Why is it that Carnival charges more money for the same excursion?  Is there a reason why I would want to go through Carnival than another company?

I would like to save money and go  outside of Carnival but am afraid.

Shore Excursion with Carnival. You get off the ship first. If the ship is late getting to port the excursion time is adjusted so you do not miss the excursion. The tour companies communicate with the ship so if the excursion is running late the ship will wait for you. Excursion on your own. You save money. The number of people in the group is smaller. Guess it just depends on what you are comfortable doing. I booked excursions with Carnival but I am going solo and feel safer with a group of people from Carnival. Have a great cruise.

We have always booked our excursions through Carnival.  Until this year, I wasn't aware that you could do it on your own, but through the power of the Internet I discovered it.  With that said, this summer, I still booked through Carnival just for the mere fact that I didn't want to research the other vendors.  I also like the security knowing that if something happened and we were late getting back to the ship, it wouldn't be a problem. I have read that many have booked on their own, so it's really up to the individual.  Sorry, I can't help much.

Security.  If the excursion runs late Carnival waits.  If the ship misses a port call due to mechanical failure, medical emergency or foul weather you get a refund.  Carnival also checks out the safety and reliability of the excursion providers.

Here's also one that I think of, but am unsure if Carnival checks.  Some excursions include lunch at a local eating establishment, although you are responsible for what goes into your mouth, I guess Carnival sends the excursions to reputable eateries.  They wouldn't want a boat load of ill passenegrs now would they?  Just my guess, not sure it is valid.

They mark-up the vendor's excursion prices, probably more than 10%, thus more revenue.

The only real advantage is that Carnival claims that if you book an excursion via Carnival, the ship won't leave without you if the excursion is running late. Also, if the Excursion is TOTALLY unsatisfactory for some reason, you might have some recourse thru Carnival.  ken

You can pay more by booking with CCL which is not only easier, it also has given me some peace of mind.  I would book directly with companies I trust not to abuse my credit card, especially US ones.  In other ports it depends on popularity of excursion (sometimes the ship books them all) and how easy it is to book independently.  Some I have done were increased by 100% by the ship, some may be closer to the real price.  If it is an expensive excursion, mark up will be less.  Cheaper ones are more likely to be bumped.  At least that is my experience.  And tendering could be an issue, having a CCL ticket gets you priority.