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One of the simple pleasures of cruise travel is that after booking your ticket, your trip is practically set. Your accommodation, transport, entertainment and even meals have been paid for, but there’s one thing missing: on-shore excursions.
While these can be purchased on board during your trip, the question is: why should they have to be? By pre-purchasing on-shore excursions, you get the added assurance that your spot on the tour is secure, you know exactly what you’ll be doing and seeing and you can better keep track of how much you’re spending throughout your trip.
So with your holiday in mind, here’s where you can pre-book shore excursions online:
Owned by TripAdvisor, Viator is a one-stop shop for tours, excursions and entry passes in over 2000 locations worldwide. Browse cruise excursions in popular destinations such as Monaco, Hanoi, Cairns, Los Angeles and more.
City Discovery makes touring a city too easy. With over 8000 travel activities, including dedicated cruise excursions through France, Egypt, Singapore and more, it’s a great place to start to get your bearings in a new city.
Whether you’re after flights, accommodation, holidays or shore excursions, Wotif can help you book it. Hit the “activities” section to access a wealth of tours and passes to destinations worldwide.
Featuring tours by major brands such as Contiki, G Adventures, Topdeck and Trafalgar, TourRadar is no stranger to excursions large and small. Its range of excursions offer cultural, natural, marine and independent options to suit every holidaymaker’s style.
Dedicated to on-shore excursions, Cruising Excursions prides itself in offering tours for a fraction of the price offered by cruise lines. All excursions are timed to cater to your cruise docking and sailing times, which means you’ll enjoy a stress free and budget friendly holiday.
Most large cruise liners, including Princess Cruises, P&O and Carnival, will allow you to book or reserve a cruise excursion either while you’re booking your cruise or after it’s been confirmed. If you’re unsure of whether your cruise ship lets you book excursions in advance, visit the experiences section where details of the excursions can usually be found.
While booking directly with the cruise line does often cost more than shopping around or choosing a land-based operator at your port of call, booking direct does have its benefits. When you book through the line, it does mean the cruise line knows where you are should anything happen during your tour or if it runs late.
An all-inclusive cruise means that everything from your accommodation and your meals to a selection of free cruise excursions will be included in your cruise fare. Some cruise lines that offer all-inclusive packages include Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Silversea, Dreamlines, Hebridean Island Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Seabourn, Azamara Club Cruises, Scenic Tours, Emerald Waterways, Tauck and Uniworld River Cruises.
Not necessarily. While shore excursions purchased on the ship can be discounted because you are a passenger, tour companies on the ground are still quite competitive and are constantly offering price match guarantees. This means they could end up charging you less than a shore excursion booked through your cruise.
Be aware, however, that excursions can vary in terms of quality, the attractions visited and the time spent at each location, so it’s worth comparing and asking what’s on offer through your cruise direct and for similar tours offered through independent operators to see which suits your needs best.
On-shore excursions offer you a curated and insider experience of the city you’re docked at. Like any other excursion they include a professional guide, can help rush you through long entry queues and can provide you with private transportation between attractions to help you make the most of your time on-shore.
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