen excursions get cheaper on the cruise, just sell out. Best book what you like as early as possible.

[yancmo]

Exactly the information I was looking for. Thank you so much. And such a quick replies too.

[kelkel2]

I have never seen excursions get cheaper either. But carnival does offer the best price guarantee. Not exactly sure how it works, but they do offer price matching of some sort to guarantee you get the best price on your excursion. I have also seen some of the best excursions sell out, so if there's one you really have your heart set on, just go ahead and book it. There's really nothing to lose. You can always cancel them if you change your mind ( i do believe there's a time constraint on when you can cancel but I would have to check).

I would also agree that if you are a first timer you should probably book with Carnival. Although there are many people who go out on their own, it can be quite stressful worrying about when to be back and making it to the ship on time. If it's a long excursion it can be risky. I always suggest to first timers to book with the ship. Maybe when you know the islands and the industry a bit better then you can book something on your own.

My husband and I still don't book private excursions, but do go shopping off on our own.