Why the Shore Excursion Scotland Guarantee Is One of the Fairest on the Market

If you’re cruising the British Isles and booking a shore excursion independently, there’s one sensible question worth asking before you book:

What happens if my ship misses a port?

Cruise itineraries are carefully planned, but like all forms of travel, they’re subject to operational decisions made in real time. Very occasionally, a scheduled port call may be adjusted or cancelled for reasons entirely outside a guest’s control.

Many cruise guests assume they’ll automatically be covered in those situations. In reality, that depends on who you book with and how their cancellation policies are structured.

That’s why we created the Shore Excursion Guarantee — to give you clarity, confidence, and peace of mind before you ever step on board.

How Online Booking Platforms Handle Changes and Why It Matters

If you’ve booked, or are considering booking, a shore excursion through a large online booking platform, it’s important to understand how their policies generally work.

Most major platforms rely on time-based cancellation rules, commonly requiring changes to be made at least 24 hours before the scheduled start time. If that deadline passes, bookings are often treated as late cancellations or no-shows, even when a change to the itinerary is outside your control.

To be fair, there is one limited exception.

A small subset of shore excursions offered on Viator are labelled as “Worry-Free Shore Excursions.” According to Viator’s published terms, these specific products may offer a refund if a ship misses a port of call or arrives too late for the tour to operate.

However, this protection only applies to listings clearly marked with that designation, it’s not standard across the platform, and typically involves a post-event claims and verification process. In practice, the majority of shore excursions listed do not carry this designation and therefore fall under standard cancellation rules.

GetYourGuide takes a similar overall approach. While refunds are issued if a supplier cancels an activity, there is no clearly stated, platform-wide guarantee that automatically protects guests if a port call is adjusted but the activity itself is still scheduled to operate.

Across British Isles itineraries, this can leave cruise guests in a grey area, particularly when changes are confirmed close to arrival and there’s no opportunity to cancel in advance.

What This Means for You as a Cruise Guest

In practical terms, booking through a large online platform often means the responsibility sits with you to make sure a specific excursion’s cancellation policy fits your circumstances.

That can involve checking individual listings for special labels, reading multiple cancellation policies, understanding cut-off times, and knowing what happens after the event if plans change.

With Shore Excursion Scotland, that work is already done for you.

A Guarantee Built In, Not Bolted On

Our Shore Excursion Guarantee is built into how we operate.

If your ship is unable to dock on the day of your scheduled excursion, our Shore Excursion Guarantee is clear, transparent, and automatic. There’s no need to submit claims, provide supporting documentation, or wait for third-party verification of ship schedules.

Everything is set out clearly in advance, with full details explained in our Terms & Conditions, so you know exactly where you stand before you book.

Built on Local Knowledge and Real-World Experience

When you book with Shore Excursion Scotland, you’re not booking through a global marketplace. You’re booking with a small, local company that specialises in shore excursions here in Scotland.

We work closely with cruise schedules and port operations throughout the season and understand how decisions around port calls are made and communicated. That insight comes from being on the ground and working directly with cruise traffic, rather than relying on policy alone.

As a small business, we also carry real operating costs to make your day ashore as smooth and enjoyable as possible. This includes pre-booking attraction tickets in advance, helping you make the most of your limited time ashore without worrying about queues or availability.

Despite these upfront commitments, we’ve chosen to offer a clear and transparent Shore Excursion Guarantee, because we believe fairness matters, especially when changes are outside a guest’s control.

When plans change, we don’t need guests to explain or justify what’s happened. Our local awareness allows us to respond quickly and fairly, without placing any additional burden on you.

Our approach is shaped by experience, transparency, and fairness — something we explain in more detail in who we are and how we operate.

Confidence at the Point of Booking

The Shore Excursion Scotland Guarantee exists to give you confidence when you book, not reassurance after something has gone wrong.

It’s one of the most transparent guarantees available to cruise guests sailing the British Isles because it’s built on careful review of online booking platform cancellation policies, first-hand experience of how those policies work in practice, and a clear understanding of cruise operations across the region.

Above all, it’s built on fairness.

Book with Confidence

Book with confidence knowing your shore excursion is protected by one of the fairest and most transparent guarantees on the market, designed by a local British Isles specialist with deep, on-the-ground knowledge of cruise operations.

This article is based on direct analysis of online booking platform cancellation policies, first-hand operational experience with British Isles cruise ports, and real-world passenger outcomes observed during active cruise seasons.