Are excursions worth it??

[boatsrfun]

My wife and I will be on an 11 day cruise in the Mediterranean in June 2023 on Celebrity Beyond.  This is my first cruise and her second.  We are both really love history, and so we are especially excited about the itinerary (Rome, Istanbul, Athens, Ephesus, etc). 

 

I am trying to figure out to what extent it will be worth it to purchase excursions.  We’re not in the place financially where we have tons of money to spend on them…  At the same time, this cruise is sort of a one time splurge for us (10 year anniversary).  We know we likely won’t be back to many of these places for a long time, if ever, and so we don’t want to miss out on anything major.

 

As I’ve been googling and reading about people’s experiences, I’ve come up with three different categories for sorting the ports we’ll be visiting.  It sounds like there are 1. Some ports you can sort of just walk around and see what there is to see without an excursion or much of a plan (i.e. the ship drops you off in a spot where there is plenty to see, do, and eat in the time that you have), 2. Some ports where as long as you have a plan for getting around, you can see them on your own and get everything out of it that a guide would provide, and 3. Some ports where your experience just won’t be the same without a professional guide.     

 

Of course this is pretty subjective!  But based upon what I’ve told you about our situation/preferences, which of the following ports would you say require an excursion?  I’ve preliminarily grouped the ports into the three “buckets” based upon what I’ve read so far.  How would you group them?  Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts/experiences!! 

 

No Plan or Excursion Needed:

Santorini, Mykonos, Naples

 

Require a Plan, but not an Excursion:

Istanbul, Sicily

 

Require Excursion:

Rome, Ephesus, Athens

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, boatsrfun said:

My wife and I will be on an 11 day cruise in the Mediterranean in June 2023 on Celebrity Beyond.  This is my first cruise and her second.  We are both really love history, and so we are especially excited about the itinerary (Rome, Istanbul, Athens, Ephesus, etc). 

 

I am trying to figure out to what extent it will be worth it to purchase excursions.  We’re not in the place financially where we have tons of money to spend on them…  At the same time, this cruise is sort of a one time splurge for us (10 year anniversary).  We know we likely won’t be back to many of these places for a long time, if ever, and so we don’t want to miss out on anything major.

 

As I’ve been googling and reading about people’s experiences, I’ve come up with three different categories for sorting the ports we’ll be visiting.  It sounds like there are 1. Some ports you can sort of just walk around and see what there is to see without an excursion or much of a plan (i.e. the ship drops you off in a spot where there is plenty to see, do, and eat in the time that you have), 2. Some ports where as long as you have a plan for getting around, you can see them on your own and get everything out of it that a guide would provide, and 3. Some ports where your experience just won’t be the same without a professional guide.     

 

Of course this is pretty subjective!  But based upon what I’ve told you about our situation/preferences, which of the following ports would you say require an excursion?  I’ve preliminarily grouped the ports into the three “buckets” based upon what I’ve read so far.  How would you group them?  Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts/experiences!! 

 

No Plan or Excursion Needed:

Santorini, Mykonos, Naples

 

Require a Plan, but not an Excursion:

Istanbul, Sicily

 

Require Excursion:

Rome, Ephesus, Athens

If you truly “love” history, how could you not recognize the need for a historically knowledgeable guide in such complex locations as Istanbul and Sicily - both key crossroads of civilization?

In any case, if you do some significant research, you’ll find that the cost of a great guide will, at the very least, often get you “cut the line” privileges plus someone who can peel back layers of history that explain the antiquities in multiple dimensions.

 

BTW: You mention Athens as a must for a guide. Know that, while an Athens visit would definitely be best with a good guide, seeing a wide array of Greek ruins in the most excellent condition would require a trip to Sicily (e.g., Valley of the Temples).

[boatsrfun]

Like I said, this is subjective! We can't pay for an excursion for every port. Thanks for sharing your perspective!

[Flatbush Flyer]

23 minutes ago, boatsrfun said:

Like I said, this is subjective! We can't pay for an excursion for every port. Thanks for sharing your perspective!

