If you are late for your cruise ship due to an excursion ordered onboard, the ship will wait for you or cover your costs incurred as a result of transportation to the next port of call. For days in a port, you must be on board at least 30 minutes prior to the stated departure time for the ship. However, on embarkation day, in the initial port that the ship-sponsored excursion is late returning to port, the ship will either wait for you or the line will take financial and logistical responsibility for getting you to a different port.
If you are not on a Royal Caribbean excursion and are late getting back to the ship, Captain Graucob said, “Normally, we do not wait”. As such, you should always plan to be back by all-aboard time to avoid being left behind. When booking a shore excursion through Royal Caribbean, they guarantee that if your tour is delayed, the ship will wait for you. In the unlikely event that your tour is late, the ship won’t wait for you.
The cruise line’s policy states that if the excursion is organized by the cruise line, it will wait for you. In a very few circumstances, the cruise line might arrange transport to the next port if the excursion is severely delayed, but this has never personally encountered. If you are on a ship-sponsored excursion, they will take responsibility for getting you back.
To avoid missing out on excursions, it is recommended to plan to return 30-45 minutes before the ship is scheduled to depart. In many ports, there will be bars or restaurants by the cruise pier. If you are behind schedule, call the ship agent to alert the cruise that you’re running late. On Royal Caribbean cruises, this number is provided by the ship agent.
📹 What REALLY happens when you’re late getting back to a cruise ship
Have you ever wondered what happens if you are late to get back to a ship? (Subscribe for more Royal Caribbean videos!)
What happens if you are late to your cruise boarding time?
Arriving after the Guest Onboard Time (last Port Arrival Time) may prevent sailing, as the Cruise Terminal opening time allows guests to wait until their Port Arrival Time Boarding Group is present. If you miss the Guest Onboard Time, you may be left behind. Arriving 30 minutes after your Port Arrival Time and before Guest Onboard Time is still allowed on the ship. However, arriving 30 minutes after “All Aboard” on any Port of Departure or Port of Call will result in being left at the port and needing transportation to the next port or home.
The only exception is if your Port Adventure is through Disney Cruise Line, where the ship will wait for you. If you arrive 30 minutes late due to an airline and flight arranged through the Disney Cruise Line Air Program, Disney will work with you to get you to the first port of call.
What happens if a cruise excursion is late?
In the event of a delay to a scheduled shore excursion, Royal Caribbean offers a guarantee that the ship will await the passengers until the tour is able to recommence. In the event of a significant delay to the tour, the ship will facilitate the return of guests at no additional cost. Nevertheless, it is the responsibility of the guest to be present on the vessel before the scheduled departure time. The ship will not wait for them if they fail to meet this obligation.
What happens if you miss the time to get back on a cruise ship?
When missing a ship at a port of call, contact the port staff first, who can help you make arrangements to meet up in the next port. Then, contact your travel insurance provider’s 24-hour assistance team as soon as possible. They will explain your policy’s coverage and help you find additional travel arrangements, such as catching up to your cruise at the next port. Keep receipts relating to your catchup travel to include when filing a claim with your insurance provider.
Two travel insurance benefits can help in this situation: missed connection and travel delay. The missed connection benefit helps catch up at your ultimate destination if your flight to the port gets delayed, while the travel delay benefit covers rebooking and refunds the cost of meals and accommodations for trips delayed at least 3-12 hours. Cruisers can buy a travel insurance policy up until the day before their departure, ensuring coverage regardless of whether they planned their cruise ahead of time or booked at the last minute.
What happens if your cruise ship is delayed?
In the event of a significant alteration to a passenger’s original booking as a result of a delay, the passenger may be entitled to either an alternative cruise or a refund. However, this is typically contingent upon the length of the delay.
How late can I board my cruise ship?
