Celebrity shore excurion vs private

[Softball20]

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!!

 

On the first page of this thread I posted the names of the operators we are using. I just noticed that for some reason, the web site for the guy in Athens did not appear correctly. It is: http://www.athens****************/

[trvlrs]

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.

 

Hello Peg - What a great description of your day in Santorini! What month were you there? We'll be there in Aug and I am already dreading the heat.

How long of a ride is it from Fira to Oia? Are the bus frequent and reliable? Do you remember the bus number? Is it easy to find it? Sorry for all the questions. Thanks, Cherine

[Bet & Peg]

Hi Cherine ~ we were in Santorini in June, 2008 - I'm not at home not so have to rely on memory and I'd say it was about the 21st or 22nd. I was HOT but not as bad as the summer became! It's SO hard to predict just what the weather will be but I'm sure August will be HOT!!

 

I don't remember the number of the bus - I know we got to Fira and walked to the main street and then to the right and the bus depot - I'm sure someone can direct you if info isn't available on the internet. The trip took about 20 minutes to very long. The two cities aren't very far - bus took a route through the center of the island. I'm sure even cabs are available - but there were 8 of us and we just decided on the bus - it wasn't difficult. Coming back to Fira the bus left from the center of Oia to the bus depot.

 

When I get home I'll look for more info.

 

(We took a taxi from Ammoudi up to Oia (maybe 5 Euro for 4 of us) and I'm sure you could also take it down if its too hot to walk and you want to have lunch down there.)

[trvlrs]

Thank you Peg - I am debating, bus, cab or rent a car. My worry is that Aug will be very busy and I am worried about the bus being too busy and missing our ship. Thanks for all the info.

How is gool old Queens? I grew up in Whitestone.

I noticed you are taking a Baltic cruise. We did, last Aug, and had a fantastic time. You're going to love it.

[cruising25th]

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 Santorini, Mykonos, Istanbul, Ephesus, and Naples/capri. Thanks for your input

[Sandylee]

Those of you who are planning to go on the donkeys, I hope you will consider whether your weight is appropriate. I am horrified by the photos of really large tourists sitting on little donkeys. People have this idea that donkeys can carry any weight, but this is not humane. A maximum weight for a donkey to carry should be about 1/3 of their body weight. So if you've got a good-sized donkey weighing 350 pounds, the rider should be no more than 120 pounds max. And that would actually be pretty heavy considering they have to climb a steep hill. In fact from the pictures I've seen, they seem to have mules at Santorini not donkeys? But the same weight rule applies. OK, so you won't be able to weigh the donkey and do a sum, but if you'd look really top-heavy on a donkey, chances are you're too heavy.

[jamiegirl]

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!

I think you guys are on our sailing for the Med. Did you do a private tour for Santorini or are you planning to explore on your own?

[Softball20]

For Santorini, we are just exploring on our own. I kind of looked into private drivers for this port, but it seemed to be so easily done on our own as we just want to enjoy the scenery. We are first going to Fira then getting a cab to Oia. Some in our group are taking the donkeys up, the rest are doing the cable cars. We figure we'll head right to Oia where we want to wander around, have lunch, etc.

[jamiegirl]

For Santorini, we are just exploring on our own. I kind of looked into private drivers for this port, but it seemed to be so easily done on our own as we just want to enjoy the scenery. We are first going to Fira then getting a cab to Oia. Some in our group are taking the donkeys up, the rest are doing the cable cars. We figure we'll head right to Oia where we want to wander around, have lunch, etc.

I looked into the tours as well since we are traveling with a 5-year old! They seemed VERY expensive. Did you see any that were more reasonable? I booked the Celebrity one for 3.5 hours but am now worried it won't be enough time. Are cabs readily available at the port to drive you to the top or are the steps, cable car or donkey the only way up? Donkey and steps would be challenging for my little one and I hear the cable car line can be a 90-minute wait to come back down?

[Softball20]

I really didn't pay too much attention to the cost of tours in Santorini as I knew that we weren't going to do one. The ship's tour does seem short - part of the reason why we don't do them as we find them limiting.

 

As for other methods to get up, I'm not really sure. I know that this topic is covered on the boards for Greece - there's a couple good threads about Santorini.

[CaroleLee]

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.

 

Did this on Solstice last June. Send me e-mail & I will send you my pvt tour list

Carole

[jamiegirl]

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.

 

Would you please share the private tour companies you used in Messina - if it was on your itinerary and Athens? Also is it easy to do Mykonos and RHodes on your own?Thank you

[Pat.bz]

We only take ship's tours if there isn't another good option. That said, there are other independent options in addition to those mentioned above. In Rome and Florence (and many other big cities) you can do a Hop On Hop Off Bus (flat price, headphones, if good weather great opps for pics on top deck etc) and in Rome you can do free downloads of Rick Steves walking tours to your Ipod. Can't recommend this last option enough; each tour is 45 mins w/ pics and they are available for Sistine, St. Peters, Forum, Colisseum and more.

[spampy]

I am very interested in your philosophy of private shore excursions. I am cruising Celebrity Constellation, July 3-15 , scandanavia, Helsinki, St. petersburg, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Berlin, Estonia. Any suggestions? Is anyone else going and is there interest in organizing some excursions??

[spampy]

Is anyone cruising on the Constellation this July 2, scandanavia russia. I am interested in private shore excursions. Any takers??

[Pilkpop]

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.

 

Hi we are going to the med on celebrity eclipse and would like some advice on who you booked with - we dont want to do the 40+ thing on a tour bus - we just want to see all the sites of Rome while we are there.

Thank you for your help:)

[jamiegirl]

Hi we are going to the med on celebrity eclipse and would like some advice on who you booked with - we dont want to do the 40+ thing on a tour bus - we just want to see all the sites of Rome while we are there.

Thank you for your help:)

Rome in Limo was EXCELLENT. They went out of their way to do special things for us like secure tickets to a mass at St. Peter's, etc. I cannot recommend them enough. They came thru on all of their promises and were very professional. Their tour guides are highly educated and really know their subject matter. I also liked Kusadasi Tours for Turkey and Santorini Tours - Nikkos. We had good experiences with most of ours as well.

[Softball20]

Hi we are going to the med on celebrity eclipse and would like some advice on who you booked with - we dont want to do the 40+ thing on a tour bus - we just want to see all the sites of Rome while we are there.

Thank you for your help:)

 

We used Rome Cabs for transportation and for a day in the country side at the end of our cruise. I can't comment on them for an actual day in Rome, as we didn't use them for that. They do, however, offer day trips to Rome. For our purposes, they were prompt, professional, etc. They didn't have a vehicle big enough for eight of us with luggage when picking us up at the airport, but our group doesn't exactly travel lightly and we had a lot of luggage :)

 

You mentioned that you want to see all of the sites of Rome while you are there. Are you there for just a port day or will you have more time at the front/back end of your cruise? It's pretty much impossible to see all the sites on a port day. Pick your one or two "must see" things and start there. We did use Real Rome Tours two years ago on a port day and had a great day at the Vatican. We have also used Angel Tours for the Coliseum and most recently for a nice evening walking tour that hit the major highlights (we were spending the night in Rome, so the evening tour worked).