Shore Tours - when and how to reserve them and other related questions

[Ugly Betty Fan]

As I go through the Princess site I found the shore tours for the cruise I have booked and the one we are booking after it. This is probably a silly rookie question but, is that all Princess is going to offer us. Here's the link to what I'm talking about:

 

http://www.princess.com/pb/shorexDetails.do?subnav=true&voyageCode=B824&tourCode=&resType=C&noOfPax=2&shipId=CB&shipName=Caribbean+Princess&co=US&productCode=CEE090&departureDate=Jul+01%2C+2008&productDesc=Eastern+Caribbean+-+Roundtrip+New+York

 

And for our later cruise:

http://www.princess.com/pb/shorexDetails.do?subnav=true&voyageCode=A901&tourCode=&resType=C&noOfPax=2&shipId=AP&shipName=Grand+Princess&co=US&productCode=CSG142&departureDate=Dec+19%2C+2008&productDesc=Caribbean+Collection++++++++++14+Day+RT+Ft+Lauderdale+++++++

 

For some reason I thought each port of call would offer much more to do. So the question is: Is this really all they will be offering or will more options be added as the sailings draw closer and what is shown are merely a sampling of what will be available?

The other questions are when or how soon can I start placing my reservations? It seems like it might be a scramble to actually get the tours we are going to want.

 

Lastly can we book more than one tour per port? Say one in the morning and one in the afternoon?

 

Thanks for any help :D

[willysgrandma]

As I go through the Princess site I found the shore tours for the cruise I have booked and the one we are booking after it. This is probably a silly rookie question but, is that all Princess is going to offer us. Here's the link to what I'm talking about:

 

http://www.princess.com/pb/shorexDetails.do?subnav=true&voyageCode=B824&tourCode=&resType=C&noOfPax=2&shipId=CB&shipName=Caribbean+Princess&co=US&productCode=CEE090&departureDate=Jul+01%2C+2008&productDesc=Eastern+Caribbean+-+Roundtrip+New+York

 

And for our later cruise:

http://www.princess.com/pb/shorexDetails.do?subnav=true&voyageCode=A901&tourCode=&resType=C&noOfPax=2&shipId=AP&shipName=Grand+Princess&co=US&productCode=CSG142&departureDate=Dec+19%2C+2008&productDesc=Caribbean+Collection++++++++++14+Day+RT+Ft+Lauderdale+++++++

 

For some reason I thought each port of call would offer much more to do. So the question is: Is this really all they will be offering or will more options be added as the sailings draw closer and what is shown are merely a sampling of what will be available?

 

The other questions are when or how soon can I start placing my reservations? It seems like it might be a scramble to actually get the tours we are going to want.

 

Lastly can we book more than one tour per port? Say one in the morning and one in the afternoon?

 

Thanks for any help :D

 

For embarkation ports, yes, that is usually all they do offer. There is only so much you can do within the limited time the ship is on those ports. I live near NYC and there isn't much more you can do through a tour than what is posted for the time frame you are in port.

 

If you can see it on the personalizer you can book it. Yes you can book more than one as long as you have enough time to get back from the first tour to the second - if your first tour runs late, you may not make it for the second and you could lose your money on the second tour if you aren't back in time to get it.

[Ugly Betty Fan]

For embarkation ports, yes, that is usually all they do offer. There is only so much you can do within the limited time the ship is on those ports. I live near NYC and there isn't much more you can do through a tour than what is posted for the time frame you are in port.

 

If you can see it on the personalizer you can book it. Yes you can book more than one as long as you have enough time to get back from the first tour to the second - if your first tour runs late, you may not make it for the second and you could lose your money on the second tour if you aren't back in time to get it.

 

Thanks for responding but, I wasn't really talking about just the embarkation ports, it seems all the ports only have maybe 10 or 15 activities. It just seems for a boat with a couple of thousand people on it, they'd have more to offer.

 

Maybe I"m expecting too much :confused:

[willysgrandma]

When is your cruise? For other ports, there might be more available closer to sailing - it depends on whether the cruise line renews their contracts with the tour operators. If your cruise is in a year, there might be many more tours available as the cruise gets closer.

 

I thought you were talking about just those two ports and usually the embarkation ports have less to do than when you get on an island.

 

You can cancel any prebooked excursions as long as you do so at least 24 hours before the tour. So if you see something you want to book, but want to keep looking, book the one you are interested in and cancel it if you see something become available later on.

