Do you pre book your excursions? Are they really worth the money?

It’s a question I get asked quite a lot. ‘ Is it best to pre book before I go and is it cheaper to book independently?

Most people embarking on a cruise will more often than not participate in an excursion or two.

When budgeting for your cruise, excursions take up quite a big chunk of spending money especially for families.There are excursions heavily promoted on board ships and organised by cruise lines. But when should you book their tours, and when is it better to go independently?

To get the best value and the most successful days ashore do a bit of research BEFORE you go. Leaving it until you are onboard can often mean you are relying on the ships WIFI – Another costly dip into your spends and running the risk of the trips being fully booked.

You may be familiar with some European cities and feel confident about exploring them independently. With Children in tow especially, do you really want to drag them around in the mid day heat for several hours following a guide who is also trying to keep 40 or so people all together! Look out for the cruiselines that offer family friendly trips too. MSC being one. They offer trips that start later in the morning and also have story tellers too as well as being a short duration whilst still being enriching and educational for the adults.

Are excursions always necessary? Read up about the port where the ship is docked. Some ships dock within walking distance of the town so paying for an excursion and a guide is not always the best option.

There are some good websites out there that will tell you about each port. They also can give information about local transport, what there is to do in the local town/city and a general idea of whether that will be enough or do you need to venture further out and book an excursion.

I found on a few of the ships I have been on that they heavily promote certain ports with ‘deals’ to fill up the coaches they have already have to lay on for those who have pre booked. You can sometimes pick up a bargain this way if you are happy to leave it to the last minute.

This isn’t a good option if these ports of call are a ‘must do’ as excursions on board often sell out. I have seen this happen too.

Outside of Europe people aren’t always as eager to stray away from the Cruise lines options. Again, my advice is to research the places you want to visit and then contact your Cruise Consultant to see if we can arrange things for you.

Sometimes you may just want the security of knowing the Cruise line will get you back to the ship in time. Always important if your trip is a few hours away from the port.

As well as just going it alone, there are a few independent excursion specialists out there that give you a guarantee of getting you back to the ship or they will get you to the next port of call at their expense. These companies are worth a look too as can often be upto half the price of the Cruise lines trips.

At the end of the day, my advice is to plan as much as you can and make yourself familiar with the ports you will be visiting. So many people take great care in the ports of call they fancy but then don’t look into anymore until the minute they step off the ship.

Be prepared and you wont be disappointed!