Excursions

[pkelly4576]

We can book our excursions for our upcoming Disney
Alaskan cruise on March 7th .. If the excursions that we want are booked, because we are considered in the Silver category if it ok to book from outside vendors. We were considering Viator. Please any help would be appreciated

 

[dragynally]

We can book our excursions for our upcoming Disney
Alaskan cruise on March 7th .. If the excursions that we want are booked, because we are considered in the Silver category if it ok to book from outside vendors. We were considering Viator. Please any help would be appreciated

It's always ok to book outside vendors. Most people recommend using Disney because Disney likes Disney and the ship will wait if the excursion is late and booked through them. However many people have booked outside vendors andhada great time and no problems.

 

[ivanp91]

We can book our excursions for our upcoming Disney
Alaskan cruise on March 7th .. If the excursions that we want are booked, because we are considered in the Silver category if it ok to book from outside vendors. We were considering Viator. Please any help would be appreciated

There's nothing stopping you from booking with outside vendors, but there is a warning - if it is an excursion booked through Disney, they will hold the ship in the event that a tour experiences a delay and won't get back until after departure time. There is no such guarantee for any excursion NOT booked through Disney, even if it's an excursion that Disney also offers, if it is not booked through them they are under no obligation to wait if you experience a delay.

 

[Dug720]

Generally you can... But especially if you are talking float planes/helicopters onto glaciers I would make darn sure what the company will do if they cannot get you back to the ship on time because of weather or something. DCL will take care of you.

I have found that a lot not through cruiselines will be all "We will get you back. We don't want bad reviews because people miss the ship." But hem and haw when pressed on "Ok, but what if..."

And yes, people have been stranded at mushers' camp excursions before because weather prevented helicopters from getting them.

 

[Dug720]

There's nothing stopping you from booking with outside vendors, but there is a warning - if it is an excursion booked through Disney, they will hold the ship in the event that a tour experiences a delay and won't get back until after departure time. There is no such guarantee for any excursion NOT booked through Disney, even if it's an excursion that Disney also offers, if it is not booked through them they are under no obligation to wait if you experience a delay.

They will hold the ship OR in the event they cannot they will cover getting you to the next port if they cannot hold the ship.

 

[Dug720]

One other note... There ARE some vendors that due to contracts with the cruiselines will NOT book you outside of the cruiseline if you say you are - so if you are comfy lying about that when/if asked, no problem. Of course if you've told them you aren't and then something happens that causes you to miss the ship, you will be up that famous tributary without means of locomotion for any assistance from them.

 

[clten]

You are always welcome to book tours from outside vendors whether DCL's are filled or not. Some people find it is less expensive to book on their own and not use DCL's tours but that may depend on the size of your group and the activity. If booking on your own, make sure you know what their cancellation policies are in case you don't make it to port for any reason. Also what happens if they can't get you back to the ship in time (which in Alaska isn't usually a problem on land based touring, but helicopter and float planes may be a different story). If there is a specific tour with a specific vendor you are looking at, post a thread and people who have used that vendor may be able to give you more specific feedback on the good/bad of the tour their took.

You know Viator is just a booking site. They contract with local vendors to provide the tours similar to what DCL does (and that may be fine for you, let them pick the vendor). For Alaska, it might be just as easy to skip the middle man. Many here would give you recommendations on the tour companies themselves if you let us know what you are looking for. For example if you are looking for whale watching in Juneau, Viator won't disclose the vendor until you book, but many here have used Harv and Marv's and had excellent experiences.

 

[wombat_5606]

We can book our excursions for our upcoming Disney
Alaskan cruise on March 7th .. If the excursions that we want are booked, because we are considered in the Silver category if it ok to book from outside vendors. We were considering Viator. Please any help would be appreciated

You have me a little worried. Disney doesn't have an Alaskan cruise in March.

But to answer your question, you are always free to book excursions on your own. Tour operators have it in their best interest to get you back to your cruise on time. They wouldn't stay in business if they didn't.

Just do your research and pick a reputable company and you will be fine. It would take something extraordinary to make you miss the ship.

Viator is reputable, but they are a "middle man". If they have a tour, you might be able to find the same tour with the operator at a reduced price.

 

[dragynally]

You have me a little worried. Disney doesn't have an Alaskan cruise in March.

