Princess Excursions

[woodmill100]

I know these normally cost more that a DIY excursion but I am in the early stages of my pregnancy and between hanging off the loo and needing lots of sleep, I really can't face trying to sort out trips myself for our cruise in January. We'll be in St Thomas & St Martin and I wonder if there are any advantages/disadvantages of booking these on line or when we are actually on the ship? Do they offer any form of discount when on ship? probably not but I thought I'd ask anyway.

 

Thanks for your help. This forum has been invaluable over the last few weeks with me feeling unwell.

[margord]

I know these normally cost more that a DIY excursion but I am in the early stages of my pregnancy and between hanging off the loo and needing lots of sleep, I really can't face trying to sort out trips myself for our cruise in January. We'll be in St Thomas & St Martin and I wonder if there are any advantages/disadvantages of booking these on line or when we are actually on the ship? Do they offer any form of discount when on ship? probably not but I thought I'd ask anyway.

 

Thanks for your help. This forum has been invaluable over the last few weeks with me feeling unwell.

 

Congrat on the pregnancy and hope you start to feel better soon. There is no monetary advantage to booking on-line versus on the ship. The biggest advantage to booking on-line is that it is first come first serve and there is the possibility that the tour will be full if you wait until you board. If that doesn't bother you then book it on the ship. If you have tours you would be dissapointed if you did not get them then book on-line.

[mycruz]

In addition, I sometimes I see very long lines at the excursion desk. So why spend part of your vacation standing in line when you can book in advance? You can always cancel once on board the ship if you're not feeling well. I believe there may be a 24 hr cancellation, but not sure. We only cancelled one prebooked excursion and it was at least 24 hr prior and it was no problem.

[GloriaF]

I would advise booking online and getting the tours that suit you.

 

Cancellation at no charge a minimum of 24 hours ahead. Double-check this on board to be sure.

 

Have a great cruise!

[woodmill100]

Thanks for all your input. Will book online.

[geoherb]

Be sure to read the Ports of Call boards for these islands. You might decide that it will be easier to catch a cab to a beach and enjoy that instead of booking an excursion. And the good thing about not booking through Princess is that if you don't feel well that morning, you don't lose any money.

 

As others have said, you could go ahead and prebook and then cancel once you're on the ship. But be sure to know your options ahead of time. Maybe your partner could take over the planning of what to do in each port.

[MichCook]

Congratulations! How exciting! You might appreciate the added information about the ship's shore excursions - they indicate the level of activity and the length of the tour. Some will even state that they are not appropriate for pregnant women. This might help you gauge what would be the most appropriate for you.

 

Your intimate association with the loo shall eventually pass. :)

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

[Pam in CA]

I would recommend booking your tours through Princess and online. That way, if you decide you don't want to go, you can just cancel. There are rarely any lines at the Shore Excursion Desk (I never see more than 1 - 2 people there) and you can cancel at any time by putting your tour voucher in the box in front of the desk. Even if you're past the cancellation day/time (which is between 24 - 48 hours prior to the tour -- double-check that in the Patter), you can go to the Medical Center and have them stamp your voucher. You then just turn it in and your money will be credited back.

 

The easiest ship's tours are the ones with "EZ" in the name. These are the ones with minimal walking.

[Cruisin' Chick]

The biggest advantage to the ship-sponsored tours is that if there are any problems getting back to the ship, the ship will wait for you. If you are late otherwise, you may find yourself left behind.

 

Also, if the ship has to skip a port, any excursions will be cancelled automatically. If you pre-booked through an independent company, you will have to contact them yourself. Some people have also had their excursions not fully refundable by the company in these cases.

 

The second trisemester is the best time to travel. No morning sickness (even though I didn't have this problem...and only one craving the whole time), less pressure on the bladder, and for many, the okay to eat, eat, eat (as long as you stay from the taboo food such as soft cheese and certain seafood).

[woodmill100]

Thanks everyone. Funnily enough Princess sent us a brochure through the mail yesterday with all their tours in it so I can read this in bed tonight.

 

My husband unfortunately works offshore and isn't home again until a week before Christmas so is unable to help!

