Shore excursions

[Treaclecruiser]

Shore excursions is a mind field. Not sure we're to start, I have looked at the cruise liner website and searched the net. Do people use the cruiser line or do they book independent excursions. Do you book excursions for most port days or just go exploring on some.

 

Thanks

[Illyria]

I checked the itinerary for your sailing - in the Mediterranean, I would normally go with independent tour operators, much better selection and prices than the cruise ship's excursions.

 

Beyond that, it really depends on the port. Some ports, like Venice, have so much to offer, especially if you haven't been there before, you can just explore it on your own (I did bring a guidebook with me when I was there). Or Dubrovnik - you'll probably need to take the ship's shuttle into the town, but beyond that, you can just walk on top the wall and enjoy the views. Basically you can just search these boards for your ports of call and see what people are asking, what they wanted to see, or what they mention in their reviews.

 

Since you are already participating in your roll call, keep an eye out for someone looking to add people to their tour (because then it's cheaper per person).

[Krazy Kruizers]

We prefer to book the cruise line's excursions -- especially when we are new to a port.

[kirian]

On my Med cruise last year, we stopped in 7 ports (8 if you count the port we started/ended from). We only took a ship's tour in one place (Naples.... only because it did exactly what we wanted and I didn't feel like researching private transportation). In all other places, we either just got off the ship and strolled to the sites or took local transportation to get to them. Even in Civitavecchia, we took public transportation into Rome and then toured the Forum on our own and took a tour (which I had pre-booked) of the Coliseum. I will say though, I researched ever port extensively before arriving, so I had an idea of what I wanted to do/see.

 

I really think it's up to each person individually to decide what is best for them based on the port of call and their comfort level of doing their own thing or being part of the ship's tour.

 

Have fun!

Melissa

[dancinman66]

A lot of people do both

Easy to do off cruise line

Save money and get wider range of tours doing individual

I book my own except where the tour takes you more than an hour and half distance from ship

I then do ship tours in case something goes wrong

They will wait then

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[John Bull]

Depends on a number of factors, including which port, how long you've got in port, & your own comfort-level with independent travel, using public train, buses, ferries etc.

Public transport in the US is poor, you're much more likely than most Americans to be comfortable with local transport.

 

Ship's tours are over-priced & understandably tend to be a bit of a cattle-drive. But they're easy, no need to research, no financial risk, no risk of getting back late & missing your sailing - that last point over-played by cruise lines, risks are virtually nil on a private excursion. Or when you DIY as long as you use common sense, give yourself leeway for delays ........... and don't get drunk ;)

 

You mentioned Viator. They're a half-way house between ship's tours & private tours. A booking agency, not a tour operator, so standards are variable. But, like ship's tours, they're an easy one-shop outlet for all tours. Usually much cheaper than ship's tours, & you're dealing with a respected international agency - if it all goes belly-up it's much easier to get recompense than from some tour operator in Croatia or wherever.

Google "Cruisingexcursions", a similar set-up but specialising in cruisers. They claim to guarantee that you'll not miss your ship.

 

Independently-booked tours - you can often figure those tours that are offered by the likes of Viator. Usually cheaper, and you're dealing direct with the organ grinder & not his monkey. Takes more research, & only deal with those recommended here on Cruise Critic, or TripAdvisor, or other independent websites.

 

Private tours. Expensive for just two. A minibus-full is so much cheaper than a private tour for two, so sharing with others on your cruise is common. Organised through a RollCall here on Cruise Critic.

Post your ship & sailing date & someone will provide a link.

If it's a US ship it'll probably be a lively & useful RollCall, if a Brit ship it may be a waste of time - we Brits aren't into RollCalls.

 

DIY, using local transport. Great in places like Civi (for Rome), Livorno/La Spezia (for Pisa & Florence), Naples/Salerno (for Pompeii, Herculaneum, Sorrento, Capri).

 

Taxi - unlike the Caribbean, totally unsuitable & excessively expensive for tours.

Suitable only for short one-way transfers, such a port to rail station.

 

Hop-on buses. Very variable. Great for Barcelona or London, no good for Florence or Rome.

