Best and worst Princess tours you have done?

[TracieABD]

Worst tour:

St. Petersburg- large group tour. We had a screaming 2 year old--and were held hostage for 9 hours.

 

Best tour:

Panama Canal- train tour in the Dome car.

[ibfern]

Best tour: Rhythms of the Night out of Puerto Vallerto

 

Worst tour: Can't think of any because we usually do private tours, and when we have a bad experience its not the tour but the guides or people on the tours that make them bad!

[Goodison78]

I used to be a video guy for Princess over 7 years and so it was my job to go ashore and film the excursions whenever we were in port! One of the best (but also tiring!!!) jobs onboard.

 

I did so many excursions that it got to the point where I got to the tour description of a place I'd never been before and I could tell if the tour was going to be good or not.

 

The highlight of the 7 years was getting to go on the Overland tour to Angor Wat in Cambodia, we had a small group of 9 and we got off the ship in Singapore to fly to Siem Reap where we stayed at a fantastic hotel called the Sokhra. As we had a small group we all decided to get up as early as possible for breakfast and started our tour 2 hours early, our tour guide was fantastic in that he took us around the site in a way that avoided the large crowds.

 

After a full day straight to the airport to fly onto Vietnam and another fantastic hotel overlooking the river Saigon. A full day tour of Vietnam followed again before we were taken back to the ship that night.

 

On my 1st contract I got to do a helicopter shoot of the Panama Canal, looking back there's no way I'd ever get in that helicopter again. It was absolutely tiny, had no doors and one tiny belt across my waist and of course the pilot spoke only Spanish so trying to communicate was an issue.

 

I forgot the name of the port but the Helicopter tour of Hawaii where they filmed Jurassic Park is amazing, this wasn't offered through the ship and was something we organised i

 

The one major tour I turned down doing was an overland trip to the Taj Mahal, looking at itinerary it seemed you'd spend most of the 3 days travelling and have very little time to see the Taj Mahal, also I'd checked and your not allowed to film the Taj professionally or use a tripod. Also we were docking in Oman and another port I forgot during those 3 days and I was the only video guy on the ship meaning no footage from those two ports if I went to the Taj.

 

Other good tours

 

White Pass Railway - Skagway, Alasks

Whale Watching - Juneau, Alaska

Jumping Crcodiles - Darwin

Kroschell Wildlife Park - Haines, Alaska

Hobbiton - New Zealand

Inkwenkawenzi Wildlife Safari - South Africa

 

And there are countless others.

 

I always preferred walking tours as you would usually get great info from the tour guide and I'd always hang back to keep an eye on the slowest person on the group 1( to make sure they were still with us 2) So I could get shots without lots of people in them.

 

So good tip whenever your on a Princess ship at least speak to the video guys about the tours as well, as they've probably done all of them at some point.

[Cruise Raider]

Best -- tie between whale watching in Maui and the turtle release in Manzanillo

 

Worst -- a trip up into the jungle in Honduras. All there was to see was an old hippie couple that made homemade jams and sold it from their house. We swore they were only up there as they hadn't heard the draft had been eliminated. The drive was horrible, the air conditioning didn't work and then the van got stuck in a pot hole and we all had to get out and push. Nightmare!! We were so happy to get back to this ship.

[4cats4me]

Best: Whale watching outside of Juneau, Alaska

Las Caletas, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

 

Worst: beach excursion to Orient Beach, St Martin. Beach was great, but too much time was wasted assembling in lines to get onto the busses, both coming and going. Next time we will take a cab

42 people x 3 bus loads only creates a frenzy when arriving at resort

 

We usually do excursions on our own

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited March 31, 2016 by 4cats4me

[sananda]

Our most memorable tour was the Mayan ruins at Chacchoben that we took on our honeymoon Princess cruise, oh so many years before.

 

The first thing that made it memorable was our bus guide Joel (pronounced hhhhuh-o-well). He sounded like a caricature (like that slow mouse from Speedy Gonzales). He proceeded to talk non-stop for the entire bus ride to the ruins, which would have been great if he had anything informative to say. His dialogue consisted of pointing at things out the window (mostly plants) and then rhetorically asking if we knew what it was (eg. Over there are Yucca plants. Do you know what a Yucca plant is?) He would then immediately say "It's like this, or that, or something." It would not surprise me if he said "It's like this, or that, or something" more than 1,000 times during the bus ride. To this day, my wife or I will mimic Joel's "This, or that, or something" and we'll still find it amusing.

