Do NOT Make This Mistake When It Comes To Cruise Ship Shore Excursions and Tours 

Once I knew the fact that they were doing their own excursion and not a cruise arranged one, I lost all sympathy. Everyone knows to be back on board at cruise departure and if you’re not aware, you shouldn’t be cruising.

We have done many private trips all around the world with no problems. We almost got left behind in Christchurch (Port Lyttelton). We caught up with friends for dinner and thought the last shuttle bus was at 7pm. But that was the time for the last bus from the Tourist Information in Lyttelton, to the port. After a quick Uber ride we were relived to find the ship still in port and 4 people missing (1 crew member). We had to do the walk of shame onto the ship apologizing to everyone we saw. Luckily it was dinner time so not too many passengers were watching! Our daughter had been contacted twice, once by the ship and once by the head company in America, asking if she knew where we were. Huge lesson learnt to check and double check boarding time and have the ships contact number with you. NEVER AGAIN.

100% agree with you, there are times and places whereby it is safest to just pay up for the wildly expensive cruise line shore tours. TIP: always check that your watch or phone, matches ship time with your onboard App. Many people get caught by not adhering to ship time.

When we visited Taiwan the port was over an hour from Taipei. We choose a ships tour to get the most of our day there. We were over an hour late back, but the ship was waiting for us as it was a ship booked tour.

Totally agree Adrian. We usually self tour or take private tours but when there is even the slightest risk of being left behind, such as during our cruise last year through Egypt, Jordan and Israel, we always fork out for a ship excursion. It's worth the extra just for the peace of mind and in a place like an island off west Africa we wouldn't dream of doing a private tour.

The fact that Ms Campbell is blaming NCL and not themselves shows you how entitled some people really are. YOU CHOSE to take a private shore excursion, NCL was under absolutely 0 obligation to wait for you. Good job to NCL for leaving them behind. No sympathy for me whatsoever. If I choose to take a shore excursion, it's usually one that's organised through the cruise line. If I don't and want to just explore the city myself, I usually like to get back to the ship 2 to 3 hours before.

Unfortunately it’s just another great and all too common example of individuals taking no responsibility or accountability for their own actions and choices and it’s everybody’s fault and problem bar theirs..

I think people look at private shore tour prices & decide the cruise line is overcharging - whereas the reality is that the industry is built around itineraries & trusted tour operators are probably chosen years ahead of each sailing and the cruise line has paid insurance for those tours they sell, to cover the Port costs if they're required to wait for passengers

when I do excursions i always use the ships since if it gets back late the ship has to make sure i get to the ship on time

I worked on cruise ships for many years and always took shore excursions independently. We knew the risks and were always back at the ship on time. I do remember the occasional crew member missing the ship for whatever reason, and they would have to catch up to the next port at their own expense. I'm sure some passengers also got into trouble too. Quite often the ship sailed late due to a shore excursion being late returning, so yes, shore excursions booked through the ship gives you better piece of mind. A couple of my workmates missed the ship in the Caribbean and had to fly to the next island, they were lucky they didn't lose their jobs!

We are booked for a cruise in Iceland. We booked all excursions through the ship. Yes a bit more money but like Adrian states, it guarantees you will not be left at the port. We wanted to see some sights in Reykjavik so we chose to arrive a couple days before the cruise departs and booked a day tour locally. That is the only time I would book locally instead of through the ship. I don't want to be a pier runner..... LOL.

There are times it is not worth saving some money on a private tour. Last year, I was on a ship booked excursion when we found ourselves late for a variety of reasons including the included lunch was very late. When it became apparent that we were significantly late, the tour guide was in constant contact with ship personnel. We were greeted by ship personnel and quickly escorted back on the waiting ship. That is the reason for the higher fees of ship excursions.

I think where the port is remote and unusual, you should always choose a cruise line excursion unless you are just going to explore the port. Regarding the cost though, I was horrified at the hundreds of dollars being charged by RCI for an excursion in Wellington for a place that is free to visit. The funny thing was, it was literally at the end of the street of where my grandparents lived and we never visited it all the years that we visited them. The coach hire and tour guide wouldn’t cost as much as what they were charging.

We generally do excursions thru the ship. But our next cruise on the sun princess, we will be trying excursions thru a company off ship. Due to the cost of the excursions, we are willing to take the risk. Or until my wife gets cold feet and we change to ship excursions 😂😂

We always get off early and make it a point to be back on board around or just after lunch time if we don't to an organized tour...

Agree with your comments Adrian. Have not been left behind but have been back late on ships tours. Its comforting to know that they will wait for you in those circumstances. Having said that we have done some great private tours as well but like you say don't try in some areas if you don't know the place well.

