hypercafe Posted May 2, 2012 #1 Share Posted May 2, 2012 These get a bad rap in general on O. Is there a problem here or just a high price tag? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare DOJO466 Posted May 2, 2012 #2 Share Posted May 2, 2012 These get a bad rap in general on O. Is there a problem here or just a high price tag? Thanks. Seriously overpriced excursions, one of the lines only downside. I just priced a train trip in Alaska which independently costs $113, the exact same trip on the exact same train that O has chartered is $279 per person and increase of $166 per person. To me this is extortion:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddmel Posted May 2, 2012 #3 Share Posted May 2, 2012 The decision to book an O excursion is usually made on a number of factors ... price being one of them. We have always used O excursions and have been satisfied with the quality, ease of booking, etc. We value an O cruise based on the whole package, including excursions, and we are happy repeat customers. Of course we understand that each cruiser is different and some reject the O excursions because of the price. But, as they are a voluntary purchase, people are free to book their own or cruise with someone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypercafe Posted May 2, 2012 Author #4 Share Posted May 2, 2012 On the other lines we have taken it's the same, the price is higher then on your owne. I usually take the ship trip cause it gives me peace of mind. I do not want to be left behind in some out of the way place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don P Posted May 2, 2012 #5 Share Posted May 2, 2012 We reject shipboard excursions where 60 or 70 (or more) people board a bus and are taken to a location. Depending upon the length and complexity of these ship sponsored tours you are fairly restricted in where they take you and what you see. We have always been very conscientious travelers and made sure to get back to the bus on time; especially if there were several stops involved. Not everyone was respectful of "Be back on the bus at 2:00pm"; resulting in waits of varying times. In the 25 years we have been cruising we've done much better with private excursions which adhered to our wishes and our schedule. By the way, not all of them cost less than a ship sponsored excursion. We did a private (just my wife and I) excursion in Paris last year. We wanted to see a Monet exhibit, tour Sacre Couer, go to an artist colony and have a Parisian meal where Parisians ate and not a lot of tourists. The tour was approximately eight hours and cost about 650 euros. It was perfect. Having said all that to pay $279 for a train ride available at $113 is not financially prudent. I'd go with the $113 in a nano second! That would be a $324 savings on two tickets. That's more than common "cents"! The decision to book an O excursion is usually made on a number of factors ... price being one of them. We have always used O excursions and have been satisfied with the quality, ease of booking, etc. We value an O cruise based on the whole package, including excursions, and we are happy repeat customers. Of course we understand that each cruiser is different and some reject the O excursions because of the price. But, as they are a voluntary purchase, people are free to book their own or cruise with someone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbwex Posted May 2, 2012 #6 Share Posted May 2, 2012 Just a note for the OP, there is also a company called Shore Trips (shoretrips.com) which has private tours in most ports that cruise ships go to. We have used them extensively, and they are very good. That being said, I agree with the other posters about using O's (or any cruise lines' tours). If you can put together a group of 4 (six to eight is even better), you can usually get a similar tour more inexpensively, and have more interaction with the guide, get places faster, and be able to add other things you have learned about (on the Ports of Call section for instance), etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruin Steve Posted May 2, 2012 #7 Share Posted May 2, 2012 These get a bad rap in general on O. Is there a problem here or just a high price tag? Thanks. Shore excursions on Oceania are no different than shore excursions on any other cruise line... In fact, ALL of the cruise lines generally use the same local contractors in every port... Prices are, perhaps a little higher on O than on some others...but we have also found Princess to be very high...Surprisingly, the same shore excursions on Royal Caribbean cost more than they do on Celebrity--and that's the same company! All cruise lines take what the local provider offers them and tack on a premium to pay for the cruise line's administrative costs--and that will differ from cruise line to cruise line. Does it really matter if it costs a few dollars more or less? You are paying thousands for your cruise, I doubt saving a few dollars here and there is really key... Sometimes, a shore excursion is the best option... I do a lot of private tours and they might have their negatives at times. In some ports, there are no reasonably priced, well recommended private tour providers. In some places, they don't pick you up right at the ship. You have to worry about putting together a group in order to bring the price to reasonable levels--and sometimes that is not easy for everyone. And some people just like the convenience and ease of having the cruise line handle all of the details for them. For those folks, shorexes--on Oceania or any other line-can be just fine. The real knock on shorexes--whether with O or anyone else-is that you are likely touring with a big bus fiull of people...this makes the tour plodding and slow-moving. You