[caribill]

Thanks everyone. Funnily enough Princess sent us a brochure through the mail yesterday with all their tours in it so I can read this in bed tonight.

 

The brochure only has a partial descriptions. Go to the Princess web site for much more detail.

[Woodlands Mac]

We were on the Emerald Princess in July. We did book thru the ship for Excursions and had some private excursions that we joined with others. Our first port of call was Monte Carlo and we had a ship excursion. We learned on this first one that ship excursions are not for us. The group only moves as fast as the slowest person on the excursion. If you move like my wife and I move, you get bored fast.

 

We ended up canceling the remaining ship excursions and either doing our own thing once on land or joining others that had privates booked.

 

I will never use ship excursions in the future. Use the ships excursion to get an idea of what you'd like to do and then search cruise critic for others that have booked private excursions similar to what you want.

 

Initially, we had some trepidation on if we'd make it back to ship on time. We made sure there was plenty of time to get back and the tour guides are very good about making sure you make it back. They do not want to read any post on cruise critic that their clients are missing a boat or not happy with the excursion.

[BJS]

Initially, we had some trepidation on if we'd make it back to ship on time. We made sure there was plenty of time to get back and the tour guides are very good about making sure you make it back. They do not want to read any post on cruise critic that their clients are missing a boat or not happy with the excursion.

 

I totally agree that for some the ship's excursions are not for them.

 

Yes, tour guides are very good about making sure you are back on time but...... everyone should be made aware that things do happen and it is possible that you might not make it back on time and the ship will sail without you.

 

We were in SA on a ship's excursion and the bus broke down causing us to arrive back at the ship 1 1/2 hours after sailing - yes the ship was there waiting for us but had we been on a private excursion it would not have been.

There have been several other times on cruises we have arrived back, on ship's excursions, after sailing time due to things like accidents that closed down highways, etc.

 

I find it interesting that posters who inquire about a ship's excursion or who say positive things about ship's excursions are immediately shot down and told they are wasting money, will be herded like cattle, will have a bad experience, etc. etc. These excursions can be very good, move at a good pace, never have to wait for late people, and not have more than the number on their excursion at any one stop. Not all that book these tours are novices at traveling, don't have time to research other options, or have never arranged their own tours when traveling. If these tours are all so bad why are they filled rather than going with only a handful of people on them.:confused:

 

Posting both positive and negative comments about either the ship's or private excursions is the great thing about these boards but it would then be nice to let the reader decide based on these comments only.

 

woodmill100- enjoy your cruise, excursions, and the new baby.:)

 

 

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[CruisinMinnie]

Thank you BJS for your comments on allowing those who choose ship excursions to not have their views shot down. That being said, everyone is entitled to post their opinions pro and con about ship vs. private tours, of course. We have various reasons for whichever tour we choose and as you stated, choosing a ship tour doesn't make us 'stupid, lazy, or wasteful'. BTW, sometimes we do our own thing, sometimes a ship tour, sometimes a private tour.

[Shogun]

Hi Woodmill100

 

Nice to see another Fifer on the board, any advise then please ask we are away first week in Jan, what ship are you on and when,

 

yours Shogun

[Pam in CA]

We usually take the ship's excursions for several reasons. One is that we don't like being squeezed into a small taxi or van; another is that we have found that for the most part, the ship's tours move at our pace. I took an "Elite" tour in Ephesus to the Terrace Houses a couple of weeks ago and it was fabulous! There were only 16 of us on the tour and it moved along very quickly so we could see as much as we wanted.

 

I've taken private tours that have been incredibly good and some that have been incredibly bad. It's a risk you take. If your Princess tour isn't up to your expectations, you can always go to the Shore Desk and register your complaint. I've done that a number of times and most of the time, received at least a partial refund.

 

I also prefer being able to cancel or change my excursion at the last minute. If it's a very port-intensive cruise, there are times when I decide that I'm just going to stay on the ship. I can do that if I have a ship's tour.

 

And finally, I'm not a beach and pool person; you reach a certain age when your dermatologist is your best friend so getting into a cab and running to a beach isn't my "thing." That's not the answer to everyone's idea of a good time. For those of you running to beaches whenever you can, a dermatologist is in your future, too.