Why do most excursions start so early?

[DrJW]

Isn't the purpose of a vacation to be able to sleep in a bit..rather than get up at 7 am...get some breakfast and rush to meet a tender or bus for a tour? What is the rationale for O not starting their full or half day tours at 9am rather than 8am as most of them are! CLEARLY, this is not for the benefit or well being of their passengers, is it? Must be another revenue type issue....:confused:

 

Comments?

[DrHemlock]

Well, right off the top of my head, it would be because most tours run 3-4 hours. By leaving at 8:00, one can take a tour in the morning, have lunch, then take a different tour in the afternoon.

 

Given that O's tours can be expensive relative to what one can book privately, it would seem logical and economical simply to book a private tour prior to arrival, departing at the time of one's choice and visiting only the sites and attractions one wishes to see rather than having to depart too early, wait for slowpokes on a bus and spend too much time at shopping or other stops that one would otherwise wish to avoid. Works great most places.

 

That will be two cents, please.

Edited April 3, 2014 by DrHemlock

[JimandStan]

Isn't the purpose of a vacation to be able to sleep in a bit..rather than get up at 7 am...get some breakfast and rush to meet a tender or bus for a tour? What is the rationale for O not starting their full or half day tours at 9am rather than 8am as most of them are! CLEARLY, this is not for the benefit or well being of their passengers, is it? Must be another revenue type issue....:confused:

 

Comments?

 

:o....purely consumer driven.

 

Perhaps it is the last vestige of good old fashioned American Puritanism, but a great many people believe that they are not "getting their monies worth" unless they are off the ship and touring at the crack of Dawn.

 

If you stick around this Forum long enough, you will eventually come across a Post by some individual who is livid because they weren't allowed off the ship early enough.....although they suspect that someone else was :rolleyes:

 

Very Dramatic

[MVPinBoynton]

Well, right off the top of my head, it would be because most tours run 3-4 hours. By leaving at 8:00, one can take a tour in the morning, have lunch, then take a different tour in the afternoon.

 

Given that O's tours can be expensive relative to what one can book privately, it would seem logical and economical simply to book a private tour prior to arrival, departing at the time of one's choice and visiting only the sites and attractions one wishes to see rather than having to depart too early, wait for slowpokes on a bus and spend too much time at shopping or other stops that one would otherwise wish to avoid. Works great most places.

 

That will be two cents, please.

 

+1 Well said!

[DrJW]

Whats wrong doing a ship's 3 hrs tour ..rather than the usual 4? Then one can still do the morning and have the afternoon to relax on board or rush out again to another tour! All these tours are merely 'appetizers' to get a feel of the land...one is not immersed in the land or culture in 3 or even 4 hours.....so why not do the three hours..and disembark as a 'gentleman' or 'lady' after a nice breakfast.... Guess there are many who just want to emulate that 'Everready Battery'....: just go..go...go...even when on vacation....

[hondorner]

Oceania doesn't create the excursions -- they just buy into the ones available. Could be, in many cases, the tour starts when the tour company wants to start.

 

In some cases, Morning tours are early so folks with unlimited passport tours can get back in time for the afternoon tours. Personally, I like earlier tours in the morning so I can wander off on my own in the afternoon.

Edited April 4, 2014 by hondorner

[OCruisers]

:o Also hate they start so every early.

