Travel advisors continue to find value in third-party shore excursions

01.05.2024 - 13:49 / travelweekly.com

A flat tire. A medical situation. A tour that runs overtime. Any of these delays could prevent a shore excursion operator from returning guests on time to a port of call and risk the ship departing without them.

That's what happened last month when a group of eight missed the last tender to the Norwegian Dawn during a 21-day cruise up the coast of Africa.

While on the island nation of Sao Tome and Principe, an independent tour ran late, leading the guide to return guests to port after the 3 p.m. all-aboard time. Despite attempts by the tour operator to convince the captain to send the tender back, the ship left without them.

The passengers traveled through more than a half-dozen countries hoping to meet the ship during a port call in Banjul, Gambia. That call was canceled due to weather, so the group eventually reunited with the ship in Dakar, Senegal, seven days after being left behind.

The event caused a flurry of media attention, but travel advisors and consortia leaders said they are still confident about working with independent vendors.

"In their contract, they have to guarantee to get everyone back on time," said Pam Jarvis, director of cruise programs for Travel Leaders Network. "We wouldn't work with them if they said, 'Well, we'll try.' That's not going to work for us. I can say, hand on heart, I don't think we've ever had anybody left behind."

Travel advisors have long worked with independent operators, ones they say guarantee returning guests to the ship on time or covering guests' expenses if they have to meet the ship at the next port of call.

It's a policy that does not differ from that of most cruise line excursions: They also guarantee that the ship will not leave guests behind, or if it has to, that the cruise line will arrange for them to get to the next port.

The difference is that most cruise lines do not pay commission on third-party tours, and guests often look for higher-quality experiences than what cruise lines offer, said Tom Baker, president of Cruise Center in Houston.

"Most of my clients do not like organized ship excursions and expensive tours, so the argument that this is the only way to go is B.S.," he said via email, adding that he books with vendors including Abercrombie & Kent, Shore Excursions Group, known guides and destination management companies.

"My vendors have never been late to a ship and clients have made their departures on time."

To avoid potential issues, verification of excursion providers is ongoing, whether by agencies or their consortia or host, making it easier for members to book third-party excursions with vetted providers.

Once cruising restarted during the pandemic, Jarvis said, Travel Leaders vetted both new and previous excursion