have no discretion over the precise itinerary--with a private tour you can alter it to your specifications and even change on the fly...had enough of one attraction? Just tell your guide you'd like to move on...With a big bus group, you often can't get close to or hear your guide...and there arew some attractions the shorexes won't visit because it's too hard to get 30 or 40 people through... So, WHEN there is an option to get together a group of 6 or 8 or 10 and hire a well-recommended private guide, it is typically a better option--no matter which cruise line you are on...Depending on prevailing rates in any particular port, it typically gets to needing a group of 6 or 8 to even up costs with the shorexes... Always compare apples and apples though--remember most shorexes include admissions fees, lunch, etc. while, with may private tours, all of those costs are extras. Always clarify with the tour provider what is and isn't included in your rate. Also, in some countries (like Italy), most of the private tour operators are licensed as "drivers", not as "guides"...so, they can only narrate for you in the vehicle and cannot accompany you into the tourist sites. Know what you are getting. As to comparing Oceania shore excursions with other lines, aside from the small variations in price, the only other issue is selection and variety. With smaller ships and fewer passengers taking shorex options, there are often fewer offerings...and, iot is not uncommon for there to be cancellations in the event there is not enough interest...all less likely to happen on cruise lines with considerably larger ships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roberts2005 Posted May 2, 2012 #8 Share Posted May 2, 2012 Shore excursions on Oceania are no different than shore excursions on any other cruise line...In fact, ALL of the cruise lines generally use the same local contractors in every port... Prices are, perhaps a little higher on O than on some others...but we have also found Princess to be very high...Surprisingly, the same shore excursions on Royal Caribbean cost more than they do on Celebrity--and that's the same company! All cruise lines take what the local provider offers them and tack on a premium to pay for the cruise line's administrative costs--and that will differ from cruise line to cruise line. Does it really matter if it costs a few dollars more or less? You are paying thousands for your cruise, I doubt saving a few dollars here and there is really key... Sometimes, a shore excursion is the best option... I do a lot of private tours and they might have their negatives at times. In some ports, there are no reasonably priced, well recommended private tour providers. In some places, they don't pick you up right at the ship. You have to worry about putting together a group in order to bring the price to reasonable levels--and sometimes that is not easy for everyone. And some people just like the convenience and ease of having the cruise line handle all of the details for them. For those folks, shorexes--on Oceania or any other line-can be just fine. The real knock on shorexes--whether with O or anyone else-is that you are likely touring with a big bus fiull of people...this makes the tour plodding and slow-moving. You have no discretion over the precise itinerary--with a private tour you can alter it to your specifications and even change on the fly...had enough of one attraction? Just tell your guide you'd like to move on...With a big bus group, you often can't get close to or hear your guide...and there arew some attractions the shorexes won't visit because it's too hard to get 30 or 40 people through... So, WHEN there is an option to get together a group of 6 or 8 or 10 and hire a well-recommended private guide, it is typically a better option--no matter which cruise line you are on...Depending on prevailing rates in any particular port, it typically gets to needing a group of 6 or 8 to even up costs with the shorexes... Always compare apples and apples though--remember most shorexes include admissions fees, lunch, etc. while, with may private tours, all of those costs are extras. Always clarify with the tour provider what is and isn't included in your rate. Also, in some countries (like Italy), most of the private tour operators are licensed as "drivers", not as "guides"...so, they can only narrate for you in the vehicle and cannot accompany you into the tourist sites. Know what you are getting. As to comparing Oceania shore excursions with other lines, aside from the small variations in price, the only other issue is selection and variety. With smaller ships and fewer passengers taking shorex options, there are often fewer offerings...and, iot is not uncommon for there to be cancellations in the event there is not enough interest...all less likely to happen on cruise lines with considerably larger ships. Your points are well put. We will be taking our first Oceania trip this July. The only time I see an advantage to taking a ship's tour is on a day when the ship uses tenders. Too many times we have been delayed leaving the ship while it takes care of it's own tours. Most of the Baltic ports are very suitable to just walking or doing HOHO buses once you reach the main town Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare DOJO466 Posted May 2, 2012 #9 Share Posted May 2, 2012 Steve, I perfectly understand your position and I agree that there are times when the ship's excursion is the way to go as on a Train trip across the Panama Canal where there were all kinds of variables (traffic being the biggest concern) that we did opt to pay the inflated tour price. But the particular shorex to which I was referring costs $113.."O" is charging $279 for the exact train/tour/time etc. Why should I