Thread: Shore excursions

Princess.com does not publish the prices of any shore excursions. Is there a way to find out what they are BEFORE I book my cruise?

Also, does it make sense to take an excursion in American ports?

I've never booked any Princess shore excursions.

But then again, I do not recommend any shore excursions offered by the cruise lines unless it's at their private island since nothing else is available.

I always suggest doing your own thing or booking through an independent company. Not only will you save time and money, but it'll usually be a whole lot less crowded.

For example; when we were going to Aruba on Princess, I looked at their website and they offered a 4-1/2 hour tour of the island on Harley Davidson motorcycles. Price was $355!!!

I contacted the Harley dealer on Aruba and they offered the same tour for $155!!! We booked it through them and we ended up with 6 couples on the tour - 3 of them were staying on the island and booked with the dealer; we were on the ship and booked with them; and two other couples were on the ship and booked with Princess - they paid $355 and the rest of us paid $155! We were all on the same tour at the same time!!

Gee, guess who had more fun on that tour???

The cruise lines contract local vendors to provide the shore excursions and then add a little extra for their cut of the action. So almost always you can find the same excursion for less money and with less people.

Pete

Originally Posted by Smart Traveler

Princess.com does not publish the prices of any shore excursions. Is there a way to find out what they are BEFORE I book my cruise?

Also, does it make sense to take an excursion in American ports?

You could search the various Roll Calls for a cruise similar to the one you're thinking of booking and see if someone mentions the price Princess is charging.

Once you book with Princess and set up your Cruise Personalizer, the pricing information will be there, in addition to the information, for the different excursions.

As for the American ports, it depends on what the excursion is. If it's a walking tour of a City that's accessible from the dock, you could probably do that on your own but if you're hoping to fit a lot into a day booking a private tour or an excursion will help to squeeze in all those things.

Hi Smart Traveller,

Whether you do a tour in a US port will depend on times, distance from the major part of town and if you've been there before - do you have any ports in mind and I'm sure Cruiselinefans members can offer some recommendations of things to do....

Originally Posted by ziggysun

You could search the various Roll Calls for a cruise similar to the one you're thinking of booking and see if someone mentions the price Princess is charging.
.

Andrea .... Also, you could ask roll call members to check the prices on them too.

Like, if you want to know the price of any specific shore excursions where I have port stops on our upcoming to the Southern and Eastern Caribbean on Princess, I'll be glad to check the prices for you.

Originally Posted by shoretours.com.au

Hi Smart Traveller,

Whether you do a tour in a US port will depend on times, distance from the major part of town and if you've been there before - do you have any ports in mind and I'm sure Cruiselinefans members can offer some recommendations of things to do....

Newport, Rhode Island is the first or last stop on the itinerary my mom expressed interest in recently. I know absolutely NOTHING about it.

Originally Posted by Smart Traveler

Newport, Rhode Island is the first or last stop on the itinerary my mom expressed interest in recently. I know absolutely NOTHING about it.

I was there in 2006 and it is worth doing a tour to one of the "cottages" which are anything but. I did a tour from the ship but I am sure there are private tours as well. Just be warned it is a tender port and is quite often missed due to fog or rough seas.

I would guess that some of those "cottages" was used for filming The Great Gatsby, with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow. Andrea, it might be worth it for you to rent or borrow that movie to see the homes there. Or you can look at this page:
Newport, RI Mansions - a Visitor's Guide to all of the Mansions in Newport
There are other things to see in Newport as well. Have you asked your mother what she would like to do there? That would help you plan your day.

Rhode Island is absolutely beautiful and we stopped in there on the way up to NY when I worked for Carnival. What I would suggest is to also check what port you are coming from prior to Newport. If it is a non-US port you will have to do immigration that day too. With immigration and tendering it may make it difficult to make any independent tour.

I have heard the houses are stunning and Newport is a very cute little town - right there on the pierand very easy to walk around. Lots of cosy cafes, little shops and arts and crafts.

Enjoy

Originally Posted by shoretours.com.au

Rhode Island is absolutely beautiful and we stopped in there on the way up to NY when I worked for Carnival. What I would suggest is to also check what port you are coming from prior to Newport. If it is a non-US port you will have to do immigration that day too. With immigration and tendering it may make it difficult to make any independent tour.

I have heard the houses are stunning and Newport is a very cute little town - right there on the pierand very easy to walk around. Lots of cosy cafes, little shops and arts and crafts.

Enjoy

Immigration is not an issue. I would be coming from New York.

The hours listed are 7-4, so I will not have very much time after getting off the tender boat.