Shore Excursions
With proper planning, shore excursions can be a highlight of your next cruise adventure. Below I've listed some important information for you to consider when scheduling shore excursions.
Book the tours that you can't do on your own. If you look at a map of where you'll be going and you see that the dolphin swim tour is conducted about two miles from the ship, then you may decide to hop in a taxi from the pier and go over yourself. If you know ahead of time where you want to go, then get a taxi for the day or grab a tour from an operator on the pier, or rent scooters and take off on your own, at your own pace. Tours can be less expensive that way.
Book early! Most cruise lines now let you book your excursions before you depart for your
cruise. That's great if you know exactly what you want. Information on
how to accomplish that will be reflected in your cruise documents which
you should receive three to four weeks prior to your sailing date.
If you are unable to take advantage of the early booking opportunity, then be the first in line as soon as you get on the ship. Grab a brochure, pick your tours and go stand in line. You'll find much better descriptions of the tours, and the shore excursion staff can assist you in choosing an appropriate tour. Additionally, some of the newer ships also let you book excursions on your TV through an interactive menu system. This has the added benefit of video clips of the tours so you can really see what the tour experience offers.
Remember that tours operate at the convenience of paid passengers. You may not have enough time at one location and too much time at the next one. After all, you're going to be on a bus with people wandering around, taking their time, getting lost sometimes. Tours are best when there are lots of stops. That way you're not paying extra to get somewhere and you might get a meal and drinks included as well. That can really be nice on a long hot tour.
Tours arranged by the cruise line give you a sense of security in that the tour operators have been certified and will do their best to give you a great experience. They have to because they will be rated on your feedback and comments and if they get too many negative comments then the cruise line will drop that tour. There's always somebody else creating a new tour and waiting to get on the ship's schedule.
If you go on a ship's tour you won't get left behind. If the tour is late coming back to the ship, then they'll wait for you. Try telling a taxi driver to cut through a Jamaican traffic jam so you can make it back to ship before it sails. Good luck. If you don 't have enough time on a self-arranged tour, the ship won 't wait for you.
Keep in mind that tours may change, new tours may be added, old ones may be cancelled and, of course, weather and number of participants must be considered. Most tours are out on the water so if the winds are high and the seas are rough you should anticipate that some tours may be cancelled. Shore excursion cruise personnel will try to advise you of cancelled tours the day before a tour is scheduled to allow you to obtain a refund and make alternate plans.
Tours are a great way to meet other people on your ship. Shared experiences always bring people together. So have fun, choose wisely and don't forget the sunscreen.
