MIAMI, June 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Your cruise
vacation takes you on a beautiful ship, with comfortable
accommodations, fine cuisine and more tantalizing activities than
you can possibly do in a week. But you'll also be visiting
fascinating ports of call almost every day. So the question is,
what's the best way to take advantage of exploring the destinations
you visit?
For veteran cruise passengers, the go-to options are shore
excursions offered by cruise lines. With years of experience in
organizing the most popular shore excursions and long-standing
relationships with local tour guides, the cruise lines offer a
practical and hassle-free way to see the sights, experience local
culture, safely pursue adventure activities such as snorkeling and
ziplining, and arrive at the best lounge chairs on the best beaches
– icy cold rum drinks optional.
"Tours are the best way to get to know the country and its
people in one day," says Frank
Boensch, director of shore excursions for Germany-based AIDA Cruises. "The choice is
huge. For instance, I often recommend bike tours for our active
guests because you see the sights while pedaling, providing a whole
different perspective. It's amazing how diverse our world is and
it's unbelievable what you can experience."
Whether you are looking to enjoy year-round summertime weather
in the Caribbean on Carnival
Cruise Line, explore the Mediterranean including small heritage
towns (so called "borghi") on Italy-based Costa Cruises, explore the
beautiful beaches, fascinating culture and World War II sites of
the South Pacific islands with P&O Cruises Australia or see the
world with Cunard, shore excursions are the key to
once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Local guides add insight, and
special activities add a wow factor.
The tours represent significant value, as cruise lines partner
with qualified tour companies and feature transportation, expert
guides, admission or activities fees and, in some cases, lunch and
drinks. To prove the value proposition of their shore excursions,
Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises all
offer a best-price guarantee.
Peace of mind is another benefit, as cruise companies are in
contact with their partner tour operators and able to track where a
particular tour is, and when passengers will be returning to the
ship. In the rare case of a port of call being canceled, passengers booking through the
cruise line will have their shore excursions costs refunded.
To help you find the tour that's right for you, here are some
tips from shore excursion pros.
Think about what you want to do. "My first question is
always, 'What do you want to see?'" says Claudio Schulze, destinations manager on the
new, ultra-luxury, 600-passenger ship Seabourn Ovation.
Bus tours work well for some passengers, particularly those who
want to see the top sights without extensive walking. Active tours
provide even more Instagram-worthy experiences and include such
options as flightseeing, deep-sea fishing, kayaking, mountain
biking, horseback riding, hiking and ATV adventure, to name a
few.
Culture vultures will find tours focusing on cooking classes,
dance performances and local artist studios. On lines such as
Holland America Line and Seabourn, there is also the option of
private tours.
Weigh excursions vs. DIY. On paper, you may think you can
get around on your own. But in some ports, key sights are a
significant distance from the pier. You can try your luck with a
local taxi, but after dealing with issues such as language and
currency exchange, you may find you don't get to all the places
you've come to see.
Shore excursions, on the other hand, are choreographed to get
you to the key sights in the time that you have in port and are
conducted by local guides who share their own stories.
"It's far more immersive than trying to follow a map or flick
through the pages of a huge guide book on your own," says
Alison Webster, a port presenter for
British line P&O Cruises. "You leave the planning to someone
else and spend your precious port time enjoying your chosen
destination or attraction."
Do a little research. Shore excursion experts say guests
benefit from knowing at least something in advance about the
destinations they will visit.
Cruise lines make it easy with websites packed with information
– Holland America Line even has advice from the experts at Afar
magazine.
Hamish Gordon, the line's senior
manager of group shore excursions, says before they get to the
ship, guests should download the shore excursion brochure and call
the cruise line's shore excursion desk with any questions.
He also recommends a quick Google search of each port to check
out the top attractions you might want to see.
Check peer reviews. When deciding on excursions, it's
advisable to read peer reviews online, either on independent
websites such as CruiseCritic.com and TripAdvisor or on the cruise
line websites.
Carnival Cruise Line, for instance, encourages passenger reviews
and ratings (the ratings system is managed by an outside company)
and lists the top five excursions in each port of call.
"All are actual passenger reviews. It tells you what your fellow
passengers have done and which they have particularly enjoyed,"
says Gavin Burgess, senior shore
excursion manager onboard the new, 3,960-passenger Carnival
Horizon. "You'll learn, for instance, that if you go to
Alaska and don't do shore
excursions into the wilderness, it's like going to Egypt and not seeing the pyramids."
Use onboard resources. Shipboard port presentations by
destination experts provide information about each port of call,
including outlining mistakes people make and how to avoid them.
It's a good idea to attend these sessions, whether you're doing
a shore excursion or plan to explore independently. You may also
want to speak personally to the experts, who can share their
first-hand experiences.
"It's their job to know the places that you visit well and
ensure that you get the most enjoyment from your time ashore," says
Webster of P&O Cruises.
At the new state-of-the-art Explorations Center in the Crow's
Nest lounge on select Holland America Line ships, guests can also
sit down and view digital displays highlighting shore
experiences.
Know your limits. It's important to read descriptions and
choose tours that are right for you.
"Mobility and activity level are certainly things to be
considered," advises Rex Donasco,
shore excursion manager with Princess Cruises, and currently on the
Ruby Princess in Alaska.
Shore excursion brochures rank activity levels from low to high.
Carnival Cruise Line, for instance, with its newly rebranded
Carnival Adventures program, uses a symbol of a person, ranging
from one person being minimum activity to four meaning full-on
athleticism. If you are unsure about where you fit into the
spectrum, call ahead or simply consult with the shore excursion
team onboard your ship.
"Be assured there is something for everyone," said
Michael Mihajlov, destinations
director for P&O Cruises Australia.
Include excursions in your budget. You don't want to miss
a key experience because you get hung up on price while
cruising.
Budget ahead for excursions that make you say "wow," suggest the
experts.
Princess Cruises' Donasco counts on his must-do list a seaplane
flight from Juneau to the Taku
Lodge, which he says focuses on the best of Alaska in one excursion.
"You see miles of glacial ice from the sky before landing at a
remote log cabin where you explore wilderness trails and watch for
wildlife, before enjoying a delicious salmon feast," he says. "It's
an unbelievable experience."
Book in advance. You'll want to reserve your must-do
shore excursions prior to your cruise because some popular tours,
including active excursions and other small-group experiences, tend
to sell out. If you change your mind, you can make changes when you
get to the ship.
If you have a specific request, such as a need for
transportation with a wheelchair lift or a food allergy, it's
advisable to alert the shore excursion team well in advance.
Read what's on your ticket. When you receive your shore
excursion tickets on the ship, included will be specific
information about each tour. It's important to read that
information.
"You would think everyone would know to bring a swimsuit on a
snorkeling tour, but they forget," Carnival Cruise Line's Burgess
says. "When they are on vacation, some people don't want to think.
That's fine. We've got you covered. We want you to have fun and not
worry about anything. We spell it out for you so you have the most
enjoyable time."
Whichever shore excursions you choose, plan to take lots of
photos and share the experience – not only with those at home via
social media posts, but also with new friends on the
ship.
"Often guests on a shore excursion have such an amazing bonding
experience," says Holland America Line's Gordon. "It's not unusual
to see them dining or having drinks together, swapping photos on
their cellphones."
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SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc