Has anyone used Shoretrips.com for excusions instead of NCL?

[DimSum]

Wondering if anyone has experience with Shoretrips.com?  I'm considering some excursions with NCL for my West Caribbean cruise but was also recommended to look at Shoretrips.com to save some money.  

[jayjay10704]

Yes & they are excellent!

[Sauer-kraut]

Aren't they just a broker like Viator?  If they are you can book the excursion directly from the VENDOR that offers the tour, not the 3rd party broker.

Edited October 30, 2019 by Sauer-kraut

[DimSum]

5 hours ago, Sauer-kraut said:

Aren't they just a broker like Viator?  If they are you can book the excursion directly from the VENDOR that offers the tour, not the 3rd party broker.

IDK.  An acquaintance suggested using Shoretrips.  I've never used a private vendor for excursions so IDK if they are a good tour company.

 

[kayjay76]

We've always booked directly from the vendors themselves... saves a lot from booking an NCL excusion and saves a little from using sites like viator and shoretrips.com. With some research and reading reviews you can see if a company is any good. 

 

For example... on our western carib cruise we wanted to do the ruins in costa maya so I read bunches of posts on cruisecritic and found a company called Native Choice. We were still a bit nervous booking directly thru them but In the end we were so happy we did!!! We paid 60% less than NCL for the same exact tour. We arrived and left at the same time the NCL bus did and saved over 60$ pp and the company was great!!!

 

Same thing for some of our beach excursions or all inclusives day passes... booked directly thru hotel instead of using shoretrips.com and saved around 5-10$ pp

 

I suggest if you look on shoretrips and find something you'd like to do.... do a web search for the direct vendor site and compare the price of booking at either place.

[mianmike]

Shore Excursions Group is great.  They will match any lower price for the same tour.  

 

We're currently booked with them on a $29 pp tour so I didn't even bother to look and see if I could find the same tour for less $.  

 

And most importantly:

 

Guaranteed Return to Ship

"We have never had a customer miss their ship. Our team possesses over 80 years of combined cruise line experience and we are not aware of a single case in which a customer on an independent tour missed a ship. In the extremely unlikely event that you miss your ship due to the late arrival of one of our tours, we will arrange and pay for your accommodations, meals, and transportation to the next port of call, and we will pay you an additional $500 USD per customer for the inconvenience."

[Budget Queen]

I am very picky about the vendors I use.   Yes this agency is only a booking agent.   They do NOT run any tours.   The “great “ claims have nothing to do with the tour quality only who’s contracted commissions.    Fine when things go well but a big disadvantage when you have to deal with a middle man when it doesn’t.  

[jskinsd]

4 hours ago, Budget Queen said:

I am very picky about the vendors I use.   Yes this agency is only a booking agent.   They do NOT run any tours.   The “great “ claims have nothing to do with the tour quality only who’s contracted commissions.    Fine when things go well but a big disadvantage when you have to deal with a middle man when it doesn’t.  

I agree.  Go with the people you know for peace of mind and not a discount.  How much do you really save.  It is like booking a cruise.  Guaranteed or pick your cabin.

[DimSum]

1 hour ago, jskinsd said:

I agree.  Go with the people you know for peace of mind and not a discount.  How much do you really save.  It is like booking a cruise.  Guaranteed or pick your cabin.

 

5 hours ago, Budget Queen said:

I am very picky about the vendors I use.   Yes this agency is only a booking agent.   They do NOT run any tours.   The “great “ claims have nothing to do with the tour quality only who’s contracted commissions.    Fine when things go well but a big disadvantage when you have to deal with a middle man when it doesn’t.  

 

I'd be picky too.  I guess I will be doing a lot of research on vendors.  I'm more comfortable booking thru the ship but none of the excursions interest me and seems over priced.

[DimSum]

How do you tell if someone is a booking agent VS a vendor?

[SouthLyonCruiser]

We used Shoretrips and had great experiences. Paying a little more than directly with the vendor gives us a little peace of mind in case there is a problem. They make sure you don't miss your ship. A small vendor may not have the proper insurance to do anything if you miss your ships where Shoretrips does. They were great to work with and promptly credited our account when we had to cancel an excursion in Dominica because of rough seas.

[SouthLyonCruiser]

17 minutes ago, DimSum said:

 

 

I'd be picky too.  I guess I will be doing a lot of research on vendors.  I'm more comfortable booking thru the ship but none of the excursions interest me and seems over priced.

That is the good thing about going through Shoretrips; they do the research and have more to lose if things go wrong.

[Budget Queen]

1 hour ago, SouthLyonCruiser said:

We used Shoretrips and had great experiences. Paying a little more than directly with the vendor gives us a little peace of mind in case there is a problem. They make sure you don't miss your ship. A small vendor may not have the proper insurance to do anything if you miss your ships where Shoretrips does. They were great to work with and promptly credited our account when we had to cancel an excursion in Dominica because of rough seas.

Uhhh.  You are a little misguided.  Do you really think “Shore Trips “. Has control over the vendors?  Booking agents are Someone who most likely hasn’t even been on the tours and located states/countries   away.    No. It’s entirely up to a vendor and their integrity.   Not someone in Florida with only phone contact.    You are much better off choosing vendors with long histories of superb tours and great business practices.    

[Budget Queen]

1 hour ago, SouthLyonCruiser said:

That is the good thing about going through Shoretrips; they do the research and have more to lose if things go wrong.

Really???   No it’s based on who pays commission.   Most of the booking agents haven’t even been on the tours.   Or at the most got a comp trip.   

[SouthLyonCruiser]

21 hours ago, Budget Queen said:

Uhhh.  You are a little misguided.  Do you really think “Shore Trips “. Has control over the vendors?  Booking agents are Someone who most likely hasn’t even been on the tours and located states/countries   away.    No. It’s entirely up to a vendor and their integrity.   Not someone in Florida with only phone contact.    You are much better off choosing vendors with long histories of superb tours and great business practices.    

Not misguided, a realist. If a particular tour operator is no good that will get back to the 'middle man' whose reputation depends on providing a quality product. That reputation is what my travel agent relies on when telling me that Shoretrips is aok. I was in a business where my customers relied on my recommendations, and believe me, if a recommendation went sour it reflected on me, not just the one I recommended.

[SouthLyonCruiser]

21 hours ago, Budget Queen said:

Really???   No it’s based on who pays commission.   Most of the booking agents haven’t even been on the tours.   Or at the most got a comp trip.   

Their business depends on providing quality and value. If the trip sold is a consistant dud it is in their best interest to stop listing and selling the trip. Reputation is everything.

[SouthLyonCruiser]

21 hours ago, Budget Queen said:

Really???   No it’s based on who pays commission.   Most of the booking agents haven’t even been on the tours.   Or at the most got a comp trip.   

We must agree to disagree. My experience has been nothing but positive.