pay $166 more for the same thing. I don't look at this as just costing a little bit more for convenience. For two people the savings is $332, my DH can get the all you can drink package for 6 days for that;). On the 6 cruises I have taken with "O" so far I have done one ships' excursion and the rest were independent with groups we found on this board. I will tell you that we have saved thousands ($900 alone just in St Petersburg) thus allowing us to take yet another "O" cruise..and we hope to continue doing so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanny18 Posted May 2, 2012 #10 Share Posted May 2, 2012 The only time I see an advantage to taking a ship's tour is on a day when the ship uses tenders. Too many times we have been delayed leaving the ship while it takes care of it's own tours. Just a little note to let you all know that Oceania is accommodating us "private" tour people on the tenders. All you have to do is go to the lounge and tell them you are meeting a tour guide and have to get on the first or second tender and guess what??? you get to go. There is no more problem about having to wait until all the "bus" people board the tenders. Oceania now realizes that there are other travelers besides the ones who take their excursions. And speaking of O's excursions, the only time we take them is if I cannot get a private tour in a particular port. If you plan far enough ahead and find nice people on CC, you'll have a great time on your own, save money for shopping and go where you want to go. We just returned from China/Viet Nam and I booked all the tours in advance...there were 10 of us and we got along very well, had great guides, good food and a lot of fun. There is much to be said about making friends on a tour when you are only 10 and not 40 on a big bus....Arlene;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markshale Posted May 2, 2012 #11 Share Posted May 2, 2012 The only time I see an advantage to taking a ship's tour is on a day when the ship uses tenders. Too many times we have been delayed leaving the ship while it takes care of it's own tours. Just a little note to let you all know that Oceania is accommodating us "private" tour people on the tenders. All you have to do is go to the lounge and tell them you are meeting a tour guide and have to get on the first or second tender and guess what??? you get to go. There is no more problem about having to wait until all the "bus" people board the tenders. Oceania now realizes that there are other travelers besides the ones who take their excursions. And speaking of O's excursions, the only time we take them is if I cannot get a private tour in a particular port. If you plan far enough ahead and find nice people on CC, you'll have a great time on your own, save money for shopping and go where you want to go. We just returned from China/Viet Nam and I booked all the tours in advance...there were 10 of us and we got along very well, had great guides, good food and a lot of fun. There is much to be said about making friends on a tour when you are only 10 and not 40 on a big bus....Arlene;) Arlene, I would really appreciate it if you could send me a quick email telling me what tours (companies/guides you used) you took and if there was anything you would not recommend after your experience. We cruise to China/Vietnam next March. Oh, and thanks for the tip about getting off even sooner when tendering. markshale at yahoo dot com Thanks. We used to do ships tours all the time until we discovered Cruise Critic. Ships tours have their place, but for those willing to invest in the organization of smaller tours, the rewards are great. I cannot tell you how many times we were out of the port well ahead of the others. You simply move faster, see more and get into places where larger buses can't. When we did Capri on our own we were on the fourth tender, we were at the chair lift line to the very top with the people on the first bus from the first tender. We would have BEATEN them if we had gone straight there like they did. I simply don't know how that could happen, but it did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepawa Posted May 2, 2012 #12 Share Posted May 2, 2012 My wife and I were part of Arlene’s group of 10 for the tours in China/Vietnam. What a great way to make new friends while enjoying such wonderful tours. While on Nautica, 8 of the group booked a cruise on Riviera for September 2013, perhaps Arlene and Alan will join us since we need her organizational skills and her knowledge at Trivia. My wife and I also took 2 Oceania excursions which met our touring requirements. If you can get together with others on your Roll Call for private tours, it is definitely the way to go, but you can always mix and match with ship’s tours. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacheco18 Posted May 2, 2012 #13 Share Posted May 2, 2012 I totally concur with all the comments about the advantages of private tours -- and cost is the least of it IMO. I took one O tour in a city in China that was a "new" port and where I could not find a private guide despite a determined search. We got off the bus and waited 45 minutes (in the cold) for 25 women to use a single restroom. One loudmouth on the bus made us all miserable. The guide's English was unintelligible (and I usually have no difficulty understanding even the thickest accents), we were taken to a souvenir shop that was a tourist trap and we were not able to stop at a fabulous street fair that was going on (not part of the tour). Never again. I would rather stay on the ship than take a ship sponsored tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAG Posted May 3, 2012 #14 Share Posted May 3, 2012 Arlene, I would really appreciate it if you could send me a quick email