Celebrity Tours vs Personal tours

[mcrcruiser]

For those who have done both Celebrity tours vs a personal tour that you have organized or been on ,please give your pros & cons :)

[SheriffJoe]

There are 2 main issues, one Pro and one con....if you book with X and the tour is late or has problems the ship will wait for you, if you book on your own they won't

 

The other is that do it yourself tours are MUCH cheaper than booking thru X

 

So the bottom line for us is.... if the tour is due to get back LONG before the ship leaves then booking yourself works great and is less expensive, if the tour cuts it close I wouldn't chance it and I would book thru X

[mcrcruiser]

There are 2 main issues, one Pro and one con....if you book with X and the tour is late or has problems the ship will wait for you, if you book on your own they won't

 

The other is that do it yourself tours are MUCH cheaper than booking thru X

 

So the bottom line for us is.... if the tour is due to get back LONG before the ship leaves then booking yourself works great and is less expensive, if the tour cuts it close I wouldn't chance it and I would book thru X

 

Agree 100% .

 

If some one organizes a personal tour they must make sure that the operator is a class A operator with many references . When we are organizing a personal tour we make sure of the operators references/credits & that we are back at the port one hour before ship departure

[roxievegas]

another things to consider is satisfaction. If you don't like the tour or there are problems, how do you handle it after the fact. With Celebrity tours, go to the them on board and let them know the problems and why you were not happy. We had a panama tour where unknown to anyone they were doing road work and it took hours to get to our destination, then a woman fell off a platform and we had to wait two hours for another car to come get her, we had to skip a stop and then finally got to the panama canal to watch the ships go through. We received a full refund. We have had other issues, that if we had done a private tour, we would have had no resolution. Celebrity has always taken care of us and I will only book celebrity tours. Just my opinion

[ghstudio]

Disagree that it's cheaper to do it yourself...we almost always set up our own tours with 4 to 6 people . Sometimes it's more expensive than celebrity but we see what we want to see, we eat where we want to eat and so on...for us the flexibility is worth the price especially in the food area. Celebrity stops at tourist restaurants...we eat at good local restaurants...big difference. I highly recommend setting up or joining smaller, non celebrity tours...use your roll call and the internet.

 

The exception is if you are trying to do a long tour at a tight port stop. We took a celebrity tour to Mayan ruins in belize...bus to speedboat..visit..speedboat and bus. There were 3 busses. 2 of them arrived back at the ship over an hour after the ship was supposed to sail...the ship waited.

[Baron Barracuda]

Only reason to book tour with X is guarantee that ship won't sail without you. Have several times booked with private operators and ended up on same tour boat as folks who bought through X and payed much more. Also had bad experience on X tour in Grenada (four hours on bus with no a/c and driver who was supposed to narrate but spoke no English). Complained to shore excursions desk who contacted their vendor and all they offered was 20% refund. Said that was most vendor would give. Indicates X doesn't have much clout with vendor.

[patty1955]

You can use OBC for ships excursions and can't for private excursions.

[dutchclogs]

Disagree that it's cheaper to do it yourself...we almost always set up our own tours with 4 to 6 people . Sometimes it's more expensive than celebrity but we see what we want to see, we eat where we want to eat and so on...for us the flexibility is worth the price especially in the food area. Celebrity stops at tourist restaurants...we eat at good local restaurants...big difference. I highly recommend setting up or joining smaller, non celebrity tours...use your roll call and the internet.

 

The exception is if you are trying to do a long tour at a tight port stop. We took a celebrity tour to Mayan ruins in belize...bus to speedboat..visit..speedboat and bus. There were 3 busses. 2 of them arrived back at the ship over an hour after the ship was supposed to sail...the ship waited.

 

Agree with all above Also, in Europe at least, advantage of smaller group is better accessibility to sites and being able to follow guide.