 

Shanks's. Many ports are very compact & best explored on foot. Sometimes needs a simple transfer from port to city. Illyria's Dubrovnik is a good example.

 

On a single cruise you're likely to use most of these options at different ports, so its always worth quoting your ports.

Plenty of info on the different ports at

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=603

 

JB :)

[cb at sea]

We read up on our ports....a guidebook is a must...then decide WHAT we want to do. Many things don't require excursions at all! If you think you will need an excursion, ask how others have done it! Things like beaches, or shopping are easy to do on your own.

[Essiesmom]

Get a copy of Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports. Read up on your ports, see what there is to do and how much can be done in the time you have. On his website, you can download free audio tours for ipod/mp3, and print out maps to go with them. EM

[Steviewonder1]

on our Eastern Med cruise last year we did 2 of the ship's tours and 6 private one's. One of the ship's tours in Greece should have been a Sea day it was so bad. The private one's we did were arranged on our CC Board which had more than 250 participants and more than 30 private tours on the board. Go find your ship and date of cruise on the Roll Calls boards. Select Cruise line, Ship you are cruising on, and date of cruise. Join the board as there will be a ton of things discussed including parties, meet and greets and the private excursions that may have openings and what they cost. You can then compare what the cost of the ship's excursion vs what a private one of a similar nature is. Some of the boards are better organized than others that may require a bit of reading to see where and how things are going.

Good Luck on your cruise!

[Sinjai]

If you book an excursion through the Cruise line, you're guaranteed a ride back to the ship/from the ship.

 

If you book an excursion though the Shore/an excursion desk at the current port, there's a chance they could take you to the wrong place and/or steal your money.

[Steviewonder1]

If you book an excursion through the Cruise line, you're guaranteed a ride back to the ship/from the ship.

 

If you book an excursion though the Shore/an excursion desk at the current port, there's a chance they could take you to the wrong place and/or steal your money.

This is where Trip Advisor and other sites can help you with reviews. Booking in advance is way better than taking your chances with a shore operator at the dock. I have done none that did not have 4 or 5 stars. This is where doing research will pay off.

Edited August 27, 2014 by Steviewonder1

[MLM Racer]

I'm not a complete Cruise Rookie, but it was 20 years ago! So I booked an excursion through the cruise line website that has a 7:30am start time (which was all that was left) and ship is due in port at 7:00am! Would I assume if that time slot was available, I should have time to get there:confused:

[dancinman66]

I'm not a complete Cruise Rookie, but it was 20 years ago! So I booked an excursion through the cruise line website that has a 7:30am start time (which was all that was left) and ship is due in port at 7:00am! Would I assume if that time slot was available, I should have time to get there:confused:

 

 

Yeah your good for that as off the ship

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[wassup4565]

I completely reject sinjai's advice. The cruise ships' excursions are generally overpriced and tend to be large bus groups that operate at the speed of the slowest person in the group. Yes, they will get you back to the ship on time - that's their only claim to fame. You will spend a lot of time waiting for the latecomers to show up every time the bus loads up, and a lot of time while someone blocks the way off the bus as they dither about whether to bring their umbrella or their water bottle.

 

Especially in the Med, the independent tour operators would not stay in business if they did not get their pax back on the ship on time. You can read reviews of all the established ones on Trip Advisor, or ask about them on the Ports of Call section of CC. The tours they offer are less expensive and usually in small vans - would you rather wait for eight people to show up and load onto the vehicle, or 50 with the cruise excursions?

 

Many of the Med ports are also quite do-able on your own. You don`t have to see everything, and in fact, you can`t. If you`ve never been there before, just get off the ship, pick up a local map - often available as you get off the ship. Walk around, look at all he things you see that are different from your life. So what if you didn`t see the famous statue? Eat something new to you. Drink the local favorite drink. Sit down for awhile and look at how people are living their lives there. Guaranteed, if you walked off the ship, you can walk yourself back on board on time.

 

Rick Steeves`book, which you can get and install on your i-phone is a good companion. You don`t even have to do what he says, but he gives a good sense of what you could do.