Heading to Australia/New Zealand on Celebrity in three weeks.
We are debating booking the onshores ahead of time.
Do others do this or wait till the boat. and how often are you unable to get the one you want?

just some quick advice since you asked - we book shore excursions as soon as possible, (sometimes months in advance) because they sell out so quickly on some tours. Every single time we have decided to "wait" until we are onboard to decide, we get dissapointed because the tours are already full and we can't go. If you feel confident you are taking an excursion, book it now or prepare to be left out! I have never been able to book something on board, with the exception of one time when they "added" a second group on a tour because so many people insisted on being waitlisted. But it is quite rare. HAL has a great policy of refunding if you cancel (once on board) 24 hours or more. So for instance, if you get on board, sprain your ankle or something, or get a bad cold, you can cancel your options a day out and not be penalized. I don't know about Celebrity.

I was just in New Zealand in November. It is a SIMPLE place to also tour on your own, at significant savings.

What tours are you considering?

Your best bet is to go to cruisecritic.com and go to the roll call boards for your particular cruise. You can correspond with others on your cruise and make arrangements for private tours. WE have always done that and it works out very well and it is nice to know some of your fellow passengers prior to the cruise. If your cruise isn't posted yet just start one of your own.

I went ahead today and booked most of the onshores I was sure about.
I am having trouble with Dunedin to decide between Taieri Gorge Train or Royal Otago. Any thoughts. I am not to sure about doing something on our own when we get there Budget Queen.