Independant Cruise Excursions

Hello ...... I'm considering mixing my shore excursion between P&O and another company.

Has anyone used CRUISINGEXCURSIONS.COM?

Are they reliable and are the trips as good as they sound on the summaries?

many thanks

Julie

Depending on where you are going, why not DIY. Many ports are really easy.

Hello ...... I'm considering mixing my shore excursion between P&O and another company.

 

Has anyone used CRUISINGEXCURSIONS.COM?

 

Are they reliable and are the trips as good as they sound on the summaries?

 

many thanks

Julie

I had a look at this site and it seems like there is a popup element and a person that immediately wants to live chat about helping you. It searches more on your ship and it's itinerary and you seem to have to give a lot of your information beforehand. The excursions might be very good I have no idea, but the people I have used successfully in the past are http://www.viator.com you search by country initially (Canaries come under Spain I believe) then the sub region. Under this system you need to know which port you are in on what date. I have used them for New York, helicopters and had excellent trips. They use a print your own voucher out after payment and turn up with it plus your passport as Id.

DIY is sometimes a lot easier as Jean says. Now we have the internet. Madeira Toboggan Ride, for example is straight forward. If you are fit walk round to the cable car station, use a self printed Google map to get your directions. Otherwise get a local taxi. Buy a Cable Car ticket on site. At the top have a walk round long as you like at the different attractions have a drink in the pub/bar/cafe. Ask a guy about getting in the toboggan, descend. Get a taxi back to the ship or town. You will be under a cruise excursion price with cash in your pocket.

Key to shore side trips is research extensively on the internet and printing any information and maps you might need. Many trips are not offered by cruise lines because they are not feasible to offer to a mass market which they have to cater for on board. Lisbon for example; private tour in convertible Volkswagen Beetle. There are only a handful of guys offering this service so a cruise line would disappoint many if it listed it.

Vigo; disembarked there and a guy was offering Segway tours at E100 but he offered training at E10 which was deductable from the tour price. You were not committed to a tour if you took training; young daughter had great ride round the docks for this cheap price. Then we did the Tuk Tuk tour of Vigo for about E60 two passengers. Invergordon; found a guy near the taxis/tours sales green in a Ferrari 360 where you could have a photo taken in the driver's seat £10 it cost which went to Marie Curie cancer charity, I paid £30 twice and me and my daughter went on separate tours of the area in the Ferrari obviously it only held one passenger! So stuff is also available when you get off ship so that is another option.

Regards John

Weve used cruising excursions for a tour in Iceland. When we got off the ship the coach and guide were from the same tour company used by the ship for the same tour but at half the price. So we had no issues at all.

Thanks for replies. We're on the Britannia in November (Caribbean) - we done a mix of ship and our own thing on other cruises but never through another company and wondering if it was better to use one than not.

Plenty of time to research but thought I'd ask other cruisers what they thought too!

Thanks for replies. We're on the Britannia in November (Caribbean) - we done a mix of ship and our own thing on other cruises but never through another company and wondering if it was better to use one than not.

 

Plenty of time to research but thought I'd ask other cruisers what they thought too!

I'd advise caution with this company. I thought I recalled a fairly recent thread about them. If you search cruiseexcursions.com on this site there are a couple of threads, with some posts as recent as March this year, which suggest they are not altogether reliable. As OPs have said, many ports are very easy to DIY. Previously I'd always used ship's tours (because of children in the party), but dared to DIY last time and now wouldn't have it any other way - nor would the kids!

If you are going to St Lucia, then I would recommend Cosol Tours. They are always good. We also used Glory Tours in Barbados. They were good as well. tour of the island, plus swimming with Turtles.

The Caribbean is so easy and cheap to do the excursions yourself. You don't say which islands you are visiting?

On our last Caribbean cruise we used Cosol Tours as mentioned by groove chick. They were excellent and it was the best excursion we did in the Caribbean.

I wouldn't even consider third party booking agents like aviator or Cruisingexcursions. There is a very long list of complaints about CruisingExcursions on Tripadvisor.

Why pay somebody to do exactly what you can easily do yourself.

On each of the islands there will be mini buses and taxis offering cheap excursions. We have done some very good ones for about USD 20 or 25 each.

There are also minibuses that will take you to a beach and pick you up at a time you specify.

There are also minibuses that will take you to a beach and pick you up at a time you specify.

Often the nice beaches are far side of the island making taxis a good option but do not overlook the "water taxi" boat if available for not that much more money. Make sure you see the craft before paying.

Regards John

I can also vouch for Cosol Tours for St Lucia - brilliant and include food and drinks. If you are going to St Kitts, look up Rose & Jim Tours. We found them waiting with the taxis when we left the ship but can also be booked on line for the same price. Really interesting and took us to some lovely places.

We have used them lots of times and they have been fantastic better than RC own excursions when compared. We have booked with them again for our upcoming Caribbean cruise I definitely recommend them.

We looked at trip advisor before going to the Caribbean. We went with those who lots of people had posted were good, and they were.

we used cruising excursions on our last visit to Barbados we booked the best of Barbados trip which didn't go according to plan, Not our guides fault he was very good and helpful. The weather had been very wet the night before with a large storm, so there were no monkeys at the reserve, power was out at harrison caves so couldn't go in there, we did get to swim with the turtles and was told by our guide that we would get monies back for the unforfill part of excursion from the booking agent by contacting them upon our return home. this i did and was surprised how quick they returned the full amount paid. so i would use them again

I have done some research with this company for our cruise next year in the Med and its a mixed bag with some folks complaining about them and others full of praise.

We looked at trip advisor before going to the Caribbean. We went with those who lots of people had posted were good, and they were.

We do the same as the english lady. I wouldn't use "cruise excursions" because they're basically acting as middle men and selling you tours provided by other companies. Although they may be cheaper than P&O, it won't be as cheap s booking yourself directly with the provider and the reviews on TA can be very helpful.

We do a mix of local tours, local buses, walking, taxis etc in the Caribbean and I'm sure if you say exactly which ports we'll all be able to help. Although the itineraries are similar, each cruise is different.

If you are going to St Lucia, then I would recommend Cosol Tours. They are always good. We also used Glory Tours in Barbados. They were good as well. tour of the island, plus swimming with Turtles.

Another vote for Cosol Tours - fab day in St Lucia:)

Hello.

 

It depends on the company what runs the tour. Could be good or not. For example we were in Spain and we took private company in Vigo and La Coruna called Hercules Tours. It was excellent. Hightly recommend. If I were you I would check companies on Tripadvisor to know further and check customer reviews.

 

Regards

We do agree. We chose HERCULES TOURS and it was fabolous. Much better than P&O excursion. Recomended on TA.

We have used cruise excursions. com in the Carribean and in Europe and found them very reliable. They are a lot cheaper than booking excursions onboard ship. The coaches and minibus service they use have a lot less people on board and you get a much more personal service.The tour guides themselves are just as knowledgeable as the ones from the cruise lines. We will be using them again this year when we go to Israel

It is so easy to book trips in the Caribbean at the port when you get off the ship I can't understand why anybody would consider getting a third party to make the booking. There are also lots of good tour company recommendations on the Caribbean forums. You can book the trip in advance, but not pay until you get there.

We do agree. We chose HERCULES TOURS and it was fabolous. Much better than P&O excursion. Recomended on TA.

Hi.

I was quite suspicious of private tours. I found Hercules Tours in La Coruna and I have no doubt. I would repeat again. A very well run tour and much cheaper than on board. I had checked at reviews on TripAdvisor and were all good so I booked online. Perfect experience.