Value/quality of SS shore excursions

[bellagirl]

I thought I had posted a thank you on here somewhere,but maybe I didn't!! Anyway, thank you to all who have responded. I appreciate the info you have supplied. :)

[kpercy]

As they say, value is in the eyes of the beholder. If one has shipboard credit they want to use up or just wants the comfort of knowing they don't have to worry about arrangements for the transfer then there is quite a bit of value spending the $79.00 for the transfer.

 

Keith

 

Yes I agree with all that. BUt its still what I consider to be extortion. As indeed did most people we discussed it with.

 

We had a superb transfer by private water taxi. 100 Euro for 4 people. About $13.

[TLCOhio]

As they say, value is in the eyes of the beholder. If one has shipboard credit they want to use up or just wants the comfort of knowing they don't have to worry about arrangements for the transfer then there is quite a bit of value spending the $79.00 for the transfer. Keith

 

Our $89 transfer on a large bus from the dock in Copenhagen to the airport was overpriced. It was good that they loaded the bags onto a separate truck and had them there at a nearby airport area.

 

YES, Keith, maybe this is a way to burn up extra shipboard credits, but for most of us it would have been much cheaper to take a taxi from the dock to the airport. It would have been about 40% of the cost. Since Silversea is not throwing in extra shipboard credits, we did not need to get that money spent in this way. The Silversea airport transfer worked well, but like some of their offerings for the "extras", the pricing is a little high for what you get. It does the job, but it is not a great "value" for this short trip.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For more details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle Silver Cloud experiences:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[newlondon]

Boy kpercy I'ld love it if 100 euro for 4 people was $13. It works out to $32.50 pp not far off SS price. I agree, however, that SS does get their pound of flesh, since they collect from more people.:cool:

[Keith1010]

Terry, I agree it was a very high price and my experience in Copenhagen is that a taxi is the way to go. And yes, the transfer from Silversea was priced at about 30% higher than another luxury line I am very familiar with. My experience is that on the short drives such as the one you were on a taxi would be a lot more cost effective.

 

As you do often, it pays to do homework in advance as one does for most other aspects of the cruise.

 

There are times that the cruise lines transfers are beneficial such as on the very long transfers but we do look at them on a case by case basis.

 

My only point is that each person needs to look at this on a case by case basis to determine what makes sense.

 

For some of the solo travelers the transfer might be the way to go due to the economics and just for expediency.

 

And for some with leftover shipboard credit it may also be the way to go as well. That was our experience last summer when we had a lot of shipboard credit so even though we know we could have done the transfer on our own for less cost we decided to use the credit for this.

 

Don't get me wrong I am not defending these costs and many times we do just book the transfer on our own. The reality is that prices on excursions, transfers, etc. are higher than what they used to be because of the emphasis on keeping cruise fares lower. And the reality is that both the cruise line and the tour operator are making money on this. And you are paying more for the convenience of all of this. Again, I am not defending this but that is a reality. Again, the key is doing the research up front to minimize surprises.

 

Keith

[TLCOhio]

Terry, I agree it was a very high price and my experience in Copenhagen is that a taxi is the way to go. The reality is that prices on excursions, transfers, etc. are higher than what they used to be because of the emphasis on keeping cruise fares lower. And the reality is that both the cruise line and the tour operator are making money on this. And you are paying more for the convenience of all of this. Again, I am not defending this but that is a reality. Again, the key is doing the research up front to minimize surprises. Keith

 

As always, Keith, an excellent summary. Doing your advance homework is important. Cruise lines are trying to keep those "sticker prices" lower to attract more attention and business, but they need to make up some of their overall costs. Convenience is largely what we were playing for as the added "value".

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For more details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle Silver Cloud experiences:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[kpercy]

Boy kpercy I'ld love it if 100 euro for 4 people was $13. It works out to $32.50 pp not far off SS price. I agree, however, that SS does get their pound of flesh, since they collect from more people.:cool:

 

Yes well spotted. It was a typing error. Should have read $33. Sorry

[unfathomable]

It's expensive, but it can be convenient. On one SS changeover day (Malaga?) recently, we watched as a trickle of cabs served at least 80 people standing in line with bags on the dock. Some waited an hour or so.

[Observer]

It's expensive, but it can be convenient. On one SS changeover day (Malaga?) recently, we watched as a trickle of cabs served at least 80 people standing in line with bags on the dock. Some waited an hour or so.

 

I had the same experience at Ft Lauderdale and very nearly missed my flight. Early birds got the cabs, and then there were long waits. I then began using cruise line transfers. I see using the (admittedly expensive) SS transfers as an insurance policy that I would make my flight. More money but less stress.

[wripro]

This is slightly OT but it makes you pine for the good old days. I first sailed with Silversea in June 1994 when the line was three months old and the Cloud was the only ship. When we disembarked in Copenhagen they had a long line of taxis for each passenger to take them wherever they wanted (airport or hotel) at no charge. That was a nice touch!!!!