Excursion Tips and Options

One of the nice things about going on a cruise vacation is the variety of available shore excursions. Travelers looking for a fast and easy way to check off a handful of items from their bucket list can rest assured that by cruising, they will see and experience all the world has to offer. 

Your first thought when you the prices of shore excursions is that they appear to be very expensive. It is not unusual for a shore excursion that is just 2-4 hours long to run between $40 to $500 per person. However, these excursions often give you a chance to do things you won't have the opportunity to do anywhere else in the world, from exploring glacials up close to taking in unique wildlife and mountain views. After your cruise you may not remember the money you spent, but you will remember the experiences you had. We have noticed that there is a very wide variety of exursions available on this Alaskan cruise, however they also appear to be more expensive compared to the Caribbean cruises we have been on.

You can choose to use Princess Cruises as your destination expert, choose an independent excursion company, tour on your own, or stay on the ship. There are pros and cons to all choices as explained in each option description below.

Here are some useful tips to consider for shore excursions:

Passengers who decide to book shore excursions before the cruise can spend more time enjoying their experience and less time stressing about transportation or reservations while on the cruise or when exploring the port. Thinking about visiting some glaciers during this Alaska cruise? With a pre-planned excursion, you can avoid the crowds and enjoy the added advantage of sharing your adventures with friends.

Because there are limited seats for some shore excursion programs, you may want to decide what you want to do, either individually or as a group, several weeks before our ship departs to assure that you all can enjoy the excursion together and no one is left out. Travelers with special requests such as wheelchair access and dietary concerns should inform their booking agent, cruise vacation planner or Princess directly to ensure that they can fully enjoy their time on land. Families with small children who may need strollers should take extra consideration when selecting excursions. Many Alaskan shore excursions, for example, involve hikes or other strenuous activities - some of which may not be suited for youngsters or those with some physical limitations.

A website I recently found had a lot of good tips on Alaska excursions and cruising in general. Click here to see some tips. One page gives some good tips for viewing Glacier Bay . 

Knowing how many ships will be in port when you are there, may indicate how busy the port and excursions may be and can help guide you on the best activities to do. For example, if you find out there are going to be 6 cruise ships in port, there may be an extra 20,000 people milling about so you may want to book an all day excursion on a boat stopping at remote hideaways to avoid crowded popular attractions and beaches.  You may want to refer to the cruise timetable website or the cruisemapper website to determine how many other ships may be in the ports of call on your scheduled day of arrival. 

There was a huge landslide in Skagway in 2022 near one of the ship piers. Luckily the Sapphire Princess is now scheduled to use the Boardwalk Pier for berthing. If it was to use the Railway Pier we would have had to be shuttled off of the ship via buses or water tenders which would have taken longer.

Additionally, depending on what passengers decide to do during these fun activities, prices will vary - the details of which are available online.

Also be aware of the time of the excursion and if the port time is the same as ship time. Allow yourself sufficient time to make it back to the port and onto to ship before it sails. The departure times for port days aren't suggestions. The ship will leave you behind if you do not arrive back to port in time. If the port you are visiting has a shallow harbor there may be no docking facilities for the ship and all passengers will have to be brought to shore and back to the ship with tenders, which are small water shuttle boats used to ferry passengers from and to the ship. All excursions usually meet in a specified area in port usually near the dock area, but at times it may require you walking out of the port docking area, so allow yourself adequate time to reach the designated meeting area, especially if tenders are being used. You must also be aware of what time the last tender leaves from the dock so you don't miss your ships departure.

Tipping your tour guides is a discretionary matter. It is, however, customary around the world, if one is pleased with their excursion, to tip the guide. Many of these individuals in these Alaskan areas heavily rely on tourists for their income, and they tend to work doubly hard to entice you to reward them for their efforts. Since these guides are not Princes Cruise employees, they do not share in the gratuity program which is used onboard the ship. However, like tipping anywhere, the gratuity should match the service. We have tipped some guides very well because of the extra effort they put forth and also have forgone any such tips for an excursion that was guided very poorly or dangerously. 

After the excursion, provide your feedback to whoever you booked your excursion with so others may share in your experience. Likewise, read about other people's experience with excursions you are interested in booking.

We tend to start booking our excursions 1 to 3 months or more ahead of the cruise, unless we start to see some popular excursions with limited capacity start to being booked earlier than that. Popular excursions will sell out fast and the prices will increase as the cruise departure date gets closer. You snooze, you lose.