telling me what tours (companies/guides you used) you took and if there was anything you would not recommend after your experience. We cruise to China/Vietnam next March. Oh, and thanks for the tip about getting off even sooner when tendering. markshale at yahoo dot com Arlene, I would also be interested in the tours you took as we are also booked for china and Vietnam next year. Not sure if Mark and I are on the same cruise, but if we are (march 10th Nautical) perhaps we can already have 4 people for a tour. Thanks so much. Ceniag at g mail dot com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capecodder2 Posted May 3, 2012 #15 Share Posted May 3, 2012 When I read "horror stories" like Pacheco18's, I feel the need to say that we have had 2 horror experiences on private tours arranged thru CC, so they are not limited to ship excursions. We no longer do that type of excursion. We will either do our own tour or the ship excursions. Regarding the price difference of the rail trip in Alaska, are you comparing apples to apples? The OP mentioned the word "charter" which brings another price element into the situation and I am sure it includes other things besides just the $113 rail portion that need to be taken into consideration. I don't find O's excursions any more expensive than other cruise lines. Just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacheco18 Posted May 3, 2012 #16 Share Posted May 3, 2012 When I read "horror stories" like Pacheco18's, I feel the need to say that we have had 2 horror experiences on private tours arranged thru CC, so they are not limited to ship excursions. I agree. I have read plenty of horror stories about private tours on CC. I do exhaustive research and choose ONLY those guides that get superlative reviews. Some of them -- my guides in Amalfi, Jerusalem, Istanbul and Yalta-- I would almost describe as "legendary" in the world of shore excursions. They are really in demand. I book those guides a year in advance (or more) to get them personally, rather than someone from their company. I review the itinerary carefully and confirm and reconfirm during the year. I already have all my private guides booked for my cruise Dubai to Rome April - May 2013 and most of them for the Black Sea for August 2013. That is the only way to do it if you want to avoid disappointment. It is worth the effort. Luckily, I have found kindred spirits on my Dubai cruise and they have done half the work! I laughingly post these very early-booked tours on the roll call and they are always more than the number I need to complete the group. Most cruisers are happy for me to do the work and truthfully I prefer to do the work as I know I will not be likely to be disappointed. I am always amazed when roll call participants post that they are looking for private tours only a few months before the cruise departs. That is just too late IMO. I understand why some choose ship tours. They are just not for us. It is nice to have options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanny18 Posted May 3, 2012 #17 Share Posted May 3, 2012 My wife and I were part of Arlene’s group of 10 for the tours in China/Vietnam. What a great way to make new friends while enjoying such wonderful tours. While on Nautica, 8 of the group booked a cruise on Riviera for September 2013, perhaps Arlene and Alan will join us since we need her organizational skills and her knowledge at Trivia. My wife and I also took 2 Oceania excursions which met our touring requirements. If you can get together with others on your Roll Call for private tours, it is definitely the way to go, but you can always mix and match with ship’s tours. Don Thanks Don, but I couldn't do it without such nice people as you and Jenny and all the others we've met over the years. It truly is great fun and trivia was the best!! Who knows, maybe we will join you in September 2013!! Best, Arlene Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruin Steve Posted May 3, 2012 #18 Share Posted May 3, 2012 Personally, I do not believe in a hard and fast "No Shorexes" rule. Even though I have a preference for private small group tours, I still DO take Shore excursions from time to time...There are several reasons why. On our Marina cruise this past August, we twice took the ship's shorexes- 1) In La Rochelle--I was unable to locate a decently recommended private guide. Our guide for Bordeaux was charging a hefty premium just to come up to Le Verdon--where the Maina docked...La Rochelle would have been too far away. The ship offered an excursion to the Hennesey distillery in Cognac and this is precisely what I wanted to visit in this port. Pricey--but, to me, price is secondary...No brainer, we booked the shorex. 2) Livorno--we had the option of joining a group from our roll call to the Cinque Terre...but we wanted to visit Pisa and Lucca...No one else on our roll call was interested in this. A private tour for two would be extremely pricey. Oceania offered a full day tour to Puccini, Lucca and Pisa. It turned out to be a very enjoyable day. Often, when choosing something other than the popular tour (in this case, Florence), you end up with a smaller group and a tour more closely proximating a private tour. On our Australia/New Zealand cruise over New Years, we ended up doing about half the ports by shorex, half by private tour. In Dunedin, for example, the prime attraction for us was the Taieri Gorge railroad...Problem was that the entire capacity of this train's run during our prime port hours was pre-booked by the cruise line. You could not book this trip privately. Hence, the shore excursion, like it or not, made sense for us. And, yes, the price was at a premium over what the normal do-it-yourself fare might have been. For our upcoming Iceland/Norway cruise, we