by Jason Leppert
Last updated: 10:00 AM ET, Thu December 22, 2016
Following corporate cousin Carnival Cruise Line's lead, Princess Cruises is also offering its own Shore Excursions Best Price Guarantee. Essentially, if a guest books a tour through Princess only to find the same one less expensive elsewhere, the cruise line will comp them 110 percent of the difference in onboard credit.
Princess' new guarantee is available towards thousands of tours around the world fleet-wide. It applies to tours purchased pre-cruise provided guests inform the cruise line at least seven days before sailing. If the request meets the criteria, within two business days, the non-refundable credit will be applied. Only shore excursions in Asia, Southeast Asia and Japan are excluded as well as international private vehicle and driver tours.
[READMORE]READ MORE: Carnival Offering Best Price Guarantee on Shore Excursions[/READMORE]
"Our new Best Price Guarantee on shore excursions gives guests satisfaction that they are receiving competitive and fair pricing while enjoying an exceptional experience ashore," said Bruce Krumrine, vice president of shore excursions for Princess Cruises. "We find our guests rate their overall cruise vacation experience higher when they take our shore excursions because we handle every detail for them so they can easily explore the world and take home lifelong memories of the places they visit."
Carnival Cruise Line similarly offers its own shore excursion guarantee fleet-wide departing domestically. Originally, it would apply towards tours purchased before or during the cruise. Now, like Princess, it is only good on excursions purchased ahead of the cruise with guarantee claim submissions also required at least a week before the voyage.
[READMORE]READ MORE: Is it Best to Book Shore Excursions Via the Cruise Line or On Your Own?[/READMORE]
If there's one downside to the guarantee, it's that the value is not refunded to the original form of payment. That is if you pay by credit card, the 110 percent will not be applied directly to your account. Plenty of passengers can, of course, take advantage of the refund in the form of an onboard credit, but those who cannot forfeit the amount.
In those cases, it's worth considering buying tours originally on your own, but as we debate here, that approach is not without its own caveats. Nonetheless, we did discover the same excursion in Bonaire cheaper that Princess charges for it, so it's definitely worth considering. In the end, it's truly about finding the best-balanced solution for your own touring needs whether via the cruise line or not.
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