Celebrity shore excurion vs private

[cruising25th]

Hi Everyone: It is our first cruise with the Celebrity Equinox in May for our 25th wedding anniversary. I would like some experienced advice for planning shore excursions privately arranged versus shore excursions booked through the ship. Thanks for the advice and look forward to reading your answers! Thirty nine days but who's counting! By the way we are on the 11 night Mediterranean cruise with stops in Istanbul and Athens.

[Denny01]

One recommendation is to go over to the cruise Roll Calls and check in there. Those are threads for specific cruises. You'll meet and talk with those on your specific cruise...you can find out about groups that are setting up private tours at the ports, and talk on options. You can also register for the Cruise Connections Party that will be on the ship after departing - good way of meeting other cruisecritic people.

 

To get there, just go to the top of this forum, click on 'Celebrity Roll Call Forums', find your ship then find your cruise by date.

 

There are many plus/minus for ship excursions and private and you'll get many inputs:

Private can be much cheaper, fewe people and you can set it for exactly what you want.

Ship excrusions are 'safer' in that the ship will wait (some length of time, not over night of something!) if your excursion is late returning.

 

Things such as that are to be taken into account. We've done both. I don't take private excursions if there is no other option of getting back if there is a major problem...but that's just me.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

Denny

[BOB AND PINKIE]

There are also forums for different locations near the bottom of the the

home CC page.

Check Europe in your case.

Lots of info.

Advantages and disadvantages for both Celebrity and private

We have done both, with, generally good experiences.

[gtexan]

We stopped in 5 ports on our southern caribbean itinerary.

 

Of those 5:

 

1 was an excursion we booked online privately through a company we read about on trip advisor

 

1 was an excursion we booked through the ship. We only booke dthrough the ship because when we contacted the company privately (we found them on trip advisor as well), they said the tour we were interested in was licensed to the ship for that trip

 

1 was an excursion we read about and just booked with a local right off the pier

 

2 were "cab tours" that we arranged with locals when we got off the boat

 

All were fantastic :)

 

 

In terms of price:

 

The tour we booked through the ship was $5 more expensive than the price on the companies website

The tours we arranged privately were all about half as expensive as similar tours through the ship.

 

For example, in Grenada we took a cab tour up the west coast of the island to the nutmeg factory/plantation/waterfall nearby. We were alone, and the total price was $50. The ship charged $45 per person ($90 total) and you were in a big group on a bus

[Croooser]

On our Equinox med cruise last year we had bad experiences with the 2 Celebrity tours that we took. Our private tours and do it yourself days went much better.

 

Good advice above to check out the roll call section as well as the ports of call section.

 

I am sure that some have been happy with Celebrity's tours but we were really disappointed - crowded, indifferent guides, forced carpet sales presentation (Kusadasi), poor options for snacks and drinks, etc.

[eandj]

We booked 3 private tours with people we "met" on the roll call board while in Italy. Best thing we did as far as planning ahead. So much more fun with 8 people and a good tour guide/driver rather than a coach bus that couldn't even get down half the streets in some areas. Price will be better too!

 

 

You are pretty late in planning the private tours but you might find others in your situation that will book with you. ;)

[Karynanne]

We have done both, depending on the port. Private excursions are substantially less...as long as your absolutely know the reliability and reputation of guide company. Also if taking a private excursion, make sure you know what the complete fees are; if they are to be paid in advance or at time of excursion, and what the cancellation fees (missed port, etc) would be.

 

Sometimes taking a ship's excursion is well worth it, if it is a day-long trip, and you are concerned about time returning; traffic; etc. You pay for that peace of mind.

[Denny01]

We took a few privates on a S American cruise and enjoyed them. But I remember one instance. We got to a big lake and were to see the 'beautiful volcanoes' across it, but the fog was so heavy, you could barely see the lake. While standing there, I looked over and our driver and another guy had the hood up and were looking at the engine of our van. Needless to say, I was concerned and walked over to see what the issue was. 'Oh nothing, just checking'....right. We ended up cutting the tour short because the guide had no backup to the 'pretty views' all in fog and rain. And I had no problems going back early after watching the driver play with the engine a bit more!

 

Did get a discount from the tour company...things happen and this tour did cover it a bit. But keep your options in mind when on a private tour.