 

The second thing that made the excursion memorable was the ruins. We had already seen Tulum and Chichen Itza on other trips. These ruins were highly commercialized when we went. Chacchoben was completely the opposite. The site was so new, the port-a-potties hadn't shown up yet. We also had a new guide for the ruins who was an archaeology student from the University. She was very knowledgeable. It was amazing to see everything while they were still in the process of excavating the site. Many "hills" were actually more pyramids covered in jungle growth that they hadn't got to yet. Best yet, nothing was off limits, nothing was roped off. We got to climb up and down all the pyramids, go inside anything we wanted to and touch and closely examine everything. So much more enjoyable than the highly developed sites.

 

All things considered, we had a fantastic time.

[Kinkacruiser]

You don't forget the best /worst Princess excursions.

BEST:

In Juneau, the Mendenhall glacier + Glacier Gardens

In Denali (land tour) the Tundra Wilderness tour

 

WORST:

Puerto Quepos, the mangrove boat tour spotting wildlife :rolleyes:

 

 

A lot of posters here have mentioned private tours. The OP asked for Princess tours.

 

" Which ship tour have you done that made you wish you had never got out of bed that morning? "

Edited March 31, 2016 by Kinkacruiser

[cruiser113]

.......so many good ones

 

helicopter ride to Mendenhall Glacier with our daughter

snorkeling in Ketchikan in wet suits

staying in Denali and getting to see the Mt without cloud cover 2 days

taking a Pedi cab ride in Victoria

tandem parasailing in the Caymans

champagne snorkel in Dominica

underwater statutes in Grenada

snorkeling off the pier in front of the ship in Bonaire

catamaran to Nevis

catamaran in St Lucia to see the Pitons

panama canal tour that took us to the pacific ocean where we were able to touch the side of the canal

swimming with the dolphins

walking up Dunn's river falls

Peggy's cove lighthouse tour and titanic cemetery

Edited March 31, 2016 by cruiser113

[rvmike]

The best was the Pub Crawl In Dublin, (private) tour left at 3p.m and got us back to the boat at Midnight.

 

Worst was the Tiger Shark Encounter in La Paz. Boat operator was putting the boat in gear with snorkelers just 2 feet from the prop. I was one of them. Princess blew off my complaints

Edited March 31, 2016 by rvmike

[suzyed]

The worst tour we did was in Tahiti....it was one of those tours where you sat on a bus way too long....got off at a few stops with terrible bathroom facilities and poor shopping. We went to see waterfalls, but the bus couldn't get close to them, so we never saw them.

[suzyed]

Best Tours!

1. Yukon & White Pass RR in Skagway, 2007. Scenery that took my breath away!

2. Wings over Kauai, private booking, 2013. Absolutely Fantastic! Going to do it again in Oct!

3. Pearl Harbor Memorial & USS Missouri! Simply the most moving thing I have ever seen!

 

Worst Tours!

1. Can't think of a "worst". Some not as good but all have been quite enjoyable!

 

Much Anticipated!

1. Patrick's, Bora Bora

2. Wings over Kauai! (second time around)

3. All Future excursions yet to be!

 

You will LOVE Patrick's Bora Bora! We loved it even in the rain! Such a beautiful place!!

 

We have also done Wings over Kauai and it was wonderful!!

[siany_la]

My parents did the James Bond Island tour while on cruise from Singapore, which they said was extremely long and a bit... Boring?

To make matters worse, they forgot to feed the passengers (lunch was supposed to be included) so finally at 2:30pm everyone was handed a subway roll - not the type of meal you're expecting when you're paying $300 pp.

 

My father is a type 1 diabetic, so was desperately in need of food by this stage. My mother is allergic to cheese, and asked multiple times if there was cheese in the roll, which they noted there wasn't. Sure enough, there was cheese in the the subway and she spent the next 3 days asleep in bed.

 

That experience has definitely put us off choosing to purchase more Princess run excursions - particularly the pricier ones.

Edited April 1, 2016 by siany_la

[lovey1103]

Best ever was our tour of the Amalfi Coast. Small group and great guide.

 

Worst was a ship sponsored island tour in St. Thomas. The driver was high as a kite and could hardly open his eyes. When asked "where are we", he replied "I don't know man". (this is when we knew we were in big trouble). I think he was picked up on the side of the road and put to work due to a shortage of drivers.

