Port change impacts to excursions

[mncruizr]

Long time lurker, not much posting. We are finally going on another cruise Jan 10 to the western caribbean out of Houston. I've heard that Houston delays happen coming and going often and they involve port changes. So...I'm wondering if it's best to book excursions through Princess versus going at it on our own? I like the ability to find unique excursions and shop and frankly I did it on one alaska cruise and we had such a great personal experience.

What does everyone think? Play it safe and book through Princess?

 

What happens to Princess booked excursions when you change ports?

[jnc411]

Last year we had issues with port cancelation due to hurricane , we had booked Princess excursions, we were not charged for those excursions and the port fees were not charged, the ship was re routed to 3 different ports and excursions for those ports were offered and new port fees charged for those ports, it worked out fine. Princess did their best to accomodate the passangers with options. Yes we missed going to the ports we wanted to see , but it was unavoidable, and it worked out fine.

Cori

[hloakes]

We had a last minute change on a cruise and had paid for excursions that were not booked through the cruise line. They refunded our money after the ship did not go to that port.

 

I would suggest you understand the excursion company's policy before booking, especially if you have to pay before the cruise.

[cb at sea]

Most reputable excursions companies don't charge if the ship can't make it.....and certainly booking thru the ship is a fool-proof way....

[mncruizr]

Thanks everyone for your help. It sounds like we have options if we want to do something else but the easiest is to go through Princess. And - read the fine print!!

Edited September 24, 2015 by mncruizr

[waltd]

I would say yes know your tour company. Find one that will not ask for a deposit or credit card and if they do make sure they fully refund you if the ship does not make it to port for any reason. There are some benefits taking Princess tours. Have a great time :)

[satxdiver]

If you book a private tour, read the small print. Reputable tour companies will refund any deposit if the ship does not visit the port or will alter the tour if the ship arrives at a different time. We go for private tours that do not ask for the deposit or if they do, it is minimal ($5 or so). If you are stopping in Belize, remember it is a tender port that requires 15 or so minutes to get to the pier. Princess tours get priority on the tenders. Plan ahead.

[caribill]

Long time lurker, not much posting. We are finally going on another cruise Jan 10 to the western caribbean out of Houston. I've heard that Houston delays happen coming and going often and they involve port changes. So...I'm wondering if it's best to book excursions through Princess versus going at it on our own? I like the ability to find unique excursions and shop and frankly I did it on one alaska cruise and we had such a great personal experience.

What does everyone think? Play it safe and book through Princess?

 

What happens to Princess booked excursions when you change ports?

 

If you have an excursion booked for a port that is changed to a different day, Princess will automatically set you up for the same tour on that different day. However, sometimes the tour might not be available due to vendor availability. In that case, you will have the Princess charges removed from your onboard account. If not sold out, you can select another tour and the charge for that tour will be put on your on board account.

 

If you have an excursion booked and the port will be skipped without rescheduling, then the Princess charges will be removed from your onboard account.

 

If a different port is used, then Princess will set up excursions for that new port and you can expect long lines to book the new port's excursions.

[long cruiser]

This your we arrived at the wrong port in ho chi min city in vietnam due to weather conditions.

It took almost three hours to get to our tour in each direction and this was a ships tour.

long cruiser