How To Save Money On Cruise Excursions

After spending thousands on the cruise, no one is ever prepared for the astronomical money needed to then book the shore excursions. In many cases, the cruise excursion prices are marked up when offered through the cruise ship. Though it is honestly more convenient to book shore excursions through the ship, you can save money and actually be on the same excursion with your fellow shipmates for less money. Here are my tips on how to save money on cruise excursions.

How To Save On Cruises?

Though you can certainly find great deals on cruises, there are other significant costs involved which can all add up and push you over your budget. Ready to save some money? Before booking your shore excursions through the cruise ship, consider booking cruise excursions on your own.

How to Book Cruise Excursions On Your Own?

Step 1: Determine what do you want to do?

First, you need to map out what you really want to do when in each port. Through previous research on the destination, there are normally some “I must do this” thoughts before even booking the trip. Maybe you have a great desire to swim with whale sharks in Cozumel or is it a bucket list adventure to catch a sailfish?

In the case of our Alaskan cruise, we really wanted to go dog sledding on a glacier. In addition, my son had dreams of meeting a moose (this is his favorite animal), I wanted to try my hand at a fishing charter, and we wanted to whale watch.

Step 2: Research the shore excursions offered by your cruise line

You may or may not know what you want to do while in certain ports. Start by looking at the shore excursions offered by the cruise ship in each port. Maybe there is a tour that combines several things off your bucket list such as ziplining with snorkeling or seeing the fjords with a stop to see the Mendenhall glacier. This will refine exactly what is out there as far as available excursions.

Jot down in order which ones you really feel strong about and the cost the cruise ship is offering it.

Step 3: Use Google and TripAdvisor.com

As stated before, our dream excursions while in Alaska were dog sledding on a glacier, fishing for Alaskan Salmon, seeing a moose, and whale watching.

The Norwegian Bliss (Check out my review of this ship) offered every excursion we wanted to do minus meeting a moose. I took note of the excursion descriptions offered by Norwegian as well as the price. I then started searching for shore excursion companies in the ports of call by using Google.

From there, I researched which companies had tours that sounded similar to the ones Norwegian was offering. Many times, the tours I research sounded better or offered a longer tour for a cheaper amount of money. I took note of the companies. I made sure the shore excursions included transportation to and from the cruise port.

Next, I used TripAdvisor to research the shore excursion companies. I only chose a company if TripAdvisor reviews gave the company 5 stars.

Step 4: Book the Tour

With the internet, it was extremely easy to book the shore excursion. All of the companies I chose, had an online booking process. I also called and confirmed details of the trip and made sure they had received my booking. In addition, a week before we set sail, I again called the companies to double-check they did in fact have our booking. At that time, I also asked them to attest to the meeting location and to confirm the information I had on the excursion was indeed correct.

Step 5: Save Money!

After taking the time to research 5 star rated cruise excursion companies, the reward was an incredible amount of money saved.

Here is an example. Per Norwegian’s current website, they offer a shore excursion in Juneau, Alaska named, “Dogsled and Glacier Adventure by Helicopter”. The trip is $629 per person for a child or an adult. The tour length is approximately 3 1/4 hours. The description is:

” Depart from a private waterfront heliport on Douglas Island and soar over the massive Juneau Icefield on your way to a glacier dog camp. This authentic Alaskan adventure gives you the rare opportunity to mush your own dog sled team across a snow capped glacier. Learn the tricks of the trade from seasoned veterans of the legendary Alaskan Iditarod Sled Dog Race. Master the all important commands of hike, gee and haw!”

I booked this same excursion through Alaska Shore Excursions. The price at the time was $529 per person. It is now listed on their website for $539 per person. Translation: A $100 per person savings! By the way, this excursion was the highlight of our trip!

In summary…

Doing a little leg work, research, and some googling can save you a significant amount of money on shore excursions. The money saved can be used on your next trip of a lifetime!

Do you have any tips for booking shore excursions? Drop me a comment below! I look forward to hearing from you.

Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links and ads. At no extra cost to you, I may earn a commission and/or points/incentives should you click on a link and make a purchase or sign up for a free service. This blog is independently owned and the reviews of any product and/or travel destination here are my opinion.

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