What will the near future bring for cruising?

 

Peggy's Cove, NS.  It's a must do shore excursion for people sailing the New England / Coastal Canada route. I've been there several times, and always like stopping there for a photo shoot.  It's more crowded now than it used to be, due to all of the ships that make it into Halifax, NS.  Yet, it's worth the time it takes to get there.

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As I write this, domestic political considerations may affect cruising from the USA. We've seen reports of a Canadian held by ICE for two weeks without good reason.  Visitors and "Green Card" holders are being detained or refused entry, all due to the President's crackdown on illegal immigration.  There is no such thing as "Due Process" anymore, and foreign governments are now advising their citizens to avoid the US.

An Alaskan senator is now calling for eliminating the Jones Act/Passenger Vessel Services Act requirement for cruise ships to stop at foreign ports on trips to/from Alaska. There are 3 acts being proposed by a Hawaiian congressman to eliminate the burdens imposed by the Jones act on places such as Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and Puerto Rico.  Assuming these challenges to the Jones act succeed, I see the possibility of the growth in East and West coast cruising, as many of the major cruise lines might be free to sail Hawaiian and Alaskan cruises on their foreign flagged ships, as well as new East Coast cruise options being provided by ships now making stops in the Caribbean, Bermuda, the Bahamas.  

The big question for me is: What will happen with cruises bound for Eastern Canada?  Considering how Canadian people and businesses are boycotting US goods, will we end up seeing Canada ban ships bound from the US from stopping at their ports?  This will be a major problem for the cruise industry, as these are vey popular cruises.

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Even with American politics going off the deep end and our President starting an unwarranted trade war with little to gain from it so far, foreigners still love the American people for the most part.  They are perplexed about why we elected someone who wants to be king. They are surprised to see the America holding a military parade in the nation's capital, only to stroke the ego of the man who holds the office of President. In short, they are against today's American government and what it "stands for", but still respect the American people for the nation we have built over the past 248 years.

Why is this important?  Foreigners have no problem accepting business from the American people as individuals.  They are simply responding to our President's inexplicable actions by trying to punish Trump friendly areas by using the power of the boycott. As noted earlier, Canadians are avoiding vegetables and fruits grown in America, and are now buying these products from other nations.  In addition, the province of Ontario has cut off electricity supplies to New York, as the Northwestern part of the state supported our current president.  Foreign nations and their citizens are simply trying to tell our government to stop this nonsense by doing as little business with us as possible - including not taking their vacations inside America, nor traveling through America for their vacations.

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I consider America's current trade and immigration policies to be insane, as does much of the world. This will likely affect the cruise industry.  Even though three major cruise line's ships are all foreign flagged vessels (save one based in Hawaii), their holding corporations are all based in the USA.  Will foreigners boycott sailings on these ships because of US policies?  I think so.  But it will take time for prices to drop.  People who have paid for their cruises less than 4 months ago are stuck - they either go on their cruises, or lose the money they paid for these cruises.  This likely means that we will see cruise prices drop within 4 months from now, as foreigners will be cancelling cruises already booked in advance of final payment dates, so that they can get most of their money back from the cruise lines.

My advice: Wait a few months before booking a cruise. Given the lack of consumer confidence in the American economy and the likelihood of cruise price drops, I feel that there will be bargains to be had sometime before the start of winter.  Hopefully, we will all be able to pick up some great deals then.

Cruise Line Excursions - Are They Worth The Price?

 

The decision whether one should take a shore excursion sold by a cruise line often depends on one's answers to the following questions:

1. How comfortable are you with planning a trip from a cruise port, and being able to return to your ship before it leaves for the next port? 
2. How comfortable are you with navigating around an unfamiliar city, walking, or using their mass transit systems?  
3. How comfortable are you with communicating with people who may not speak your language? 
4. How comfortable are you with wandering through areas which may have high crime?
5. How comfortable are you with people trying to sell you goods in foreign markets?

The answers to these questions and more all help to determine whether you should buy a shore excursion offered by a cruise line, whether you should buy one from another company, or whether you should explore what the port has to offer on your own.

There are many advantages to buying a shore excursion through a cruise line:

1. The vendors have all been vetted for both reliability.
2. The activity level for each excursion meets standards set by the cruise line.
3. In some cases, the excursion(s) may be the only safe options available at the port. 
4. The cruise line will issue refunds if a change in the ship's schedule (usually weather related) prevents a cruiser from taking an excursion.
5. The cruise ship will always wait for its excursions to return before leaving port.

Additionally, in the latter days of the pandemic, cruise line excursions were the only ones available, as cruisers were kept in a "bubble" meant to protect them from unvaccinated locals at each port. However, there is one major disadvantage: Cruise lines always add their own markups to the price of excursions, and this can make each excursion needlessly expensive.  

A good example that there is a choice between cruise line offered excursions and do-it-yourself shore excursions exists in Bermuda. One can get to any point in the Bermuda archipelago via its bus and ferry system.  Both the Crystal Caves and Cooper's Island Preserve can be reached via Bermuda's transit system.  Additionally, NCL offers the following 6 hour excursion to these places from the Dockyards area for $139: 

Caves and Waves

Explore the geological wonders and eerie formations in Crystal Caves and then spend hours relaxing at a series of beaches linked by footpaths and surrounded by a nature reserve. 

After departing from the pier, you will enjoy a leisurely tender ride to St. George’s Island, the northernmost point of hook-shaped Bermuda. A short scenic drive will bring you to Crystal Caves, which were discovered in 1907 when a teenager tried to retrieve his cricket ball from a hole and found it led to a huge series of caverns.

