As the start of your cruise gets closer, you're probably looking at shore excursions, but is there a best time frame to book?
The ports of call your ship visits will offer a variety of tours that can be booked through the cruise line or with an independent party. There are limited spots in each of these tours, and prices can vary considerably.
Just like a retail purchase, you might be concerned booking too early and not getting the lowest price. Or wait too long, and it will be sold out.
Having taken dozens of cruises, I've seen the dynamic shift with when to book a tour. In fact, the region you cruise to can often dictate how early you need to book an excursion.
When it comes to booking a Royal Caribbean shore excursion, you'll want to be opportunistic about when you book it.
The best time to book an excursion is as early as you can
If there's one mantra to remember about when to book a shore excursion, it's the earlier you can book, the better.
Shore excursions sell out quite commonly, so the earlier you book, the less the chance the tour you want to do will not be available.
Royal Caribbean's tours are all fully refundable, so that means you can book a tour six months before your cruise and then change your mind up until the sailing to get a refund.
Moreover, you can take advantage of a price drop later by cancelling and rebooking. In short, there's little risk with booking a shore excursion very early because you can change your mind later.
You should book a shore excursion in the Caribbean about 3-5 months before your cruise begins, but there's no risk with booking even earlier.
If you're booking an independent excursion not sold through the cruise line, review their cancellation terms. Most will allow a refund as long as you don't try to cancel at the last minute.
It's even more important to book early in Europe or Alaska
If you're taking a bucket list cruise to Europe or Alaska, I cannot stress enough the importance of booking a tour early.
It's been my experience cruisers headed to far flung destinations are more eager to book tours than in the Caribbean.
It could be because of the unfamiliarity with the region, or plain excitement for something different, but I've observed Royal Caribbean shore excursions sell out quicker in these regions.
It's equally important to note not to overlook third party tours in Alaska or Europe. Many times the exact same tour seen on Royal Caribbean's website is sold through various companies.
Regardless of where you book, I'd advocate getting a head start and booking your excursions for Alaska or Europe at least 4-6 months early. In fact, booking a Royal Caribbean excursion 6-9 months in advance is probably a safer bet to avoid disappointment if it were to sell out.
Be sure to check out our list of recommended tours for each port in Alaska.
Waiting to book on the ship is probably a mistake
Thanks to the proliferation of the Royal Caribbean app and improvements made to its website, more cruisers are booking excursions earlier and in greater numbers.
If you wait to book an excursion on your ship, you're probably making a mistake because of how much will be sold out.
Cabanas at Royal Caribbean's private island will be almost certainly sold out, as will day passes to the waterpark and elevated beach club.
Even if it's not sold out, you will pay more on the ship because the cruise line offers pre-cruise discounts. Once you're onboard, it's too late to take advantage of those sales and you'll pay full price.
Royal Caribbean has a lot of sales
Booking a shore excursion early will not only lock in a spot, but probably save you money too.
There are sales almost every week, and deeper discounts offered on some holidays too. While it's arguable how lucrative any one sale is, you will save money booking a shore excursion on the Royal Caribbean website instead of waiting to book it onboard.
The best Royal Caribbean sale of the year is likely Black Friday, because it's when the biggest discounts are typically offered.
While I don't deny there are good deals on Black Friday, I wouldn't wait for November to book a shore excursion.
Instead, book your tour as early as you can and then check again if the price has gone down during any one sale, including Black Friday.
Third-party tours tend to sell out later
If you miss the boat on that perfect Royal Caribbean shore excursion, you might find the same one or better through a third party.
Independent shore excursions are a great alternative to going through the cruise line, but you'll need to do your own vetting process.
In my experience, the tours sold through independent agents or the tour operator itself take longer to sell out. That's because it's not as easy or simple to track down by cruisers.
Moreover, there are many more third party excursion options out there.
That isn't to say you can wait until a few weeks before your cruise to book a shore excursion. I would recommend booking your tours early. In fact, if you're going to Alaska or Europe, I would still stick to booking at least 4-6 months early as a rule of thumb.
If you're totally late on booking a shore excursion, booking an independent tour might be your best option.
One other option is a free shore excursion, which have no cost but a tip for the guide is expected.
I tried one of these in Spain and it was far better than I ever expected.
Don't overlook a DIY excursion
It's easy to assume you should book an organized tour as your de facto option, but in many ports you might be better off without an organized tour.
If your ship is docked in a city, you can easily explore without a guide. There are so many guide books, Google Maps, and YouTube videos explaining the best spots to see, that you can easily do something on your own.
Before you book a tour, you might consider going on your own as an alternative.
In addition, if you're late booking tours and not finding many options, going it alone might be your last option. With a little research, you can easily find something to do.
