Behli Posted February 12, 2011 #1 Share Posted February 12, 2011 I am taking the 7/23-8/4 Anchorage to Vancouver cruise on Oceania's Regatta. I find their excursions to be over-priced. Does anyone out there have options? Someone willing to share excursions? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted February 12, 2011 #2 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Check in the Ports of call forum http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55 also join the Roll Call for your cruise maybe others have tours booked & willing to share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipmaster Posted February 12, 2011 #3 Share Posted February 12, 2011 In many ports there are independent/private. Roll-calls is an option but what you'll likely find in Alaska you do best just booking independent yourself. Many things there is no savings by grouping larger parties, at least that was my personal experience here versus some other cruise stops. I am taking the 7/23-8/4 Anchorage to Vancouver cruise on Oceania's Regatta. I find their excursions to be over-priced. Does anyone out there have options? Someone willing to share excursions? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capecodder2 Posted February 12, 2011 #4 Share Posted February 12, 2011 There are only so many tour guides, operators, vehicles, etc. Cruise lines have first option on most of them and there are many lines. Supply and demand may account for some of the cost plus Alaska is expensive for most things, just ask anyone who lives there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
no fuss travel Posted February 12, 2011 #5 Share Posted February 12, 2011 :You can do most of the wandering around on your own. The ports are not big and we found that we preferred to wander around on our own. The tour up the mountain at Juneau was too fast and we enjoyed the fact that we could take our time and see everything since we were not on the tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Behli Posted February 12, 2011 Author #6 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Thanks for the reply. What is "Roll-call" for your cruise and where do i find it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aZ4me Posted February 12, 2011 #7 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Thanks for the reply. What is "Roll-call" for your cruise and where do i find it? Here is the Roll Call thread for your Regatta 7/23 cruise: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1235347 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floatplan Posted February 16, 2011 #8 Share Posted February 16, 2011 I am taking the 7/23-8/4 Anchorage to Vancouver cruise on Oceania's Regatta. I find their excursions to be over-priced. Does anyone out there have options? Someone willing to share excursions? Thanks I don't cruise O but saw your post.....I think you do get some things for the higher price. In Dominica I did a private tour group origanized on CC and it looked like we would pay $40 instead of the NCL's $70....it was not great. We were in a much smaller crappy van, packed full, for 6 hours. The NCL small bus looked much much nicer. The admissions to the 2 places were NOT included, so extra $15, plus we spent time in line. Then for the snokling the gear was included on the private tour and they wanted $10 or $15, also had no towels. So at best...same price...not as fun. So I would suggest being careful to understand what you are getting. I almost always book ship's tours. I am happy to pay the higher price to get the better and more organized experience. No stress. I also tend to be in a suite so the Conc sometimes makes it nicer to get off the boat. Unless it's a must I book them on the ship and book it 1 or 2 days before so that I know I want still to go and feel well. Also we may have met couples on ship that we want to join, but can usually cancel 24 hrs before. I would still consider a private tour. NCL is offering some premium stuff like 6 people in a van, but it tends to be very high priced like $1000. In AK did one unplanned in Juneau, just picked up a bus or van in town at a parking lot near the tender where all the tours guys sell. It went to the glacier and was great. It's American so I feel very safe doing that..... Some of the really expensive AK tours like Helo tours seem easy to price shop and compare, so I would say AK is a different animal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oceans&Rivers Posted February 16, 2011 #9 Share Posted February 16, 2011 I don't cruise O but saw your post.....I think you do get some things for the higher price. In Dominica I did a private tour group origanized on CC and it looked like we would pay $40 instead of the NCL's $70....it was not great. We were in a much smaller crappy van, packed full, for 6 hours. The NCL small bus looked much much nicer. The admissions to the 2 places were NOT included, so extra $15, plus we spent time in line. Then for the snokling the gear was included on the private tour and they wanted $10 or $15, also had no towels. So at best...same price...not as fun. The thing I have noticed in many photo albums online and also in roll calls is just as you described—packed vans, and I can't imagine anything worse than being seated three-to-a-row (or even two, in some cases) for hours on end, where I have to sit face forward, feet below. I want to stretch out, sit sideways sometimes, to move around and not be cramped. In roll calls I often read people encouraging as many others as possible to sign up for their private excursions in order to get the price down as low as possible. I would still be interested in private tours sometimes, but only when others are willing to settle on not filling the vans up. The other thing is, as you pointed out, that small vans are usually not as comfortable, and from what I can determine, they are lower to the ground, so the view out is usually not as good as larger, purpose-built touring vehicles. Most of the time we just like to wing it and decide on the spot what we want to do and where we want to go, ships tour, local bus, private car, taxi, whatever. I do realize, however, that my husband and I are likely much more comfortable in foreign situations than most Americans, and we enjoy meeting as many locals as possible when we travel, especially in exotic locales. Some of our most memorable travels included taking local options where we were warned not to do so. It's not what everyone wants to do and I respect that, but for us, there is no point to foreign travel just to see monuments, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpver Posted February 17, 2011 #10 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Looking to the principles of the ships tours and private tours I would make some reflexions on this item: - Alaska is a more difficult destination as most of the organisation is in hands of HAL. (Also others as Princess use them: of cours it is the same financial group) - the examples of Domenica given etc. Of course I canot judge these specific ones. Only compare to a real one. Otway Park in Punta Areanas Chili Through CC we were able to book at USD 35 pp for exactly the same tour as organised by the shipping line at USD 89 pp. The comfort was better and more personalised. - Further we are used to travel on individual basis. If you look at rates Kusadasi Ephese (see cc forum) or simply at Pireaus to take the metro at € 1.2 (before € 1) pp each way and the entrance fee at the Acropolis in Athens, or paying €70 for two, with a public bus even to visit the waterfalls of Krka out of Sibenik (inclusive the entrance fee) io us$ 137 per person with the cruise line ... it goes without comments. And these are only a few examples - on the other hand on some destinations indeed is it better to take the cruise tours. Friends of mine (faithfull Oceania) found that in St Petersburg the visa for Russia only (!) was nearly as much as the Oceania ships tour. On top in private you have difficulties to enter easily without baksish the places to visit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted February 17, 2011 #11 Share Posted February 17, 2011 In Dominica I did a private tour group origanized on CC and it looked like we would pay $40 instead of the NCL's $70.... We got off the ship & there were plenty of tour guides We ended up taking an island tour in a Mercedes car ..there was only 2 of us (could not find anyone willing to share) We had a great day with Campbell our driver cost $75. total I saw some of the vans being loaded up so decided it was worth the $$ even for just the 2 of us Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CintiPam Posted February 21, 2011 #12 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Your friends are wrong about St. Petersburg. You do not need a visa to visit St. Petersburg on a shore excursion (for up to 72 hours) booked with a licensed private tour company. There are dozens of these licensed tour companies, many of which (Alla, SPB, Denrus, TJ Travel, etc.) are reviewed in detail and highly recommended here on the Northern Europe and Baltics board. And you certainly do not have to bribe anyone to visit the main places you would want to during a two- or three-day port stay in St. Petersburg! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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