Should we pre-book excursions now for May '22?

[SarahHben]

5 minutes ago, wowzz said:

That seems wrong to me.  Did you manage to get an actual refund?

No but then I didn’t try too hard. I called and asked about it when the cruise was cancelled, then I asked again when we rebooked and was given the same answer. Being first time cruisers I didn’t really question it.
We are  quite happy to use it as on board spend, it will cover our drinks and a meal in Sindu and hubby’s coffees. However, I wouldn’t want to book more excursions now and the same thing happen.

[P&O SUE]

Strangely I’ve just looked at the excursions again for my June 2022 cruise and they’ve definitely added a lot more, they’re not just driving around ones though, they look like ‘normal’ ones including walking tours and tours to vineyards.

[SarahHben]

5 minutes ago, P&O SUE said:

It’s bad isn’t it? I’ve also been refunded, even cancelled onboard once the day before and got my money back!

I must admit I just assumed it was usual practice.

 

[P&O SUE]

33 minutes ago, SarahHben said:

I must admit I just assumed it was usual practice.

 

The first cruise I had cancelled due to Covid was a 2 nighter over to Zeebrugge at Easter and I’d booked an excursion to Ghent. I had a feeling the cruise was going to be cancelled so I cancelled the excursion. However it did happen that people had to apply to get their excursion money back and wait nearly as long as the other refunds. I felt very lucky. (It was about 92 days before I got the cruise refund back!)

[Son of Anarchy]

We got refunds when we cancelled excursions.  But we cancelled via Cruise Personaliser.  Refunds landed within a couple of days.

[Eglesbrech]

39 minutes ago, P&O SUE said:

The first cruise I had cancelled due to Covid was a 2 nighter over to Zeebrugge at Easter and I’d booked an excursion to Ghent. I had a feeling the cruise was going to be cancelled so I cancelled the excursion. However it did happen that people had to apply to get their excursion money back and wait nearly as long as the other refunds. I felt very lucky. (It was about 92 days before I got the cruise refund back!)

Yes we were in that position, sailing in early April 2020 and we waited months for the cruise refund and very much longer for the sundries!

[SarahHben]

1 hour ago, Son of Anarchy said:

We got refunds when we cancelled excursions.  But we cancelled via Cruise Personaliser.  Refunds landed within a couple of days.

Yes I did it through the cruise personaliser too but no cash refund for me.
Never mind, it’s done now, I’m sure I won’t have any trouble spending the on board credit, spending is one of my talents 😁

[Slugsta]

We had a Baltics cruise booked for 2020, booked excursions in St Pete's  and that was refunded as OBC when the cruise was cancelled. We rebooked for this year and the excursion money was refunded to our credit card this time.

[tring]

On 8/14/2021 at 1:20 PM, P&O SUE said:

Strangely I’ve just looked at the excursions again for my June 2022 cruise and they’ve definitely added a lot more, they’re not just driving around ones though, they look like ‘normal’ ones including walking tours and tours to vineyards.

 

Walking tours are taking place on UK cruises now, but kept in the group and do not go into busy areas.  Also a vineyard tour being offered (and has been taking place) in Scilly.  I have no idea why some folk think that they cannot be done as the open air has always been said to be better.

 

We have also done Tresco Abbey Gardens and were allowed freedom to explore on our own, but the gardens appeared to be more or less completely booked out to the cruise line, so hardly risky.

Edited August 16, 2021 by tring

[Son of Anarchy]

55 minutes ago, tring said:

 

Walking tours are taking place on UK cruises now, but kept in the group and do not go into busy areas.  Also a vineyard tour being offered (and has been taking place) in Scilly.  I have no idea why some folk think that they cannot be done as the open air has always been said to be better.

 

We have also done Tresco Abbey Gardens and were allowed freedom to explore on our own, but the gardens appeared to be more or less completely booked out to the cruise line, so hardly risky.

Was over at Tresco Abbey Gardens a couple of weeks ago.  Lovely place.  Did you see the red squirrels?

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, tring said:

 

Walking tours are taking place on UK cruises now, but kept in the group and do not go into busy areas.  Also a vineyard tour being offered (and has been taking place) in Scilly.  I have no idea why some folk think that they cannot be done as the open air has always been said to be better.

 

We have also done Tresco Abbey Gardens and were allowed freedom to explore on our own, but the gardens appeared to be more or less completely booked out to the cruise line, so hardly risky.

Was this on P&O?

[jeanlyon]

On my cruise, one of them is an Athens transfer and then 5 hours to do your own thing?  How would that be any different from leaving the ship on your own?