To ensure smooth embarkation, eDocs processing, and compliance with new government regulations, guests must complete check-in at the cruise terminal and be onboard the ship no later than one hour prior to the departure time. Guests who have not filled out their online check-in must arrive at the port two hours before sailing. Joining or debarking outside the published embark/debark port is not permitted due to itinerary changes and violations of the Passenger Vessel Act.
Will a cruise ship leave you if you’re late?
“Pier runners” are cruise passengers who lose track of time while in a port, often at popular watering holes like Margaritaville and Senor Frogs. If they realize they’re late, they rush back to their ship before it heads to the next port. If they’re not lucky, the gangway is already up, and the cruise ship leaves without them. These sad sacks make for great social media drama. It’s important to avoid being left behind, as it can be costly and potentially damaging to your vacation. Here are some ways to avoid being left behind and what to do if you are.
Do cruise ships get fined if they leave port late?
The process of departing from a cruise port is analogous to that of departing from an airport. In both cases, a departure time is assigned by the terminal, and fees are incurred if the ship is late. In the event that the vessel is already behind schedule and faces a penalty exceeding the cost of the fare, the decision has been made to depart.
Will my cruise ship leave without me?
A cruise ship’s departure time is meticulously planned, and delays can lead to the ship leaving without passengers. Cruise ships, like airplanes, are on tight schedules, and delays can impact thousands of people, including passengers, dock workers, tour guides, and bus drivers. If a ship delays its departure by an hour while waiting for passengers, it may arrive an hour late at its next port of call. This situation can negatively impact not only passengers but also dock workers, tour guides, and bus drivers who have planned their day around the vessel’s arrival.
What happens if you are late to board a cruise ship?
A cruise ship typically won’t wait for passengers running late in port. However, if you’re only five minutes late, you may still be able to board the ship. The captain may need to pull the gangway at some point, depending on the port’s policies and ship scheduling. It’s advisable to return to the ship instead of waiting for a few minutes to explore the city or get a drink. Cruise ships operate on a tight schedule, and any delay can potentially disrupt the itinerary.
How long will a cruise ship wait for you?
Delays in an excursion can be caused by the number of people involved, with an entire group with several dozen guests likely waiting several hours. Single people or couples may wait between 15 and 30 minutes. The departure time is binding, and passengers are informed about the routing and arrival and departure times upon signing a travel contract with the shipping company. Boarding times are usually half an hour before departure, and these times are communicated in the on-board program.
It is recommended to have an ID card or a copy of your passport with you on the shore excursion. Shore-goers may think the boat won’t leave without them, but it’s important to be prepared for potential delays.
What happens if you arrive late for a cruise?
Late arrivals on a cruise ship are not guaranteed to be accommodated, and the captain has the final say on whether the ship will stay in port longer than scheduled to wait for late passengers. However, if you are on a ship-sponsored shore excursion, such as a delayed shore excursion, the cruise ship may wait for you. This exception applies to tours booked and operated through the cruise line, and the ship will not wait for late passengers.
📹 5 Cruise Excursion Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Cruise
I look at 5 biggest mistakes that cruise passengers make with cruise excursions, often ruining not only their time in port but putting …
Another tip, set your phone or watch TIMER for the the number of hours you want to be out before heading back to the ship. You will then have your personal alarm reminding you to get back to the ship even if your device auto changes from ship time. I totally agree with Matt on planning to be back on board two hours before sail away. Anything can happen. Have fun and stay safe!
Matt, not once butTWICE!! while on an RCC tour in Greece, our guide was late. There were 2 buses of us, and wouldn’t you know, both were late, and we were in the 2nd bus. Being the true gentleman from North America, I let the older folks and ladies go in front of me. Guess who was LAST in line??!!! As I got to the check in, I said, “Thanks for waiting.” which I thought was considerate. The security did not see any humor in that comment. The VERY NEXT DAY?? Same thing happened. I told the guide “we neeeed to goooooo……”. They stayed and we were late. And when I say late, I mean LATE (like 45 minutes to an hour late!). Again, being polite, I let the elderly and the women go ahead of me, and again I was last in line. When I got to the check in, the security crewmember AND the Stripes looked at me and said togeether, “Not YOUUUUU againnnnnn!!!!!!” – – I smiled and said, “It’s an RCC tour, whatayahhhh goin’ to do?????” – – I was amused but there was not much amusement by the crew. RCC must wait for us and if their tour guides can’t be on time, don’t blame the passengers using your product. Blame your vendor.
