Why Book Shore Excursions with Your Cruise Line?

In my last post, I mentioned booking your cruises and shore excursions early.  We expect more people to be cruising this year than ever.

If possible, it's a good plan to book your excursions through the cruise line.

On our Cruise Planners1.com website under "Extras," we also have links for Shore Excursions Group and Viator.

Both are reputable companies, but you should understand that they are NOT the cruise lines.  We offer them primarily as substitutes when cruise line excursions are not available for the site or activity you want.

Shore Excursions Group makes it easier than Viator, because you enter your ship and sail date and immediately know which shore excursions are available for your cruise, just as when you book with the cruise line.  However, there are two big differences.

With cruise line sponsored shore excursions, you meet with your group on the ship and are ushered directly to the bus or starting point for your tour.  That's a big plus, especially if you are nervous about traveling in an exotic port.

The bigger issue is that Shore Excursions Group is fully refundable only for cancellations made earlier than 14-days before the tour date.  If your spouse gets sick at the last minute, or an unexpected change of plans (this can easily happen) forces you to miss that excursion, you will not receive a refund.

However, Shore Excursions does have port-protection, meaning that if the ship cancels a port of call, you will receive a refund.  On the bright side, Shore Excursions Group guarantees you will be back to your ship before she sails away from your port.  See their FAQ for more answers to questions you may have.

Not tied to a specific itinerary, Viator and other independent excursion companies are harder to plan and carry greater risk, especially if you book an excursion that is simply a tour and not a shore excursion. 

Have Julie and I ever booked Viator Tours that were not a shore excursion while in port?  Yes, we have, and we've lived to tell the tales.... very pleasant tales, in fact!

But last year in Iceland our port was cancelled as the ship unexpectedly turned around in the harbor when the Captain decided seas were too rough to tender ashore.  We thought we had lost $350.  Fortunately, Viator and their local vendor refunded our money, but they were under no legal obligation to do so. 

Booking your shore excursions with the cruise ship makes the whole process easier.  You can book in advance and usually make changes up until three days before the port arrives.  And if the itinerary is altered for some reason, your shore excursions automatically cancel or adjust to the change, with automatic notification.  You can then book a new alternative with the Shore Excursions Desk.

In addition, if you have onboard credit specifically allocated for shore excursions, as Holland America, Oceania and Norwegian Cruise Lines frequently feature, those only pay toward excursions booked through the cruise line.

If you have generic onboard credit, you can also use those toward shore excursions.

Lest I ignore the obvious, shore excursions are not essential to enjoy a cruise.  However, they really can make the cruise extra special.

And if you receive free shore excursions in each port, as you do with Viking and a few other high-end cruises, definitely make a point of taking advantage of this feature.

I think a major reason that river cruises have become so popular might well be the inclusion of free shore excursions in every port of call.  By taking advantage of shore excursions, every guest comes away with far greater depth of understanding of regions visited and in many cases experiences that may not been found without local knowledge.

Wes