travelbuds

We have done this excursion 3 times-all booked directly with Taku Lodge. May want to call them @ 907-586-6275.

My wife and I won't be doing this until next spring, but curious how far in advance was the "Brugges on your own" posted for your itinerary. At this point, there are only 8 excursions listed for Bruges-nothing for "Bruges on your own". Otherwise, we probably will go with cruise-express.

With the cruises we have been on, we've been able to make excursion reservations and pay for them many months in advance, locking in the reservation and price. I guess going with a smaller company doesn't afford that luxury.

Looks like a problem we'll just have to deal with for now. Maybe post-cruise surveys will help out for future trips. Maybe try trip advisor and Facebook to see if past cruisers can help out for upcoming trip. May give ACL a call.

Seems strange, but we have only been on ocean cruises before. No river cruises.

Go White! After a little time on TripAdvisor, it doesn't look like independent excursions will be in the cards. Bought a couple Lewis and Clark expedition books, so I'll have something to do during slow or down times.

Thank you. It would have been nice if ACL had included more details for the excursions such as times and prices for the non-complimentary tours. We like to squeeze in as many activities as we can at each port. We usually do independent excursions. Will also check out trip advisor for things to do. Looking forward to this cruise. Have bought a couple Lewis and Clark expedition books. First time with ACL.

My wife and I are doing this river trip from east to west and starting off a day early with the Hells Canyon boat trip. Looking for a list of shore excursions for the remainder of the week. Do passengers do any excursions independently from the ship, or just stay with ship offerings? Thanks.

Do you have a recommendation for taxi service to pre-book? Thank you.

Do you recall if the taxis were at cruise terminal as soon as you got off the ship? A queue for both passengers and taxis? Thanks.

Where did you get picked up and dropped off? What arrangements did you make to be sure you found your taxi going back to ship? Did you pay at the return drop off? Thanks.

Hi, Looking for breakfast recommendations in Southampton close to the city cruise terminal. Thanks.

Was the 110€ for one way or round trip? Any problems getting the taxi back to ship? Thanks.

Thank you, Gumshoe! I'll just get my tickets early to cut off some of the cost.

Thank you. We'll book early to get the reduced rate. Will book when we get air tickets. Need the luggage space.

Thank you! You're a big help!

Just a few questions if I may. How did you find out about the cruise shuttle to Blankenberge? Listed on the ship's excursion website? Or was it announced onboard when cruising to the port? Could you buy roundtrip tickets, or did you have to buy a ticket at each station? Was there a long line to buy tickets to the Tower? Did you buy tickets online before leaving home? Thank you.

Curious which line has more luggage storage space. Visiting London for a couple days after a cruise before heading back to Heathrow Terminal 3 for an 11AM flight home. Will be staying near the Paddington station. How far in advance do you suggest getting the reduced HEX fare? Thanks.

Curious why Elizabeth line picked over Heathrow Express from Paddington to LHR? Thanks.

I am waiting for a Celebrity reply. No independent or "on your own" excursion offered on its website. Only 7 excursions listed for this port, and none less than $113. May end up doing the 8:30AM independent coach into Bruges and hope for time at least to go up the tower, do a canal tour, and sample some waffles and chocolates before heading back to the ship. Hope there won't be a long wait at the tower on a Sunday morning.

Thank you for all of your comments. You are a big help! The independently operated shuttlebus that I found starts at 8:30AM. Our ship docks by 7AM. Seems like 1.5 hours of wasted time, especially since we have limited time in port (departs @ 3PM). I will check with Celebrity to see if it will offer shuttle bus as cruise date approaches. Currently it offers 2 excursions, but both are over $120 per person. Will look into the train from Blankenberge also. Thanks again.

How much time does it take to be bussed from ship to cruise terminal? And then via shuttle bus from terminal to Brugge? Thank you.

Thank you.

Thanks for the tip. Did it look like renovations were needed?