Last year i have a stop in BARI, Italy… we went to polignano a mare in train, and we return 1 hour earlier to the departure… everything was fine until we discover that every taxi in BARI were in a strike… that hour earlier became super short, the next bus to the port was about to departure in 45 minutes. We take it and we arrive like 10-15 minutes late for the last call of departure (all of our passports were in the cruise) luckily they wait for us, we were the last people with a japanese couple. Terrible experience and learning for next cruises we will take.
I have a tip that makes it easier to keep track of time and I think it’s so much more easier then to be careful with time changes and stuff on and off the ship. Simply, I just set my timer to how long we have left at shore, minus 1 1/2 hours. This would give me plenty of time to get back to the ship. For example I finally get off the ship and we’re there for 5 hours. I set my timer for 3 1/2 hours. I can check it any time and it’ll show me how much time is left. And I won’t have to worry if my phone changes what time it is and such.
Awesome article as always Matt! As a fellow Floridian, I’m no stranger to cruising or seeing pier runners. To help with being back on time, I always bring a cheap digital watch to use off the ship set to the ship’s time and I set an alarm on it to go off two hours before I need to be back. I’m usually back way before that but have it just in case. It’ll be with me on my 9 day cruise on Adventure in November
I’ve been to some ports of call that only have a stop of 5-6 hours. I am not giving up 2 hours of that short time just to be back that early. However, I do set an alarm to keep myself on time. In all of my recent cruises, the ship time has always changed to be with local time, but that is a good reminder.
When I started cruising decades ago the ships remained on their home port time regardless of time changes among ports of call. In recent years that seems to have changed, though. I ALWAYS wear a wristwatch (usually something not too flashy) and on my way out of the ship I confirm that the time displayed on that watch matches the ship’s time. I personally witnessed a group of people in Key West perusal their ship sail away because they had failed to synchronize their timepieces with the ship’s time. They thought they were almost an hour ahead of all aboard time, when in fact they were 10 or 15 minutes past all aboard time. I would never rely upon a cell phone or other smart device to determine ship’s time – if you forget to change the settings and that device pings the “wrong” tower, and resets the time, you could wind up in big trouble. And yes, I know I can find different, and perhaps less expensive, excursions going outside of the Royal Caribbean offerings, but I’ll stick with the official offerings if for no other reason than knowing that the ship will likely wait for our return, or alternatively cover the cost of getting us to next port.
Our last cruise on Royal the ship was over an hour late, leaving the port. From our balcony, we could see the captain waiting for 17 bus loads of guests to get back to the ship . They got a warm welcome back from all of us on our balconies. Yes, the ship will be waiting if your excursions are through the ship. We were late once because of an accident and traffic was stopped. Our bus and a few other were about 30 minutes late.
We just came back on Allure of the Seas and the family made me clock master because they know how my ADD kicks in if I don’t control our return times. We always get back an hour early, get refreshments then head to the pool deck to watch for pier runners. Didn’t have any this time, but we were late an hour leaving port In Honduras because a RCC tour was late.
This topic is one that I am very mindful of when off the ship and in port. I typically do Royal Caribbean excursions so am covering the getting back to the ship as part of a group but also take a manual watch ie one that I can set to ship time and will not change. I always am mindful of how much time I have in port. I typically get back early enough to settle back in and have some time to relax before the ship leaves the port. So far, no issues and best to keep it that way as there are ports that would be a very big problem due to language issues or just logistics of local travel and most of all, I would not want to miss the rest of my cruise just due to not manageing my time well off the ship.
