Royal Caribbean excursions

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Sunbeam

Guest
I have a cruise reserved on the Med for October 4th. I went into "My cruises" on Royal Caribbean to check my account and I noticed that I could already reserve excursions.

My problem is that you can reserve the excursions but you have to pay for it right away - over 7 months in advance.

Has anybody else experienced that?
 
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jetblue

Guest
Yep that's how reserving shore excursions works. Usually I just wait till I'm on the ship if I want to book a ship excursion. The ones I go on don't normally sell out.
 
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Sunbeam

Guest
Thanks

We were on the Crown Princess in November and I reserved my excursions 100 days before the cruise but we only paid when we were on the ship.

Paying RCI 7 months in advance is not playing fair as far as I am concerned.
 
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Corky

Guest
Question, because I too have never had to pay in advance: If you pay in advance, and then cancel once you are on the ship, how are you refunded? Does it go back against the credit card that you used or do they give you ship board credit?
 
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PH8

Guest
Not sure why you cancel once onboard,but think you need 24 hrs notice to get your money back.......it goes on the CC you used to book it...........

I have no problem with paying early.....once less expense to have on my SeaPass...........besides if you really want an excursion,you take a chance of it being sold out,if you wait...
 
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Rubysky

Guest
I have no problem paying early for something I really want to do.
On my last cruise we missed booking the mudbug excursion and was so out of luck because it was full when we went to book on line a week before leaving for the cruise. Coulda, shoulda booked it when I saw it 4 months prior to sailing.

So if there is something you don't want to miss, go ahead and book it. You can add the other stuff when it is closer to cruise time.
 
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Jim

Guest
If you pay in advance, it gets credited back, by Miami, after the cruise to your Credit card.

This may or may not be a deal breaker for some concerning with cruise line they select, but it is RCI's way of securing firm reservations versus those that hold slots only to release them once they get onboard (Princess).
 
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judiallan

Guest
If it is an excursion that will book up fast and one we don't want to miss - I book ahead. I don't mind paying early it is one less item on my Seapass account.
 
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BillG35

Guest
Not sure why you consider it unfair? No one is forcing you to reserve the excursion this early, You are free to wait until closer in to the sailing date. and you can even wait until you board before reserving your excursion, although in the instance of some popular excursions, you run a risk of not being able to get a reservation if you wait that long. Paying in advance for the excursion gives them some indication of how many are serious about booking the excursion and also allows them to make arrangements to accommodate more participants if possible. You can cancel your reservation at any point up to 24 hours prior to the time of the excursion and get a full refund to the credit card you used to book it. It is totally your choice, so I don't understand your complaint.
 
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Sheffie

Guest
It is what it is.

If you want to go on a poplular excursion, such as the America's Cup Regatta in St. Maarten, then, IMHO, it is well worth paying for it ahead of time. The cruiseline does keep some slots open for people who book onboard, but those can go quickly.

If there are excursions that you want to do with an independent company, I suggest that you check into those asap also, as they CAN book up. (Silvermoon in Barbados being one that I know of.)

My thought is, if you want it and can afford to book it now, book it. With interest rates the way they are, your $$ won't be making that much if you keep it in the bank. As a previous poster said, that is one less thing to have on your ship's account, too.

Have fun planning!
 
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