10 Things to Know Before Booking Excursions

Cruise Excursion Booking Tips

Booking shore tours can be a stressful process. You have a very limited amount of time while in port and, obviously, you’d like to make the most of it. Below we answer the most common questions that we get from our Ship Mates.

When should I reserve my shore excursion?

The most popular cruise excursions can fill up quickly. It’s not uncommon for a shore tour to sell out. If you wait too long to book, you may miss out on your first choice and have to settle for a less desirable option. Don’t be that guy that procrastinates on booking the “Swimming with Dolphins Excursion” and has to settle for the “Swimming with Jellyfish” trip.

What are the benefits to booking excursions through the cruise lines?

If you’ve missed the window to pre-book with third-party excursion providers (it’s typically around 10 days before that port day), then you can still book with the cruise lines while on board. This is potentially a good option for those that aren’t quite sure what they’d like to do while on shore. If you’re looking for some personal guidance, you may want to wait and speak with a rep while on the ship.

While major excursion providers offer the same guarantee as do the cruise lines, some ship mates also find extra “peace of mind” by booking directly with their ship.  The cruise lines will do their best to convince you that you’re at risk with a third-party, but we know this is more of a scare tactic to get your commission dollars.

What are the benefits to booking through an excursion provider?

The major benefits our ship mates experience by booking through third party excursion providers are:

• They tend to be less expensive
• Often, tours are with a smaller group
• You’re likely to get unbiased feedback of shore tours from excursion providers, while cruise lines won’t provide this
• Cruise lines have many, many responsibilities, while excursion providers have just one – excursions. The extra focus tends to result in a better overall experience, according to our users.

Should I ever book directly through the tour operator?

This can be risky. We’d only advise booking direct with the tour operator if you’ve done loads of research and are very comfortable with what you’ve found.
While you may save a little bit of cash, your risk of having to swim home is increased significantly.

Is there a risk that I’ll miss the ship if I don’t book through the cruise line?

If booking through Ship Mate Cruise App, then NO.  We guarantee that you’ll be back to your cruise ship in time. In the extremely rare chance that this occurs, we’ll pay all expenses (meals, hotel, flights) to get you back on that ship as soon as possible. If you book directly through a random tour provider, there’s a higher percentage chance that you’ll miss your ship (best case scenario) or that you’ll become pirate food (worst case scenario).

Am I expected to tip the Guide/Driver?

Good question. This is one that we typically don’t think about until we’re heading back to the ship with a big smile on our faces. Tips for your shore excursion providers are optional, but very much appreciated.
A common tip is:

• $3 for a half day excursion
• $5 for a full day

Are children’s prices available?

Typically, YES. The smaller the human, the less the cost… kidding… kind of.  Many shore tours offer children’s prices for children under the age of 12 years and free for your littlest of snorklers (3 and younger). Check the details of your shore excursion for specifics.

How do I book shore excursions?

Once you’ve added your cruise in Ship Mate, you can see the available excursions and get an overview of the tour, cost and duration of each. To find those, simply do the following:

• Select your cruise
• Choose “Excursions” from the menu bar
• Pick the port you’re interested in
• Select the shore excursion of your choice
• Click “Book Now”

For those of us that are more visual, here’s how that would look on our iOS version of the app.

If you’re more comfortable with booking online, we have that option for you as well.

Click for cruise excursions options on the web.

There you’ll find plenty of options outside of the cruise lines.

Will you refund my money if I miss my tour because the ship is late or cannot make it into port?

YES. If you use Ship Mate to book an excursion, you’ll get a full refund for the following reasons:

• you miss the excursion because your ship is late
• your port is missed for some reason
• inclement weather prohibiting your tour
• equipment problems preventing the excursion

Just give us a call within two weeks and we’ll issue a refund.  Also, you can cancel a tour up to 14 days in advance (for any reason) of your cruise departure and receive a full refund.

How do I get my booking confirmation and voucher?

As soon as you’re done booking, we’ll email you a confirmation and instructions so you’re all ready for your tour.