Shore excursions

[GrandmaLinder]

i have put shore excursions in my cart. Will they drop out if I don't pay for them. I want to pay with my on board credit. I know when I cruise with Princess they stay in there and when I get on board they have charged to my on board account.

[Gonzo70]

You need to pay in advance to guarantee excursions; holding them in your cart does nothing no to secure a spot. If you board early and book soon after boarding you are almost certain to get spots though. Also consider researching private excursions; in most ports one can book better excursions (often for less $$$ the boot) than booking through the ship.

[chemmo]

Whilst most excursions are available on boarding if there are any with limited numbers (sea plane trips, helicopter rides) these can book up.

 

If we have lots of OBC we will usually wait until boarding to book but will have already worked out our plans. However, if there is that 'once in a lifetime' adventure we don't risk it and we have seen people disappointed...

 

As someone else said you can look at private tours which can have the benefit of being cheaper and smaller numbers but then you can't use your OBC. Personally we have always found Celebrity tours to be of a good standard.

 

Have a great cruise!

[eandj]

Depending on the itinerary of course, we've noticed many more people are booking their own tours, not ship excursions. We haven't had trouble booking an excursion here or there using obc, but we preplan and book on the first day. But for sure, if there is one that you for sure don't want to miss, book and pay for it now.

You can cancel the prebooked ones up to a certain date once you board, usually a day or two in advance of the tour, and will get your credit card refunded. Same for the ones you book onboard. They are cancellable. So..if you end up on a waitlist, and they don't add another group, sometimes the cancellations can open spots for the waitlisted.