[acctgtogo]

another things to consider is satisfaction. If you don't like the tour or there are problems, how do you handle it after the fact. With Celebrity tours, go to the them on board and let them know the problems and why you were not happy. We had a panama tour where unknown to anyone they were doing road work and it took hours to get to our destination, then a woman fell off a platform and we had to wait two hours for another car to come get her, we had to skip a stop and then finally got to the panama canal to watch the ships go through. We received a full refund. We have had other issues, that if we had done a private tour, we would have had no resolution. Celebrity has always taken care of us and I will only book celebrity tours. Just my opinion

 

Can't say we had the same experience with Celebrity when we had a stinker of an excursion. We took a Celebrity tour in Guatemala. Getting situated on the busses was a nightmare. Guide kept insisting that there was only one van - but our friends were on this excursion and they weren't in the van. As it turns out, there were two vans - she just didn't want us to go to the other van. We stayed with her - big mistake. Until everyone was settled - both vans were half an hour late in leaving. Driver took a wrong turn, guide kept taking "a short cut" which we think took longer to get to Antigua. We finally got there - but there was a farmer's market type thing going on behind the monastery (this was not the big local open market in town - it was more like a farmer's market selling food that we aren't allowed to take back on the ship - we did not have time for the open market in town) so we were told to go see it. 45 minutes later we finally were back on the bus and drove to lunch so didn't get a chance to really see the town. Lunch was fabulous - the best part of the excursion. After lunch it was time to go back to the ship - but some of the passengers wanted to stop at the jade museum - so we stopped (it was on the itinerary). After that we headed back to the ship - taking more "short cuts" and getting lost. We made it back to the ship two hours late (not two hours after departure time - but two hours after the scheduled time). Being two hours late, it was time to leave. We had no time to even look at the shops at the pier as it was time for the ship to leave.

 

We made our complaints to the Excursion Desk. They did not seem to care and offered no compensation for the mismanaged excursion and did not (at least while we were there) call the vendor to discuss the issues.

 

All that being said - we have had wonderful excursions with the ship and we will continue to use ship excursions when they interest us.

[Fouremco]

Two options to consider:

 

1. Do it yourself, including renting a car. Last September, we rented a car at all of our Canada/New England ports except Bar Harbor, where we booked a local tour that was excellent. For our visit to Curaçao next month, we have a walking tour planned and have the map and guide ready to go. It takes a bit more work to do the necessary research and organizing for DIY excursions, but that's half of the fun for us.

 

2. Shore excursion companies that offer tours in similar fashion to cruise lines, including guarantees that they'll fly you to the next port if they don't get you back to the ship on time. Lower in price, in some cases they use the identical provider as the cruise line and provide exactly the same tour.

[az_tchr]

another things to consider is satisfaction. If you don't like the tour or there are problems, how do you handle it after the fact. With Celebrity tours, go to the them on board and let them know the problems and why you were not happy. We had a panama tour where unknown to anyone they were doing road work and it took hours to get to our destination, then a woman fell off a platform and we had to wait two hours for another car to come get her, we had to skip a stop and then finally got to the panama canal to watch the ships go through. We received a full refund. We have had other issues, that if we had done a private tour, we would have had no resolution. Celebrity has always taken care of us and I will only book celebrity tours. Just my opinion

 

Here I disagree. Have been on several Celebrity tours where because of transport issues we either had no or very little time on site. Celebrity fought me offering 20% off and then 30%. sort of felt like lets make a deal.

 

Using an excellent private operator gives you flexibility to change things if there are issues and the larger ones want recs to boost their cruise business. Would I use Celebrity - only if the tour involved a very long tour where there was a possibility of missing the ship. A recent discussion of Cinque Terre in Italy is an example of no way except on the ship and Tulum in Cozumel another. Currently booked on a TA with 6 ports and at least 2 private tours in each port. In several cases the SAME operator used by Celebrity!

[lovemylab]

Only reason to book tour with X is guarantee that ship won't sail without you.

 

That isn't the only reason to book with X.

 

Here are some others:

 

1) you have a lot of OBC to use

2) you're not organized enough to plan a DIY type excursion (for some people, the simplicity of a ships excursion is worth the extra cost)

3) some excursions are only available through the ship

4) for some excursions, it's cheaper/less hassle to book through the ship

5) if it's a tender port, those with a ships excursion get off first

 

In most ports we either explore on our own or book a tour that is not through Celebrity. Occasionally we will book a cruise line excursion for some of the reasons stated above.

[janetz]

We prefer private tours if time allows. The cruise line charges more, takes a good amount of profit from the operators. That is why many tours are packed with as many people as possible. So that the tour operators can make some money.

