There could be better port info on board!

[cartervan]

Cruise Critic just published my rather long review of our July 13 British Isles cruise on the beautiful Silhouette. As I said on that review, it was a wonderful cruise with a great itinerary. However, there are a couple of criticisms I would like to comment on a little more. For one thing, there seemed to be very little actual port info available on board. I think Celebrity really pushes their own "ship excursions" to the point that they don't want you to know about other options.

We actually took five ship excursions on that cruise and most were quite good and I'm glad we went. One was pretty bad--mostly because of a very poor guide. None of them provided any kind of "communication device" which made it hard for a bus-load of people to hear any commentary once off the bus. And of course, it's always a problem to try to sight-see with 50 other people--all needing a restroom at once. And then there's the log-jam of getting back to the ship at the end of the day at the same time as 6 or 7 other busloads. Ship excursions are always overpriced--that's a given. Still, sometimes the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

That being said, we would rather "go out on our own" whenever feasible. On this cruise we had decided we would not book tours at Liverpool, Dublin and Guernsey. At two of those ports the ship provided a very poor little black and white "map", but no other real information. We sought out the "concierge" who was tucked away in the library with limited hours and, with the help of his computer, gave us some very rudimentary advice. But once we got off the ship we found local volunteers giving out maps and answering questions. In Liverpool they even provided a free "hop on hop off" around town! In Dun Laoghaire (the port for Dublin) they had friendly people on shore offering a free shuttle to the train station, good maps, and helpful advice.

I know Celebrity is trying to make money, but really it wouldn't hurt to give just a hint of what each port has to offer for those who don't buy their shore excursions.

[kevinyork]

I tend to agree. Whilst they have maps at guest relations they are usually poor photocopies and of little use. Information about do it yourself transportation can be sparse or non existent and sometimes they advise re port transfers when there are other free, or less expensive options.

 

 

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[zoncom]

.Every cruise line does this in order to sell their tours. One of their profit points. They prey on ignorance. Excellent cruise port books include Frommers. Fodors, Lonely Planet. Tripadvisor.com. Most have web sites too.

[islandchick]

We are very independent cruisers and don't tend to take cruise excursions unless absolutely necessary. I would think that it would be very hard for a cruise company to give enough info to make everyone happy. My interests may be different then yours, etc. At most ports there are taxis available and waiting, car rental companies close by in some cases, local tour companies, and places you can walk to from port on occasion. I would suggest that anyone who would like to avoid ship excursions do research prior to the cruise and plan accordingly. If no research is done prior to the cruise then you will spend all your time trying to figure out what to do and how to do it.

[Poconolady]

Yes, guidebooks are great, but generally pretty general in nature. I have found that the best references are forums and passenger reviews on Cruise Critic and Tripadvisor. They are much more specific about details. It is up to you to verify the info and make sure that it is current before booking. individual and group tours organized by roll calls tend to be less expensive and far more detailed than cruise line excursions. Yes you take a chance with do it yourself sightseeing, but it can be very rewarding. Just make sure to get back to the ship on time for sailing! I have learned to never depend on the ship to provide much port information, you need to arm yourself with that before sailing. If they do offer extra shuttles or transportation only options, you won't find out about those until you are on ship or standing on the dock and by then it may be too late to do much researching. Past reviews of your particular cruise are great sources of information. I wish more reviewers would give details about the ports than repeating so much about ship facilities and drink packages.

[Peteymil]

When I get on the ship, I have a binder with all the information I need. Whether I intend to do the port on my own or take a private tour, anything I need is within my reach. It takes a lot of research, but I've never been disappointed. I no longer take ship tours, with very very rare exceptions for something that I may worry about the timeframe.

The ship is there to make money, and I don't blame them for pushing their tours, but they have always been more expensive than something I book on my own. I was also on that July 13 cruise and in the dailies they were pushing their transportation back to the Amsterdam airport. They claimed that there is a lack of taxis in Amsterdam and it could be a two hour wait to get a taxi back to the airport. We have never found that to be true, and when we left left the ship to get a taxi we waited approximately 10 minutes. Also, the ships Tour to the British Open cost more than five times what we paid on her own.

I do not depend on them for information.

[cartervan]

.Every cruise line does this in order to sell their tours. One of their profit points. They prey on ignorance. Excellent cruise port books include Frommers. Fodors, Lonely Planet. Tripadvisor.com. Most have web sites too.

 

Some cruise lines are much better at it than Celebrity, however. On Holland America they always provide specific information about a port in the nightly newsletter--and they have a designated "port information" person who is not only readily found on board but stands at the gangway to answer last minute questions.

Yes, I agree that you do have to do your own research. But, in a very port intensive cruise it's hard to gather (and remember) all the details at each port.