[ggprincess2004]

There usually isn't much going on for the ports of embarkation and debarkation, but they seem to have long lists of options for the ports of call during the cruise. Have you hit the bar that lets you change the port from New York, to the other stops on the cruise?

You can book as soon as your cruise personalizer says you can. And IMHO you should, as some tours fill up and sell out quickly. One of the advantages of booking your tours through Princess is you can change your mind and cancel your tour booking until they "close" the booking for that port, usually about 48 hours before making that port of call. Of course, if you change your mind even before you sail (you can't make changes from a week before sailing on line) be nice and release those reservations.

You can book more than tour per port, the rule of thumb is try to leave about an hour between excursions so that if one runs a bit late, you still have the opportunity to make the next one. We have done that in a few ports, and as long as you know your energy level, hey, go for it!

Also, you can book overlapping excursions if you are in the process of making up your mind and need to talk about it with the 'gang', but be nice and cancel the reservations for the one you decide you are not doing.

Also, for a first time cruiser, being on the Princess excursions kind of lets you get familiar with the feel of things, and assures that you won't miss the boat in a port of call, since they do wait for all Princess excursions to return before sailing. Caveat - if the excursion has the option of dropping in "town to shop" and returning to the ship on your own - and you take that option, you ARE on your own, and they won't wait if you are late.

Hope that helps, and I hope you find selection of tours adequate. If you are unsure of what is a "good tour" and a so-so tour, you might want to visit the ports forums and take a look at what others have said about various experiences. It is a good way to get a lot of opinions, the only sure way to know is to do it yourself and see what you think.

Over the years we have discovered that - 1. we do not tours that keep us "hostage" on a bus for long periods of time:p , so whatever it is we are going to better be darn well worth it, but that is just us, you may not mind the long bus rides. 2. we are happier with tours that keep us on or very near the water:D , probably because they tend to have shorter or no bus rides - but that is just us, 3. if we get a chance to play with animals, observe animals, we usually really enjoy the tour, but that is just us:D .

 

You have to know you - beach baby? shopping queen? ecotourist? adventurer? history buff? daredevil? and choose accordingly.

 

Have fun exploring the options - another great part of planning for the cruise, and IMHO a vital part of totally enjoying the experience.:)

[ggprincess2004]

Thanks for responding but, I wasn't really talking about just the embarkation ports, it seems all the ports only have maybe 10 or 15 activities. It just seems for a boat with a couple of thousand people on it, they'd have more to offer.

 

Maybe I"m expecting too much :confused:

 

Not everyone on board is going to book a tour, lots of people do independent tours, and frankly some of the ports just don't have lists miles long of things to choose from - the islands are not that big.

Also, for some tours that last only a few hours, they may run it 4 times during the day to accomodate everyone......

Another reason to book early - get the time and tour you want.

 

Also, don't miss the little numbers in the bottom right of the list - next page for additional tours - in some destinations.

[bride and groom]

I "think" I get what you're asking...

 

What you're seeing on the Princess site are, generally, a sampling of what will be offered for shore tours. There are usually many more choices and usually a variety of choices in each port. However, certain ports may be new or the time of year you are visiting may limit what is available.

 

For example, the second link you provided is for a holiday cruise and as I went through the itinerary, I see that you will be in Trinadad on Christmas Day - more than likely shops and most venues will be closed. So keep that in mind.

 

As far as "double booking" - one in the morning and one in the afternoon. You should try to allow at least two hours between the tours in case the first tour runs late.

 

We often "double book" if we're in port for an extended amount of time or if there are two tours we REALLY want to book.

 

You'll be able to start reserving your shore tours sometime after final payment...if I'm remembering correctly, every cruise line handles it differently. What I do know is that Princess will only allow you pre-reserve them and, they will be charged to your on board account. Other cruise lines allow you to book and pay for them before you step foot on the ship.

 

There should many more tours available when you go into your cruise personalizer after final payment to begin making your selections.

 

Lastly, again, if I'm remembering correctly, your shore tour tickets are picked up at the Guest Relations Desk. Some cruise lines have them in your room at check in and others deliver them the night before.

 

I hope this clears it up a bit.