Because everyone may have different interests please don't feel obligated to participate in an excursion with your fellow traveling companions. Some people love the water and are drawn kayaking, etc while others may be uncomfortable in those environments.  Some may want to go hiking while others may want to explore the shopping areas, while others may just be satisfied to just walk the streets and do nothing. There are multiple excursion opportunities to fit most people interests and budgets. Before booking our excursions I suggest that we try to meet together as a group in person or have a virtual meeting to discuss the things we may want to experience and determine what we may want to do together as a group or on our own. Those with similar interests may, or may not, want to experience them together. Again, do not feel any obligation to do something that you are not comfortable with or perhaps feel is too expensive. 

On the flip side of that, if you want to do something that the rest of the group is not interested in doing, please do not feel that you must remain with your traveling companions to enjoy the type of vacation you are envisioning. Make the most out of your time in port so you can enjoy it to your fullest. This is your vacation. Even spouses do not have to experience an excursion together if they do not have similar interests or comfort levels.

A great resource for discovering potential excursions and more information about ports of call visit www.whatsinport.com/  .  An interesting feature of this website is that for each port it has a link which shows nautical charts of the port and displays (in real time) what ships are in port and their current position and heading! This Marine Traffic website will also allow you to track many sea going vessels and find out information about each vessel by clicking on the ship. I also downloaded a Marine Traffic app on my iPhone which allows me to see what ships are in the area we are cruising.

Sat, July 5 Anchorage (Whittier), Alaska

Depart: 08:30 pm

Passengers Ships in port:

2670 Sapphire Princess

2670

Sun, July 6 Hubbard Glacier (Scenic Cruising) Alaska

 Arrive: 3:00 pm

Depart: 8:00 pm

Passengers Ships in port:

2402 NCL Norwegian Jade

2670 Sapphire Princess

5072

Mon, July 7 Glacier Bay National Park (Scenic Cruising) Alaska

 Arrive: 9:15 am

Depart: 6:15 pm

Passengers Ships in port:

    90 SS Wilderness Legacy

2081 Queen Elizabeth

    85 Safari Endeavour

 100 National Geographic Venture

2670 Sapphire Princess

5028

Tue, July 8 Skagway, Alaska

 Arrive: 5:30 am

Depart: 8:45 pm

Passengers Ships in port:

2650 Holland America ms Koningsdam

3600 Royal Princess

2908 Celebrity Edge

2670 Sapphire Princess

11,828

Wed, July 9         Juneau, Alaska

Arrive: 06:30 am

Depart: 04:15 pm

Passengers Ships in port:

1916 Holland America ms Noordam

3660 Discovery Princess

2476 Royal Caribbean Serenade Of The Seas

2670 Sapphire Princess

10,722

Thur, July 10 Ketchikan, Alaska

Arrive: 10:00 am

Depart: 06:00 pm

Passengers Ships in port:

1850 Holland America ms Eurodam

 2650 Holland America ms Koningsdam

4004 NCL Norwegian Bliss

1250 Oceania Riviera

3600 Royal Princess

2670 Sapphire Princess

16,024

Fri, July 11 At Sea

Sat, July 12 Vancouver, Canada

Arrive: 07:30 am

Passengers Ships in port:

 2650 Holland America ms Koningsdam  (departing)

2670 Sapphire Princess  (arriving)

5320

Booking with Princess Cruises

Princess Cruises offers a variety of excursions perfect for families, sightseeing, adventure, and exploring wildlife and nature. You can book your shore excursion with Cruise Personalizer® on the Princess Cruises website from approximately 180 days before travel, and up to 5 days before you depart. Learn more about the ports and excursions. The ship also has an excursion desk on the Fiesta Deck (6) where their excursion staff can answer questions you may have about offered excursions and perhaps provide insight or suggestions for you and help you book your excursion while onboard. You can also book excursions on your Princess Cruises App.

All excursions are operated by local, independent companies and not by Princess Cruises. The companies providing your excursions are selected by Princess based on their excellent reputation for service and safety. 

One advantage for booking with Princess Cruises is that you can apply any onboard credits you may have towards the excursion price. What is the use of having onboard credit if you don't use it? Most of our excursions we had on our last two cruises were totally paid for by onboard credits we had acquired.

Perhaps the biggest advantage of booking an excursion with Princess Cruises is that if the excursion is delayed, for whatever reason, in returning to port the ship will wait for you to return. No private excursion company can give you that guarantee.

Also, if the ship is delayed coming into port, or it can't get into port, because of weather you do not have to pay for your excursion. If you have booked with an independent excursion company you may still have to pay for your excursion, even though you could not do it.

Another big reason to consider booking your excursion with a Princess Cruises is that if tenders (water shuttles) are being used you will be given priority disembarkation to use these tenders. If you book with a private excursion company there is the chance you may miss your tour departure time if you can't leave the ship in a timely manner. 

The cruise timetable above has links about the cruise port and the other cruise ships that are scheduled to be in port that day along with the total number of passengers we may encounter once on shore. This total does not include crew members of these ships which may, at times, also be taking advantage of some shore excursions.  