[wendychloecruiser]

Gone are the days of me getting off the ship in a port and saying to the DH "I don't know, what do you want to do?" I spend a lot of time researching ports and coming up with options. Sometimes the option is to just wing it but with time so limited in each port I want to ensure that my "cruise dollars" go as far as possible.

 

I find trip advisor very useful. Like everything else you have to weed out the best and worst reviews and go with the average but that site has never let me down.

 

I RARELY go with a ship excursion anymore. If they were just a little more expensive then I could justify the convenience and perceived security but they are very often 2-3 times more costly than arranging something myself. An example of this is an upcoming cruise on a rail trip we paid £39 a person where the ship is £106. I also have this aversion to getting on a bus of 50+ people.

Edited August 7, 2016 by wendychloecruiser

[Rob the Cruiser]

When I get on the ship, I have a binder with all the information I need. Whether I intend to do the port on my own or take a private tour, anything I need is within my reach. It takes a lot of research, but I've never been disappointed. I no longer take ship tours, with very very rare exceptions for something that I may worry about the timeframe.

The ship is there to make money, and I don't blame them for pushing their tours, but they have always been more expensive than something I book on my own. I was also on that July 13 cruise and in the dailies they were pushing their transportation back to the Amsterdam airport. They claimed that there is a lack of taxis in Amsterdam and it could be a two hour wait to get a taxi back to the airport. We have never found that to be true, and when we left left the ship to get a taxi we waited approximately 10 minutes. Also, the ships Tour to the British Open cost more than five times what we paid on her own.

I do not depend on them for information.

 

We do the same thing. We do a lot of research of destinations beforehand. We bring notes, clippings from travel guide books, travel magazines and local travel bureau websites. We see the planning and anticipation of our next vacation, especially cruises, is almost as fun as the trip itself.

[mom says]

We are very independent cruisers and don't tend to take cruise excursions unless absolutely necessary. I would think that it would be very hard for a cruise company to give enough info to make everyone happy. My interests may be different then yours, etc. At most ports there are taxis available and waiting, car rental companies close by in some cases, local tour companies, and places you can walk to from port on occasion. I would suggest that anyone who would like to avoid ship excursions do research prior to the cruise and plan accordingly. If no research is done prior to the cruise then you will spend all your time trying to figure out what to do and how to do it.

 

You make some very good points, especially the bolded. Who waits until they are on the ship to plan their port days? We are also usually independent, but even if we're only going to a beach for the day, I'll spend a little time on the POC forum and TripAdvisor for recommendations. For an all day tour, I'll spend considerably more time researching the port to determine what our options are.

 

While I would love to see port lectures that provided some interesting background and history, of the upcoming port calls, ( and not just touting the local shopping where the ship gets kickbacks), I still wouldn't wait for these before making our plans for the day.

[steamboats]

Actually I´ve been on the Baltic cruise on the Silhouette which ended July 13th in Amsterdam. As Peteymil I do my homework and have a binder. Each port gets one punched pocket. I print out city maps in advance (and pick one up at the tourist information in port for future use). I do know wheter to take a HoHo bus or public transportation. On that cruise - except for Sankt Petersburg - I didn´t book any of the cruise ship tours. In Sankt Petersburg I opted for the cruise ship tours as my travel companion didn´t want to do a 2 day/19 hour private tour. Actually one tour guide was good and the other tour was a waste of money and time. I found that all offered shuttle buses in the other towns were nice but overpriced - but they were o.k. for the comfort side as you had to walk to public transportation a little longer of course.

 

BTW of course these boards are a good source of information as well. Someone in our roll call found a free walking tour in Tallinn. We had two groups with 12 people each and it was a 3 hour tour - the best I ever had! The concept is that you only tip by the end of the tour (something around 10 to 15 Euro per person). Another good thing are HopOn HopOff busses/boats. Check their routes to get an overview. Decide whether it´s worth going or not (completely senseless in Tallinn for example as the busses can´t go into the historic downtown area). Visit the tourist information websites for maps and tips for walking tours and more. Helsiniki for example has an 8 Euro day ticket for the tram and two tram routes which are marked as sightseeing routes. And the ticket is also valid for the ferry to Suoumenlinna island. Less than 10 min walking from the port and the route is marked by a blue line on the ground. Easy to find.

 

Of all cruise lines I´ve been on only one provided their guests with "independent" information about the ports. That was NCL. But this information was not given in the dailies. You had to know that there´s sort of a chart somewhere on the ship where you get current information about public transportation, taxis and more.

 

So do your homework ahead of your cruise! Join the roll call and exchange your information with your travel mates from CC!

 

steamboats

[Azulann]

Two of the best places for planning information are the PORTS of CALL forums on CC , and also for specific question, the destination experts on Trip Advisors.