[wowzz]

25 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

On my cruise, one of them is an Athens transfer and then 5 hours to do your own thing?  How would that be any different from leaving the ship on your own?

I think that unless things change, that tour will be cancelled.

As an aside,  I can never see the point of those "tours" . If there are fwo or three of you, it is cheaper to just go by taxi - after all, it is only around €30 for a taxi from the port to central Athens.

[terrierjohn]

28 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

On my cruise, one of them is an Athens transfer and then 5 hours to do your own thing?  How would that be any different from leaving the ship on your own?

Jean, surely these are the old normal shore excursions, I don't believe that P&O have put any of the suggested "cheaper" bubbled excursions on the website. It was always going to be too complicated  for their IT  depts abacus.

[P&O SUE]

3 hours ago, tring said:

 

Walking tours are taking place on UK cruises now, but kept in the group and do not go into busy areas.  Also a vineyard tour being offered (and has been taking place) in Scilly.  I have no idea why some folk think that they cannot be done as the open air has always been said to be better.

 

We have also done Tresco Abbey Gardens and were allowed freedom to explore on our own, but the gardens appeared to be more or less completely booked out to the cruise line, so hardly risky.

I’m not saying they are risky I’m saying they look like the normal excursions offered pre covid. The wine tasting tends to be done indoors anyway.

[tring]

1 hour ago, terrierjohn said:

Was this on P&O?

 

Fred’s Borealis from Liverpool.  I should think all cruise lines calling at the same ports will be doing the same excursions as they are provided locally.  Our ports last week were Portsmouth, Portland, Falmouth and Scilly, though could not tender at Scilly, so it was cancelled. Then we went onto Scotland for scenic cruising - Sound of Mull, which we saw very clearly as quite narrow, followed by some other Islands as well as Fingal’s Cave,  (too windy to get close to Fingal’s cave, but we did see it and the Basalt columns through binoculars).  We went to Tresco on a July cruise on the same ship. 

 

We did a Falmouth walk around the Pendennis Peninsula (four miles over three hours with stops for the guide to speak).  We had to tender rather than dock though, so were four hours off the ship in total.  Walking was at a fairly swift pace with some ups and downs.  We were booked on The Garrison Walk in Scilly which included refreshments at Star Castle, but not to be.  Some good comments about that on our previous visit though and also about a local Panoramic Portsmouth tour which allowed time off the coach in three places, Portsdown Hill, Southwick and Southsea (I think) - the tour details for that said three miles walking in total.  DH is from that area, so we did not leave the ship in Portsmouth, but Stonehenge and Winchester also offered, though at higher prices.  The tours I mentioned were £35pp for Falmouth walk and Tresco, with £32 for the Garrison walk, less our 5% Oceans discount.

 

The Vinyard tour was a longer one to St Martins and a lot of walking there as well, apparently.

 

Edited August 16, 2021 by tring

[tring]

2 hours ago, Son of Anarchy said:

Was over at Tresco Abbey Gardens a couple of weeks ago.  Lovely place.  Did you see the red squirrels?

 

Yes, as well as a couple of very colourful birds, but forget what they were called, they seem to be pets there, though were in the open gardens, not caged.  A wonderful place.

[tring]

9 minutes ago, P&O SUE said:

I’m not saying they are risky I’m saying they look like the normal excursions offered pre covid. The wine tasting tends to be done indoors anyway.

 

Indoors does not seem to be a problem if the venue is booked out for the tour, rather than open to the public, so passengers will still be away from the general public and I think everyone to do with the tours are tested that morning.

 

I doubt they have finalised tours for many cruises yet though and are still hoping for the best.

Edited August 16, 2021 by tring

[tring]

48 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Jean, surely these are the old normal shore excursions, I don't believe that P&O have put any of the suggested "cheaper" bubbled excursions on the website. It was always going to be too complicated  for their IT  depts abacus.

 

I agree, we were told by Princess a while back that tours were not finalised for our late Oct cruise, though still not done yet!  It seems tours are no longer essential on the local UK cruises, so up to the cruise line to decide if they want to take the risk (Celebrity are letting folk off on their own).  Hence that Princess trip to Cheshire Oaks from Liverpool may yet take place, though equally I would not be at all surprised if some tours are cancelled nearer to the cruise.  Carnival certainly do not seem to have it together, though it is not surprising they are hoping for the best for the later cruises.  Fred is not publishing his excursions until about three weeks before, sometimes nearer than that for some cruises (so that can be a tad annoying), but the ones published are taking place.

Edited August 16, 2021 by tring