Tips to plan your Cruise Excursions
One of the biggest questions cruisers have is whether or not to take advantage of ship-sponsored shore excursions. The answer depends on your budget, as well as your inclinations. Shore tours vary in price, depending on the cruise line, and can run you anywhere from $40 per person for a simple beach break to hundreds of dollars each for higher-prices options from helicopter rides to golf outings to overnight tours. Taking a tour in every port can quickly inflate your vacation bill.
To enhance your experience in each port (as well as to increase their own profits), cruise lines offer organized shore excursions on all ships for additional fees. The tours can be booked onboard at your ship’s excursion desk or online before you depart on your trip.
The benefits of booking ship-sponsored tours are many. You can skip the hassle of arranging your own onshore activities, you’ll know the tour provider is licensed and reputable, and the ship won’t depart until all of its tour buses have returned - even the tardy ones. You might also meet other shipmates whose company you’ll enjoy back on the ship.
But ship tours are not always the way to go. The knowledge and efficiency of tour operators vary, and some tour offerings are simply duds. All too often, shore excursions translate into time-consuming bus rides with drop-offs at shopping centers, offering souvenirs you can live without. You will often pay more for the privilege of letting the cruise line arrange your day than you would if you booked directly with a provider.
By booking through a provider you save money by eliminating the cruise ship middleman and can customize the trip to your interests. However, it’s hard to predict the weather, which can cause unexpected delays. Just remember that while the cruise ship will wait for any late-returning passengers on ship-sponsored tours, you run the risk of getting stranded in port if your independent tour gets stuck in traffic and running late returning to the pier.
To get the best of both worlds, you can adopt a hybrid approach and book through Bubbabooking.com once you’re already in port or close by. Bubba gives you the opportunity to book tours that are happening within 48 hrs at a discounted rate. Not only do you get a great discount, you also can see how far the tour is from the port and the expected run time. This is a great option if you don’t have time before the cruise to plan activities or if you’re trying to stretch your budget at each port.
Sign up for Bubbabooking here.
