clare 23 Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 Hi all. Should I book before I go or use OBC onboard ?? Thanks clare Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dst87 353 Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 There are two competing factors to consider here: If you have so much OBC that you don't think you'll spend it all on alcohol or shopping, then it makes sense to try and use the OBC for excursions... however... If an excursion sells out before you board, you may be left disappointed. I'd be inclined to book before I board for an excursion that I'm set on, or at the very least have a good backup plan if the excursion I wanted was sold out. There is something else to consider though - do you really want an excursion at all? Many ports are easy to DIY and significantly cheaper than a ship's excursion. Many ship's excursions are limiting in what you can see so offer little to no flexibility and are paced for the lowest common denominator, so could feel like they have a lot of wasted time. I've only booked one shore excursion in the past - the Flåm Railway - because I was set on doing it and I knew there was a possibility of it selling out if you didn't take the ship's excursion. I wasn't willing to take the risk. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pesky Pirate 170 Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 To be honest I used to book, if there was anywhere exceptional that I wanted to go, prior to going on the cruise but that was prior to having to pay up front. However, I object to the new system and refuse to do it beforehand. I have to admit though, like Duncan says, there are a lot of ports where you can easily do it yourself anyway. I would mention though, if you have cruised with a line before and you have earned a loyalty discount (I am quoting P & O) I do believe that if you do pay up front on line then your discount is done at the same time so you don't loose out. However at the end of the day, if you use your obc then the trips aren't costing you anything. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
clare 23 Posted April 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 Yes it's P&O. Oporto trip to the port centre. Clare Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pesky Pirate 170 Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 There is a Ho Ho bus for £12…. it might say on their website whether they pick up at the ports… Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dst87 353 Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 There is a Ho Ho bus for £12…. it might say on their website whether they pick up at the ports… I was just about to post this. http://www.city-sightseeing.com/tours/portugal/porto.htm The City Sightseeing tours are excellent value for money and normally very informative too. The Porto one has two routes and seems to cover quite a wide area. At £12 per person it's a great deal and you can do everything in your own time. They'll give you a map of the route when you board and you can get on and off whenever you choose. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
beartoes 5 Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 i have booked shore excursions with cruisingexcursions.com , they are a fraction of the operator price and provide the exact same service. For example, the shuttle from CiviITAVECCHIA to rome is £18 instead of £40! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Solent Richard Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 Hi all. Should I book before I go or use OBC onboard ?? Thanks clare There are two competing factors to consider here: If you have so much OBC that you don't think you'll spend it all on alcohol or shopping, then it makes sense to try and use the OBC for excursions... however... If an excursion sells out before you board, you may be left disappointed. I'd be inclined to book before I board for an excursion that I'm set on, or at the very least have a good backup plan if the excursion I wanted was sold out. There is something else to consider though - do you really want an excursion at all? Many ports are easy to DIY and significantly cheaper than a ship's excursion. Many ship's excursions are limiting in what you can see so offer little to no flexibility and are paced for the lowest common denominator, so could feel like they have a lot of wasted time. I've only booked one shore excursion in the past - the Flåm Railway - because I was set on doing it and I knew there was a possibility of it selling out if you didn't take the ship's excursion. I wasn't willing to take the risk. Good afternoon Clare. I had personal experience of missing a shore excursion on Azura because I left the booking too late. So my advice is that if an excursion has a certain appeal and value to you then I would book it well in advance and do what you want to do. The OBC can always be spent on something else onboard. By the way, and out of interest, the excursion I missed was the boat trip and lunch while sailing through the Corinth Canal. I managed to book another Corinth visit but it wasn't the same as actually sailing through... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Solent Richard Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 i have booked shore excursions with cruisingexcursions.com , they are a fraction of the operator price and provide the exact same service. For example, the shuttle from CiviITAVECCHIA to rome is £18 instead of £40! Or €9.00 per person on the train. dst87 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Solent Richard Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 Yes it's P&O. Oporto trip to the port centre. Clare Hello again Clare. Just to clarify, are you talking of an 'excursion' or a 'shuttle' bus. The reason I ask is that I called at Oporto on Azura. The ship berths a considerable distance away from the centre and, on that occasion, P&O laid on complimentary shuttle buses. Oporto is a most interesting port of call and one thing that a ship's excursion will give you is a fair insight into it's culture and history. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pesky Pirate 170 Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 I am shortly going to Oporto and just had a looksie on P & O's website at the shore excursions. There is a walking tour of Oporto and states that it operates entirely on foot…. to me this means that the ship is parked within easy access of the town centre. If this is the case and all you want to do is walk around do you really need to book a trip? Just an observation… Quote Link to post Share on other sites
clare 23 Posted April 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2014 Thankyou everyone. Yes it's an excursion I am talking about, not the shuttle buses. Not being seasoned travellers ( rarely leave the parish you know ! ) I would feel safer doing an organised trip. Thankyou all for taking the time to reply, you are most helpful and it's appreciated. Clare Quote Link to post Share on other sites
june63 107 Posted April 3, 2014 Report Share Posted April 3, 2014 We left booking an excursion in Venice until we got on board only to find that it had been cancelled 'due to lack of interest' by the time we tried to book it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pesky Pirate 170 Posted April 3, 2014 Report Share Posted April 3, 2014 If its something you really want to do Clare the only real option is to book then… Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pjsmithson 0 Posted April 13, 2014 Report Share Posted April 13, 2014 Or €9.00 per person on the train. Hi this Or €9.00 per person on the train. Or €9.00 per person on the train. Or €9.00 per person on the train. HI can you trust this company excursions.com to get you back to port on time Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest shilly3191 Posted April 13, 2014 Report Share Posted April 13, 2014 Hi this HI can you trust this company excursions.com to get you back to port on time According to their website they GUARANTEE it. Also from their website- We GUARANTEE to get you back to your ship in time All excursions and activities are fully insured FULL REFUND if the ship does not port at the destination Tours guides who speak YOUR language Convenient collection points - full details provided at time of booking Members of ABTA the Association of British Travel Agents Quote Link to post Share on other sites
seawitch 291 Posted April 14, 2014 Report Share Posted April 14, 2014 Hi all. Should I book before I go or use OBC onboard ?? Thanks clareJust one point Clare the answer to your questtion is that the price to book on board is slightly more expensive. We didn't realize that they now put the prices up and had to pay about £5 each more when we booked on board last time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
clare 23 Posted April 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2014 thankyou seawitch ! that was the answer I was looking for ! Clare Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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