I also alway join my roll call. Again founda private tours to join, and even DIY cruisers who were helpful in sharing their ideas for walking or DIY in the ports of call.

At the same time, I have always had a good experience Celebrity Ship tours. The guides have all been well informed and available to answer questions at the site.

On my most recent cruise July 1, 13 days Iberian Pennisula, our Conciege was outstanding. He answered specific questions, had some maps, told us about the visitor centers at various port terminals for good maps and information if needed.

Had a great discovery expert talk about the history of Bilbao and the Basque region. It was scheduled a coupe of day before we got the port.

I did planning for this recnet crusie ovee a year in advance. That is one of the pleasure of any trip.,the preparations :)

[Bo1953]

Additionally, given enough time, there are the Ports Of Call forums here on CC where one can read and post what others have found in most ports, if nothing is posted, then feel free to post to find out if someone has input on a particular port for which you are interested...

 

We are doing this for our upcoming Alaska sailing....

 

bon voyage

[BCHappyGal]

We too rarely take a ships tour - I have been planning and organizing private tours since 2005! This planning involves a lot of research on each port of call and then negotiation with tour companies to find a good fit...

 

The bonus is we enjoy a semi private tour with a guide for a very economical price and have made some wonderful friends of fellow cruisers who joined my private tour groups!

 

These private tours are generally about 12 - 18 persons each... so we avoid lineups and can always hear the guide.

 

Again research should be done well before sail date and these CC boards are your best starting place and source of help

[Emmandjay]

Celebrity used to give much better port information. On our last cruise (Baltic), you had to go to the excursions desk to get a printed sheet, which wasn't much help. I agree with Steamboats re thorough research beforehand and always download maps and guided walks where I can. It only takes a small notebook and a few sheets of paper. Trip Advisor and CC forums are great sources too.

The ships have overpriced excursions - avoid them where possible.

[joanne2]

But if your interest is buying jewelry in port, they do a great job. I was shocked on my first Alaska tour when the "port lecture" consisted of touting as many (and identical) jewelry stores as the Caribbean.

[cb at sea]

It really behooves you to do your own research, via a guidebook, prior to leaving on your trip! It's always best to know something about the places you'll visit! Libraries have guidebooks, and that doesn't cost a thing. Or, you can buy one in a bookstore! The detail all points of interest, shopping (what is the "main, local" thing) and where shops are...restaurants, beaches, transportation, safety, etc.....

[Host Jazzbeau]

Yes, guidebooks are great, but generally pretty general in nature.

 

I find the Rick Steves books very detailed and a great way to decide what to see and in what order. Trip Advisor only works for me after I already know what I'm looking for -- then I use it to find ratings on tours, hotels, restaurants, etc. As far as cruise line port information, I have found some excellent ones on the Silversea website [haven't cruised with them, just downloaded the info ;)]. And of course Tom's Port Guides are terrific for those ports he has covered.

[Lastdance]

We are very independent cruisers and don't tend to take cruise excursions unless absolutely necessary. I would think that it would be very hard for a cruise company to give enough info to make everyone happy. My interests may be different then yours, etc. At most ports there are taxis available and waiting, car rental companies close by in some cases, local tour companies, and places you can walk to from port on occasion. I would suggest that anyone who would like to avoid ship excursions do research prior to the cruise and plan accordingly. If no research is done prior to the cruise then you will spend all your time trying to figure out what to do and how to do it.

 

I TOTALLY agree! If you take the ship tours, unless they just drop you off and pick you up, you are missing out on gaining a working knowledge of the area, along with being able to do what you want without a bus load of people who impede your time frame and everything else. If you're afraid you might miss the ship, plan accordingly! A large bus tour doesn't make for a good port experience, and leaves you tired and stressed IMHO. Just like you were told in school: Do your homework!

Edited August 8, 2016 by Lastdance

[dd likes to cruise]

I do my research online prior to any type of vacation, print out notes and maps too.

 

At present though I also have multiple travel books from the library that I've been reading for my next 3 cruises that are all in new areas of the world for me. So easy to pop some pages on my printer and make copies etc.

 

I also try AAA. their books are heavy in the hotel area, so the good thing is the actual city info is fairly small and can be ripped out of the book and taken with. Throw the rest of the book away.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

I wouldn't dream of shelling out all that money for a cruise to Europe and not doing any research prior to the trip. Expecting Celebrity to do your work for you is not a good idea. They are a business. They expect to make money. They do that by selling tours, among other things.

 

As someone else said, if you cruise to buy jewelry, they will be happy to point you in the right direction (they get a cut). Otherwise, do your own research. As far as I'm concerned, planning is half the fun of a trip.