I think the biggest thing is taking the picture of the port information. The cruise line isn’t heartless. If you got a flat tire on your way back from a 3rd party excursion, or in the cab on your own, they will do their best to accommodate, but only if they know what happened. If they aren’t informed of the situation, they have no idea if you’ll be 5 minutes late, or 2 hours late, so they aren’t going to wait for you. It’s not guaranteed that they’ll wait, but they will still try. Perhaps you got a flat tire, but one of their own excursions is running behind too. They could tell you not to stress about it, as they’ll have to wait longer for the excursion people anyway. I also believe they go into your stateroom to look for important documents like your passport and/or wallet as well, in case you left those on board. I’m not 100% positive, and have no way to confirm it, but I have seen multiple pier runner articles where the ship crew is seen handing the port official an envelope likely containing the person’s important documents they found. I just got off Allure of the Seas last week, doing the Western Caribbean, and I was a little bummed there weren’t any pier runners that I saw. There were a dad and son running, but they were in a group of about 40, likely a delayed excursion (which seems common in Cozumel), but nobody in danger of getting left behind, or on the dock panicking as we sailed away.
On the Majesty, about 10 years ago, half of my group of 8 people were missing. RCCL called my cabin and we had no idea where the other 4 were. They made it on as the last onboard with barely time to spare. Another time, two of my friends had to be driven by Bahamian police in order to not miss the ship!
Many of the larger cruise ships – such as these – can weigh up to 200,000 tonnes or more. Once it starts moving from the dock, that’s it. Ships also have to pay fees to use the docks, based on the scheduled arrival/departure times. One hour might not seem like much, but if the ship has to wait, there are usually penalty fees added.
Great timing. We just got off Voyager on 10/12/23. We had people that were actually standing on deck looking for pier runners. Fortunately, we didn’t really have any, but…we had a late group from an excursion that we had to wait for in Cozumel and there were at least a dozen people on the deck where we were, heckling the late ones. Nothing really evil or mean, but these people were just ribbing the heck out of the late passengers. The late passengers were handling it with a great sense of humor so it was pretty much all in good fun and light spiritedness. I have a article of the whole thing on my phone. I think it would be a really fun article to share, but I don’t know how to edit it so that the occasional bad word is blocked out. I love that this article was done with Capt Carl and Voyager. You have hit the proverbial head of the nail again.
I always plan to be back 1-2 hrs before the all aboard time . That being said, the traffic in Vietnam 🇻🇳 is horrendous. On top of that, it poured and there was a ton of road flooding. This almost quadrupled my travel time. I watched in horror as I was stuck in a car when the all aboard time rolled around . I didn’t have any cell service so I didn’t get any of the calls . In addition Ho Chi Minh port doesn’t allow you on go near the boat unless an official operator . You have to use port buses to get from the main road to the cruise ship. My only saving grace was that my tour guide knew an operator that was at the boat and gave them updates so they waited . We were 20 mins late .
Hey Matt. So what are your thoughts now on cruising now that war has broken out in Israel? Do you think by end of month there will be big changes. I know there certainly will be at the airports I used to work at the airports and I’m certain plans are already in motion and are going to take place any day now.
One time in Cozumel Mexico I had a rental car I drove into the City and it was time to go back to the cruise ship. I did not realize there was more than one port locally. I ended up at the wrong port 😂 next thing you know I was speeding through Mexico driving way too fast to make my ship. I returned the rental car after they had closed and boy was the guy mad. Luckily I made the ship
My rule is, in town I can go on any tour. Out of town, always a ship’s tour. I had to laugh at the idea that tour’s bought through the ship are reputable. I have been on many that have been a complete waste of money. I can vouch for their waiting for us when we returned to the port from Rome. They did give us the rush act when we arrived and told us to hurry. Yes, they waited but Royal was not very nice about it. I had read that some cruise lines leave your passport with the port agent.