Example.

We did a private turtle snorkel in St. Thomas. Cheaper by 20pp. There were 10 of us on the boat. We left Buck island as the ships excursions were coming in. The boats were packed. Over 100 people in the water as we pulled out.

No thanks. ;)

[Bruin Steve]

I've done 40-something cruises...and, therefore, visited a very large number of ports...

I do BOTH cruise line shore excursions AND private tours (as well as just "do-it-ourselves" in some ports)...I am often the one who organizes the tours.

 

There are NO hard and fast rules that say that one is "better" than the others...too many variables...

 

I have had some outstanding shore excursions...and some horrendous ones...

I have had some outstanding private tours...and some that have gone horribly bad...

 

We had a very well-reviewed tour guide in Koper, Slovenia (the folks Rick Steves uses) flake out on us entirely--just not show up at the pier...Couldn't even get him to answer his phone...Reached him a few days later and he had some lame excuse. That won't ever happen to you using the ship's shorex. (Luckily, while trying to find him at the pier, we were befriended by the woman who was coordinating tours for another company...and she arranged a tour for us where SHE was our driver and we picked up an excellent guide, who was supposed to have the day off, on our way to Ljubljana)...

 

We had a horrendous guide from an otherwise very well reviewed company (same one we were extremely happy with in St. Petersburg) in Warnemunde/Berlin...He "lost" our driver and had no cell phone number with which to reach him--among other problems...

 

OTOH, we had the best and most organized guide we've ever seen in Rotterdam/Amsterdam...

 

With Shore Excursions, we've usually had those cumbersome "30+ people on a bus" tours...but we've also had some incredible ones. On one Celebrity cruise in the Med, on back to back port days, we had a Rome shorex with 11 people and two guides that was like a private tour...With a smaller minibus, we got to take an alternate shortcut into the city...and our guides threw in extra visits that weren't on the announced itinerary since we made such good time...Then, the next day in Livorno, we had a tour to San Gimignano and Volterra that also numbered in the teens...and they were able to set us up with an incredible lunch in the wine cellar at the winery due to the small numbers...

 

But, for the most part, those are the exceptions on shorexes...We've found that they tend to be disappointing, at least in Europe...Often, the large numbers prevent them from visiting some sites...And 10 minute rest room stops tend to go on for multiples of that (ever waited for 20 women on a bus to line up for a single stall rest room?)...

 

Especially in places like St. Petersburg or Rome, where there is so much to see, what you CAN see on a shorex is quite limited. We usually do private tours in Europe and limit our groups to 4-10 (depends on the size of the van available)...It varies port to port, but, usually, 6-8 is the break even point where a private tour becomes less expensive than the shorex. (Remember to figure in that the shorexes are usually all-inclusive while private tours often have extra costs for admissions fees and lunch).

 

Another important factor is that, with a private tour, YOU can control the itinerary...both at the planning stage AND during the tour. Want to include a site NOT on the typical tour? No problem. Want to leave a site early that you'd planned for more time at because it was disappointing, no problem. Often, I've consulted with the guides early, way ahead of the cruise, to customize the itinerary. In Sicily, a member of our group heard about the views from Castelmola...our guide added that to the itinerary. In Casablanca, we wanted to visit the Synagogue, our guide arranged for the visit (normally, security would not allow for visitors to just show up).

 

About the only times I do a shorex in Europe now are for when there is a particular shorex that goes exactly where I want to go...and there are no recommended tour guides that can do the tour and/or I can't find others on the Roll Call wanting to do the same thing and a tour for 2 would be cost prohibitive...For example, when porting in Ravenna, most on the cruise wanted to visit Bologna while we really wanted to visit San Marino--and Celebrity offered a perfect shorex for our plans. On our upcoming Constellation cruise, we have private tours set up for EVERY port--with the exception of the second day in Bilbao--when we decided to go with the shorex for the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona...First, it's as busy an event as there is and private guides are in short supply and prices are way UP--plus, the ship's hours and the distances needed to travel to and from Pamplona are such that doing it one's self is a major risk.