But to answer your question, you are always free to book excursions on your own. Tour operators have it in their best interest to get you back to your cruise on time. They wouldn't stay in business if they didn't.

Just do your research and pick a reputable company and you will be fine. It would take something extraordinary to make you miss the ship.

Viator is reputable, but they are a "middle man". If they have a tour, you might be able to find the same tour with the operator at a reduced price.

I think their booking window opens March 7

 

[wombat_5606]

I think their booking window opens March 7

HaHa, I completely read that wrong!

 

[pkelly4576]

You have me a little worried. Disney doesn't have an Alaskan cruise in March.

But to answer your question, you are always free to book excursions on your own. Tour operators have it in their best interest to get you back to your cruise on time. They wouldn't stay in business if they didn't.

Just do your research and pick a reputable company and you will be fine. It would take something extraordinary to make you miss the ship.

Viator is reputable, but they are a "middle man". If they have a tour, you might be able to find the same tour with the operator at a reduced price.

Sorry.. our cruise is in June but we can book our excursions on March 7th..

 

[pkelly4576]

You are always welcome to book tours from outside vendors whether DCL's are filled or not. Some people find it is less expensive to book on their own and not use DCL's tours but that may depend on the size of your group and the activity. If booking on your own, make sure you know what their cancellation policies are in case you don't make it to port for any reason. Also what happens if they can't get you back to the ship in time (which in Alaska isn't usually a problem on land based touring, but helicopter and float planes may be a different story). If there is a specific tour with a specific vendor you are looking at, post a thread and people who have used that vendor may be able to give you more specific feedback on the good/bad of the tour their took.

You know Viator is just a booking site. They contract with local vendors to provide the tours similar to what DCL does (and that may be fine for you, let them pick the vendor). For Alaska, it might be just as easy to skip the middle man. Many here would give you recommendations on the tour companies themselves if you let us know what you are looking for. For example if you are looking for whale watching in Juneau, Viator won't disclose the vendor until you book, but many here have used Harv and Marv's and had excellent experiences.

We are looking to book the Mushers camp and sled in Skagway, Mendenhall Glacier Float in Juneau and the Bering Sea Crab Fishermans tours in Ketchiken. I know that these are popular.

 

[pkelly4576]

Sorry.. our cruise is in June but we can book our excursions on March 7th..

 

[anricat]

Originally I was dead set on booking everything through Disney in Alaska for safety. In the end, we booked not a single thing through Disney and we couldn't have been happier. Most reputable tour operators know that their business would be sunk if they didn't get people back to the ship on time and many have guarantees. We used reviews on Trip Advisor and recommended companies here and on Cruise Critic to make educated decisions about reputable companies. I've not booked through Viator but as far I know they are a front company that works with independent tour companies so you don't necessarily know who you will get so it's hard to really research.

I know for sure you can book Bering Sea Crab Fisherman excursion directly. I think @IBelieveInTheMagic did this so maybe she'll weigh in. As for the others, I imagine you can find reputable companies to book with.

 

[MunFam]

We always book on our own. If we do happen to miss the ship, our trip insurance covers it. So far, we have had great luck. Some of the excursions DCL offers are also available to purchase directly on your own through the vendor, as mentioned above. Sometimes we go direct, sometimes we go with a completely different vendor, but I always check reviews here, on cruise critic and trip advisor...and even yelp. I think I "get away" with booking outside vendors is partly because I am a travel agent.

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

I know for sure you can book Bering Sea Crab Fisherman excursion directly. I think @IBelieveInTheMagic did this so maybe she'll weigh in. As for the others, I imagine you can find reputable companies to book with.

I did indeed! My son was 12 at the time and as I remember he was considered a child with them and with DCL he's an adult so the price difference was pretty decent. In addition the DCL group was with us and we all walked to the boat from where the Wonder docked. I'll caution people, they are very popular and they do sell out, if you decide to book directly with them.

Thanks,
Heather

 

[mjackson]

We always book excursions ourselves. Besides saving money the biggest reason is we can have more control over the excursion and if there is something we do not like we move on. You waste a lot of time on Cruise line excursions waiting on lots of other people. Use TripAdvisor to find good companies. Also book for the morning and leave plenty of time to make it back to the ship.