As the start of your cruise gets closer, you may be considering shore excursions, but is there a best time to book?
The ports your cruise ships call will offer a variety of tours that can be booked through the cruise line or independent groups. Places on each tour are limited and prices can vary widely.
Just like with retail purchases, you may worry about booking too early to get the lowest price. Or if you wait too long, it will be sold out.
Having been on dozens of cruises, I’ve seen the dynamics of booking travel times change. In fact, the area you’re cruising to will often determine how far in advance you need to book your excursions.
When booking a Royal Caribbean shore excursion, you need to take a chance.
The best time to book excursions is as early as possible
If there’s one mantra about when to book a shore excursion, it’s that the earlier the better.
Shore excursions often sell out, so the earlier you book, the less likely it is that the excursion you want to take will not be available.
Royal Caribbean’s tours are all fully refundable, meaning you can book a tour six months before sailing and then change your mind before sailing to get a refund.
Plus, you can take advantage of later price reductions by canceling and rebooking. In short, there is little risk in booking a shore excursion early as you can change your mind later.
You should book Caribbean shore excursions approximately 3-5 months before your cruise, but there is no risk in booking earlier.
If you’re booking an independent excursion that’s not sold through a cruise line, check their cancellation terms. Most allow refunds as long as you don’t try to cancel at the last minute.
It’s more important to book early in Europe or Alaska
If you’re going on a bucket list cruise to Europe or Alaska, I can’t stress enough the importance of booking your tour in advance.
In my experience, cruise ships heading to faraway destinations are more eager to book tours than those in the Caribbean.
This could be due to unfamiliarity with the area or excitement for something different, but I find that Royal Caribbean shore excursions sell faster in these areas.
It’s also important to be careful not to overlook third-party tours in Alaska or Europe. Many times, the exact same tours seen on the Royal Caribbean website are sold through different companies.
Regardless of where you book, I recommend getting a head start and booking your trip to Alaska or Europe at least 4-6 months in advance. In fact, booking a Royal Caribbean excursion 6 to 9 months in advance may be a safer bet to avoid the disappointment of sold-out reservations.
Be sure to check out our Recommended travel list of Alaska ports.
Waiting to book on board can be a mistake
Thanks to the popularity of the Royal Caribbean app and improvements to its website, more cruise lines are booking excursions in advance and in greater numbers.
If you wait to book an excursion on the ship, you might be making a mistake because of how many tickets will be sold out.
Cabanas exist royal caribbean private island It will almost certainly sell out, as will day passes to the water park, elevated beach club.
Even if it’s not sold out, you’ll pay more on board because cruise lines offer pre-cruise discounts. Once you’re on board, it’s too late to take advantage of these promotions and you’ll pay full price.
Royal Caribbean has lots of sales
Booking a shore excursion early not only secures a spot but may also save you money.
There are sales almost every week, and certain holidays offer even bigger discounts. While profit margins on any sale are debatable, you’ll save money by booking shore excursions on Royal Caribbean’s website rather than waiting to book them onboard.
Royal Caribbean might have the best sale of the year black fridayas this is when the biggest discounts are typically offered.
While I won’t deny that there are great Black Friday deals, I wouldn’t wait until November to book a shore excursion.
Instead, book your trip early and then double-check to see if prices drop during any sales, including Black Friday.
Third party tours tend to sell out at a later date
If you miss the perfect Royal Caribbean shore excursion ship, you may be able to find the same or better ship through a third party.
Stand-alone shore excursions are a great option for exploring cruises, but you’ll need to do your own vetting.
In my experience, tours sold through independent agents or the tour operators themselves take longer to sell out. That’s because it’s not that easy or simple for a cruiser to track.
Additionally, there are more third-party tour options.
That’s not to say you can wait until a few weeks before your cruise to book a shore excursion. I recommend booking your tour as early as possible. In fact, if you are going to Alaska or Europe, as a rule of thumb I would still insist on booking at least 4-6 months in advance.
If you’re completely late when booking a shore excursion, booking an independent tour may be your best option.
Another option is a free shore excursion, which requires no payment but a tip for the guide.
I tried one of these in Spain This is much better than I expected.
Don’t neglect DIY travel
It’s easy to think that you should book an organized tour as your de facto option, but in many ports you may be better off without one.
If your ship docks in a city, you can easily explore without a guide. There are plenty of guide books, Google Maps and YouTube videos explaining the best spots and you can easily do some things on your own.
Before booking a trip, you may consider traveling on your own as an alternative.
Additionally, if you’re late in booking your tour and haven’t found many options, traveling alone may be your last resort. With a little research, you can easily find things to do.