LuLu

~~~

[ronrick1943]

That's why I book what ever I want myself-so I can do it as I want, when I want.

Rick

[ChatKat in Ca.]

I am not a morning person.

As a matter of fact, when we vacation I end up leaving the ship to tour earlier than if I am home and working. Time in port is limited and I don't want to miss something; On our last O cruise we had 26 days and all the port days we left between 8 and 9 for private tours. Often we returned to the ship in time for dinner and we missed Trivia, Tea and all. Vacations are not all about sleeping in. They are also about experiencing other than the every day life around you. Sleep in at home. You won't miss anything there.

[BillPizzaiolo]

Typically we book privately with small groups, 6 or 8 people. Most tours meet up to get their plastic ticket in the lounge when all tickets are distributed for a particular tour then people are allowed to go out or board the tender. Then when 50 or more people need to find their bus then board it leaving the ship at 8 am means that by the time all are on board the bus it is almost 9 am.Then there is a varying commute from the port to wherever the tour begins. That's why they start early.

[BillPizzaiolo]

Typically we book privately with small groups, 6 or 8 people. Most tours meet up to get their plastic ticket in the lounge when all tickets are distributed for a particular tour then people are allowed to go out or board the tender. Then when 50 or more people need to find their bus then board it leaving the ship at 8 am means that by the time all are on board the bus it is almost 9 am.Then there is a varying commute from the port to wherever the tour begins. That's why they start early.

 

Example of a private tour for three couples on February 12, 2015 Marina posting.Jeannie and I are planning a half-day wine tasting tour 1PM-4 PM, with "For the Love of Grape" in Geelong, 15 February. They quoted $65pp. We would like to form a small group of three couples. (we need two more) For the love of grape will provide a tour guide and vehicle if we are six passengers. As a small group we can plan our itinerary. There are a number of wineries with cellar doors open to the public we can choose from– including:

Leura Park

Scotchman's Hill,

Oakdene

McGlashan's Wallington Estate

Jack Rabbit,

Bellarine Estate,

Banks Rd

Terindah Estate

Kiltynane (Snack grazing platters available $5-pp – must be pre-ordered)

and there are smaller appointment only wineries including:

Grassy Point WInes

Ponda Estate,

Barrgowan

 

Contact us at billpizzaiolo at gmail dot com

Bill & Jeannie

[PaulMCO]

Also many places -- you do not want to be out in the sun at 2pm. Examples -- Med cruises in Summer, Asian cruises in summer or rainy season.

[Andee]

We're not big fans of sleeping in on vacation--we're those crazy people who want to take advantage of every minute in port. Although we don't generally book excursions through the ship, a later start and a shorter tour would not be appealing to us.

 

Bill, according to CC guidelines, the Roll Call for your sailing is the place to look for fellow passengers to share a tour. Good luck!

[Toranut97]

Good heavens.

 

No one is forcing your keister off the ship, are they? You want to sleep? - they have a cleverly designed placard that says "Privacy Please." Put it up near the door at bedtime. Jeez.

 

I suppose you will tell us next that on Crystal and Seabourn and the other muckety muck lines you never have to rise before 8 to take a tour. Because premium lines care more about your well being. They magically get you from Civitavecchia to Rome in no time at all so that you don't have to include the hour and a half drive that forces the tours to leave so blooming early, right?

 

Speaking only for myself and DH, we tour with the recognition that we may NOT be back to these ports again. We want to make the most of the time we have in a new port and use our time there to the max. We wish we could take three or four cruises a year. But we can't afford that. So if we take one cruise a year, we use every minute, and we do not begrudge the sleep we lose. We can always rest when we get home.

 

This is the second thread you have started complaining about the ship's excursions on O. I gather you have a bee in your bonnet about them for some reason, I don't know what it is. I can see you don't like them. But no one is forcing you to use them. So either sleep in, arrange your own tours later in the day, or choose less port-intensive itineraries. Take it in hand and solve this one for yourself. It seems to me that O is simply offering options for everyone.

 

 

 

SMH

Edited April 4, 2014 by Toranut97
added thoughts

[orchestrapal]

That's why I book what ever I want myself-so I can do it as I want, when I want.

Rick

 