In March of 2022, my girlfriend and I were 40 minutes last to the Wonder of the Seas In Coata Maya.The compass all aboard time said 2:30. But the group we weren’t with on the ship had 3:00. My girlfriend was convinced it was 3. I finally peeled her away from getting her nails done. Paid the taxi driver extra to fly us back to Port. Had to go through the maze of shops. Sprinted down the pier. They were actually pulling the rope off the pier. We were the last two to board the ship. And the guy at the x ray machine said you guys are lucky.. I sure felt lucky.
Love your very informative articles!!! Question: You say that the ship will wait for passengers that were booked on ship vetted excursions so they will wait for those excursion passengers. When the ship contacts you is that in either event – you’re on one of their sanctioned excursions or on your own? And if you’re on your own and they call you and you tell them your ETA will the ship wait within reason? Thanks!!!
Question: How long does it take to actually reboard the ship in a port of call, once you make it back to the dock area? Do you have to show documents and/or go through customs each time? Is there usually a long line to reboard? I’m wondering how early I would have to arrive back in the dock area. Thanks! 🙂
Glad you talked about captain Carl… I was on Voyager a month or so ago when I’m sure everyone saw we tilted 40+degrees there was a big storm in the distance that I took a article of 10 minutes before it hit… I’m sure they could’ve seen which way the wind was coming from and turn accordingly… many people were very disappointed in captain Carl with the lack of communication also when stuff was going on… very scary situation staff members that I talked to on board that have been doing it 15+ years have never experienced what happened to us on board…
I agree about the fitness aspect — and being prepared for the weather! On an excursion to Cinque Terre, several folks boarded the bus that morning in high heels and very light clothing. The forecast that autumn day was cold, windy, and chances of rain, and most of us onboard had apparently read the memo. These people were shocked at the weather when we arrived, upset over having to walk down a steep cliff to access the first town, and were more livid that it was raining when we got down there. Completely unprepared, they began making the excursion uncomfortable for everyone with the constant complaints. They demanded that the excursion be cancelled and that everyone should go back to the ship. They were told they could head back themselves if they wanted, at their expense, which caused more shouting. Several of us thought there was going to be a physical fight, these people were that angry! Eventually, the group split off and went elsewhere for the better part of the day. If people want to ruin an excursion for themselves, fine. But to not fully read the fitness requirements or look at the weather for the destination that day — and expect the rest of us to cancel because of their lack of preparedness — is completely foolish and narcissistic.
Thank you, thank you for asking people to look at the activity level and read the description of the tour!! We have been on two different excursions where people were barely able to walk or climb stairs and yet insisted on doing a demanding tour, even when the guide suggested to them otherwise. Needless to say, they held up the entire group and we missed seeing several sites that were on my list. Very disappointing for us, our group and very inconsiderate of them! Wasted our money and ruined our day!
1st Tip: so true, what the cruise lines themselves offer heavily relies on the availability of local guides and sights and how many people at once can be taken there. And definitely make sure it is accessible to all your needs, be they physical or merely interest-focused. You can have an amazing time on land with just a bit of research. 2nd Tip: I cannot stress this point enough. Check the info given for the excursion. The cruise line can’t do more than right out tell you. Can lead a horse to water, can’t make it drink. And generally read everything they send you. It solves so many problems and answers so many questions before they even come up. Especially if you check before you pack your bags, you can decide about things like whether to pack sturdy shoes based on the excursion offerings. 3rd: True lol 4th: Yes yes yes yes yes! By the time you get on board, a lot of stuff might be completely booked.
At 10:30, I totally agree with you about respecting meet-up times, especially if the tour/excursion has multiple stops. Each delay waiting for tardy passengers only eats away from the time allocated to upcoming stops, and it’s extremely disrespectful to all those other passengers who somehow managed to get to the bus on time. I confess that I smiled a little inside when you said this particular family had to bear the additional expense to get back to the ship, though I suppose they were only annoyed and didn’t have the decency to be embarrassed or shamed.