 

Some of your consideration also needs to look at wait times for entry to certain antiquities. 
For example, you can spend well over an hour in Rome on lines for entry to a place like the Colosseum or the Vatican while the right guide  has much quicker access. 
Doing your homework can identify “full” port day excursions that might get you to 4 places with a guide as opposed to only 2 where DIY means the long waits.

Not sure what your itinerary will be but, for future reference, always look at Med cruises with different start/end ports in locations where you want to see more (e.g., Rome to Athens). In that way, you can add multi-day 

land stays for those cities.

That may sound expensive - until you compare that one cruise with land extensions to the multiple short cruises it would take to see the same places.

Enjoy your trip.

[bonsai3s]

2 hours ago, boatsrfun said:

My wife and I will be on an 11 day cruise in the Mediterranean in June 2023 on Celebrity Beyond.  This is my first cruise and her second.  We are both really love history, and so we are especially excited about the itinerary (Rome, Istanbul, Athens, Ephesus, etc). 

 

I am trying to figure out to what extent it will be worth it to purchase excursions.  We’re not in the place financially where we have tons of money to spend on them…  At the same time, this cruise is sort of a one time splurge for us (10 year anniversary).  We know we likely won’t be back to many of these places for a long time, if ever, and so we don’t want to miss out on anything major.

 

As I’ve been googling and reading about people’s experiences, I’ve come up with three different categories for sorting the ports we’ll be visiting.  It sounds like there are 1. Some ports you can sort of just walk around and see what there is to see without an excursion or much of a plan (i.e. the ship drops you off in a spot where there is plenty to see, do, and eat in the time that you have), 2. Some ports where as long as you have a plan for getting around, you can see them on your own and get everything out of it that a guide would provide, and 3. Some ports where your experience just won’t be the same without a professional guide.     

 

Of course this is pretty subjective!  But based upon what I’ve told you about our situation/preferences, which of the following ports would you say require an excursion?  I’ve preliminarily grouped the ports into the three “buckets” based upon what I’ve read so far.  How would you group them?  Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts/experiences!! 

 

No Plan or Excursion Needed:

Santorini, Mykonos, Naples

 

Require a Plan, but not an Excursion:

Istanbul, Sicily

 

Require Excursion:

Rome, Ephesus, Athens

You are doing the right/smart thing by posting on Cruise Critic.

 

We have been to all of these ports and could help you. There are also many other very experienced members here.

 

* We do mostly DIY and are extremely comfortable using local transportation all over Europe.

 

For example: Santorini, we tendered early to the port...took about 10 minutes. To get up to Fira, you' ll have several ways...walk up, take the donkey, or take the cable car.

 

We took the cable car, €6, 8 minutes to the top. ( This can be longer if the queue is long). You can simply enjoy Fira for the day.

 

We took the local bus to Oia, €1.60 each person each way, 30 minutes, and visited the iconic "Blue Roofs/Domes" 

 

[Essiesmom]

Get a copy of Rick Steves’ Mediterranean Cruise Ports.  He will tell you what there is to see in your ports (except Sicily) in the time you have, and how to do it yourself.  On occasion he will advise you to do an excursion.  In Europe, you will not find tour guides at the pier trying to get you to buy a tour.  You have to have a plan.  For Rome, you can take the train and wander with a good map.  I think you definitely take a tour to Ephesus.  I don’t think the ships offer an ‘Ephesus on your own’ transfer.  In Naples, a tour to Pompeii.  Rick Steves has audio tours of many cities free to download and maps to print out.  Santorini and Mykonos are great places to just wander.  If you can figure out public transport in Istanbul that would do, because traffic is horrendous.  
 Have you joined a/the roll call for your cruise?  There may be people,they’re organizing excursions that are less expensive, smaller, and more focused that those offered by the cruise lines.  EM

[John Bull]

Santorini - it's best to know the options for getting up the cliff (or motorboat to another pier), and for getting back down to return to the ship (line for cable-car vs walk down the zig-zag path (there's no motorboat option). There are several threads on the subject https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/463-greece-ports/

 

Mykonos - for a lazy day, no need for an excursion.

