Barry has been in the travel industry for the last 30 years. He has been traveling all his life to every destination, both as a traveler, a travel agent and as a group leader. He has experienced first-hand the evolution of leisure travel from the days of the pre-computer to the present.
Julie has known Barry all her life and has traveled that long, as well. She started her career as an interior designer 30 years ago, but switched to travel several years back thinking it would be fun to make her hobby her profession.
Both of them have had a very hands-on approach to servicing their clients in their respective businesses and an intuitive sense of the desires of today's travel -savvy audience. Their mission is to allow you to enhance port of call, whether you arrive by boat or plane. They have traveled to every spot they represent to bring you the best and the most unique offerings to fulfill any fantasy. They have worked hard to develop a way for you to have smaller, more personal tours and adventures and yet feel secure knowing that all of the people they represent have an understanding of your expectations.
The truth is, while they live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, their home is the world - its beauty, its people, its cultures. They believe that one day is not too short a time to be touched by it all and create a day you will never forget.
Our Tour Operators
More than 2000 tour operators throughout the world bring you over 3000 well designed day activities and sightseeing tours.
If you would like to partner with us as a Tour Operator please:
We invite you to get to know our team. They're the very best.
When we started ShoreTrips in 2001, we pledged to ourselves that our staff would be the best in the travel industry. To reach that goal, we chose only the smartest, hardest-working and pleasant people around. We sent them traveling the world so that they could experience firsthand the trips we offer. We are sure that you will find these people are both friendly and extremely competent.
ShoreTrips seek out the best of the operators. We go directly to the source to determine who we feel are the best suited to deliver a great product. We examine their equipment, hold their insurance, and build a relationship. We have met with every operator we work with and, by understanding the port of call and knowing the tour, we can confidently offer our activities. In addition, our operators are all professionals in the travel industry and they guarantee to return you to your ship on time.
Will I get my money back if the ship is late getting into port?
Of course you'll get your money back. We refund all excursions if the ship doesn't make port in time or doesn't make port at all. And we'll give you back your money if the vendor has to cancel due to equipment or weather problems. You must contact us within 12 days after the ShoreTrips date to tell us that your cruise ship or the vendor prevented you from taking the excursion.
What is your cancellation policy?
You may cancel your ShoreTrips booking and receive a full refund up to 11 days before the actual date of your ShoreTrip (15 days for Europe, South America, Australia, New Zealand and Asia ShoreTrips). At 10 days (14 days for Europe, South America, Australia, New Zealand and Asia ShoreTrips) outbound, all trips become non-refundable. To cancel a ShoreTrip, log into www.shoretrips.com with your User Id and Password. Then click on "View Bookings" and click on the garbage can icon next to the booking. This will cancel your booking and refund your charge card in full. Some trips have a special cancellation policy and this information will always be noted on the trip. Additionally, group bookings may be non-refundable if the trip price is based on a specific number of participants.
How far in advance must I book?
The majority of our ShoreTrips are booked 7-21 days prior to the start of the vacation. Our dolphin swim excursions sell out fast and the smart shoppers buy them months in advance. You can buy a ShoreTrips months or even a year in advance.
I'm leaving tomorrow. The system won't let me book. Why?
It's not because we don't want your business. We require at least a 48 hour notice to work any on-line bookings. We'll take a booking by phone or email if you're leaving within 2 days or you're already on vacation, although we may have to charge you something for the extra work, long distance phone calls and fax charges.
If I call, can you tell me the availability of a tour?
Because we do not have a specific allotment of space on tours, we do not know the availability of a particular trip. Once a booking has been made, an immediate request is sent to our tour operator. The tour operator then has 48 hours to respond to our requests, although we frequently receive an answer much sooner than that. Rest assured that your credit card will not be charged unless the tour operator confirms that space is available. And remember, you may cancel and receive a full refund up to 11 days before the date of the ShoreTrip (15 days for Europe, South America, Australia, New Zealand and Asia ShoreTrips).
How do I get my Voucher?
We allow our vendors 48 hours to confirm your tour. Once you receive an email from our system which states that your booking has been "confirmed" and your credit card has been charged, you will need to log back onto our website with your USER ID and PASSWORD. You will then need to click on "Print Vouchers". Click on the "paper" icon next to your booking to obtain your voucher. We recommend that you print out two copies of each voucher, one for your records and the other to give to the tour operator upon arrival. If you have any problems printing out your voucher, please contact ShoreTrips right away.
How do I find my guide?
All meeting instructions will appear on your voucher after the trip has been confirmed. If your ShoreTrip includes a pier/hotel pickup, we will include information on who to look for at the pier/hotel, details of the sign that they will be holding, and/or the specific location of where to meet them. If your trip does not include a pier/hotel pickup, we will include the location of where to take a taxi to, an approximate duration and cost of the taxi, along with the name and contact information of the tour operator.
What does "island time" vs. "ship time" mean?
As you travel, you will very often cross time zones. All ShoreTrips departure times are listed in "Local Island Time". This means the trip begins according to the time zone of the port you are visiting. Some cruise lines change their clocks on board ship to reflect the local time, others do not. In addition, some islands and ports observe Daylight Savings Time, others stay on Standard Time. To help you to figure out what the local time will be compared with your port of departure, we strongly suggest you log onto www.worldtimeserver.com. As we are not affiliated with any of the cruise lines, we do not suggest you inquire about local time at your ship's excursion desk. You may, of course, call ShoreTrips with your questions. We'll be happy to help you through the "time zone maze."
Should I book through my travel agent?
Although anyone can book ShoreTrips online, we always recommend that our clients book ShoreTrips through their travel agent. Travel agents can cross-check your ship's time vs. the local island times to make sure that the duration of the trip(s) that you want to book will work out with your cruiseship's itinerary. He/she can assist in answering any questions you may have and will also be able to print out the vouchers for you. For those of you who do not have access to the internet or an email address to set up an account, using your travel agent is the easiest way to book ShoreTrips.
I want to book. What do I do first?
First, click on 'Create an Account' to get a USER ID and PASSWORD. Then sign-in and make your purchases by moving your ShoreTrips into a shopping cart. Its fast and easy!
Travel with confidence
Our policy allows you to cancel your trip without penalty up to 11 days before your tour (15 days for Europe, South America, Australia, New Zealand and Asia) and, unless otherwise noted, we always refund in full if your ship misses your port due to a late itinerary change or due to weather-related safety considerations. ShoreTrips guarantees that we will always get you back to your ship on-time. If in the event you miss your ship’s departure through no fault of your own, we will move you at our expense to the next port of call. We move more than 300,000 people a year and have never left anyone behind.
ShoreTrips® GIVE
Take four hours out of your vacation to give something back to the people of the Caribbean. Help plant a garden...read a story to a children’s class...or help prepare lunch at a senior center. Here’s an easy way to make volunteer tourism an integral part of your vacation. Get involved and feel great about what you do.
ShoreTrips welcomes your interest! Thanks in advance for submitting a new tour operator proposal to us! We will review your submission and reply if we think there is a good fit. We regret we cannot respond directly to every submission we receive.
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As an independent provider of shore excursions, ShoreTrips is not affiliated with any cruise line.
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Julie Karp
Owner and President
Barry Karp
Owner and VP
Ryan Kramer
IT Director