My daughter and I took a 5-hour tour of Bermuda through Norwegian. Our driver was fantastic! He had an itinerary, but we were the 5th of 5 buses. He reversed the order of the attractions we visited so we wouldn’t run into crowds at every attraction. He added in little extra areas, like his own neighborhood so he could explain specific instances of life on Bermuda. Lastly, because we were all prompt in getting back to the bus on time (I say bus, it was more the size of an airport shuttle), we got an unscheduled stop at a small beach area to step in the water for a few minutes. Easily the best tour I’ve ever taken. We wouldn’t have had him if we’d booked on our own, because his company contract with Norwegian only on cruise visit days. No private tours. It worked out beautifully for us.
One exception to booking excursions outside the cruise line is when timing is very tight. You really WANT to book through the cruise line since they WILL wait for you to return. Best example of this I can think of is visiting the ruins of Tulum if making port in Cozumel. It’s a long ride over on a ferry to the mainland, then a long bus ride to the ruins, then reverse it all. The cruise line won’t even offer it on shorter port-stops, and with good reason. Even with a long stop, say 8 hours, the timing is tricky and I’ve seen the returning ferry pull up directly at our ship and return the passengers back onboard through the tender gangway, on the other side from the dock, to save time.
On my upcoming cruise to Oceania, I booked the Hobbiton tour well in advance. Then I noticed it had vanished from their list of shore excursions, though I was still listed as having it. This made me incredibly nervous, so I booked a third party tour and canceled the ship one. I have heard that the third party tours are sold out, so I’m glad I have my tour. I would have hated to find out the shore excursion had been canceled when I boarded the ship. I found out one of my excursions in Finland had been canceled when I boarded the ship a few years ago. I was unable to book a replacement for it. Though my experience with Shore Excursion Groups is that they aren’t a bona-fide operator. I had booked a full package of tours for an Ireland / Transatlantic cruise month in advance, and a few weeks before sailing canceled all of them and gave me a refund. I was out the money for months, and had to scramble at the last minute. One of my best excursions was a third party “Angels and Demons” tour in Rome, which included transport to / from the port city, visits to the sights from the book and movie, time for a meal, and a private guide tour of the Vatican. It was a few hundred Euros, but I got a lot of it. Interestingly, when I met my guide / driver, he asked if he could take two other passengers (from a different ship) to their excursion area (their driver didn’t show up) and he’d knock 50 Euros off my tour. I agreed, and discovered they were already in his car. I wonder what he’d have said if I said “No”, though I think the 50 was enough of a discount they figured I’d say “Yes” and it would solve their immediate problem.
We are still planning both our first Princess Cruise and our First Alaskan Cruise in June 2024. None of the offered excursions appeal to us yet but we still have time. Most are way overpriced for the value but, in general, gems can be found. I think one of the largest mistakes people make is believing they have to take an excursion to begin with. Cruise ships are rarely in port long enough to really appreciate the port destination. You can still have an unforgettable cruise without adding on excursions.
I’m amazed how little people read all the info available (and using basic things like map to check distance) I have some mobility issues so am very wary of any excursion labels above low activity level. One my current cruise I only booked one cruise excursion transfer to the beach as I want the security of transport later in the trip when I know I will have less energy to do that myself. I have use the cruise excursions to give me ideas, I found there are cable cars in one port from the cruise excursion list so I’m planning to doing that but not with the cruise line and the cable car are only one part of a much more energetic trip I know I won’t be able to do.