 

And, one last point about Europe--In most European countries (as well as, say, Alaska or Australia/New Zealand), I tend to trust the insurance companies, court systems and vehicle maintenance--especially when the tour providers are highly recommended and have good records...It is not always the same in "third world" countries...

 

Therefore, when traveling in the Caribbean and Mexico, for example, I tend to look first to the cruise line shorexes...In places like Mexico and Jamaica, safety becomes a major issue...and there is "safety in numbers"...I might feel a little less safe in some places with a driver and a handful of us tourists going off the beaten path...

I have had some good private tours, though, in Panama and in Roatan Honduras...Usually, though, I will look for a provider with a LONG history of good reviews on Cruise Critic, Trip Advisor and elsewhere...

 

As to the issue of "guaranteeing you make it back to the ship", I've never really had a problem with a private tour in that regard...These guys do this all the time and they know what they are doing...One time, on a private tour in Panama, some on our van became a little concerned because we "appeared" to be running a little behind...Our guide explained it to us--the driver tapped into the same CB radio channel the ship's shorexes were on...and he knew exactly where they all were...In fact, two of the shorex buses were right behind us on the highway heading back to the ship!

 

So, to summarize, private tours have a lot of advantages--but DO YOUR HOMEWORK:

--make sure the provider is well-reviewed and has a long history of providing cruise port tours.

--consider the location...is it safe to be out and about with a small group?

--consider the costs--apples for apples...What are the costs of your tour with all costs accounted for. Do you have a large enough group to make the tour reasonable? (Doesn't have to be cheaper...sometimes it's a question of getting what you pay for--having a better tour and a smaller group IS usually worth more money).

 

If you book a private tour, make sure of all of the terms in advance with confirming emails. Keep those emails on your phone, but also keep a "hard copy" with you as well. Make sure you have the guide's cell phone number. Contact the guide just in advance of the cruise to confirm all the details. Remember to ask the guide about: 1) Meeting point at the pier, 2) Method of payment, 3) Any dress code issues with the sites visited, 4) any admissions charges and meals.

 

Good luck...

Edited February 24, 2016 by Bruin Steve

[edmonton2]

On our first two Celebrity cruises, we only did ship organized excursions. This was partly due to time constraints in planning, and our fear of being left behind if we arrived back to the pier late! On our most recent cruise, we did 2 Celebrity excursions because the tours were long and there was a chance we could arrive back late. We also did 3 private excursions (this time I had more time to plan) and all were excellent and much less expensive than what Celebrity offered. One thing we really liked about the private tours was that they started early. Usually we were off the ship and on our tour bus before everyone else was even getting to the theatre to get organized for their ship excursion.

The other thing we really appreciated was the smaller group size. It takes so much less time to load/unload a mini van of people than it does a bus. It is also easier to keep people from straying off, and also easier to hear what the guide is saying. Sometimes it is easier to ask the guide questions and get to know others when there are less people on the tour.

Currently, you can only use OBC to pay of excursions that you book onboard. You might be out of luck if a popular tour fills up before you have a chance to book, so something to keep in mind.

[CathyCruises]

We won't even consider booking ship tours. We did our last one years ago and were so miserable we said, 'never again!' We don't really like tours in general, unless it's an extremely special place that we can't see on our own, in which case we will go with a few people from our roll call.

 

We almost always use public transportation to get to the places we want to see. We plan ahead and figure out the sites that are important to us. What is NOT important to us is: forced shopping stops; trying to see a beautiful place behind the windows of the 50 passenger bus; being marched around in lockstep with no ability to stop in a café for a coffee, for instance; having to wait for the slowest/latest/the most inconsiderate person in the group. For starters.

 

On our upcoming TA, which we booked last week, so far we have determined that we will rent a car in Malaga and drive to Granada to see the Alhambra; rent a car or take a cab to Eze for our port stop in Villefranche, take the train to Lucca from Livorno, and that's as far as we've gotten so far. This will cost us a fraction of what any ship excursion could possibly cost and I know we'll have a great time. We have never come close to missing the ship.

[TMLAalum]

We booked the Queenstown overnight excursion on our 1/19 Solstice NZ-TAZ-OZ cruise offered only through Celebrity.