Another advantage for booking a cruise with Princess is that you can typically cancel your excursion for a full refund up to a day before the scheduled excursion. If you feel sick or the weather is not good, this can be a huge advantage.

Booking with an Independent Excursion Company

Independent excursion companies can often offer some savings or perhaps offer different options to consider when visiting a port city. There are many such companies that travelers typically use throughout the world. A couple of big advantages to booking with an independent excursion company is that you will probably save some money and have a lot more options to choose from.

Many of these independent excursion companies will also give guarantees about returning you to the ship in time for departure. While they will pay for any expenses involved in you arriving in the next port of call in case you did miss the ship, they can not stop the ship from leaving without you. I would suggest not booking with an independent excursion company if you feel the return time to port is too close to the schedules ships departure time.

To explore their offerings and prices, go to the Excursion Company website, enter in Princess Cruise as your cruise line, the Sky Princess as your cruise ship, and the dates of your cruise. This should give you a list of available excursions, similar to what you see on the Princess Cruise website or on the schedule above, however the type and prices of the excursions may likely differ.

Some independent excursion companies include (in no particular order):

https://www.viator.com/ 

https://www.shoretrips.com/ 

https://www.expedia.com/Activities 

https://www.cruisingexcursions.com/ 

https://www.shoreexcursioneer.com/ 

https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/ 

https://www.cruisecompete.com/shore_excursions/ 

It is nice to read detailed reviews and photographs from previous travelers that have done excursions you are considering. Cruise lines tend not to have any, or many, of these available. 

You can also compare cruise excursions at Cruse Critic - https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/shoreexcursions/ 

Trip Advisor is also a good place to read reviews about cruises you may be interested in: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ 

Touring on Your Own

Passengers can ask locals for advice once they disembark at a Alaskan port, whether they are looking for a favorite local restaurant or a hidden spot. 

Most destinations with Princess Cruises have informative tourism offices that travelers can check out before departing. Because many port cities are accustomed to welcoming international travelers, they make it easy for cruisers to book adventures or tours mere minutes after leaving the ship. Explorers should also ask local businesses questions about how long they have been in operation and if they have insurance plans to make sure nothing goes awry during their adventure.

There are also always visitor stands or shops at the dock to get maps or other options. This way you are in control and importantly can spend as little or as long as you want at your chosen spot. 

Cruise travelers who tour on their own should also keep in mind time constraints. While participants of Princess' and independent shore excursion programs have an optimal and tight schedule, those exploring on their own may lose track of time while immersing themselves in another culture. Booking an excursion through Princess ensures that the ship will wait for any tours that may be running late.

Also be aware that local time may not be the same as ship time. VERIFY !

Stay Onboard the Ship

If the port city does not offer any excursions that interest you, maybe you have visited the area before and didn't like it, or perhaps you just don't want to spend the money or use your onboard credits, you also have the option to just stay onboard the ship! The big advantage is that you will never have to fight for a good pool lounger and will have many parts of the ship to yourself. However, some areas, such as the Shops and entertainment areas may be closed during this port time.

You can also just disembark the ship and take a quick shopping tour of the port. Often times, the port area near the dock offer a lot of opportunities to shop for souvenirs. You really have to know the prices of things you are considering buying. Some prices in the Duty Free Shops at port are much more expensive than you can find back at home. The farther you walk away from the ship, the cheaper things get. Just don't walk too far away.

We have done this at a couple of ports because none of the shore excursions interested us at that time.

Safety Ashore

The primary concern during a shore excursion is your safety and security. Be aware of any travel advisories that might impact your shore excursion. If the U.S. State Department advises against travel to specific locations we may visit, it may be wise to change your itinerary for your own safety and security. 

Since the cruise ports (except Vancouver) are all in US waters, we should not have any issues.

We must ultimately all assume responsibility for our actions while ashore. In this regard, a good reminder is to use some common sense precautions when visiting ports-of-call:

• Stay in the normal tourist areas and don’t travel to out-of-the-way places without the benefit of a guided tour.

• Do not leave any of your belongings unattended in public areas.

• Be generally aware of people and activities around you.

• Do not accept packages from anyone you don’t know personally.

• Keep a low profile–dress and behave conservatively.

• Be careful when eating and drinking ashore.

Click here for an article about staying safe in port.

Some items you may want to consider packing for your cruise is a small waterproof bag (even a zip lock plastic bag would work) to put your phone and other valuables in if you are spending time at a beach while in port. We buried this bag in the sand under our towel or beach chair so it would not be visible and perhaps tempt a would be thief from walking away with it if you were out enjoying yourself in the water. You could also bring along a cable lock to secure your backpack to your beach chair. We also often sat near other couples and asked them to watch our stuff while we went out snorkeling, etc.