[EmmaWoodhouse]

Also, you obviously aren't limited to the ship's excursions! On previous cruises, I've done research and known that I want to go to such and such hitoric site, such and such local tourist landmark, and then spend a couple hours at a particular beach-- and have gotten off the ship, found a local taxi driver/guide, and told him exactly that, and gotten fantastic tours (and felt good about putting the money into the local economy and not Princess's wallet)! As others note, there is a bit more risk this way-- you have to manage time carefully, and we always planned to get back to the boat an houir before Princess said we needed to, in order to allow a buffer in case something happened to delay us. And you have to do more research ahead of time. I do prefer using Princess in cases in which it might be hard to find a local operator, or for things that use a local operator that we didn't decide to do until we were on the ship (e.g., a last-minute decision to take a catamaran snorkeling trip in Aruba, and a bike tour in Alaska that I couldn't find a recommended vendor for in the Alaska forum.)

[Ugly Betty Fan]

I "think" I get what you're asking...

 

What you're seeing on the Princess site are, generally, a sampling of what will be offered for shore tours. There are usually many more choices and usually a variety of choices in each port. However, certain ports may be new or the time of year you are visiting may limit what is available.

 

For example, the second link you provided is for a holiday cruise and as I went through the itinerary, I see that you will be in Trinadad on Christmas Day - more than likely shops and most venues will be closed. So keep that in mind.

 

As far as "double booking" - one in the morning and one in the afternoon. You should try to allow at least two hours between the tours in case the first tour runs late.

 

We often "double book" if we're in port for an extended amount of time or if there are two tours we REALLY want to book.

 

You'll be able to start reserving your shore tours sometime after final payment...if I'm remembering correctly, every cruise line handles it differently. What I do know is that Princess will only allow you pre-reserve them and, they will be charged to your on board account. Other cruise lines allow you to book and pay for them before you step foot on the ship.

 

There should many more tours available when you go into your cruise personalizer after final payment to begin making your selections.

 

Lastly, again, if I'm remembering correctly, your shore tour tickets are picked up at the Guest Relations Desk. Some cruise lines have them in your room at check in and others deliver them the night before.

 

I hope this clears it up a bit.

 

Yes, this what I was asking. Thanks for clearing this up for me. And thank you to everyone who responded. I appreciate the fact that you answered!

[bride and groom]

Yes, this what I was asking. Thanks for clearing this up for me. And thank you to everyone who responded. I appreciate the fact that you answered!

 

Good, glad to help!

 

Also, I just wanted to mention when your shore tours become available through Princess, they sometimes offer time slots if it's a popular shore tour, so it might be offered at 9:00 am, 12 noon, and 2pm. The time of the shore tour time will be posted regardless in the Princess site when it come available, what I"m saying is that if it's popular, there is often more than one time of day it will be offered.

 

Lastly, be sure that you book your shore tours under one cabin. In other words, say, you have a cabin, your aunt and uncle have another cabin, and your parents are in other cabin. IF YOU WANT TO BE ON THE SAME TOUR, MAKE SURE ONLY ONE OF YOU BOOKS THE SHORE TOUR FOR EVERYONE. In other words, you would request 5 tickets for that specific shore tour. Otherwise, there is a chance you won't get the same time or tour guide.

 

Hope this helps more.

[Ugly Betty Fan]

Good, glad to help!

 

Also, I just wanted to mention when your shore tours become available through Princess, they sometimes offer time slots if it's a popular shore tour, so it might be offered at 9:00 am, 12 noon, and 2pm. The time of the shore tour time will be posted regardless in the Princess site when it come available, what I"m saying is that if it's popular, there is often more than one time of day it will be offered.

 

Lastly, be sure that you book your shore tours under one cabin. In other words, say, you have a cabin, your aunt and uncle have another cabin, and your parents are in other cabin. IF YOU WANT TO BE ON THE SAME TOUR, MAKE SURE ONLY ONE OF YOU BOOKS THE SHORE TOUR FOR EVERYONE. In other words, you would request 5 tickets for that specific shore tour. Otherwise, there is a chance you won't get the same time or tour guide.

 

Hope this helps more.

 

Wow, now that is a good tip. Thanks for telling me :D

[KLLund]

Also .. although there may only be 15 tours .. there may be 150 buses !! They really can accomdate a lot of passengers. But if you are a group be sure you all arrive at whatever designated place they tell.. for instance Club Fusion or the Theatre... together to get you bus assignments !!

 

It's always fun to wake up on port day and see miles of buses waiting !!