1st time to Europe....ship tours or on my own???

[titicaa8396]

Hi Guys,

 

I'm thinking of doing Millenium to the Med. in May/06 12 days. Should I do the ship tours or should I try to do tours on my own?

[Bruin Steve]

I'm thinking of doing Millenium to the Med. in May/06 12 days. Should I do the ship tours or should I try to do tours on my own?

It depends a lot on your personal criteria...what is important to you...

Everyone has a different take...

 

We did ALL Celebrity Shore Excursions when we went in August 2003...and I was VERY happy with what we received...we had some great excursions, particularly in the Italian ports...

 

Here's my review from our Millie cruise with details on the excursions we took:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=1775

 

Here's my basic take on the ports:

Venice:It's either your start or finish...take a couple of extra hotel nights, buy an AAA Spiral Guide on Venice and see this on your own at leisure...

Dubrovnik: Doesn't need a tour at all...The city can be seen on one's own...

Piraeus (Athens): The shore excursions here tend to be identical to what the local guides offer...the shore excursions are cheaper...If you don't mind being in a bus with 30 of your shipmates, go with the excursion...

Santorini: Doesn't really require a tour at all...but, they are cheap enough...Take one to Akrotiri if offered...otherwise, you can rent a jeep or do public buses and see the island on your own...

Naples: Don't miss Pompei...here's one port where I firmly believe the offered shore excursions beat any private driver...Most private guides in Italy are not allowed to give actual tours within the public sites...they can only drive you and drop you off...The tour we took here (Capri, Sorrento, Pompei) was excellent.

Civitavecchia (Rome): Ahhh, Rome...The tour we took was EXCELLENT..."Walk in Renaissance Rome"...

Livorno: As a first timer, you really should visit Florence...it's a magnificent city...Far from port, so you need an excursion or a private car...

Villefranche (Nice): This is one town where a private driver really gives you the best options - St. Paul de Vence AND Eze...But, if it's your first time, you may not want to miss Monte Carlo/Monaco, so you just might want to do the Nice, Eze and Monte Carlo excursion and leave St. Paul for another trip...

Barcelona: Same advice as Venice, above...We did two shore excursions here since ours had an overnight...The Flamenco excursion was a total waste.

 

Some folks here stick up their noses at shore excursions...But, really, they are perfectly fine...The experience is satisfying enough...and it makes it easy for a first timer...let them handle all the logistics for you...

 

You don't really save any money with private guides (unless you get a van and prearrange a couple of other couples to defray the cost...not when you get done with admission charges, lunches and other added costs...The advantage to a private guide is, really, that you control your itinerary...If 15 minutes at the Pantheon is enough for you, you grab your guide and move on...no need to wait for a whole busload to get back...and you can pick specific sites you want to see...Of course, that also depends on those tourmates you've connected with...

 

The good points on the Excursion include that you need do nothing but sign up and go along for the ride...The guides are usually good...BUT, you're typically sharing the service with 30 others and it sometimes gets unwieldly...

 

Still, I like the excursions...they seem to be just a big enough bite of whichever port we're in...

 

But, again, it depends on your habits, desires and criteria...There is NO right way or wrong way to tour any port...

[titicaa8396]

Hey Bruin Steve,

 

Thank You so much for the full review and recap. I've been reading the ship tours and they don't seen so bad. I think that for the first time visit to Europe I will do some of the ship tours. In the ports that I can do my own, I will. Again thank you.

 

Liz

[alpal1993]

Liz Do some research and pick what ever feels right to you.

For Alaska last year we did a mix of ship tours and independent tours.Enjoyed all.

This year DH and I are going to Scandinavia/Russia and opted for a ship Package deal.The other passengers on the thread speak to me like I am nuts,for not joining them on R/O or Denrus tour.I liked what Celebrity had to offer and to be honest I can tell that we would not have a good time with some of them.It is your cruise pick what makes you feel happy,and don't worry what others on this board think.You receive a lot of great info,but there are alot of opinionated people as well.

What ever you choice I am sure you will have a great time.

Ann

[Scott Cyn]

We did the Millie cruise Venice-Barcelona in September 2004. You can't make a blanket statement to do all ship excursions or all private. It is case by case. I pretty much agree with Steve on his excellent rundown by port. I differ in a couple of cases:

 

In Piraeus, we took a ship excursion to Corinth, because we wanted to see it and it was a good distance from the port. While the tour guide left a good bit to be desired, it was a great way to get out to Corinth and back in a half day.

 

In Civitavecchia, we arranged a private car and driver that we shared with another couple from CC. It was fabulous. We walked off the ship and our driver was about 20 feet from the gangway. We went straight in to Rome and saw much more in our one day than any bus group could. Plus we had an entire day in the car to get to know a Rome native and hear his perspective on things. It turned out to be the highlight of our trip. By the way, if anyone is interested in contacting our driver, I can provide contact info.

 

In Villefranche, we just went on our own to Monte Carlo. By that point in the cruise, we were worn out and did not want a lot of touring. The train from Villefranche to Monte Carlo is about a five minute walk from the harbor.

 

Whichever way you do it, you're going to have a great time.

 

Scott

[stipmom]

Scott, Can you tell me a little about the Ancient Corinth excursion. Also, do you recall how many busses they had going there?I am thinking of doing that ship excursion since I have already seen the highlights of Athens. Thanks, Michele

[Scott Cyn]

Michele, as best I recall there was only one bus going to Corinth. We were primarily interested in seeing the place where Paul had preached and to where he wrote his letter to the Corinthians. From that perspective, it was great. Of course much of the ancient city is rubble, but much of it is recognizable and you can see where the market was and where Paul was imprisoned. There is also a museum there at the site of the ancient city that has interesting stuff from the Greek and Roman eras.

 

In addition to the ancient city, the tour goes by the Corinth Canal, which is an amazing piece of engineering that is worth the visit by itself.

 

After we returned to the ship, we caught a cab and went in to the Plaka shopping area in Athens. We didn't have much time there, but enough to get a feel for the place and find something to spend some money on.

 

All in all, a very nice day and I would highly recommend it.

[mari10]

We did the Millie cruise Venice-Barcelona in September 2004.

In Civitavecchia, we arranged a private car and driver that we shared with another couple from CC. It was fabulous. We walked off the ship and our driver was about 20 feet from the gangway. We went straight in to Rome and saw much more in our one day than any bus group could. Plus we had an entire day in the car to get to know a Rome native and hear his perspective on things. It turned out to be the highlight of our trip. By the way, if anyone is interested in contacting our driver, I can provide contact info.

Whichever way you do it, you're going to have a great time.

Scott

Hi Scott,

We'e doing the Barcelona~Venice Millennium Cruise in May. I would appeciate any details about your driver in Rome.

My email is:

marisltr@yahoo.com

Thanks,

Mari