Well said. O does not force any one to get up early or to take their excursions.

[hypercafe]

It must depend of the port because on our last trip we were in ten ports and during the trip I saw many meeting at 9, 10 am and then in the afternoon. The one's that started early, in some cases, had a long ride to the attraction and back to the ship. There was such a mix of options I am sure you can get your well deserved rest and still see the sights.

[kimanjo]

Believe it or not, vacation or not, we are not late sleepers, and I suspect we are not alone!

 

If it's 5:45, we're probably up.

 

Maybe because we are in bed early. We don't go to the casino, or the bars. After dinner might be some cribbage, or another game, but we're TIRED!!

 

I honestly cannot remember being in bed in the morning past 6:30 or 7.

[Hawaiidan]

Believe it or not, vacation or not, we are not late sleepers, and I suspect we are not alone!

 

If it's 5:45, we're probably up.

 

Maybe because we are in bed early. We don't go to the casino, or the bars. After dinner might be some cribbage, or another game, but we're TIRED!!

 

I honestly cannot remember being in bed in the morning past 6:30 or 7.

 

LOVE the dawn breaking, the cool of the air, the drama of it all... ALL part of the experience.

 

I remember getting up on deck at 4:30 am to watch our arrival in Bora Bora... Watching the colors and shadows change from clouds to land in the Pacific is not to be missed...people think sunsets are good.... dawn is even better! Artists, photographers and poets are all hip to the early morning.

 

That's why we cruise... to see the best on the ports and there is more drama and human activity and feel earlier than later... That is why most tours are scheduled early to take advantage of the best time so see things is 9 times out of 10 in the earily morning.

 

Remember the song "memories" from Cats?

 

Heck, I can not remember staying in bed past 6am.... except once in the hospital...

 

Life it too short to sleep it away.and as someone said you can do that at home.

[DrJW]

I was merely expressing my personal opinion...yes,,twice..and asking how others felt...no need to be so 'touchy' or defensive....I was under the impression that Cruise Critic is a forum for all of us to freely express thoughts...opinions, etc....No one is right ot wrong..just an opinion.!

 

Once again, the purpose of BOTH of my posts was to get a 'feel' of how others felt. CLEARLY, I know now how you feel.

 

Thanks

[cbb]

We're the opposite of OP... we love getting up and getting out. If you have ever visited the Acropolis when EVERYBODY else is there, then you know why we like getting up.

 

Delos first thing in the morning is uncrowded, few people want to be on Rhodes or at Giverny when everyone else is, ....etc. If I wanted to be with masses of others I'd leave at 11ish!!

 

If you don't want to get up in the morning, then don't get up...that much more room on the tender for Mr Wonderful and me!

[Noxequifans]

I do find a bit of humor here. Seems like a bit of work to surface a complaint of this granularity.

[YoHoHo]

The early bird gets the worm.

Many cruisers like to get off ship early.

Do they have worms?

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I must say that I sympathize with the OP. It's partly why we're currently avoiding port-intensive cruises (although our upcoming PG cruise is, but that's another matter, the islands are different.) I like to relax on holidays and not feel rushed. There is a contradiction there that's tough to reconcile. So get your own private tours organized and make sure they start a bit later, and go through lunch. Or do afternoon tours. I'm never wedded to the idea of being onboard for each and every meal--god knows I could miss a few with no problem!

[CintiPam]

IMO the main reason the excursions leave so early is that many cruisers simply want to be back at the ship in time for lunch.

[JimandStan]

IMO the main reason the excursions leave so early is that many cruisers simply want to be back at the ship in time for lunch.

 

Of course you are correct, Pam, and that is a conceit that I've just about given up on trying to talk people out of...

 

Some of our most enduring, wonderful memories are of off the ship meals.

Come to think of it, one of them was at that gorgeous roof top restaurant in Vernazza, on that day in Cinque Terre with you and the Legal Eagle!

 

I still dream about the Baron of Lamb at the rooftop restaurant in the Reichstag in Berlin

 

La Colombe D’Or is a must anytime that we are in the south of France (the art is so fabulous that it may bring tears to your eyes)

 

and some few restaurants (and I don't say this lightly, because I am quite a fan of the food on Oceania) are good enough to contemplate a dinner ashore.