We got our money back on this one and a great big apology.

By the way this was not a Princess tour.

[travellover3]

I usually take Princess excursions, because I am paranoid about not getting back in time. Of course, any reputable private company that wants to have cruise ship business, must make sure they allow necessary time. That being said, all private tours are not a lot less in cost. I have found most of the Princess excursions to be very well done, and I tend to look at the quality of the tour for its value. As long as I am satisfied with that, whatever the cost is value as well.

 

The most outstanding Princess excursion (and the most costly), was the 2 day and evening tour in St. Petersburg. Both days were full and with a very knowledgeable and patient guide. It took a whole day of rest after that, but both my companion and I were more than satisfied with our choice. Highly recommend it.

 

The worst was on the same trip, though a lot of it had to do with the allotted time in Oslo. We really were excited about the Wiegeland Sculpture Park and the Viking Ship Museum. We were only allotted 20 min. at the Park, and after a short tour of the museum (little time to pause at the exhibits), there wasn't even time given to visit the gift shop to buy a postcard. The longer portion of the tour was spent at the ski jump, which wasn't of much interest to us.

 

I notice now that the stop in Oslo is longer, and I hope that excursion time has been expanded. It has potential of being great!

[Crystabel]

"Upon arrival, board your airboat for a 30 to 40 minute journey through this unique eco-system. With a flat bottom and large driving airplane propeller at the stern, the airboat is able to skim the surface of the shallow waters and traverse this fascinating "Sea of Grass" - a name the native Seminole Indians applied to the land because of the sawgrass that is a vital part of the Everglades' natural filtering system. Here you will come face to face with alligators, exotic birds and native fish while gliding over an endless river of grass.

 

Throughout the journey, your experienced guide will introduce you to the unique eco-system of the park as you pass sawgrass prairies, mangrove and cypress swamps, pinelands, and hardwood hammocks. As the Everglades are known for rich bird life, particularly large wading birds, be on the look out for the roseate spoonbill, wood stork, great blue heron and a variety of egrets. It is also the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles exist side by side. Following your airboat ride, you will be able to explore the park on your own, including a fascinating reptile exhibit and show. The reptile show will provide you with an informative, interactive opportunity to become familiar with the features of the American alligator."

 

We should have requested a refund. No complaints on any of the others. The best tours have been those we booked independently.

[elliair]

The worse tour we've been on was in Aruba the butterfly farm. If they should have stuck with the butterfly farm and took us back to town to shop that would have been fine. Nope, we were dragged to some big rocks to look at, then to an Aloe factory where the people operating it were rude. The aloe products were way over priced and it was just a bad excursion. Then we drove around looking at shacks and Chinese markets. Horrible! Save your money don't go on this tour!

 

Best was the wine tour in Ensenada. It was inexpensive and everyone got a free bottle of wine and plenty of wine to taste. If you like wine I recommend this tour.

 

I'm reluctant to book tours any more, they just don't seem to be as they are advertised and many of them are expensive.

 

I forgot to mention the Rhythms of the Night in Puerto Vallarta. We were taken to an island which was 30 minutes from the ship. We had dinner (buffet style), free alcoholic drinks during dinner to and from shore. Then there was a Circus Soleil type show put on in the amphitheater that was colorful and quite entertaining. It was very hot and humid out but no one cared, it was just a great evening. I recommend this show and you can purchase it on your own - look it up on line. We booked it through the ship.

Edited April 5, 2016 by elliair

[SadieN]

Wasn't on it but we were being chased by a tour group.

 

When in Rome we spent the day in Pompeii. Our small tour was rushed in Pompeii because we didn't want to be overrun by all the cruise ship pax behind us. It was an interesting day.

 

Next time we will check the port schedule when doing a land tour.

[capriccio]

 

The worst was on the same trip, though a lot of it had to do with the allotted time in Oslo. We really were excited about the Wiegeland Sculpture Park and the Viking Ship Museum. We were only allotted 20 min. at the Park, and after a short tour of the museum (little time to pause at the exhibits), there wasn't even time given to visit the gift shop to buy a postcard. The longer portion of the tour was spent at the ski jump, which wasn't of much interest to us.

 

I notice now that the stop in Oslo is longer, and I hope that excursion time has been expanded. It has potential of being great!

