Anyone book shore excursion on your own?

[lkohawaii]

Now that DU has posted the shore excursions for the West Coast Cruise there is only one that I would be interested in. I just want to go see the rock formations. I don't care to do all the other stuff on that cruise. I'm wondering how I would go about booking my own shore excursion and how the costs would compare. Maybe it's just better to go with DCL's package. Any tips or experiences would be greatly appreciated. I know that if you book through DCL and you're late coming back they won't leave without you.

 

[disney queen]

that is the key for us..if the tour is running late and we booked through DCL we will not be left behind.

 

[jennat]

We always book on our own. It is cheaper and much less crowded. We have never had a problem getting back to the ship in time. We just give ourselves a good hour and a half leeway. No problem mon

 

[lkohawaii]

We always book on our own. It is cheaper and much less crowded. We have never had a problem getting back to the ship in time. We just give ourselves a good hour and a half leeway. No problem mon

Where do you get the contact info to book on your own. I'm a bit lost since I've never done it. I know in the passporter there's the contact info but not for the West Coast cruises. Or maybe they'll post them on their site. I'll go check.

 

[RKB]

Try shoretrips.com

 

[karebear1]

Please be sure to check with the company you book through about their cancellation policies. Will they charge if they boat does not tender or dock at the islands?? We booked or Stingray City tour online with another company other then Disney and our ship did not dock/tender at Grand Cayman. When I asked one of the crew if we would be charged they smartly said- "If you had booked with DCL then you'd be covered- but since you didn't, there's a good possibility that you could be charged even though we could not tender." I contacted the company- and we were not charged, but I was unconfortable for days wondering if we would be.

 

[Stinasmom]

I've heard to book 90 days out but does that mean no more than 90 days out or can you book anytime? And does one do this through the TA or can you call DCL directly?
Thanks!

 

[pppiglet]

In comparing prices by booking on your own, it is not that much difference so I would rather book with DCL and not take that chance on it being cancelled or missing the boat. 90 days and up to the cruise you can book. But if you wait til you're on the ship, what you want may not be available. I am going to book at 90-60 days.

 

[pigget74]

If I book something now through DCL do I pay anything now? Or do they just tack it on and I pay up at the end of the cruise?

 

[rjh8115]

If you pre-book through DCL, the cost gets billed to your KTTW account. The tickets will be waiting for you in your stateroom.

We have done it both ways (through cruise line and privately). Both have advantages. If this is your first cruise, then I recommend booking through DCL. Once you get comfortable with the process, then you may want to look into booking privately. You can save money and get a better excursion sometimes.

Cruise Critic has boards for all of the islands where you can get information and recommendations for each port.

Rick

 

[jennat]

I would look into the private companies. Search under the ports or what you want to do. Find a company that looks good to you. Then search the boards (cruise critic, DIS, cruisemates) and see if anyone has used them and what their experience was with them. Or you could just go read the ports of call boards and see what others thought was good or fun and find out who they used. I just have found that, personally, I don't book with the cruise lines unless I have to. For example, a private stingray excursion in Grand Cayman would have 10 people whereas the ships excursion would have 30. Anyway, food for thought. Also, I have never had trouble getting my money back when we didn't dock, but I would check that out.

IMHO,
Jen