Things to do off ship....

[stepbill]

Will you get a better price if you wait until you deboard to get a tour or for something to do or should you buy it on ship? We are taking a northern curise to Canada and the northern states leaving New York and a lot of the things that they have listed in advance I'm not interested in. Thanks for your advice.

[aerospace]

Not all areas have tour operators right near port to plan when getting off. There are several 3rd party companies online that offer excursions similar to the cruise lines and they tend to be cheaper, but may not include things like transportation from port to the activity so you have to add taxi fare and a bit of hassle.

Many people will rent a car or do things on their own but then you should do some research ahead of time of things to do in port. Simple things like hitting a beach, shopping, or finding a local restaurant can be done last minute but if you want to fit many activities in the 8 or so port hours planning is key to do it on your own.

Hiring your own tour guide is another option but will cost more while getting rid of the work.

[cruise planner]

The Canada/New England cruises are awesome! We absolutely loved every part of ours.

We did the Hop On/Hop Off buses in a couple of ports, which is always a wonderful way to sightsee and get around a city without spending alot of money.

But there were always cab drivers and others in every port wanting to take you around, so it depends on what you want to do and where you want to go.

Pete

[Donna]

Hi Bill,
What kinds of excursions are you interested in. A lot of the time, what the cruiseline offers is basically what you can find in the ports. Do your homework and you may find an independent tour operator that has an excursion you are interested in, but keep checking what the cruiseline has listed...

[Lakers Fan]

We are doing a Canada/New England cruise this year . We've been to Canada 17 times and to the New england areas numerous times . We will book wshore excursions 3 months before our cruise leaves and will do so with the cruise line .