You will have the opportunity to explore the wonders underground, which include a crystal-clear lake and a profusion of white stalactites eerily illuminated for added drama. Parts of the caves are accessed along a pontoon boardwalk that floats atop the lake, allowing a closer look at the geological formations underwater. As an alternative, you may remain above ground and meander the gardens and browse the gift shop.

Continuing, you will soon arrive at the Clearwater Beach & Cooper’s Island Reserve, a secluded wedge of undeveloped land on Bermuda’s eastern end. The area contains six interconnected beaches, an idyllic setting to enjoy hours relaxing in the sun, doing whatever you please.

Yet, one could buy a Bermuda 1-day bus/ferry pass and reach both the Crystal caves and Cooper's Island Reserve for $19, then spend another $30 to see the Crystal Caves.  As long as one is sure to be able to make it back to the ship on time, one can save $90/pp by doing this excursion one one's own. But one has to feel safe using public transit in Bermuda to achieve these savings.

Sometimes, one wants the safety of taking a cruise line vetted shore excursion.  NCL offers the following excursion when their ships port in Maui:

Road to Hana Deluxe

Sit back and appreciate all of the sights along the famed Hana Highway without having to navigate the curves yourself. Travel over bridges and along the twisting road in the air-conditioned comfort of an exclusive 8-passenger luxury limo-van.

Although $459 was a steep price to pay for this excursion, I can say from personal experience that I was very glad to know that the cruise ship would wait for my group to return.  Although we made it to Hana without incident, the van that took us to Hana had engine problems on the return trip.  There is no cell phone service along this road, and it would take some time for the tour guide to get us help and get us back to the ship.

Not all people want to do the leg work needed to design their own shore excursions, nor do they want to pay the high markup for excursions sold by a cruise line.   Contrast the following two excursions.  The first is offered  by Shore Excursions Group for $99 (with a guaranteed return to the ship on time), and the other by NCLfor $129:

Nova Scotia's Peggy's Cove

Visit iconic Peggy's Cove Lighthouse and see the South Shore, from Halifax to Peggy's Point, on a comfortable bus tour.

Peggy’s Cove & Acadian Maple

When people think of Canada, they think of maple syrup. When people think of Nova Scotia, they think of Peggy’s Cove. On this tour you’ll get a chance to experience both! Board your coach for the scenic drive to Peggy’s Cove – one of the most popular and visited lighthouses in Atlantic Canada. Enjoy some free time here to take some breathtaking pictures and explore the village with its galleries and souvenir shops.

Continue your journey to Acadian Maple Products, started as a family hobby over 30 year ago, today they are the largest purchaser and processor of maple syrup produced in Nova Scotia. Their high quality products are now enjoyed worldwide and their shop welcomes over 30,000 visitors a year. Browse the shop and get your taste of Canada!.

Of the two above cruises, which one would you choose?  No doubt, NCL is making money by both selling tickets with a $30 markup and by getting a possible kickback from Acadian Maple Products.  Given that Peggy's Cove is a popular destination with cruise passengers, one might find the Shore Excursions Group trip a cost effective alternative to the excursion offered by NCL.  In my case, I ended up taking the NCL excursion, as the discount offered by their "Free at Sea" deal reduced the price for the excursion to be within a couple of dollars of the excursion offered by Shore Excursions Group.


There are times where I would only consider the cruise line offered shore excursions.  For example, the following excursion costs $155 and lasts 2.5 hours:

Falklands Battlegrounds

Designed for the history and military buff, you will get a first-hand look at the battlefields of the Falklands War on this 2.5-hour tour. You'll board your transportation at the pier and travel outside of Stanley to Estancia Farm where a battlefield expert will lead you on a tour of some of the major battle sites. From this panoramic spot, you can see Sapper Hill, Wireless Ridge and Mount William. After days of heavy artillery fire, the Argentine forces surrendered on June 14. At the end of this moving and memorable tour, you'll board your motor coach for the return trip to the harbor.

Given the remoteness of the Falklands, I wouldn't take the risk of not returning to the ship on time.  If I wanted to do anything more than walk around Stanley, I'd go with the cruise line offered excursion to shift the risks to the cruise line. The cruise line handles all of the logistics and takes all of the risks.  What more can you ask when in a remote port with few opportunities to rejoin the cruise, if one is not able to return to the ship on time?

During this year's Alaska cruise season, a mudslide covered the tracks of the White Pass & Yukon Railroad, stranding cruise passengers.  A separate mudslide prevented buses from returning the cruisers to their ships.  The cruise lines responsible for these cruisers had the (also stranded) buses take them on a 200+ mile drive to the nearest port accessible from the Alaskan highway: Haines, AK, where their ships would be waiting for the cruisers.  Yes, this is an extreme example of what a cruise line will do for passengers on shore excursions it sells.  But it shows the value of a cruise line's guarantee to get these passengers back on the ship.

For the most part, the decision to take a shore excursion sold by the cruise line, to take a shore excursion sold by vendors such as Viator and Shore Excursions Group, or to do an excursion on one's own depends on risk tolerance, personal finances, and comfort when dealing with both the unfamiliar and the unknown.  It pays to learn as much as possible about a port before making this type of decision, as there are many factors to be considered when choosing shore excursions.  When in doubt, play it safe and go with the cruise line's shore excursions.  Peace of mind can be priceless.