 

Denny

[Bet & Peg]

Welcome to Cruise Critic – you’re going to love it!!

In 2008 we took our first cruise where we were on CC – a 12 Med Celebrity Cruise – took me weeks to realize that DH & DW were Darling Husband and Darling Wife!!

I also highly recommend that you look for your cruise’s Roll Call, get on it and start meeting your fellow cruises!! In 2008 we were lucky to have a great group that really enhanced our trip – 3 other couples “linked” with us to share a table in the MDR. We often went our separate ways on trips & tours during the day and it was wonderful sharing our stories while eating each night!

The Ports Pages on CC also prove invaluable – I learned SO much and read fabulous advice!

Ship vs private tours ~ we’re usually not 40-passenger bus people but on our cruise we did a mix of both.

Rome: I arranged a private tour for 8 people that worked out perfectly!!

Florence: we took the ship’s tour into Tuscany. It was towards the end of our trip and we were almost brain-dead! The ride, with 2 stops at villages, and lunch was just perfect for us!

Barcelona: our last port, we took a ship’s tour to Montserrat that left us off in the center of town (alternate tour was airport drop-off). It worked great for us since the bus left us about 3 blocks from our hotel.

Other ports we did on our own or with another couple or two – some pre-arranged some just impromptu. Example – Naples – we both wanted to see Pompeii – but really see it! We took a taxi to the train station and, armed with Rick Steve’s advice, took the train to Pompeii and spent the whole time there – we completely enjoyed it!

My advice ~ study the ports – especially through CC – and decide what YOU guys what to see- what YOUr interests are – history, art, sports, shopping, food, etc. Then decide if you want a ship's tour or do it yourselves or hook-up with others that might want a private tour or a DIY trip and work it out. Everyone's different - and that's the joy of having choices on cruises! We enjoy researching the ports and, if possible, doing them ourselves but we have friends who take ship's tours in every port they stop at! Neither is right but neither is wrong!!

We’re off on a Baltic Cruise in July and again have a combination of ship tours (1), private tours (1 in St. Petersburg for 8 people) and the rest DIY. Can’t wait!!!

Have a great trip and ENJOY!!!! (And remember planning is half the fun!)

[cruising25th]

Thanks for all the great advice. Have started to read the threads for the Europe ports. It has a lot of great suggestions.

[karpela]

Hi,

Have you checked out the roll calls for your cruise - i think we are on the same one if you sail on the 24th May.

It's our 25th Anniversary too (and our 1st cruise) - there seems to be alot of Anniversaries on this cruise!! Hope to see you onboard!:)

Adele

[Softball20]

We very, very rarely do ships' excursions. We have never done one in the Caribbean - we just find a cab to take us to a beach and we're good for the day. On our Med cruise in 08 we did end up doing two. We did one into Tuscany as it just sounded fabulous and I was a tad concerned about the distance. The other was a very last minute booking in Monte Carlo as the Grand Prix was on so we decided to venture away from the craziness of the city. Otherwise, we line up our own guides/drivers, or go on our own. We generally find them limiting and overpriced compared to what you could do on your own. For our upcoming Equinox Med cruise, I lined up all our "tours" through private vendors. With a private company you have the flexibility of doing what you want at your own pace. If you want to spend more or less time at a certain place, you can. You just don't have that flexibility on a ship's tour where they stick to "the plan."

 

As someone else mentioned, you likely are late in getting things lined up for next month. You'll find lots of info on these boards and on Trip Advisor to give you lots of ideas!

[Chicago Boy]

Hi Everyone: It is our first cruise with the Celebrity Equinox in May for our 25th wedding anniversary. I would like some experienced advice for planning shore excursions privately arranged versus shore excursions booked through the ship. Thanks for the advice and look forward to reading your answers! Thirty nine days but who's counting! By the way we are on the 11 night Mediterranean cruise with stops in Istanbul and Athens.

 

My partner and I always book the ships shore excursions and have been very happy with them. Go on line and select your excursions. You will find your tickets in your cabin. No muss no fuss. The other thing is if you book your own your are responsible to get yourselves back to the ship in time to sail.