 

Pros: We got to see a part of NZ we would not have been able to visit without this tour. The steamboat cruise to the dinner venue was delightful, food was excellent (as were all included meals), and the sheep herding/shearing was a highlight. Arrowtown provided my last NZ shopping chance. The rain forest, Te Anau, was scenic and enroute we saw many Hobbiton locations.

 

Cons: 4 busses with @50 folks in each was way too many, even though we were staggered 2x2. We were stuck in the worse bus in that ours was the only one with no footrests, seat pockets, and seats close to those in front and back. I checked out the other busses and when I complained was told that the bus we were on was typically used for school kids, but because there was another cruise ship in Dunedin, it was a scramble to find busses for all tours out of that port. IMO, this was not acceptable for the amount of time we spent in 2 days of discomfort. There are millions of sheep in NZ, and on this tour I felt like a sheeple.

 

However, I am glad we took this tour. Weather was miserable, but it was the same for those who stayed aboard the ship to view the fjords. I wish Celebrity would offer choices within this excursion, e.g. skip the very brief and crowded winery tour and bungee watching to allow independent time in Queenstown on Day 1.

 

We also took 3 private tours on this cruise. I organized one in Tasmania that was so popular we ended up with 2 vans and a total of 22 people....even

[TMLAalum]

We booked the Queenstown overnight excursion on our 1/19 Solstice NZ-TAZ-OZ cruise offered only through Celebrity.

 

Pros: We got to see a part of NZ we would not have been able to visit without this tour. The steamboat cruise to the dinner venue was delightful, food was excellent (as were all included meals), and the sheep herding/shearing was a highlight. Arrowtown provided my last NZ shopping chance. The rain forest, Te Anau, was scenic and enroute we saw many Hobbiton locations.

 

Cons: 4 busses with @50 folks in each was way too many, even though we were staggered 2x2. We were stuck in the worse bus in that ours was the only one with no footrests, seat pockets, and seats close to those in front and back. I checked out the other busses and when I complained was told that the bus we were on was typically used for school kids, but because there was another cruise ship in Dunedin, it was a scramble to find busses for all tours out of that port. IMO, this was not acceptable for the amount of time we spent in 2 days of discomfort. There are millions of sheep in NZ, and on this tour I felt like a sheeple.

 

However, I am glad we took this tour. Weather was miserable, but it was the same for those who stayed aboard the ship to view the fjords. I wish Celebrity would offer choices within this excursion, e.g. skip the very brief and crowded winery tour and bungee watching to allow independent time in Queenstown on Day 1.

 

We also took 3 private tours on this cruise. I organized one in Tasmania that was so popular we ended up with 2 vans and a total of 22 people....even that number is too many for me!

[fleckle]

That isn't the only reason to book with X.

 

Here are some others:

 

1) you have a lot of OBC to use

2) you're not organized enough to plan a DIY type excursion (for some people, the simplicity of a ships excursion is worth the extra cost)

3) some excursions are only available through the ship

4) for some excursions, it's cheaper/less hassle to book through the ship

5) if it's a tender port, those with a ships excursion get off first

 

In most ports we either explore on our own or book a tour that is not through Celebrity. Occasionally we will book a cruise line excursion for some of the reasons stated above.

 

Agree with everything you listed, and we do the same, mainly making our own arrangements, but occasionally booking a ship excursion for one reason or another.

 

Just want to add to the list of reasons to book with X (or any other cruise line)

 

6) the "just in case" scenario considering where we would be stuck if we should miss the ship, the location of the next port where we would be able to catch up with the ship;

how we would get there, how long it would take us to get there, and at what cost.

 

Missing the ship at some locations would hardly be much of a problem at all, while at others it could be quite traumatic.

 

 

Edited February 25, 2016 by fleckle

[Cindy]

I do both, but I have found as time has passed and my number of cruises has increased, I do more and more private tours and limit my ship's tours to those ports where I feel it's the only viable option for what I want to do.

 

I love research, planning, and organizing, and I've found I'm good at doing it for travel now that I'm retired and have the time for it! The thing I like best about arranging a private tour is I control the variables...where we go, how much time we spend at each location, what we eat, and often who the guide is.

