How often do excursions sell out before the cruise?

[AuroraRose]

We have our first cruise ever coming up this August aboard the Millennium in Alaska. There is a shore excursion that I am interested in doing in Icy Strait Point (Glacier Bay Flightseeing), but there are only 2 time slots offered for the excursion in the cruise planner, and it might be popular since our cruise visits Hubbard Glacier instead of Glacier Bay. It is pretty pricey though, and ideally I would love to be able to wait to book it on board once our OBC from our TA is available. So I guess I would like to know from experienced cruisers if there is a good chance that something like this might sell out before the cruise. Thanks!

[ghstudio]

Yes, the limited deals often sell out in advance.  Book it now and then when on board, talk to excursions and see if they will let you cancel and then immediately rebook.  It’s not an uncommon request.

[Luvcrusn]

I've used the strategy that ghstudio suggested but be aware that the prices on board for the excursions are about 10% higher that those pre-cruise.  If your OBC comes from X it will be the non-refundable variety and could be used prior to sailing, but if from your TA it will likely be refundable and won't show up until you're on board. Any unused OBC that's refundable will be handed back to you in cash if you request it the last night or refunded to your credit card on file. If it's a limited excursion that you'll really feel deprived to miss, I'd book beforehand (and maybe you'll luck into a pre-cruise sale to reduce the price even more). Then, if you have OBC-R left, you'll get cash back or a credit card refund.

[ipeeinthepool]

8 hours ago, AuroraRose said:

We have our first cruise ever coming up this August aboard the Millennium in Alaska. There is a shore excursion that I am interested in doing in Icy Strait Point (Glacier Bay Flightseeing), but there are only 2 time slots offered for the excursion in the cruise planner, and it might be popular since our cruise visits Hubbard Glacier instead of Glacier Bay. It is pretty pricey though, and ideally I would love to be able to wait to book it on board once our OBC from our TA is available. So I guess I would like to know from experienced cruisers if there is a good chance that something like this might sell out before the cruise. Thanks!

 

How much is the onboard credit?   Have you prepaid gratuities?  If not use it for the tips. Is that the only excursion you are booking on-board?  Do you purchase any internet packages of specialty dining?  If it's really a special excursion that could really be a highlight of the trip, I would book it now instead of possibly missing the excursion by waiting.  Another thing to keep in mind is that these flights will be cancelled if there is bad weather and then you would have the OBC returned mid-cruise without a plan to use it.  

[4774Papa]

We take more private tours than ship's expensive excursions. Do some research and find a good private tour.

https://taquanair.com/?utm_source=Bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=taquan_flightseeing&utm_term=Flightseeing in Alaska&utm_content=Taquan Flightseeing

 

https://www.viator.com/Ketchikan-attractions/Ketchikan-Cruise-Port/d942-a3939

 

https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/alaska-shore-excursions?source=Adwords&msclkid=e3428c571ee21d216ad3d024c16f3f9c&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Alaska Campaign&utm_term=alaska shore excursions&utm_content=General Alaska

 

[AuroraRose]

Thanks all! I decided to book it now, and will try the suggestion to cancel and rebook using the TA OBC once onboard. If that doesn't work, hopefully it will get refunded to us since it is not directly from Celebrity. And if for whatever reason it is nonrefundable OBC (apparently it depends on the agreement the TA has with Celebrity according to other threads I read), then I am sure we can figure out how to spend it on specialty dining, massages, fitness classes, shopping, etc.

 

@ipeeinthepool we got a discounted Go Best package and 10% OBC from the TA, so gratuities, premium beverage package, and internet are already included. The 10% OBC is $500, which we won't have until we board the ship. We did already use the Celebrity OBC from the Go Best to book an excursion in Skagway. We have not purchased any specialty dining (waiting to get on the ship before we decide to do that). 

 

@4774Papa I do tend to research private tours, and already booked a helicopter glacier landing in Juneau through Shore Excursions Group, and booked another tour in Ketchikan directly with the tour vendor. I did not however see any private companies specifically offering a Glacier Bay Flightseeing tour from ISP; otherwise I would have probably gone that route. Please let me know if I missed one, but my research came up short.