[cruiserbryce]

while they can be a little less costly the one thing you give up when you go on your own is the insurance that if the tour runs long they wont leave you behind

[jlijny]

For years, I only booked ship's tours.......until last summer. We were on Celebrity Summit's 12 nt med cruise (Barcelona to Venice), and through the advice of many cc members, I booked all of our tours with private reliable companies. The trip was wonderful and the tours AMAZING. If you give me a list of your port cities, I would be happy to share the names of the companies we used. They all were wonderful, reliable, and knowledgeable. I am totally converted now.....I book only private tours. I much prefer being with 6 or 8 people, than with 40-50.

[CaroleLee]

Hi Everyone: It is our first cruise with the Celebrity Equinox in May for our 25th wedding anniversary. I would like some experienced advice for planning shore excursions privately arranged versus shore excursions booked through the ship. Thanks for the advice and look forward to reading your answers! Thirty nine days but who's counting! By the way we are on the 11 night Mediterranean cruise with stops in Istanbul and Athens.

 

Hi,

We did E. Med in Jun 2009 on the Solstice- totally pvt excursions. There were 4 of us and cost was much less than booking via Celebrity.-including transfers. In Athens we used George the Famous Taxi Driver (google him) He was fantastic. His English was excellent (he lived in NYC), knowledge & love for his country was outstanding. Communicate with him as far as what you want to do & he will arrange everything. If he is not available use his sons.

Happy Anniversary

Carole

[A Sixth?]

After dozens of cruises I can safely say that the best tours have consistently been ones we booked ourselves, either off the web or just stepping off the boat.

 

The only times we take ship tours are when the same tour isn't available independently (Americas Cup yacht Challenge, Panama Train tour etc) or when the time table is so tight it's scary. Lamini in Belize is often a tight fit.

 

You always save big $$$ doing your own tours, just be picky. For example in the Caribbean unacceptable cars and vans are not uncommon. Insist on seeing the vehicle BEFORE committing.

 

Lastly most local tour operators while in competition with one another also recognise that if someone misses the ship due to a break down, it reflects on all of them so they tend to help each other out if there is a mishap. It is very rare that passengers miss the ship because of the tour operator.

 

Not so rare is that passengers miss the ship because they screwed up times/bar times/ alcohol content! :rolleyes:

[zeppysky]

For years, I only booked ship's tours.......until last summer. We were on Celebrity Summit's 12 nt med cruise (Barcelona to Venice), and through the advice of many cc members, I booked all of our tours with private reliable companies. The trip was wonderful and the tours AMAZING. If you give me a list of your port cities, I would be happy to share the names of the companies we used. They all were wonderful, reliable, and knowledgeable. I am totally converted now.....I book only private tours. I much prefer being with 6 or 8 people, than with 40-50.

 

We will be in the following areas would appreciate any input from you on these:

Rome, Sicily, Athens, Epehsus (Turkey), Mykonos, Rhodes, Santorini, Naples/Capri.

[Softball20]

Since we are on the next sailing of that itinerary, we are in all the same ports. For Rhodes, Mykonos and Santorini - we are just spending the days "on our own." Mykonos is going to be our beach day - they look fabulous - and we may end up making Rhodes a beach day, too. For Santorini, we're heading to Oia for the day.

 

In Sicily, we are using Sicily Life tours and we are doing their Godfather Tour and then spending the rest of the day in Taormina. We used them two years ago, and they were great. Taormina is absolutely beautiful!

 

In Athens we are using the services of a gentleman by the name of Fotis Koloris - his web site is: http://www.athens****************/ We have not used him before, but he came highly recommended by a wonderful guide we used in Katakolon/Olympia two years ago -- the infamous George! (You'll see his name a lot on these boards). There is also another Greek taxi driver named George who does Athens - different George, but we've read good things about him, too.

 

For Turkey, we booked a half day tour with Hello Ephuses, and in Naples we are booked with Giancarlo and Giovanni of TourofItaly.com. They came highly recommended on these boards. We've never used them before, but they've been wonderful to work with.

 

Rome is mostly on our own - we do have an evening walking tour lined up and our restaurant for dinner is set! On the back end of the cruise my family is doing a winery tour and the rest of our group is going back to Rome for the day. We are all meeting back up at our airport hotel at the end of the day and having dinner in Fiumincio (sp).

 

I've been on this since January, so we had no problem lining any of these. I hope that it's given you some ideas!

[Bet & Peg]

Hi zeppysky ~ since you asked we were only at Santorini and Rome - here's our story...