 

On our 2009 Baltics cruise we did the Vigeland sculpture park and the museum island (Viking, Kon-Tiki, Maritime Museum) on our own. If anyone is going to Oslo it is very easy to do with public transportation as long as you don't have mobility issues (since you are walking from one museum to another on the island).

[WupperAV]

Never had a worst Princess. Ship was like new, food was good, The Russian ladies stayed up all night dancing and one was 80. The worst thing I could say was people saving chairs with a towel and I just throw them off and sit down. No one ever tried to yank this 220 lb'er off one yet. HMMM!! Yup Worst cruise was the best ever. OOOPs, almost forgot, China, had a wreck, one girl broke her glasses and got a cut over 1 eye, driver from hell, would do 70 mph on city streets in a mid size bus.Vietnam noodle factory, crawling with flies and dirty. Made me quit Rice Noodles.The Crocodile farm in Thailand. Dirty, stinky and they harrassed the Crocs. We walked out.

Edited April 5, 2016 by WupperAV

[MTJSR]

By far the PEARL HARBOR & WWII EXCLUSIVE MILITARY BASES tour in Honolulu. Our driver "Olie" (I believe) had a "Historian" level of detailed knowledge and understanding. The minute we boarded the shuttle (pictures of what you will see decorates the inside of the shuttle) our driver walked us thru the details leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor.

 

Following the Arizona tour we drove to Schofield barracks were we saw and learned even more historic military sites and facts before we had a really good lunch at the Fort Shafter Military Club. We then went to the Punchbowl Cemetery and Iolani Palace. Pricey but a great tour.

[Robinsoncruiseso]

I think we have only done one Princess tour as we usually do private. We did the Dune Buggies at Princess Cays. It was so much fun. Beautiful shot at the south end of the island where the Atlantic and Caribbean meet. Also beautiful beaches.

[willtravel8090]

Just did the Aqua Duck tour in Ketchikan. Glad we booked it early as it was sold out before cruise started. WELL WORTH IT!!! Capt Mike and Anthony were very informative even with the corny jokes.

 

 

This was also one of my favorite tours! On our trip to Alaska my DH and I picked excursions for all the ports except Ketchikan. We decided to let our DD 7yrs at the time to pick ( within reason) she decided on the Duck Tour. We laughed but we're willing to give it a try... Turned out an amazing experience! The sheer number of bald eagles we were able to see on was well worth the trip. It may be an everyday sight in Alaska but for us it was awe inspiring and still talked about to this day!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[ckornuta]

Our worst tour was in Istanbul.It was so crowded we got stuck in a traffic jam that made us behind schedule and our guide was just mean because they would get in trouble if we were late.Not because the ship was leaving so I dont know why!We were not even aloud bathroom breaks on a 9 hour tour.We had to run everywhere without getting time to enjoy anything! Our tour the next day was Ephueses and after literally crying to my husband I didnt want to go this was the best tour ever! It was just amazing everyone should try to see this once in their lives! I also really liked Capri Sorennto and Pompei.

[lois1112]

Best- princess post tour in Beijing china.......we had the best guide

 

worst: there are 2 the trip to Waimea canyon in Hawaii......basically we shopped and ate..spent 1/2 at most at the canyon.

second worse was in Nagaski, Japan. it was a walking and "guided tour" to glover gardens. there were 10 of us. by the time we got to the gardens (a 10 minute walk at most) our guide had disappeared.

[elliair]

DH reminded me of the tour we took with some other CC members in Hawaii. The operator wasn't allowed inside the dock area so we had to walk a ways outside the gate to get in the van., We were suppose to stop at a nice restaurant and have lunch along the way. We also had a handicapped person with us who had to use a wheelchair. The guide took us to various sights, Macadamia Farm, lava flow, rainbow falls. Lunch consisted of the driver pulling out a baggie filled with cut up pineapple. We had 2 diabetic people on board and the pineapple didn't cut it. We reached the turtle beach and everyone got out of the van. The driver helped the handicapped person and we walked down to see the turtles. No turtles to be seen. So we headed back to the van and the driver locked the keys in the van with the van running.:eek: This was a private tour. All of our belongings were left in the van. Panic set in as we were a long ways from the ship! He found another tour bus to take us all back to the ship, however, we had to wait outside the boarding area until the driver showed up with our belongings. That was our first and our last tour we've done outside of Princess.

 

Last time we cruised to Maui, DH and I walked down to the Whaler's Village and saw all the sea turtles we wanted and it didn't cost a thing.:D

Edited April 5, 2016 by elliair