Princess Shore Excursion Costs

[kiwichick62]

I booked Princess shore excursions in what I thought was my local currency, New Zealand dollars.  Looking at my bank details I was charged in US dollars.  So the two day St Petersburg tour for example was charged at $775 NZD not the $512 I thought it was going to be.   Alla tours for example charges $499 NZD for the same tour.  How can Princess say they their excursions are price competitive when they are so much more expensive.  They do say that if you find cheaper tours they will give you the price difference but it will be in the form of onboard credit.  I don’t want $$$ onboard credit, I want tours at a reasonable and competitive price.

 

it is deceptive to show excursion prices in a different currency without saying so 😞

[thinfool]

While I feel your pain, it is true that Princess makes it very clear what the onboard currency will be for each ship and itinerary their fleet.  Trips booked in Australia are managed in AUD.

Maybe they could be a little clearer about excursions, but still...Princess has it in print for all to see.

 

I am sure that your daily gratuities were charged in USD also....or did your booking include gratuities?

Anything you bought onboard from the shops or at a bar was charged in USD.  Casino use would be in USD also.

 

As for competitive pricing for excursions...it is caveat emptor.  Long time cruisers know that better rates are usually the rule for non-ship excursions.

Edited January 25, 2020 by thinfool

[TheRabbit]

29 minutes ago, thinfool said:

As for competitive pricing for excursions...it is caveat emptor.  Long time cruisers know that better rates are usually the rule for non-ship excursions.

Princess also takes care of the passengers on their tours. If the tour is late, the ship will wait as long as possible. If the tour is so late as to miss the ship, Princess will take care of them and get them to the next port.

 

If you can find the info, in 2016 a flight bringing passengers back from a Machu Pichu tour had a bird strike and the pilot was forced to abort take off. This closed the runway for a day and the passengers missed the ship. Those on the tour who took the tour under Princess were taken care of and refunded several hundred dollars I believe. Those not under Princess had to pay for the flights to catch up with the cruise, all their meals, hotels and transfers. Even though they saved almost 1K each taking a private tour, they spent a lot more than that getting back to the ship. Luckily for them, Princess helped them make the needed reservations to return to the ship. Something that would have cost them dearly had they needed to get an agent involved.

 

So which tours are cheaper?

 

We always weigh into the private tours the ability to get back in time. If Princess is only a few bucks more, no-brainer.

If not, we plan accordingly.

[kiwichick62]

I understand that onboard currency is USD. My cruise was charged in NZD.  I was charged in NZD for gratuities and the beverage package.  Silly me for thinking that excursions would also be in NZD when the currency is not mentioned on the excursions page.

[franktown]

You can always cancel the shore excursions and get a full refund.  You could then book private excursions if you wish.

[TheRabbit]

2 hours ago, franktown said:

You can always cancel the shore excursions and get a full refund.  You could then book private excursions if you wish.

Be aware of the cut off time for cancellation. Usually 24 hours out, but can and does vary. Even tour to tour on the same sailing. Also, some of the very high end tours could be non-refundable.

[Aus Traveller]

4 hours ago, franktown said:

You can always cancel the shore excursions and get a full refund.  You could then book private excursions if you wish.

I recommend that you consider cancelling the ship's tour. In my opinion, the two-day tours offered by Alla Tours and also PSB Tours are better than the Princess tours because the groups are much smaller. It also helps that the cost is a lot less. There isn't much risk of missing the ship. The ship usually stays overnight so on the first day it doesn't matter what time you get back. You can be sure they will have you back in time on the second day because their reputation depends on it. I also think they might be in trouble with the local authorities if you missed the ship.

 

BTW, you do not need to apply for a Russian visa if you are booked on a tour with an accredited tour company, not necessarily the cruise line. You have to supply the company with your details ahead of time.

[kiwichick62]

Thanks everyone, I was feeling a bit peeved and vented in here.  Have cancelled the ships tour for St Petersburg and are keen on Alla Tours which look reasonably priced and are well rated.  Another two ships tours I didn't cancel as they are well priced and comparable to what private companies charge for the same type of tour.  Just strange the Russian tour is 50% more expensive to Alla and others.  Our tour is late April so I had time enough to cancel.

 

Have a great Aussie day Aus Traveller!

Edited January 26, 2020 by kiwichick62

[Fosters1951]

6 hours ago, kiwichick62 said:

Thanks everyone, I was feeling a bit peeved and vented in here.  Have cancelled the ships tour for St Petersburg and are keen on Alla Tours which look reasonably priced and are well rated.  Another two ships tours I didn't cancel as they are well priced and comparable to what private companies charge for the same type of tour.  Just strange the Russian tour is 50% more expensive to Alla and others.  Our tour is late April so I had time enough to cancel.

 

Have a great Aussie day Aus Traveller!

I did a Baltic Cruise in 2019. After reading all the reviews on CC, we opted to take the Alla Tour, for both the cost and the smaller group size.

We had the same guide and driver both days. They really looked after everyone on the tour and provided a great tour. Whilst you cannot see everything that St Petersburg has to offer in 2 days, we got to see quite a lot, and it would be one of the best tours I have done. 

[geoherb]

There's a caveat about the Princess price guarantee: the excursion details have to match what Princess offers. You may find a less expensive excursion that offers substantially the same things or even more, but it won't qualify for the price guarantee. 

 

Also you get the difference plus 10 percent of the difference back. For my glacier cruise in Whittier last summer, the difference in price was $21. I got a credit of $23.10--the $21 difference plus $2.10 for the 10 percent. 

Edited January 26, 2020 by geoherb

[casofilia]

Princess shorex are booked through their head office no matter how you actually book them and the charges are always in USD no matter what currency they are priced in.

[hobbyfarmer2]

On 1/25/2020 at 2:58 PM, kiwichick62 said:

I understand that onboard currency is USD. My cruise was charged in NZD.  I was charged in NZD for gratuities and the beverage package.  Silly me for thinking that excursions would also be in NZD when the currency is not mentioned on the excursions page.

We are Canadian.  We also pay for our cruises in $CAD, same for anything else we purchase online before the cruise.  Princess converts to your local currency using the booking time rate which sometimes is good if the exchange rate has changed in your favour.  Anything done on the ship is in $USD unless you are an Aussie, I guess.

[casofilia]

@hobbyfarmer2

 

Anything done on the ship is in $USD unless you are an Aussie, I guess.

 

New Zealanders and Australians are able to pay a fare or on board purchases in their own currency.   BUT while they may see Shoe Excursion prices in their own currency (I don't know where) the price charged is in USD.  It may be converted to AUD or NZD on a Credit Card statement but the original charges are always in USD.