Thread: Saving money on Shore Excursions

Shared excursions are a great way to save money on a cruise. Join a roll call and find people who want to share a tour. A few tips.

1. Make sure you are clear on your expectations, are you trying to see as much as possible in the time you have?
2. Are you planning to stop to shop? For some people it is all about the shopping and they get upset when they can't stick their nose in every store along the way.
3. How are the costs to be shared and when do you expect payment?
4. Remember you don't always need to book with the biggest company, check the reviews and book accordingly, many of the small companies offer very personal service and are equal to the big guys.

A few simple checks will ensure that you have a pleasant experience and save money in the process.

How can you do that if you don't know anybody on the cruise in advance ?

As this site continues to grow and more and more people join it will get easier to meet people that are on your cruise through the roll calls. I meet one of my couples on my last cruise through the roll call. I join as many roll calls as I can find for my cruise and usually have my tour full withing a week to 10 days.

OK.
I was wondering if there were some notice boards on the actual ships. But of course that would not be in the cruise lines interest.

We have done several shared excursions with roll call members. It really has worked out well for us.

What if nobody else on the roll call wants to take the same tours I do?

I personally don't care who is taking the same group tour.

Originally Posted by Smart Traveler

What if nobody else on the roll call wants to take the same tours I do?

I personally don't care who is taking the same group tour.

It depends on which company you are looking at booking your with. There are quite a few companies that just organise shore tours and have already done the research to find out which group tours are going at the times your ship will be in port. Then you can just join up either by yourself or with others from the cruise. If you search shore excursions or shore tours and the port you are looking for then you will normally come up with a list of companies and you can browse through your options.

Hope are you a shore tours specialist or do you also help clients book cruises? Just wondering; I already have a cruise booked.

Actually the one place I know I need a tour is Victoria, BC. Some people who took the same cruise I will (it is an annual reposition) said it is a long drive to Butch Gardens and naturally I won't have a car. I have been to Santa Barbara, San Francisco, and Seattle and Astoria is small. But on European and CANE cruises, I want to take tours in more ports.