Official cruise line tours can miss the boat too. But then it’s the cruise ship’s problem. We were at Port Lyttleton (NZ) and an official group tour had gone to Christchurch and didn’t make it back on time. Carnival cruise lines had to organise their transport and accommodation and the works from the South Island to the North Island where they met up with us the following morning in Wellington. 😊

Gary Bembridge has warned would-be cruisers over and over about the risks associated with independent tour operators. Why don't people pay attention?

Preach❤❤❤❤❤!!!

Totally agree Adrian. If there's a tender port I's always book through the cruiseline.

As we are first time cruisers, we have opted for ship arranged tours for the most part. There are a couple of stops that we feel confident about doing on our own. But as you suggested, we have booked a small tour at Santorini via the ship that way we can depart quicker. Good tip! Thanks

We're all adults here. All aboard time is posted several places and you are told the night before. No excuses. Plus, you have the ship and port agent emergency number to contact. Yes, sometimes things can go wrong, but I personally aim to be back onboard no later than 1 hour before all aboard. You never know.

Completely agree...

I'm also slightly lazy, so often take the easy way of taking a ship tour. On a recent cruise, one of the ship tours ran into traffic, trees on the road, and made it back to ship 4 hours late. I'd hate to think what the experience would be to find yourself on a independent tour, instead of a ship tour when things go wrong.

While I feel very bad for the passengers that were left in Africa,, I agree with you. You have to exercise common sense. And you need to build in a buffer time to get back, especially in a tender port. I read where they said the tour operator guaranteed they would be back in time for the 3:00 p.m. tender. That was crazy. They should have made sure they were back for the 1:00 p.m. tender.

We are doing our first cruise later this year. Certainly have booked some independent tours, however have made sure the tours end plenty of time before all aboard time.

On a cruise I did in 2011, one of the ports was in Bali. The ship was delayed leaving port as one of the buses used for an official cruise excursion was on a road where a fatal motorcycle accident occurred. The captain made an announcement and said we would wait for the bus to return.

Cheap can sometimes turn out VERY expensive.

My wife and I were at Port Villa in Vanuatu and went on a ship sponsored excursion and the the transport left us at the site of the attraction. We went and talked to the owner of the site and he had to drive us to the ship. So what I'm saying is that sometimes even being on the guarantee tours things happen. if it wasn't for the owner of the attraction we would of missed the ship.

We are doing a tour with princess Princess At New Zealand In Auckland I think the first 2 cruises we didn't do guided tours

Usually I'd agree with the captain's decision here, but you're leaving out some facts in this case. The passengers included an 80-year-old woman who was receiving emergency medical treatment. The ship had not yet left the harbour, and was not docked: they were tendering. They had not missed the ship's departure, they had missed the 'all aboard' time. The captain refused calls from the harbourmaster/coast guard, would not respond to emails sent by NCL who had been contacted by the passengers. They were given their passports but nothing else, so they were stranded in a foreign country with credit cards which didn't work, except for one couple who ended up paying for everyone. This was a cruel decision to 'teach them a lesson' and I wouldn't be so glib about this. As regards the fines for staying at port for too long: the ship was NOT docked, it was tendering. They had not missed the ship's departure time, but the all aboard time. Let me tell you about something I witnessed myself. Last summer I was on a cruise and we were at La Spezia: fully docked. We were supposed to leave the port at a certain time, but the captain warned us that we might be delayed because of passengers who had missed the 'all aboard' time. He started the engine but did not leave. Sure enough, 2 minutes before the scheduled departure, a shuttle bus races up to the dock and a couple hop out, running for the ship. Literally, as soon as they got on, we left. I'm sure they got a stern talking to by the captain, but they weren't abandoned. This captain was just a jerk.

While I’m quite new at cruising… unless I am familiar with the port I will book a ship’s excursion. I’m starting to book an excursion on tender ports too….

I paid for a private tour in Tassie and it was fantastic and they got us back to ship on time. But i wouldnt feel confident doing that in a foreign port, especially if I didnt speak the local language. Getting stranded in Tassie is far less worrying than getting stranded in Africa or Spain.

When going to African countries you can’t trust private tours! Do not go bungee jumping or anything like that! My experience in Africa is many things are dodgy and can’t be trusted. That would apply to any remote destination.

Typical of the self entitlement and refusal to take responsibility for your own actions so often seen today. I don,t believe the tour operator contacted the captain to say they would be late - it was not a ship tour so I doubt they had the captains details. The only time I take private tours is when the ship docks close to the main attractions and the tour ends back at port two hours before sail away.

Plus all but 1 couple had apparently left their money, credit cards, meds etc on the ship

I would rather pay extra for peace of mind

What are the rules if you hurt yourself (not seriously) and have to abandon the tour. Does a ship tour organize transport back to ship

I agree with the comment below about doing their own excursion and expecting a different outcome when late back. If you can afford to cruise (esp to countries other than your own) then why penny-pinch when it comes to excursions. The only thing I would hope from paying extra is that the extra $ spent through a cruise line excursion would go back into the local economy.

Over 1 hour late - 👋