Are there tour operators at the ports

[Momma Mojito]

We are doing a TransAtlantic in October on the Royal Princess and would like to know if there will be tour operators waiting to offer their services or should we pre-book all of the tours before we even start the cruise. The ports we will be going to are Valencia, Cartegena, and Cadiz Spain. Gibraltar and Tenerife, Arrecife Canary Islands

[fabnfortysomething]

Gibraltar there will be taxi drivers to take you on a trip up to the top of the rock

For other ports there will be HOHO buses which may stop at the pier but otherwise you will need to pre book a tour operator

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Edited July 30, 2017 by fabnfortysomething

[dogs4fun]

Right - if you want a guided tour, pre book with a local operator in your ports of call. Have you checked on your roll call for tour sharing opportunities?

[Momma Mojito]

Gibraltar there will be taxi drivers to take you on a trip up to the top of the rock

For other ports there will be HOHO buses which may stop at the pier but otherwise you will need to pre book a tour operator

search here on this forum for recommended companies

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

Thanks for the info.

[Momma Mojito]

Right - if you want a guided tour, pre book with a local operator in your ports of call. Have you checked on your roll call for tour sharing opportunities?

 

Thanks,

Because we just booked this cruise within the last month most of the tours on our roll call are already full. IThis will be our first European cruise and just not sure how the tours are handled on our ports. On our other cruises I've usually done extensive research on the safety of the ports, what are the best sites to see.etc. and then we'll hire a driver to take us to the places we want to see

[dogs4fun]

Thanks,

Because we just booked this cruise within the last month most of the tours on our roll call are already full. IThis will be our first European cruise and just not sure how the tours are handled on our ports. On our other cruises I've usually done extensive research on the safety of the ports, what are the best sites to see.etc. and then we'll hire a driver to take us to the places we want to see

The European ports are not like the Caribbean cruise ports - its easy to hop in a taxi at one of the Caribbean ports. Hope you find something that suits you and enjoy - Europe is wonderful!

[LondonTowner]

All those ports are very easy to DIY. You need to do research as to what you want to see. There will most likely also be taxis available in all of them.

 

 

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[wheezedr]

For Cartagena really think about DIY. Read RSteves book and also go to Tom's port guides . You can see everything with an easy walk. Gibraltar works well OYO also. The minivans are lined up at the cruise port and as soon as they get 8 people they are off on the standard tour. Will drop you in town at the end and you can stroll and shop working your way back to the port.

[cbelc]

If you roll your dice on the dock, you take your chances. I've jumped into random vans and busses and had a great time. My favorite was the C Jam Party Bus in Aruba. Then there was that guy who promised to show us wild spider monkeys. I thought he was taking us to the cannibals. Tours booked through the ship are safest. Be cautious and use common sense.

 

 

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[wheezedr]

If you roll your dice on the dock, you take your chances. I've jumped into random vans and busses and had a great time. My favorite was the C Jam Party Bus in Aruba. Then there was that guy who promised to show us wild spider monkeys. I thought he was taking us to the cannibals. Tours booked through the ship are safest. Be cautious and use common sense

 

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Did you not notice the OP was talking about Europe, not the Caribbean. Touring in Europe is a different experience both for what you hope to see and do as well as how it is best arranged. Sure some ports are amenable to walk off tours, Gibraltar is an example, others are ok for DIY, and then some cry out for prearranged tours whether on ships tours or private.

[groovechick]

As others have said it's easy to pick up a tour in Gibraltar, but if you want to prebook I can highly recommend John Lopez (find him on Trip Advisor/Facebook), he gave us a fabulous tour, longer than stated, no extra charge, funny, informative, saw absolutely everything, just brilliant.

Cadiz is very easy to DIY. When you get off the ship and come out of the port gate there are walking trails painted onto the road - red, orange, purple, green and blue routes. They take you through different parts of the city - old town, merchants' quarter, sea promenades, and so on. You can mix and match and swap from one to the other where they intersect. Very nice square close to the port where you can get a beer and tapas.

We've just booked with John Reid on Tenerife for our upcoming Canaries cruise, I can report back if you like, but judging by the dealings I've had with him so far and the easy booking process, I'm sure it's going to be great.

Valencia - I think if your cruise company operates a shuttle into the city you can easily DIY all the main sites. We did a ship's tour to a very nice, quiet, unspoilt beach with a few facilities as we needed a chill-out day after lots of ports.

[fabnfortysomething]

As others have said it's easy to pick up a tour in Gibraltar, but if you want to prebook I can highly recommend John Lopez (find him on Trip Advisor/Facebook), he gave us a fabulous tour, longer than stated, no extra charge, funny, informative, saw absolutely everything, just brilliant.

Cadiz is very easy to DIY. When you get off the ship and come out of the port gate there are walking trails painted onto the road - red, orange, purple, green and blue routes. They take you through different parts of the city - old town, merchants' quarter, sea promenades, and so on. You can mix and match and swap from one to the other where they intersect. Very nice square close to the port where you can get a beer and tapas.

We've just booked with John Reid on Tenerife for our upcoming Canaries cruise, I can report back if you like, but judging by the dealings I've had with him so far and the easy booking process, I'm sure it's going to be great.

Valencia - I think if your cruise company operates a shuttle into the city you can easily DIY all the main sites. We did a ship's tour to a very nice, quiet, unspoilt beach with a few facilities as we needed a chill-out day after lots of ports.

 

 

you wont regret booking John Reid-we toured with him a couple of years ago and he was one of the best guides we've had

We normally book private tours due to husbands limited mobility so that's saying a lot