 

SANTORINI ~ we did on our own ~ and it was FABULOUS!! Took the tender and then the cable cars up to Fira, caught the bus to Oia and spent most of the day there. We strolled around and passed fellow passengers on a tour rushing/almost running to catch up after stopping to take photos! We walked and shopped a little and then walked DOWN the steps – 200 of them! – to Ammoudi on the water to have a fabulous lunch! We met 6 others (pre-arranged) at Sunset Taverna (as seen on the Travel Channel) where we sat inches from the water and shared almost the whole menu! Fresh, fresh, fish grilled right there on an open grill - an unforgettable experience!! Then a taxi back up to Oia, bus to Fira where we saw the Churches, had a glass of wine and took the cable cars back down to the tender. I can’t talk about money saved – we might have spent more in the longrun (doubt it!) but we enjoyed the day much more than being rushed on a tour.

ROME ~ we arranged a private tour through the internet with Rome Cabs and I would highly recommend them! We had 8 in all – 3 other couples we “met” on CC. I found the company by reading through the port threads for Rome. We agreed on a list of “must sees” and our driver was fabulous! First stop was the Coliseum and our driver went to get the tickets and then lead us through the maze of people to the turnstiles! We’d still be there without him! We also saw the Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps plus so many other stops I can’t remember! Had lunch and then went to the Vatican Museum before seeing St. Peter’s. There we met up with our guide, Walter, who was excellent! He gave us just enough knowledge and made it very interesting. Plus when asked questions (one woman was very knowledgeable about art) he then really explained the topic. But what really impressed me with the company was their honesty! We had planned with them to get VIP tickets to the Vatican Museum – entrance without waiting on line. When we got to there, the driver phoned Walter then said to me they didn’t get the tickets – I was furious for a minute thinking we’d lose time waiting – but then he told me there was no line! So Walter bought the much cheaper tickets and we just walked in – no waiting! We wouldn’t have known the difference – they saved us all a lot of money (can’t remember just how much but I was a “hero” refunding money!).

Whatever you choose to do – have a great time! Just remember we’re all different so no “one-size” trip fits everyone! Go and enjoy what YOU like to do!!

[Softball20]

Santorini just sounds awesome. That's pretty much how we are going to spend our day, except there are a few of us who are going to try the donkeys going up. Thanks for the dining suggestions.

 

By the way, we are also using Rome Cabs. They are doing our transportation from the airport to our hotel on our first night and then taking us to the port the next day. My family is also doing the winery tour with them (Stefanorometours.com) at the end. We've never used them for tours before, but they've been great to deal with and come highly recommended. We did have Rome Cabs pick up my daughter for her transportation to/from the airport when she was just in Rome over her spring break. She said they were prompt, professional, friendly, etc.

[Bet & Peg]

As I said I highly recommend Rome Cabs. I was the person who did the arranging for Rome - feeling responsible I also did the worrying! The port before was Naples. My DH & I spent a fabulous day in Pompeii but some of our CC friends had a private tour (not Rome Cabs) of the Almalfi Coast - the road is very windy all along the water. There were 8 in their car and some had to sit backwards - they did feel great after their rocky trip!

 

When I heard that story I was really concerned - I was probably the first person off the ship in Rome just to meet our driver and check out the transporation! But, as promised, everything truned our great for us - we had a nice, air-conditioned 9 passanger van with plenty of room - and no one had to sit backwards! They were wonderful to deal with! Hope your experience is the same!!

 

Have a great trip!

[ronnie64]

Sorry to jump in on your post, but noticed that we are also doing a similar cruise and would love it if you would share the wonderful tour companies that you used for your excursions. We are going in July and interested in organized tours in Rome, Florence/Tuscany, Naples/Pompeii/Almafi, and Athens. Thanks so much!!

[Texed]

Santorini just sounds awesome. That's pretty much how we are going to spend our day, except there are a few of us who are going to try the donkeys going up.

 

Probably none of my business, but if I were going to do the donkeys, I would do them coming back down. Otherwise, you will smell like a donkey all day. :)

[Softball20]

Probably none of my business, but if I were going to do the donkeys, I would do them coming back down. Otherwise, you will smell like a donkey all day. :)

 

Interesting observation :) We figured that we would do them going up as we had heard that going down was a bit more tenuous on the donkey.