Sunday, March 31, 2024

Has anyone used Viator for shore excursions? Australia & New Zealand Cruisers Cruise Critic Community

viator cruise excursions

If you're setting out on your town to an off-the-track beach, make sure you have return transportation. Sometimes ports propose access to more than one regional diversion or locale of interest, which can be spread out over considerable distances. Avoid the logistical challenges of visiting multiple attractions on your own by booking a ship-sponsored tour. Be careful when booking anything through TripAdvisor. The tour company emailed me and said they were sorry but the tour was only in Italian.

Expert Tips for Choosing the Best Shore Excursions

This type of local, personalized experience can be found in greater quantity using a third party provider, either directly or via a travel advisor. But when booked direct, the travel advisor can lose out on commission and the client will lose any benefits that come with booking through a travel advisor. "We monitor tours for lack of interest, and do everything we can -- including not making money -- to make sure a tour goes because we know that's disappointing for the guest," says Witsoe.

Diversify each port.

As a broker Viator works to verify the products they are pushing out. When we used them with a cruise they were cheaper, more suited to our desires, and much smaller than the cruise ship tours. Nice to have them to go to if you have a problem with your tour company. We contacted Viator and had a full refund that day. Make the most of your time in port in Christchurch with a half-day shore excursion that takes in all the highlights.

Good Times to Tour Independently or Book Shore Excursions on Your Own

Once I find a tour that I like, I try to find the company that is actually doing the tour and book it directly with them. This gives the tour company 100% of the fee and I am dealing directly with the tour operator. We won't ever use them again after a bad experience in Sth America. It all comes down to the guide and the vehicle, both of which are outside the control of Viator. As others have said Viator are just the broker. Check on tripadvisor for reports of the excursion you're interested in.

Our Shore Excursion Partners:

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Even though a cruise line will do all it can to keep scheduled tours running, sometimes a cancellation is necessary. If you're booking tours, know that they're never guaranteed -- especially if they're more niche tours in smaller ports -- and be prepared with a good attitude and a Plan B. Saving money is always a consideration, especially when you're traveling with several people in your group or are looking at flightseeing tours or other pricy expeditions that cost hundreds of dollars a person. For the most part, cruise lines do charge more than non-cruise-related tour operators for the same (or similar) outing. If you trust the company and feel confident that you won't miss the ship, it certainly makes sense to pay less by booking an excursion independently that could cost you more onboard.

I used to work for a cruise ship and I can tell you that all ship tours are through 3rd party opearators and if anything goes wrong, the cruise company has very little recourse because they aren't the operators. The prices are also tremendously marked up because the ship needs it's cut. I booked a tour in Costa Maya that was 50% less than what the ship was offering, even though it was the same tour. I was also going to post that one has to remember that private tours are not just for cruise ship passengers. One does not know if the tour company knew it was for someone on a cruise, and thought that their alternate offering was reasonable.

Benefits of booking shore excursions with travel agents

Most Caribbean locales do not switch to a summer time frame like we do in most of mainland USA. Dispute the charge with your credit card provider. There's a Hop on Hop off bus which will take you to all the most popular tourist spots and there's usually a great commentary along the way. Sit upstairs in the front and don't forget the sunhat and sunscreen. They have a good selection on all Aus and NZ ports of call. We have used Viator in several countries for everything from transfers to tours.

If you're on a budget, balance tour and non-tour days.

viator cruise excursions

Super Shuttle or Prime time shuttle they do transfers from LA hotels to World Cruise Centre - San Pedro etc. I like the fact that Viator offers a guarantee to have you back to the ship on time or they get you to your next port. This guided tour lets you skip the long lines so that you have longer to explore the SS Arizona Memorial and other sites. Sure, I took a few other Viator tours that were okay, but only one of them (in Japan) was better than "average". I will no longer take Viator tours because I think the local agencies who participate are probably the ones who don't get recommendations by word of mouth (because they are nothing great).

viator cruise excursions

Book small-group tours early and cancel later.

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There’s no doubt that travelers more and more are looking for local and unique experiences when traveling or cruising. We’ve taken a look at all our shore excursions and identified some of the most unique experiences. You'll have more control over where you go and the timing of the day -- and you already know that you'll like the other people on your tour! This is also a useful strategy when you're traveling with who may need more breaks or playtime than a ship's tour would allow. While cruise lines offer tours that include transportation and a day pass to a beach or resort, it really is more cost-effective to hop into a "safari bus" or taxi for the ride to the beach.

We've been on some fine tours both in the Caribbean and in Europe offered by local tour companies, which we then book by email or on their website. We find these companies through Trip Advisor, using the Ports of Call forums here, as well as the Roll Call for the cruise we are sailing. It can be reasonably easy to recruit others via the Roll Call and never looking to build a large group. I believe we end up with the best experiences this way. Yes, it takes some more effort than just picking a decent-sounding Princess tour, but we don't like the big bus approach and of course you also over-pay most of the time.

Travel advisors can avoid this by sending their bookable links to clients in advance. This gives the client the ability to shop around, price check, and book online or on their phones like they normally would. Even for travel advisors, booking with the cruise can have its disadvantages, as many cruises do not offer commission on shore excursions.

When your cruise ship docks in Cannes, discover the best of the French Riviera with ease on this adventurous shore excursion. Following is a set of rough rules that will help you decide between booking independent cruise excursions or booking cruise line travel. Worked out very well.As mentioned above, Viator isn't a tour operator, just a broker.Also worth noting that it's a TripAdvisor company.

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