Avoiding expensive shore excursions

[willbgone]

I`m sailing on Cunard`s world cruise sailing out of New York ,Jan. 16, aboard the Queen Elizabeth. Has anyone who has sailed on a similar cruise any tips about which ports of call would allow me to walk or easily taxi off the ship and explore on my own ? I am an experienced cruiser and have sailed many of Cunard`s world segments on the QM2 and the QV. On all of these voyages I have always managed to avoid the shore excursion line ups and enjoy my trip more for doing so...however I am unfamiliar with the ports we will be visiting in Japan, South Pacific Islands, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa ,Sri Lanka, and China....any tips would be much appreciated.

[cb at sea]

You will probably get more info if you post this on each individual "port of call" board....

 

Also, guidebooks are a godsend when going someplace new!

[Essiesmom]

Welcome to Cruise Critic. There are several places here to start your research. One is the Ports of Call boards here. Although there is a board for OZ/NZ, there is also a forum here for OZ/NZ and I'm sure locals there can give good advice. Another is to join the ROLL CALL for your cruise. That's where you can chat with other CC members who will be sharing all or parts of your cruise. They will be busy arranging independent excursions. If you have a lot of time on your hands, check out the HAL forum here. There is a couple (Bill & Mary Ann) who do a world cruise nearly every year and do a 'live from'. You could search those out and read what they have done if they visited any of your ports. There is also a forum here for World Cruises, although I am not sure how active it is. EM

 

Almost forgot - to find your ROLL CALL, go back to the main boards page, scroll down to ROLL CALLS, click on Cunard, then your ship, and look for a thread with your dates.

Edited November 12, 2016 by Essiesmom

[travelinj]

A couple of good information sites for self-exploration of ports is cruiseportwiki.com and tomsportguides.com

 

 

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[Hlitner]

The truth of travel is that if you have some "travel smarts" and a spirit of adventure...and are willing to do some homework...there are seldom times when you need an excursion. DW and I have traveled and cruises on 6 Continents to around 100 countries and rarely use an excursion. Our basic rule is not to use a tour if we can reasonably do what we want on our own. Depending on our location we utilize rental cars, taxis, local and regional buses, trains, and our legs.

 

A World Cruise is a bit difficult because there are so many ports to research. As a general rule (for us) Australia and NZ are places were we routinely rent cars (whether on a port day or extended land stay). Japan has terrific public transit and trains...but one must consider the actual port and personal goals (where do you want to go). China has unique challenges because of the language barrier and inability to read most signs. But major cities like Shanghai and Beijing can be handled DIY. Once you leave cities you do need the help of a tour or private driver.

 

South Pacific Islands do vary...and much depends on what you plan on doing. DW and I love the beach, water, snorkeling and even diving. So on many islands we simply look at the best water options...which might involve a small private tour. But on some islands we have simply rented a car and drove around the island. And by the way..renting a car on an island can be a challenge since rentals are really limited (Bora Bora is a good example). So if you want to rent you need to reserve far in advance.

 

Hank

[navybankerteacher]

Aside from reading up on ports at your local library, you could scan the ports of call threads here on CC, also you should get involved on your cruise's roll call. Not only might you gain some information about ports - you might strike up acquaintance with compatible fellow passengers - with whom you might share tours.

[bazbov]

I`m sailing on Cunard`s world cruise sailing out of New York ,Jan. 16, aboard the Queen Elizabeth. Has anyone who has sailed on a similar cruise any tips about which ports of call would allow me to walk or easily taxi off the ship and explore on my own ? I am an experienced cruiser and have sailed many of Cunard`s world segments on the QM2 and the QV. On all of these voyages I have always managed to avoid the shore excursion line ups and enjoy my trip more for doing so...however I am unfamiliar with the ports we will be visiting in Japan, South Pacific Islands, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa ,Sri Lanka, and China....any tips would be much appreciated.

 

Hello Willbgone. We were lucky enough to do a world cruise which included sailing around Austrailia and also visited China and Japan. We looked at what the cruise line offered in excursions and if it was what interested us ,we researched on the internet and Planned accordingly. Most of Austrailia we did ourselves using public transport, the only exception was a cruise excursion in sydney to the blue mountains. China, we took a cruise excursion to the great wall but did Shanghai ourselves. Japan we just walked around Nagasaki. If you're just interested in walking around the local towns and cities then usually this can be done quite easily on your own. Just make sure you leave enough time to get back on Board. Hope this helps. Happy cruising. :)

[zqvol]

I`m sailing on Cunard`s world cruise sailing out of New York ,Jan. 16, aboard the Queen Elizabeth. Has anyone who has sailed on a similar cruise any tips about which ports of call would allow me to walk or easily taxi off the ship and explore on my own ? I am an experienced cruiser and have sailed many of Cunard`s world segments on the QM2 and the QV. On all of these voyages I have always managed to avoid the shore excursion line ups and enjoy my trip more for doing so...however I am unfamiliar with the ports we will be visiting in Japan, South Pacific Islands, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa ,Sri Lanka, and China....any tips would be much appreciated.

 

Spend a little money at home, buy some guide books, and become familiar. Then you can wander off on your own.

[Porthopper101]

I`m sailing on Cunard`s world cruise sailing out of New York ,Jan. 16, aboard the Queen Elizabeth. Has anyone who has sailed on a similar cruise any tips about which ports of call would allow me to walk or easily taxi off the ship and explore on my own ? I am an experienced cruiser and have sailed many of Cunard`s world segments on the QM2 and the QV. On all of these voyages I have always managed to avoid the shore excursion line ups and enjoy my trip more for doing so...however I am unfamiliar with the ports we will be visiting in Japan, South Pacific Islands, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa ,Sri Lanka, and China....any tips would be much appreciated.

 

 

Hi Willbgone,

 

We did four world cruises on Cunard. This year we did around the world in 180 days on Insignia. We spent a whole month in East, West and South Africa. We saved a lot of money on private tours, if you like I can give you the name of all the tour companies.

 

Rossm747 at yahoo dot com

 

Marie

 

 

 

 

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Edited November 14, 2016 by Porthopper101