For those who have done non-DCL excursions

[RedSox68]

We have booked many non-ship excursions in many countries and never worried. That is because I always do a lot of research on reputation and reviews. These companies are in the business of escorting cruise line passengers and know ahead of time when they must get them back to the ship. So far we have never had a problem, but save a lot of money by not booking through the ship. The tours are almost always identical to what the ship was offering, but sometimes in smaller groups and they are more open to making an extra stop or spending extra time if things are running smoothly.