If a shore excursion is cancelled or cruise ship changes itenerary....

[Simbar]

If I book an excursion through the cruise line and the excursion is cancelled or the ship changes itenerary, then I get my money back right?

 

But if I book outside of the cruise line -- independently -- then I follow the company's cancellation policy and could potentailly lose money, right?

 

 

Arrrgghhh I am so stressed in what to do. We are cruising on the Carnival Miracle in July. The day we will be in Cozumel it will be my daughter's 11th birthday and I've decided on a dolphin swim. If I book directly with the company I save a SIGNIFICANT amount of money ($200) versus booking through the cruise. But the thought enters my mind that what if a Gulf hurricane pops up and our itenerary changes. Arrrgghhh. I tend to overthink. The dolphin places offers me the opportunity to rebook for a different day or a voucher good for a year if unable to make it.

[shof515]

If I book an excursion through the cruise line and the excursion is cancelled or the ship changes itenerary, then I get my money back right?

.

yes. depending on when it is canceled, you will get onboard credit or it will be refunded to your credit card.

 

 

But if I book outside of the cruise line -- independently -- then I follow the company's cancellation policy and could potentially lose money, right?

.

Yes. however most tour provider have an excellent cancellation policy. they know when a ship has to skip a port due to weather or another reason and they should refund your money back.the only time the company cancellation policy takes in effect is you want to cancel it for any reason.

[rjl1977]

Not saying it won't happen but July is early for a hurricane. Hurricane season starts in September or October. Also, most independent tours usually ask for a small deposit and payment when you get to the excursion. They will know when the ship has to reroute and adjust without penalty usually.

[geaux_aces]

Hurricane season starts in September or October..

 

This is simply not true. Hurricane season in the Atlantic is from June to November. June and July will have fewer Hurricanes than August and September, but there are named storms nearly every year at that time. Last year there were 5 named storms before August. 2 were in the Gulf of Mexico.

[riffatsea]

Hurricane season is all summer not starting in September!

I'd not book something that I need to pay in advance unless you have trip insurance that will cover it. My credit card covers cancellation of activities if I pay for them with my car.

[ray98]

The odds of missing Cozumel is very very remote.

[schazzy]

If the excursion with the independent vendor is the same as the one offered by Carnival, you could book with Carnival, make a Best Price Guarantee claim and get 110% of the difference back in OBC. I did this with my Belize excursion and got back almost $20 pp.

 

Use this link to make the claim:

 

https://www.carnival.com/content/shore-excursion-best-price-guarantee.aspx

[Simbar]

I'd book directly with the dolphin swim place.

[teknoge3k]

If I book an excursion through the cruise line and the excursion is cancelled or the ship changes itenerary, then I get my money back right?

 

But if I book outside of the cruise line -- independently -- then I follow the company's cancellation policy and could potentailly lose money, right?

 

 

Arrrgghhh I am so stressed in what to do. We are cruising on the Carnival Miracle in July. The day we will be in Cozumel it will be my daughter's 11th birthday and I've decided on a dolphin swim. If I book directly with the company I save a SIGNIFICANT amount of money ($200) versus booking through the cruise. But the thought enters my mind that what if a Gulf hurricane pops up and our itenerary changes. Arrrgghhh. I tend to overthink. The dolphin places offers me the opportunity to rebook for a different day or a voucher good for a year if unable to make it.

 

Most excursion operators want you to pay when you get there so if you don't make it, you don't even see them to pay for it. However if you pay ahead of time online, most if not all will refund 100% of your money. I've never found anyone who wouldn't and I only use private excursions.

[coevan]

I have never booked with Carnival and all reputable private companies offer refunds including the small deposit. You do not need travel insurance for shore excursions

[grandmarnnurse]

If I book an excursion through the cruise line and the excursion is cancelled or the ship changes itenerary, then I get my money back right?

 

But if I book outside of the cruise line -- independently -- then I follow the company's cancellation policy and could potentailly lose money, right?

 

 

Arrrgghhh I am so stressed in what to do. We are cruising on the Carnival Miracle in July. The day we will be in Cozumel it will be my daughter's 11th birthday and I've decided on a dolphin swim. If I book directly with the company I save a SIGNIFICANT amount of money ($200) versus booking through the cruise. But the thought enters my mind that what if a Gulf hurricane pops up and our itenerary changes. Arrrgghhh. I tend to overthink. The dolphin places offers me the opportunity to rebook for a different day or a voucher good for a year if unable to make it.

 

 

 

I understand your thinking, but even with the higher price you get the reassurance and safety you can only get through the cruise line. In all my cruises, I only trust cruise line backed excursions. A lot of people will argue this, and that’s fine. That’s their right. But it’s a matter of safety and comfort zone for me. I will gladly pay more. They can promise and guarantee all they want, but things happen out of their control, and you will be wavy your ship goodbye!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[teknoge3k]

I understand your thinking, but even with the higher price you get the reassurance and safety you can only get through the cruise line. In all my cruises, I only trust cruise line backed excursions. A lot of people will argue this, and that’s fine. That’s their right. But it’s a matter of safety and comfort zone for me. I will gladly pay more. They can promise and guarantee all they want, but things happen out of their control, and you will be wavy your ship goodbye!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

If you book through the cruise line you're going to pay more to do less. Not to mention the cruise line excursions typically have a lot of people in them, where if you go independent you can do it with just your family, go at your pace and have a lot better time. All of the REPUTABLE vendors will have you back to your ship in PLENTY of time.

 

I totally understand your reasoning though and know a lot of people prefer to stay within the confines of the cruise line and that's perfectly okay. But those of us who refuse to do cruise line excursions, nobody is going to convince us to do go through a cruise line for our fun.

[Computer Nerd]

Not saying it won't happen but July is early for a hurricane. Hurricane season starts in September or October. Also, most independent tours usually ask for a small deposit and payment when you get to the excursion. They will know when the ship has to reroute and adjust without penalty usually.

 

Official hurricane season is from 01 June until 30 November.

[shof515]

the best thing about carnival ship excursion is the meeting place is on the pier and the tour bus is near the pier too or somewhere else nearby. traveling with someone that has mobility issues, i will gladly pay a higher price for the shore excursion pickup to be close to the ship.

 

in some ports like St. Maarten, Amber Cove, most private tours meet in a picking lot outside of the cruise terminal area. this can be a bit long walk for someone with disability's.

[A&Jfamily]

Chankannab is simple to take a cab to and half the cost if you book independently. You can wait til just a few days prior to be sure of your travel plans and then lock it down. Never missed Cozumel as a port.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[riclop]

Yes you do.

[SNJCruisers]

On their direct website, there is currently a 25% discount. There are also 3 different levels of activity, interaction and length. The "Encounter" is listed @ 74.25, the "Swim Adventure" is listed @ 96.75 and the "Royal Swim" is listed @ 119.75. These are all for ages 13+. For those 12 and under, all 3 excursions are listed @ 66.75.

So, your best value would be to go for the Royal Swim and pay 186.50 for the two of you. Remember that you'll also end up paying for photos as well.

[sanger727]

Yes, you have it right. With a independent excursion you get more for less but it carries the risk of cancellation penalties. What we do is not book tours that require full payment upfront. But, there are some places that do require it so, there’s no easy answer.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[You Me & the Sea]

I'd go with the private excursion as long as its a reputable company. Most of them refund any money paid if the ship misses the port. Now if the ship docks and YOU decided to change your mind, that's another story. July is early for hurricanes so you shouldn't have anything to worry about.