A key part of many cruise experiences are the shore excursions, and for these shore-side services, we are still very much still recovering from the shut down. The same labor shortage we’re experiencing in the United States, is happening in most advanced economies around the world.
Many professional tour guides gave up after not working for nearly two years, and found other ways to earn a living. That shortage is becoming an increasing problem for cruise lines and tour operators – particularly those that have included excursions.
As it relates to shore excursions, this manifests in two ways:
- They sell out sooner than we have seen in the past.
- Group sizes may be larger.
In normal times the feedback we receive from clients about shore excursions is that they generally lived up to expectations. Some guides are always better than others, but up until the last several months, we’ve never really had complaints about shore excursion availability.
So… what can you do if you’ve got a cruise or land-tour planned in the next several months? Here’s a few ideas:
- Book Early – some people wait until they get on the ship to book their excursions. This works for those activities you’re somewhat ambivalent about. If you really want to do a particular excursion, then know when the cruise line will begin booking those, and get on it.
- Look at independent shore excursions – You don’t have to buy your excursions from the cruise line, and it’s a bit of myth that they’ll hold the ship for you if you come back late. Certainly, there are circumstances when the ship has delayed departure because a shore excursion arrives back at the ship late. However, more often the captain of the ship does NOT have the discretion to delay departure. Tides, commercial traffic, and the instructions of the Harbor Master trump the skipper’s ability to delay departure.
- Do your own thing – In the old days, I would buy a guide book, and do self-directed tours of places I was visiting. Today there are APPs you can download for a specific location that will provide an audio tour, and a map with the highlights. For those areas not easily accessible by foot, you can use taxis or Uber to get around.
- Do some homework – In ports like Rome (that is over an hour from the port), you’ll want to have organized excursions to help you bridge that distance. In ports like Vancouver, the ship docks downtown, so you can walk right off the ship and into the city. These are just two examples, but knowing what you want to do in a particular port of call, and how logistically easy it will be to do that, will help you immensely.
This is a problem that will probably self-correct, but it’s unclear as to when that will happen. Until then, it’s worth getting in front of your shore excursions.
Two other notes about shore excursions:
- If you’re travelling with others, and you’re thinking about paying $60 to $80 each to do a group shore excursion, you might very well be able to hire a private car and driver for the same price – and car with four people is infinitely better than a motor coach with 50 people.
- The cruise lines are just as frustrated as you are with this situation, but they are somewhat powerless to correct this problem in the short term. You can lodge as many complaints as you want, but if you actually want to solve the problem, you’ll need to use one of the “work-arounds” I mention above.
Today’s Travel Opportunities
We’re seeing some FREE AIR promos from Viking for booking made between now and the end of the month:
Viking Panama Canal: Fort Lauderdale to Santiago, Chile
- Departing October 11 for 18-days.
- Includes round-trip air, Stateroom upgrade, Free Beverage Package, all taxes & fees, a shore excursion in every port, transfers, and wifi on the ship.
- Visit Cozumel, Colon (Panama), full-transit of Panama Canal, Manta (Ecuador), Lima, Iquique (Chile), Santiago
- Fares start at $6995 for a Nordic Balcony on the 378 guest Expedition Ship.
Viking Rome to Athens with Israel
- Departures November 14, 16, 22, 28 or December 6 for 15-days
- Includes round-trip air, Double past-guest discount, all taxes & fees, transfers, shore excursion in every port, beer/wine with meals, and wifi on the ship.
- Visit Rome (overnight), Naples, Heraklion, Jerusalem, Haifa (overnight), Cyprus, Rhodes, Mykonos, Athens (overnight).
- Fares start at $4699 for a veranda room.
Viking Iceland and Norway
- This is a great deal if you’re looking for a last-minute summer cruise
- Depart July 19 for 15-days.
- Includes round-trip air, Double past-guest discount, all taxes & fees, transfers, shore excursion in every port, beer/wine with meals, and wifi on the ship.
- Visit Reykjavik, Isafjordur (Iceland), Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Nordkapp, Tromso, Leknes, Narvik, Geiranger, Bergen (overnight).
- Fares start at $4999 for a veranda.
If you’d rather not use your passport, and do a domestic land-tour, here are a couple of ideas:
Hawaiian Islands Tour with Tauck
- If you’re one of those people that grows quickly tired of lying on the beach, and would like to explore the various regions of Hawaii, then this one is for you:
- Four Islands, for 12-days with prices starting at $11,390 per person for departures January through June.
- Visit Waikiki (Oahu – 3nights), Big Island 3-nights, Kauai 3-nights, Maui 3-nights
- Includes after-hours tour and dinner at Queen Emma’s summer palace, flights between islands, Iolani Palace, Helicopter tour of Kauai, traditional Hawaiian Luau, Pearl Harbor tour, Maui Ocean Center, Kona Coffee Tasting, Botanical Gardens and Lavender Farm visits, Sunset Catamaran sailing trip, airport transfer, gratuities, admission fees, resort fees, and taxes
American Canyonlands with Tauck
- If you’re looking to get some more stamps in your National Parks passport, then this is a great way to explore several of them in the Southwest:
- One week from Phoenix to Las Vegas for $4990 per person.
- Visit Phoenix, Sedona, Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Slot Canyon, Colorado Springs, Bryce Canyon, Zion NP, Las Vegas
- Includes champaign yacht cruise on Lake Powell, Inside Park accommodation at Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Zion NPs; flight seeing trip over Lake Powell and Glen Canyon, Colorado River gentle float trip, transfers, NP fees, gratuities, admissions, taxes, and fees.
Recently booked a Viking Cruise?
Viking makes it really easy to book direct, either online or by phone. Our clients worry that if they book on-line, that they’re cutting us out, but if you let us know after you’ve booked, then we can still help you with your reservation.
We’ll check over your booking to make sure you’re getting the best possible deal, and we will also add some onboard credits that are not available on direct bookings.
We can add at least $100 per person onboard credit to any direct Viking reservation made in the last 60 days.
There is never a situation where you’ll get a better deal by booking directly with Viking (or any other cruise line).
Also, in case you’re wondering, there is NO fee to work with us. We get paid commission by the cruise lines after our clients travel. So, please get in touch to let us know about your existing reservations (including those made while on board).
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If you’re planning a trip, I’d love to help! Click here or call 800-876-0168 to get in touch today.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sue Bradley
Sue Bradley
