First Cruise Question

[Snappy001]

We are setting sail on our first ever cruise with Royal Caribbean in August this year around the Italian Med. Myself, my wife and my 16 year old son are travelling. It's a 14 night cruise and we are looking to book some excursions, are we better off booking through the cruise line or any ideas which other providers we can book through which are trustworthy. Which excursions would you recommend for first time cruisers ??

 

Thanks in advance

 

Royal Caribbean Navigator 2016

Edited February 18, 2016 by Snappy001

[GUT2407]

We are setting sail on our first ever cruise with Royal Caribbean in August this year around the Italian Med. Myself, my wife and my 16 year old son are travelling. It's a 14 night cruise and we are looking to book some excursions, are we better off booking through the cruise line or any ideas which other providers we can book through which are trustworthy. Which excursions would you recommend for first time cruisers ??

 

Thanks in advance

 

Royal Caribbean Navigator 2016

 

You might be better at the RCI forum, or even your roll call.

[cb at sea]

Before you start booking anything...get a guidebook on your ports! So much info...most things require NO excursion at all! If you know something about where you're going, you can have a great time on your own, and save a ton of money! Research is key! Libraries have guidebooks, if you don't want to buy one!

 

Best investment you'll make!

[leaveitallbehind]

Before you start booking anything...get a guidebook on your ports! So much info...most things require NO excursion at all! If you know something about where you're going, you can have a great time on your own, and save a ton of money! Research is key! Libraries have guidebooks, if you don't want to buy one!

 

Best investment you'll make!

 

.....or do as the real world does and research your ports of call without leaving your house or spending any money on a guide book by using the internet. You'll find anything and everything you need at your fingertips.

 

C'mon CB - please change this outdated repeat response!

Edited February 19, 2016 by leaveitallbehind

[Quilting_Cruiser]

We are setting sail on our first ever cruise with Royal Caribbean in August this year around the Italian Med. Myself, my wife and my 16 year old son are travelling. It's a 14 night cruise and we are looking to book some excursions, are we better off booking through the cruise line or any ideas which other providers we can book through which are trustworthy. Which excursions would you recommend for first time cruisers ??

 

Thanks in advance

 

Royal Caribbean Navigator 2016

 

 

Visit the ports of call part of this forum and you'll find information about each of the ports you're visiting and recommendations for and reviews of independent vendors. Personally, I don't book through the cruise line unless I'm have serious concerns about making it back to the ship on time (like when the time in Ketchikan is only 7 hours and a salmon fishing excursion takes 6 hours). I find the excursions with independents are generally more personal, less crowded, and often they're less expensive, too.

 

Here's the link to the Ports of Call: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=19

 

As a previous posted suggested, check out your roll call. I'm sailing the Western Med next month and our roll call has set up several tours that various members are doing together. That's one of the great things about Cruise Critic--you can find others to tour with and get to know them a little bit before you sail.

 

Here's the link to the Navigator roll calls: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=268. If someone's set up a roll call for your sailing you'll find it there.

 

Time to research! :D

Edited February 19, 2016 by Quilting_Cruiser

[John Bull]

Hi, Snappy,

 

Guessing this is 7th Aug., from Southampton?

 

The pros & cons of RCI excursions are no different to those of other cruise lines.

 

Pros include:

 

No need to research - just flip through the excursions, choose, and book.

 

The tour is the responsibility of the cruise line, if it fouls-up & gets you back late the ship will wait or on the very very rare occasions that it can't will accept responsibility (costs, compo etc) to get those on the tour to the next port

But this advantage is grossly over-played by cruise lines - I've never heard of any private tours missing a sailing, or of anyone who goes DIY with their head screwed on missing a sailing. If you can't read a watch, if you haven't got the nous to allow for delays, or you can't hold your drink, don't go ashore DIY ;)

 

If the ship fails to port (happens from time to time due to weather, port industrial action, etc) you're not charged for the tour. But if you plan to commit funds to a private tour, car rental, etc, check the provider's cancellation terms.