 

On my Equinox cruise in three weeks, I'm doing one Celebrity tour, I've organized small groups in other ports, and I'm taking two limited participation food/tasting tours I booked through Viator. The Celebrity tour is a L-O-N-G day on a ferry through the Panama Canal, and I just didn't feel comfortable trying to do that through a private vendor. On the other hand, in Cartagena I've booked tours I'm really excited about with a private guide who has rave reviews on Trip Advisor and here. Since I set up the tours, I was able to customize and make changes so the tour will be to my liking.:) I don't always want to see just the "most popular" sights, and arranging private tours allows me to skip some places and add others.

Edited February 25, 2016 by Cindy

[Moonlitherial]

My last cruise I traveled with friends who were uncomfortable with booking excursions that were not through the cruise line and so we booked all of our excursions with Celebrity.

 

I've convinced them to give me a shot and we only have one X excursion on our trip departing in 10 days.

 

For me, the advantages of booking on our own are mainly the following:

1. I enjoy planning and researching the excursions.

2. I prefer smaller groups, and I'm frequently able to arrange similar excursions with less people.

3. Control over the details. If I want to shop I can arrange for that, if I'd rather hike or spend the entire visit in a church or museum I can do that as well.

 

As others have said, if the timeline is very tight in a port I may choose an X excursion, I've also chosen X for excursions when they have what I'm looking for and I'm uncomfortable with the alternate vendors. Using OBC isn't a big motivator for me as I like to plan in advance so I'm paying for excursions in advance too.

[MicCanberra]

We pick and choose when to do a X tour or a private tour or do nothing but have a wander.

Issues that affect our decision are, Docking vs Tendering;

Cost and size of groups, length of tours, proximity to dock, and many more.

 

I agree with many of the posters above as to reasons why you would book one or the other.:D

[LabGuy64]

well, you will have someone to vent to with Celebrity...but that won't necessarily get you money back.

 

The best part of "Private" tours is that they cater to the desires of the group.

I am not talking about just booking through an independent but, booking a true private tour just for a small group of say no more than 12. you can get the tour MUCH cheaper plus they will build the tour around where the group wants to go. and....if it looks like it is getting a bit late...you can always say to go to the ship...or go to a shopping area...whatever

 

 

 

 

another things to consider is satisfaction. If you don't like the tour or there are problems, how do you handle it after the fact. With Celebrity tours, go to the them on board and let them know the problems and why you were not happy. We had a panama tour where unknown to anyone they were doing road work and it took hours to get to our destination, then a woman fell off a platform and we had to wait two hours for another car to come get her, we had to skip a stop and then finally got to the panama canal to watch the ships go through. We received a full refund. We have had other issues, that if we had done a private tour, we would have had no resolution. Celebrity has always taken care of us and I will only book celebrity tours. Just my opinion

[MicCanberra]

well, you will have someone to vent to with Celebrity...but that won't necessarily get you money back.

 

The best part of "Private" tours is that they cater to the desires of the group.

I am not talking about just booking through an independent but, booking a true private tour just for a small group of say no more than 12. you can get the tour MUCH cheaper plus they will build the tour around where the group wants to go. and....if it looks like it is getting a bit late...you can always say to go to the ship...or go to a shopping area...whatever

 

True, I like tours even smaller, just 4 or 6 people and No Suit , rug, precious stones, jewellery shops or factories.:D

[Hlitner]

Forty+ years of extensive independent travel (all over the world) on many cruises and land trips (often with just a rental car) have made us confirmed independent travelers. On an upcoming cruise with 30 European ports, we have no plans for any tours in any of those ports (we will go off on our own using our feet, trains, rental cars, buses, etc).

 

Why do we avoid cruise line (and most private) tours? Because we simply dislike traveling as part of a group (it makes us feel like being part of a herd of cattle). Going on our own means we can where we please, when we please, eat where we please, never have to wait for others, change our itinerary on the fly...if we please, etc. And yes, we also have saved an awful lot of money by not paying the oft inflated cost of cruise line excursions. If we want to do something that we cannot reasonably do on our own, we will seek out a private tour (have joined a few of these on the CC Roll Call boards). Perhaps once out of every 200 ports we will use a cruise line excursion out of necessity (such as when we were in Murmansk, Russia).

 

Hank

Edited February 25, 2016 by Hlitner