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Excursions
By Dave | June 22, 2008
One of the great things about cruising is that you get to visit several places in one visit, and you never have to change hotels, unpack more than once, or fly to each destination. You get to visit multiple places and stay in one stateroom and only unpack once. That’s the beauty of cruising. Best of all, all the ports are included in your cruise price and you can visit each of them for free. What isn’t free, however, are excursions.
You want to see all about a destination, but you’re afraid you won’t make it back to the ship in time, or maybe you’re afraid you’ll get lost if you travel out on your own. This is where an excursion comes in handy. For an extra price, you can do so many things at your cruise ports. There are so many types of excursions, too! Interested in just learning about the place you’re at? Take a tour of your destination. Want some thrill or excitement? There are usually several adventurous excursions, including parasailing, scuba diving, zip-lining, etc. If you’re adventurous, but not that much, a hiking or biking excursion is usually available. And of course, who could forget the shopping excursions? And chances are there will always be at least one golfing excursion. Excursions also vary by destination. For example, Alaska will have glacier excursions, while Caribbean cruises will offer beach excursions.
So how do you go about going on an excursion? Well first, you must book it. After that, you’re good to go. The night before the excursion is scheduled, you’ll receive your tickets at your stateroom. On the day of your excursion, you will told to meet at a certain place on a ship (usually a lounge). This will probably be printed on your ticket. You will then disembark the ship with your excursion group. However, sometimes the excursions meet outside the ship, so it’s up to you to disembark on time. Once outside, there will be a large gathering area with several people holding shore excursion signs. Find yours and stay with that person. Either way, your next step is the excursion itself. Have fun!
A bonus tip: weigh your options when booking your excursion (pre-cruise only). Can you find the same excursion for less money outside of the cruise company? Maybe you should book that instead. There are reliable excursion companies out there. Just beware, if you book a shore excursion on your own, don’t expect the ship to wait for your if you’re late or if something goes wrong. If you head out on your own, or with a private excursion company, the ship cannot keep track of you. So if you’re late, they’re leaving without you. The benefit of booking with the cruise company is that they will hold the ship for you if your excursion is late. They will also be made aware if something happens on your excursion. That’s not necessarily saying they’ll do anything special for you, but they will at least be made aware. So for the added cost, we always book our excursions with the cruise line for that added security and peace of mind. The choice is yours though.
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Topics: Cruising |
June 22nd, 2008 at 1:30 pm
nice information
i like the tips page
June 22nd, 2008 at 5:57 pm
Thank you budhi! Thanks for reading and for the comment.