Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Cruise line scams: Shore Excursions
The potential scam-like claim here is "Oh, you don't want to go out on your own on a shore excursion. If they're late getting you back, the ship will leave without you"
Yes, they could do that. Will they? Probably not. How likely is that to happen? Not likely at all.
Often, the same companies and people that do shore excursions for the cruise lines also do them independently. Still, the cruise lines say they do investigate and follow up on excursion providers to see how they are doing, holding them to high standards.
Alternatives to ship-sponsored excursions. Shoretrips.com, is a third-party service that provides excursions world-wide. Owners Julie and Barry from Milwaukee, Wisconsin travel to each of the destinations and insure that their tours are safe and interesting. Often, Shoretrips.com excursions are less expensive and less crowded too. Booking more than 200,000 people a year, they have yet to leave someone behind.
Let's talk price. A pretty easy-to-compare excursion in Cozumel, Mexico, Swimming with the Dolphins is $129 for adults or children on Carnival Cruise Lines. Shoretrips.com has that dolphin swim for $79 for adults and $77 for children. That's about 40% less than the cruise line. Prices vary among lines too. Royal Caribbean has that dolphin swim for $99. Their price is better than Carnival but not as good as Shoretrips.com.
Another option is to go with someone recommended by a trusted friend or a travel blogger you've come to know. Reliable independent operators know what they are competing with on the cruise line excursion offerings and almost always offer a better value. That might come in the form of a lower price or a similar price with a better experience.
Get good information. A good source for reliable travel information about specific ports of call is AOL travel guides. Good discussion and very current, personal information can be found at CruiseCritic.com. Your good travel agent/expert should have recommendations also.
I'm really not trying to talk you out of the ship-sponsored shore excursions. They're good. Nothing wrong with them. But there are alternatives that are just as safe (or not) as third-party vendors.
Cruise lines have their share of problems with excursions.
Going with the cruise line does not guarantee your safety. In 2009 18 cruise passengers were robbed at gunpoint in the Bahamas on ship-sponsored shore excursions. The passengers, sailing on Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas and Disney Cruise Line's Disney Wonder, were held up by masked men who demanded money, passports, cell phones, credit cards and personal items.
Just last November, masked gunmen held up guests on St Kitts on a Celebrity Cruises excursion.
Cruise lines were quick to suspend tours and worked hard to increase security and scrutiny of tour operators in those cases. But that was a couple of incidents in thousands of tours, hardly something to keep guests on the ship for safety concerns.
Cruise lines will commonly skip ports of call where there are known problems with crime like in Mexico with drug cartels. In that case, the cruise line does not charge you for the excursion you obviously can't take. Ships any where close to Tunisia right now would have taken a close look at unrest in the area before even docking. If booking separately from the cruise line, make sure you understand the tour operator's policy if the ship does not call at a port.
Let's break it down. Look at it this way; cruise lines contract with local operators who run the excursions. The cruise lines have to add on something to make money. Duh. So basically, its the same people, running the same excursions, but you pay more if you get it through the ship. If that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy then buy through the ship. Most people do. If you want to save 20% to 50%, do some research first. There might be a better value out there.
Like the cruise line Booze and Beverage Packages, whether shore excursions are an evil scam plotted by the cruise lines or a reasonable value depends primarily on how you look at them.
Flickr photo by Ha-Wee
Just last November, masked gunmen held up guests on St Kitts on a Celebrity Cruises excursion.
Cruise lines were quick to suspend tours and worked hard to increase security and scrutiny of tour operators in those cases. But that was a couple of incidents in thousands of tours, hardly something to keep guests on the ship for safety concerns.
Cruise lines will commonly skip ports of call where there are known problems with crime like in Mexico with drug cartels. In that case, the cruise line does not charge you for the excursion you obviously can't take. Ships any where close to Tunisia right now would have taken a close look at unrest in the area before even docking. If booking separately from the cruise line, make sure you understand the tour operator's policy if the ship does not call at a port.
Let's break it down. Look at it this way; cruise lines contract with local operators who run the excursions. The cruise lines have to add on something to make money. Duh. So basically, its the same people, running the same excursions, but you pay more if you get it through the ship. If that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy then buy through the ship. Most people do. If you want to save 20% to 50%, do some research first. There might be a better value out there.
Like the cruise line Booze and Beverage Packages, whether shore excursions are an evil scam plotted by the cruise lines or a reasonable value depends primarily on how you look at them.
Flickr photo by Ha-Wee
Filed under: Europe, North America, South America, Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago, United States, Guyana, Budget Travel, Internet Tools, Cruises, Central America, Caribbean
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dave Kearns Jan 15th 2011 3:51PM
Will the ship leave without you? They certainly will - they're governed by the port authorities and have to leave when they're told to.
We've been on any number of cruises that left a port without everyone on board. Even ship-sponsored excursions. The difference is that if it's a ship-sponsored excursion, the cruise line will pay your way to the next port. Otherwise you're on your own.
I do remember two couples who needed to get from Grenada Spain to Gibraltar. There's no plane service (unless you go thru London!), so it was a 300 km taxi ride for them!
Crissy Jan 17th 2011 9:19AM
I know I have seen people miss their ship. I actually saw a ship that had pull out of the port then get held to get late people onto the ship by a tiny little boat.
If it's a 2 hour tour that starts when you dock for 5 or 6 hours in port, then yea, it's not a big deal to take the local tour. But if it's a tour that will be cutting it close to the departure time of the ship, then I would take the ships excursion.
Also, if you have a problem with a shore excursion you don't have much recourse or chance to even complain if you take a local tour. If you take it with the cruise line you can complain to the cruise line and if appropriate get a refund from them.
While I agree that taking your tour with the local company is often a better deal in terms of money, I don't think that the cost is the only factor that should be considered.
John Jan 20th 2011 9:28PM
YES - If you are late the ship will leave without you, we saw it first hand
in Ketchikan, AK. I knew something was wrong when we were past our
departing time and three crew members were pacing around the ramp
and crews ready to move the ramp. The ship departed and shortly after
a speed boat was racing to catch up to us, it cost the couple $500.00 to
be late. I would only book shore trips through the ship I am on as I have
seen too many problems arise with people who did not, such as the ship
arriving late or problems with the vendor. If you book through the ship they
handle rebooking if the ship is late or the vendor defaults the ship refunds
your money, if you book through the ship the staff helps you resolve any
problems but if you did not, your on your own.