have private tours booked for the three days in Iceland...For Norway, however, we are going with shorexes. This is our second cruise to the Norwegian Fjords. What we have found is that private guides are hard to find in these ports...and when one finds them, they tend to be pricey. Cost of living in Norway is high--as is the cost of gasoline...so, in order to make a reasonable profit, private guides have to keep their rates high. Another issue is that some of these ports have short port days...All one might fit in when the ship is only in port until 2:00 pm as ours is in Bergen is, perhaps a four-hour half-day tour. But, most tour guides won't give you a half a day for half a rate...They are giving up their opportunity to sell the entire day to a hotel-based client...so, you get charged at a regular full day's rate for half a days tour...In Geiranger, where we don't pull in to port until 11:00 am and then have to tender, we are also looking at a shortened day...and logistical issues related to allowing the time for tendering back and forth and the chance that the cruise line prioritizes its excursions...Shorexes again make far more sense here... So, basically, my approach is to not view anything as completely desirable or undesirable...but to look at each port individually...to do the research and consider all of the options: Research each port--what there is that you absolutely must see... Consider the cruise line's shorexes...What do they offer and how closely do they match your desires...and what limitations of the port day may make them a more reasonable option. Look for and contact well-recommended private guides. Get proposals for what sort of tour they would recommend and at what price for what size a group. Go to your roll call and see if you can put together a group--with people who (hopefully) have the same desires as you--and the same limitations or lack thereof...and who are commited to the cruise and the tour... Also consider whether you might rather just wander the port on your own--and if the sites are reasonably close or reasonable reachable from the dock...and if you feel comfortable doing it that way. Weigh the costs and the ease and the other positives and negatives...What does each option include or not include for the cost...Is the pick-up and drop-off point at the ship, etc. Sometimes, I have found, the answer to the analysis means putting together a private tour...sometimes it means opting for the shorex...Sometimes it's just do it yourself... BTW, We have had excellent private tours MOST OF THE TIME...but we have also ended up, somehow or another, with clunkers--for a variety of reasons--even with well-recommended providers...We have had some downright awful shore excursions...but we have also had some incredibly excellent ones...some that could not have been beaten or even matched by private tours. Once, in Rome, we had a ship's excursion with ELEVEN passengers and two LICENSED guides that included interior guided tours of the Vatican and other sites...I have done private tours in Rome as well...and those did not come close to what we got on that shorex... It's all an adventure...enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare DOJO466 Posted May 3, 2012 #19 Share Posted May 3, 2012 Back to my original complaint re: $279 for a $113 tour....I just received an e-mail from the lovely person at the White Pass RR..she went above and beyond the call and contacted Prestige Holdings (O) directly and was given this response "We did a price review and realized this price was incorrect and we are currently in the process of correcting it"..the new price is $199 (pre-paid $179)..yes that I can take..BUT..now I ask myself..I have until June 30, 2012 to purchase the new "Ultimate Collection" shorex plan at 2 for 1 ($500ea)...and with this plan I can get the trip for an additional $49 which is no problem (thus my researching this so early)..so is "O" publishing an inflated price online hoping to entice me to purchase the pre-paid "Ultimate"? I wonder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orchestrapal Posted May 4, 2012 #20 Share Posted May 4, 2012 Back to my original complaint re: $279 for a $113 tour....I just received an e-mail from the lovely person at the White Pass RR..she went above and beyond the call and contacted Prestige Holdings (O) directly and was given this response "We did a price review and realized this price was incorrect and we are currently in the process of correcting it"..the new price is $199 (pre-paid $179)..yes that I can take..BUT..now I ask myself..I have until June 30, 2012 to purchase the new "Ultimate Collection" shorex plan at 2 for 1 ($500ea)...and with this plan I can get the trip for an additional $49 which is no problem (thus my researching this so early)..so is "O" publishing an inflated price online hoping to entice me to purchase the pre-paid "Ultimate"? I wonder Of course that's their plan. The only problem I see is then you'll be locked into 6 tours whereas if you purchase those you want and hate the first one you can get refunds for any others you have purchased, but not with the package. We had the experience with our first booked tour on O and never booked another and were happy with our refunds for those cancelled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiniels Posted May 4, 2012 #21 Share Posted May 4, 2012 High price tag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wansui Posted May 4, 2012 #22 Share Posted May 4, 2012 Dear Pacheco18, As long as you aren't going to Amalfi this October, would you be willing to email me the name of the tour guide you used there to skmickel@sbcglobal.net? Thanks so much! Wansui Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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