I watch a LOT of your article’s and this was one of the very best and most helpful I’ve seen so far. Side Note: In Puerto Rico we booked a walking tour that was billed as sternuous. We were a little bit in denial of our age and ended up having a hard time keeping up. Was both humbling for us and a little anoying to some of the others who were younger. Moral, be realistic about what you can do. LOL
I’ve now been on a P&O cruise and a Marella, and found the marella excursions so much cheaper and better all round- the only issue being that you can’t choose your departure time, and when there were delays disembarking the ship this cut into the excursion time and was not extended, despite not needing to be back at the ship for hours, but this was mainly to do with the tour guides needing to collect another group. Marella is more expensive than P&O for most cruises, but has a lot more inclusions and cheaper add ons like excursions so I was pleased with the price overall. I guess this is obvious but you can also have wildly different experiences on the same tour as others on different buses, depending on the guide. I did a full day tour to ancient ruins and the guide talked a lot, and then only gave us around a minute at each point to actually look around and take photos- it was great that he was so knowledgeable and passionate, and others really enjoyed this, but I needed more time to look around and experience things for myself.
Great article as always. The one thing I have noticed is that the description of the excursions offered by the cruise line don’t always go into great enough detail or are not totally accurate. Sometimes even Guest Services is not sure about every aspect of the excursion. So it’s good to research as much as possible beforehand. Just FYI: In this article you point to another follow up article, but the article link doesn’t appear in this article. I don’t know if you’re aware of that.
In Gibraltar the shore people explicitly asked the tour company if they’d take my wheelchair. When we got to the buses they wouldn’t! They did offer to help us arrange a taxi tour, but they are harder to get in and out of. We chose just not to go as we’d been there a couple of times and I’d just found a piece that we hadn’t been to. Nbd.
Great points but there are exceptions to every rule. My recent windstar cruise changed its itinerary in Colombia a few weeks beforehand but did not have the excursions available for the new date until embarkation si I booked with shore excursions group for the extra day in Cartagena. It turned out the tour was actually $10 less thru windstar!
As a solo, female cruiser I always take the cruise line excursions. I’m not as adventurous as many are to book outside the cruise line. I’m aware of companies like Viator and Shipmate Shore Excursions, and I learned that they use the same companies as the cruise line, so maybe one day I’ll try one of them.
Once again wonderful information. I feel it’s always the Great Debate wether to choose what the cruise lines are offering or roll the dice and go with an independent. We are in the middle of this decision as we cruise to the Mediterranean this year and have so many choices to choose from. I really appreciated your detailed points on why or why not to go with the cruise or independent company. We really enjoy your articles and your information which helps us make better choices on our trips. 😊
The cruise ship is a very nice mobile hotel, but the shore excursions are the reason for traveling. Outside of US locations and English speaking locations, I would say that trying to do your own shore excursions require a lot of work, planning and timing. With the Shors Excursions through the cruise line, my only experience is with Holland America and I feel the disclosures provide the right amount of detail, without being fine print requiring legal training to read. Pretty much what Gary said tests with the tourist not paying attention or narcissistic in not being on time (set a.arms on your phones for every timed point).
Hey Gary, another great article, I have been on 17 cruises on four different cruise lines. I never use cruise ship excursions anymore because they take you places that are a waste of time. They drag you to shops that I don’t want to spend money in, they drag you to see a Hokey farm or lifestyle setting somewhere whether it’s Iceland, or New Zealand. Or have tea at some shop somewhere. I have for the last two cruises purchased my shore excursions exclusively on my own and saved thousands. More importantly, it targets those things of interest to me while saving money.
Having multiple languages (Spanish, English, French, Italian, Portuguese) that I can understand eases the tour dilemas … I’ve walked everywhere incl into an elementary school in China. BUT will readily say that THE port I will never again venture off is: Colon Panama. As-per-usual I got off the protected tourist area, and while walking I could see that the area looked devastated. So I went looking for a church to explore. ( I’m not religious but usually churches are interesting. While I walked looking for such, locals would warn me that “lady you should not be walking around here”… so us 2 ladies decided to head back. Meanwhile a young couple from the ship also joined us in heading back. If you look at your books, the ones that are about 10 yrs old say “”we recommend you don’t walk the town”… the more recent ones say “if you venture out, you are taking your life chances”… so don’t!
