QM2 South America Shore Excursions

[rm fish]

Thanks for the help. I was about to do a last minute booking on that segment; now I won't do it. When I asked Cunard about the MP trip, they never told me it was sold out. I am booked on a month long segment of the QE2 world cruise next year because I want to do two specific overnight tours. How can I book them early? Does anyone know?

[Emu]

Suggest you phone Cunard directly and ask them to send or fax you an official booking form. (they may claim they don't have one yet........ but be firm and keep ringing every week until you get one)

 

It will only have the dates & prices etc. with no actual details, but if you already know where you want to go you really don't need the other info.

 

Return it by fax to them and MAKE SURE you get confirmation that it has been recieved and the status of the request.

 

I will be doing just this for the 2007 QM2 World cruise........... want to go to the Taj in India and if I can't on a shore excursion......... I won't be going on the trip at all. My outlook is that I use the ships to travel to places in the world............ but I want to see everything possible, even the things "over the horizon" on shore excursions.

[bobby1119]

Having read through all of the sagas related to the issue of shore excursions, I, too, am concerned about Cunard shore excursion chaos. I am booked for the full QE2 2007 world cruise and have been carefully studying the 2006 shore excursion book as a way to get an idea about what to expect. Many of the ports will be the same, so I assume the shore excursions willl be similar, especially since I have shore excursion books for previous world cruises and the excrusions all seem to remain exactly the same, although prices, of course, do rise. Most excusions are short (a few hours) and pricey for what you see. Also, they seem to be geared to a less active passenger and all feature a shopping stop, which is, most generally, a set-up for a rip-off. If there is anyone reading with experience in world cruise shore excursions, I welcome any advice or suggestions. This world cruise is my retirement gift to myself and I am trying to avoid having it ruined by cheesy shore excusions!

 

Thanks.

[bobby1119]

I am booked on a month long segment of the QE2 world cruise next year because I want to do two specific overnight tours. How can I book them early? Does anyone know?

RM Fish, what segment are you booked on? I am booked on the full cruise, and I think I have some information that might help answer your question. I have a copy of the 2006 world cruise shore excursion booklet (136 pages long!) which, I believe, passengers this year received only a few weeks prior to the NY sailing. According to the booklet, none of the short tours can be pre-booked, but the major overland tours and "A Night at the Sydney Opera" can be pre-booked. Just to give you an idea, this year's 5 day overland excursion to "Beijing/Xian" (which starts from Hong Kong March 13 where you leave QE2 and ends in Bangkok/Laem Chabang March 19 where you rejoin QE2) can be pre-booked, according to the shore excursion book. The deadline listed in the booklet for this excursion this year was January 16, 2006. So I assume it could have been booked when passengers got the shore booket about one month before the cruise began.

 

I called Cunard/Princess a few times last August after my agent booked the cruise and they knew NOTHING about the shore excursion process. They were idiots, in fact. One reservation "specialist" (LOL!) even said that the shore excursions are posted on the website! A friend of mine, who is a cruise agent in a big NYC agency but worked for Cunard for nearly 20 years when Cunard was Cunard, knew everything and even obtained this year's booklet. On sailing day, she got me a pass to visit QE2 and see my cabin. While aboard I attended a party with her and met several senior officers, including the hotel manager who was very reassuring about the shore excursion process. As I do independent research about where the ship will dock in each port, I am fairly confident that I can manage several of the ports on my own.

 

Hope this is helpful to you. Let me know if you would like me to do any other research.

 

See you aboard!

[rm fish]

Bobby 1119

Thanks for the help. I am booked on the Sydney to Singapore segment and I booked directly through Cunard so I don't know much. I do know that one of the major reasons that I am going is because I want to do the Angkor Wat overland. In fact if I can't go on it, I might cancle my reservation. Anything that you can tell me about the shore excursions on the Sydney to Singapore segment, I would greatly appreciate.

[LuvKruzn]

For those interested in booking with one of the best local guides - Charlie Soto, he has spaces for 6 more on the Tour B-4. We just booked with him. Here is the info he provided on the tour. See his website for more info and photos.

 

1. First to the Crocodile man tour boat ride through the jungle to see some of the forest and some of the wild life : monkeys. toucans, macaws, crocodiles, birds , iguanas and others, later the, boat guide , its gonna give a show , how to play with an crocodile on the water. this is for 1 1/2hrs ,

 

2. Next to the Jaco Beach where we can have an Costa Rican lunch if you like to.

 

3. To the Tarcoles River to see a group or crocodiles,

 

4. To the View point to take the most spectacular view of the city from the hilltop.

 

5. To the Animals place where we can see some cuaty mundys, and monkeys,

 

6. To the grocery store to get some souveniers , costarican coffee, and vanilla.

 

61/2 hrs touring with me , $80 each person.

 

all included : crocodile man admission, lunch,some refreshments cokes, water, costarican beers, some fruits , no extra charge,

 

i provide you an full insurance air conditioned van, no deposit or payments , you can reserve by e mail and pay me cash at the end of the tour , i will be at the pier holding a sign with your name on it 1 hrs after disembarkment to be your guide and do my best for you , thanks again blessing from Costa Rica garden of the Americas

 

Charlie web site www.okeydokeytours.com

[Bollinge]

We went on Charlie's tour in December and can highly recommend him. Just one point, he cannot meet you on the quayside (that's where the ship's overpriced excursions leave from). You have to walk one or two hundred yards to where all the buses are parked and he meets you there. You can't miss him, just don't stand looking at the end of the gangway.