 

If the tour is poor, you have far more chance of redress from RCI than from a private tour operator.

 

Cons include:

 

Seriously over-priced. Usually significantly more expensive than a shared private tour, and waaaaaay more than using local public transport. For example the return rail fare from Civitavecchia to Rome is about €12 - check that against RCI's "Rome on your own" transfer and multiply the answers by three passengers :eek:

 

Ships' coach tours are inevitably a bit of a cattle-drive. Wait while 50 people get on & off at the different stops - and wait a bit longer cos some ladies are still queued at the toilets and wait a bit longer cos some wally's gone missing.

 

No flexibility, you can't tarry at a stop you like, you can't breeze past stops that don't interest you.

 

Some ships' tours include wasted time at a silver workshop, carpet demonstration or whatever cos the cruise line gets commission from the operator.

 

Lunches are included on full-day tours. But that wastes so much of your precious shore time.

 

You're in your own bubble, not mixing with the locals.

 

---------------------------------------------------------------

 

Don't know Genoa, but all the other ports on your itinerary are easy to DIY, for example:

 

Gib, .........Upper Rock tour from the cruise terminal, €22pp. Or walk to town 20- minutes.

Villefranche (for Nice)......... Frequent trains along the coast to Monte Carlo 15 minutes or, in the opposite direction, Nice 15 mins or beyond.

Rome......... trains to Rome 55mins to 1hr 20 depending which Rome station. Rome's hop-on buses unsuitable, poor routing due to sights in inaccessible narrow streets.

Livorno ........... train to Florence about €18 return, incl a stop at Pisa if you have time. Florence's hop-on unsuitable, poor routing due to sights in inaccessible narrow streets.

Genoa ......... sorrry, no experience

Malaga ......... mebbe the hop-on bus. Or taxi or hire car to Mijas. Or, more adventurous, hire car or train to Nerja.

Lisbon. ........... depends on your port. One right by city centre, the other downstream by Belem Tower needs taxi or bus (or train??) or hop-on bus to centre.

 

Lots of other options. For inspiration, check out the Med ports-of-call forums

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

Lots of hints on transport etc.

 

Plenty more info by browsing the 'net. For instance Google "Ron in Rome" and click on cruising to Rome tips.

Why not get junior involved by allocating him some ports to research.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Here's a link to your RollCall, where you can say hi to your fellow-cruisers and sign up for the "meet&mingle" - a get-together of Cruise Critic members on one of the first sea-days hosted by Royal Caribbean (often an officer) with free drinkies & snacks & usually a free raffle, etc.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2235568

The RollCall is quiet at the moment, & mainly idle chit-chat, but it's the place for organising shared private tours.

 

JB :)

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

If you are worried about missing the ship, then book the ship's excursion.

Otherwise I would join the Roll Call and see what private tours others are planning. There is still time to join them. Many people on those Roll Calls have gotten the names of reliable vendors.

[Snappy001]

Thank you for all your replies and the advice given

[MicCanberra]

We are setting sail on our first ever cruise with Royal Caribbean in August this year around the Italian Med. Myself, my wife and my 16 year old son are travelling. It's a 14 night cruise and we are looking to book some excursions, are we better off booking through the cruise line or any ideas which other providers we can book through which are trustworthy. Which excursions would you recommend for first time cruisers ??

 

Thanks in advance

 

Royal Caribbean Navigator 2016

 

Research on here, trip advisor and anywhere else, Toms port guides are really useful. If tendered ports the ship's tours may be worth using if the tour is of interest and the price is not too high. Good luck.:D

[Clarea]

We are setting sail on our first ever cruise with Royal Caribbean in August this year around the Italian Med. Myself, my wife and my 16 year old son are travelling. It's a 14 night cruise and we are looking to book some excursions, are we better off booking through the cruise line or any ideas which other providers we can book through which are trustworthy. Which excursions would you recommend for first time cruisers ??

 

Thanks in advance

 

Royal Caribbean Navigator 2016

I would also advise to visit both the Ports of Call forums and the Royal Caribbean forum.

[Snappy001]

Thanks guys