Cruise sponsored vs private excursions

[Dj Great White North]

hi there, this is our first cruise and I’m looking for experience and advice on booking your own excursions. I’ve heard the cruise sponsored ones can be really crowded, and seen some highly rated private ones. Thanks! Dj

[TMLAalum]

Two Suggestions:

#!- Find your cruise roll call and see what your fellow passengers are planning. Perhaps they are coordinating a tour with room for you.

#2- Go to the Ports of Call forums and see what suggestions for your specific ports work for you.

 

Oh, and one last thought- I notice this is your very first post to Cruise Critic.Welcome!

[Keith1010]

Welcome to Cruise Critic and congratulations on your first cruise.

 

There are positives about doing your own excursion or sharing it with just a few people as you don't have to be in such a large group.

 

With that said we look at all options, private, group with others that is not ship sponsored and also a ship sponsored excursion.

 

If you decide not to do a ships excursion then allow extra time if it is a tour getting back late so you do not miss the ship. In other words pad the time so you all extra time should the tour run late or something goes wrong.

 

Also if you have to make a deposit be sure you know the terms of whether or not you can get the money back should the cruise have to cancel the port at the last minute.

 

Another good source for tour information is trip advisor which is a sister site of Cruise Critic.

 

Keith

[dkjretired]

Would also look at transportation options on your excursions, there are some places that are popular where getting back to the ship although not difficult depends on a strict time table. One of those might be in Mexico going to the ruins where you have to make that ferry to get back. Remember on cruiseship sponsored tours, if you are late the ship will wait for you, it will not wait on private tours. I always try and keep in mind is that all it takes is one accident, traffic delay, etc and you may be late.

[sanger727]

We highly preferred independent tours over shore excursions, but each has a time and place. It also depends a bit on where you are cruising. Independent group tours are big in the Caribbean but in not in Europe. So in Europe you would have to arrange a private tour, which, depending on how many you have (the suggestion of joining up in the roll call is a good one) could run much more expensive than a ship tour.

 

Also depending on how far from the ship you are traveling and how the infrastructure is. In the Caribbean, I’m fine with going independent on any tour that stays on the island. But as someone brought up, if you are docking in Cozumel and want to see a ruin in the interior of Mexico, a ship tour is advisable. It requires a ferry ride and long bus ride both ways with little infrastructure so you are stuck if there are any issues. Conversely, in Europe, in many ports, the infrastructure is so good (regular trains, easy availability of cabs), you may not even need a tour to get to where you want to go.

 

If you say where you are going you will get better information on how to seek out tours in those locations.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Edited December 15, 2017 by sanger727

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

We highly preferred independent tours over shore excursions, but each has a time and place. It also depends a bit on where you are cruising. Independent group tours are big in the Caribbean but in not in Europe. So in Europe you would have to arrange a private tour, which, depending on how many you have (the suggestion of joining up in the roll call is a good one) could run much more expensive than a ship tour.

 

I've arranged and participated in many private tours in Europe. Not more expensive than ship tours and far more interesting. A small group is always better.

[gerelmx]

Welcome to CC

A lot depends on the port to visit, and the duration of the tour.

If you travel independently it is your responsibility to return before departure. The ship will not wait for you ..

 

In 2000 in Geiranger Norway we hired a full day tour on board, the tour for xyz reasons was extended and upon returning the ship was already navigating in the middle of the fjord, fortunately one of the lifeboats was waiting for all the passengers on the tour. I do not want to imagine what would have happened if the tour were external.

[Ozzmund]

Count us among those preferring non-ship sponsored tours. Our experience has been that they are less expensive, less crowded and more personal. However, when there is considerable travel to and from the ship, we have also chosen ship tours.

[Wiltonian]

Invariably, we've gone on independent tours - typically 8 to 15 people in a mini-bus/van, arranged by someone else on the Roll Call. People say, "how about tour to CCCCC with company ZZZZZ, costing $99pp for 6-8 - anyone interested?" It's always worked well. Those organised by the cruise line are invariably more expensive, even with groups of 40-50 on a big bus. Independent tours are carefully organised to ensure you're back to the ship in time. Clearly, one disaster and a tour company's reputation would be totally trashed.

[ymi17]

I think the big issue is a simple one: If you don't take a ship-sponsored tour, the ship may leave you.

 

That sounds ominous and terrible, but in practice, most ports are just resort cities and many tours are close to the port. The chances of this happening are very, very slim.

 

Trip Advisor, as some have mentioned, is a great source. My group booked a tour in Roatan for a group of four that was fabulous - just the small traveling group with a private guide/driver for less money than the big cruise ship excursion that was doing the same thing. Plus, more money goes to your guide and less to the big company in that situation.