 

Naples. Unless you want to visit the Amalfi coast there's no need for an excursion or private tour, but you have a wide range of options and its best to figure which you want to do & how to do it, eg Isle of Capri (fast ferry from close to the cruise terminal) or Sorrento (different ferry from the same place) or Pompeii (Circumvesuviana train to Pompeii Scavi ) or Herculaneum (same train to Ercolano Scavi) (if you want, you can pick up a guide at the entrance to either) or Vesuvius or Naples itself or a combination of two of those options.

 

Istanbul. Very easy to DIY by direct tram to the old quarter Sultanahmet.

 

Sicily - depends on your port.

 

Rome. You'll need transportation from the port, eg about an hour by train. You'll also need to figure what you want to see (modified by what you can achieve in your time) and a walking / taxi route round the sights. And the sights you plan to see - and the order in which you do it - will dictate which station you get off in Rome. You'll also be wise to buy any tickets in advance to visit the Colosseum or parts of the Vatican eg Sistine Chapel

 

Ephesus - assuming your port is Kusadasi. Probably best to fix a tour - ship's or shared * - because if you don't know what you're looking at (signage is minimal) it's a waste of your day.

 

Athens - with a degree of reading-up you can do tolerably well without an excursion or guide. But you need to choose your transportation from Piraeus (main options are Xpress bus, hop-on bus, taxi, ship's "Athens on your Own" ship's transfer). Best to again figure the order of sights and routing between them. from sight to sight. For instance make your first stop the Acropolis to avoid the worst of the crowds & heat - it's often closed on hot afternoons.

 

If your wife's first cruise was somewhere like the Caribbean, her experiences in the ports will be of no use whatsoever. In Europe there are rarely tours offered at the port, you need to pre-book ship's or shared private tours* or research public transport etc.

 

Cruise Critic is a great resource, but answers on this thread will only scratch the surface  - you need to figure your way round the search facility. 

On each of the Greece, Italy & Other Med Ports forums https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/8-europe/  there's a "search" box toward the top right of the page. Type a relevant port into the search box, leave the "this forum only" setting as it is, and click on the spyglass at the end of the search box.

Give the magic a few moments to work and it will bring up all the threads which mention the city. These are the results from typing Santorini into the Greece Ports page

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=Santorini &quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=463

 

* "shared private tours" are a fun and economical way of seeing the sights, and you can do this thru your cruise's RollCall. 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/20-roll-calls/

Navigate to your cruise line, then your ship, then your sailing date. Threads aren't in chronological order, each time one is answered the thread goes to the top so you'll need to scroll to find the thread with your date. (if you can't find it, come back here with your ship & sailing date and some kind soul will provide you with a link. On that RollCall, say Hi to your shipmates, and search for threads asking for tour sharers.

 

Lots of other sources for tips & information, including Rick Steve's guidebooks, Frommers Guidebooks, TripAdvisor and  https://www.whatsinport.com/

 

A lot of work to do, but research is fun and fulfilling. The more you do, the more you'll achieve in your port.

 

I've kinda gone off-topic.

In a nutshell there's no need for ships' tours, some ports are better with a pre-booked tour, you can comfortably do most independently as long as you prepare in advance.

 

Before opening the links in my post, best to brew a large pot of coffee and break-out the headache pills. 😀

 

JB 🙂

 

 

[boatsrfun]

Thank you to everyone who has responded! This is exactly the kind of input I was looking for.

 

I will get a copy of Rick Steve's book and will work through it over the next few wks. 

 

John Bull, thanks for the links! Agree that research is fun and fulfilling. It adds to the anticipation! 

 

Thanks to all for helping to point us in a direction.

[HappyTexan44]

This sounds like a lovely trip!    
Like you, I am planning my first cruise.   But, I did spend three weeks in Rome and I love history and particularly Ancient Roman history (therefore the three weeks there)   You will have to make some tough choices on what to visit.   

