Grouponing shore excursions?

[the28thfish]

My husband and I booked a hawaiin cruise on NCL's POA. The costs quickly started adding up, even before we were able to book any shore excursions. I was wondering if anyone has ever tried grouponing shore excursions, as a money saving alternative. How safe is it? I am seeing a lot of great activities for lower prices on groupon.

[OBSESSIVEWORLDTRAVELER]

If the tours are through Robert's Hawaii, then yes. I did most shore excursions with them when I cruised Hawaii and they were fantastic.

[zqvol]

The best way to see Hawaii is to rent a car and do it on your own. You don't need organized tours.

[Cruiser Who Knows Nothing]

I've Groupon'd in NYC for the big bus and a 3 hour pedi cab through Central Park. I called the company directly to ask about the groupon. The pedi company told me to book right from them and they will honor the groupon price. I think when it goes that way, they don't have to pay a fee. I felt better going directly from them than a voucher through Groupon.

 

 

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[ttnc4me]

Not a shore excursion but a land vacation to Hawaii and I booked a groupon catamaran cruise. The guy never showed up. My family & another were there. Luckily, we eventually were able to contact him by phone. He came through & booked an even better option for us the next day but wouldn't have worked if it was an excursion.

[EllieinNJ]

On our pre-POA cruise, we booked a luau on Savon, similar to Groupon for about $25pp less than their website. On our last cruise in Miami, we booked the HOHO bus through Groupon when they had a $10 off sale, saving $25pp.

[sanger727]

I don't think safety is a problem. I've used groupon quite a bit locally and when traveling. Just make sure you read the fine print on how to make reservations and when the voucher is good. Groupon has always done a good job of standing behind what they sell in my experiences with them. The challenge is finding the things you want to do on groupon. A quick look at what's available in our stops in Hawaii (going April of 18); none of the activities we are planning have Groupons and none of the groupons available are what we want to do. But if you find some that are, I wouldn't hesitate to use them. Just keep in mind that the companies selling on Groupon aren't selling 'shore excursions'. So they may not be as good as companies that sell 'shore excursions' on scheduling (since you only have 1 day in port), getting you done on time, and have cancellation policies for missed ports (though I doubt that happens much in Hawaii).

 

 

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