 

But if you're taking an excursion that, in theory, could result in missing the boat (I think Mayan ruins were mentioned here), maybe it's better to book through the ship.

 

I'm cruising in January and will plan all my excursions privately (Cozumel, Cayman, Costa Maya).

[thon]

Welcome to CC fellow Ottawan! As others have already pointed out there are pros and cons to both options. For us, we have only cruised twice before (both times with Celebrity) and our third one is coming up. All three in the Caribbean. And all our excursions are privately booked. If we were to go to other parts of the world perhaps we would then consider ship-sponsored tours. I guess it depends what ports you are visiting, what your interests are and how comfortable a traveller you are.

 

Good luck with whatever you choose and if you have any further questions just ask - there are loads of more-experienced cruisers (than me) here to help you out.

[cb at sea]

What are you interested in doing? Many things are easy to do on your own, without ANY excursion at all!

[DENIE]

Dj - Welcome to Cruise Critic! We have received great advice from folks who are more experienced than we are.

 

As others have suggested, we would recommend considering all types. We have experienced all, but do tend to prefer the private tours when practical.

 

Private - we hooked up with some folks on our roll call for not 1, but 2 private tours - in Cartagena, Columbia and Limon, Costa Rica. They just wanted a couple to share/reduce the costs, and we met new friends that we keep in touch with! Both tours were just the 5 of us in a small van. We saw "busloads" of people boarding 60 passenger boats for a Tortuguero Canal tour, while we were just on a small private boat that the pilot would back up and go in for a closer look. Then, in Cozumel we used Trip Advisor (another great suggestion mentioned earlier) and booked a private taxi for my wife and I for 6 hours. Just be sure to book a highly rated company and note that they are used to dealing with cruise passengers and schedules. We covered the sights we wanted to see, and let the driver suggest a couple places he thought we should see - they are the experts! As others have said...you must fully understand the departure time and not push the boundaries, otherwise the ship will leave. The reputable places noted in Trip Advisor are serious about keeping their positive reviews.

 

Ship sponsored - That said, we have also taken and enjoyed ship sponsored tours, although you will be traveling with many people. We will still take a ship tour if the location is some distance from the port and we do not want to rent a vehicle. On another occasion we were in Colon, Panama, and our ship was not a Panamax ship. However, we wanted to tour the Canal. They offered an excursion to the middle of the canal (Lake Gatun), where we boarded a ferry and made the transit of the last 2 locks to the Pacific. Our buses met us there and took us back to Colon (Atlantic/Caribbean). Due to the time and distance, we would not feel comfortable finding a private excursion.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[donaldsc]

hi there, this is our first cruise and I’m looking for experience and advice on booking your own excursions. I’ve heard the cruise sponsored ones can be really crowded, and seen some highly rated private ones. Thanks! Dj

 

Another thing about private tours. Unlike cruise ship tours where you go to places that make the cruise ship more money such as shops or tourist oriented restaurants, the private tours are flexible. You don't go to only places that the cruise ship tour guides have pre-arranged; you can tell your private guide where you want to go go and how much time to spend at each stop. You can tell him that you are not interested in doing any shopping and you won't do any shopping.

 

The only possible problem with private tours is the very slight chance that you will get back late. I have done many private tours and have never had any problem with this. Traffic issues that could delay you will also probably impact the ship tours so this is essentially a non-issue.

 

I only take ship tours when there is no other alternative or when there is OBC that has to be spent.

 

DON

[kjwinston2019]

When cruising we have taken both. On some cruise excursions they are great. We have found the smaller the better. But in some cities getting a private one like a cab is so much better and cheaper. ie We love to get a cab, and have them take us to all the different churches to look at them...oh, that has been great! So much cheaper! do you feel adventuresses?

[jelayne]

We do primarily private tours. While people are quick to say the ships tours have soooo many people, that is not always the case. DH has done many kayaking & snorkeling excursions where ther were 6-10 people, never 40-60. We have done cooking/ local lunch excursion where 10 was the max. So not every ships excursion is a mass of people.

 

A city tour, winery tour via a ship excursion will most likely be 50+ people in which case you can only go as fast as the slowest person. A ships tour that is basically _______ ( name the location) on your own can be a good option. You can do hat you want at your own pace & as long as you are back before the bus leaves your covered.

 

In deciding whether or not to do a private tour vs ships tour think about is this a tour that realistically 40+ could do at the same time. Is this a tour that travels far from the port so a vehicle breakdown could be problematic, is this a area where there is limited road access.