The selfishness of people turning up late for meet-up times drives me CRAZY! Do they have NO understanding of how their actions are affecting everyone else? And to do it not just once, but several times! Grrrrr! (At least they got their comeuppance in the end). Loving your vids, by the way, Gary. I have only ever done one ‘cruise’, and that wasn’t really one in the traditional sense (it was going on the Hurtigruten from Bergen to Honningsvåg in Norway). But I’m thinking about doing another, and your website is really helping me navigate the options and the pitfalls. Thanks!
So relieved to see that Shore Excursions Group guarantees an on-time return, since I had booked a shore excursion with them for an upcoming cruise. The snorkeling option through them better fit our needs, and for a better price, than the luxury sailboat (with a little snorkeling) excursion offered through the cruise line.
Thank you. Very good point about height restrictions – normally one (well, someone of my age) associates those with rides but at 6’4″ I’m clearly too tall to fit in some of those caves. How do they set the baselines for fitness levels? The fitness level of an average 60-year old is going to be a lot less than that of an average 30-year old. BTW your link to the next article is missing for me.
Having worked for a few years as a coach driver, the point about peoples timekeeping is spot on. I have had dozens of experiences where people have been late back to the Bus. On every trip there is ALWAYS the one couple or family that are late every single time. I have had to leave people behind on a ferry before because we were the lead vehicle and if we didnt move the whole ferry was going to be waiting behind us. Then in Barcelona on a school tour, the group leader went awol at Camp Nou and ended up having to get a taxi to our next visit. As you say it is infuriating. My sister recently had a cruise in Asia and she was telling me that when a certain couple boarded the excursion bus, the other passengers bood them at the start of the day because they were notorious for holding up the tours (it wasn’t my sister by the way, she is the most on time person i have ever met)
The worst excursion we did was the first cruise we did, the last day of first Caribbean we did, we decided to do one in Barbados, which took us straight to the airport afterwards, we should have stayed on board until it was our time to get off to use the transport laid on for us to take to the airport, we would have ate better on board . The Asian cruises we did buffet style lunch was included both international style or local so people have the choice of both, and a drink was included
One problem is that the cruise lines’ excursions’ ratings are extremely variable. For example, on our recent Oceania cruise Pompeii was listed as “strenuous” or the equivalent. Although there was a great deal of walking and movement, it wasn’t as strenuous as others I’ve seen. There was another excursion listed as “moderate” that was much more strenuous!
One exception to booking excursions as soon as they’re available is for charter cruises. To give one example, one of the charters I have currently booked opened up regular ship excursions about 4 months ago for a March 2024 sailing. But there are special charter-related activities that opened up much later, some of which had conflicts with the excursions offered by the cruise line. And there are regular events that are also offered by the charter company (concerts, Q&A’s, etc.) that are only announced a few weeks prior to sailing. So on those type of charter cruises, I have found it best to wait for the tentative schedule to come out before booking any excursions.
I’ve run into major problems with tours when people are “allowed” on and they clearly were not physically fit enough to participate. Rather than excluding them, the tour held everyone up while we waited at each location for the people to catchup. The ship provided NO reimbursement for the tour. Another common issue is dealing with groups that are too large. Our solution is now to book with local tour groups having smaller group size. The only time we consider ship excursions is when travel to the location is quite distant and you need assurance that you will return before departure time.
At 7:30, a strong word of caution when using a third-party excursion group: Make sure you distinguish between excursions that are intended as pre-cruise/post-cruise activities vs. shore excursions for a port of call. When looking at your agencies, they are offering a plethora of options for someone who is either originating or terminating at that port, but for us, it’s a port of call, and we need to be picked up FROM THE SHIP and later returned TO THE SHIP by a specified time. Choosing one of their city tour options could end up being a very costly mistake for us.