I'd skip the Colosseum.   Not that it isn't worth visiting, but I don't think it rises to a must-do until the stay is at least three-days.   

You might think that the Vatican is only worthwhile for Catholics.  I'm not.   But it is my top 5 favorite museums.   They have a huge collection of Roman statues.   I've read that at one point people were taking the marble statues and burning them to make plaster.    Marble apparently makes awesome plaster.   So a pope had his people gather up the statues that weren't burnt yet.   
 

Something worth knowing on the statues.   Only gods were more than life-size.   Even statues of people being precisely life-size was a little presumptuous.   So, people were a little bit smaller than life-size.   This explains why in a museum you might see a huge statue and they'll say, "We used to think it was goddess Whatever, but now we aren't sure which goddess it is." and you would otherwise wonder, "How do you know it isn't Mrs. Richie-Rich"    

Some things I heard from a Roman on a train that is local lore.    So take it with a grain of salt.  

• In the Vatican there is a copper framework over the hole to the tomb.    The copper was from the Colosseum water pipes.    Locals said, "The Pope took what the barbarians left."
• The sculptor of the Neptune fountain was a competitor to the architect of one of the nearby buildings.   Neptune has his arm up over his head as if to say, "The building is going to fall on me."   To me it looks like he is hunting, but amusing if a double-meaning was meant.   
• Many homes built during a certain time period have an entry-way that has one giant slab of marble and the room is the precise size of the marble that had been outside the Colosseum.   Everyone denies that theirs came from there.  
  
  There is an amazing book on Rome called City Secrets.    They asked the local Art Historians, etc. Where do you take visiting friends?   There are a ton of amazing gems just out on the street.   The book came out a while ago, but considering its slant that shouldn't be a problem.  
  
  Just in general:   You might have better luck with a planned private excursion, but not through the cruise.  
   

Edited January 3, 2023 by HappyTexan44

[navybankerteacher]

20 hours ago, boatsrfun said:I’ve preliminarily grouped the ports into the three “buckets” based upon what I’ve read so far.  How would you group them?  Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts/experiences!! 

 

No Plan or Excursion Needed:

Santorini, Mykonos, Naples

 

Require a Plan, but not an Excursion:

Istanbul, Sicily

 

Require Excursion:

Rome, Ephesus, Athens

You always should have a plan - after researching the area, deciding whether to go on foot or local transport.  If you want to do more than just ride up and down the cliff, you can do Santorini without thinking how to get to Io or the archeological sites. Mykonos you probably can do it on a walk-about.  Naples is huge -  if you only want a pizza you can wing it in Naples - but there is a lot else: Pompeii, Ischia or Capri, for example.  If you just want to see the worlds first shopping galleria you can do it on your own - but not without a map

 

Istanbul is a fantastic city but Sicily is a large island - will you be in Messina or Palermo? Utterly different approaches called for.
 

With a bit of planning, you can get a lot out or Rome on your own - train from Civita Vecchia, then a couple of Metro rides can give  you the Vatican, Coloseum , Forum, etc. - you name it- but just pick one or two.  A drive-by on a bus will let you say you’ve “done” Rome,  but better to pick one or two favorites. Getting to Ephesus and seeing the area may well call for a tour.  Athens you can do on your own - WITH A PLAN. Perhaps just the Acropolis and the Plaka.  But like Rome, you need to be selective and limit your targets.

 

Read up on your ports - get tour books for each from your library so you can visualize what there is to see/do. —- and then pick your own plan; trying to see too many things in any place means not really seeing any on thing.  Decide on your favorite two or three “targets” at each port, then figure out how to hit them and enjoy your trip.

[Essiesmom]

3 hours ago, boatsrfun said:

Thank you to everyone who has responded! This is exactly the kind of input I was looking for.

 

I will get a copy of Rick Steve's book and will work through it over the next few wks. 

 

John Bull, thanks for the links! Agree that research is fun and fulfilling. It adds to the anticipation! 

 

Thanks to all for helping to point us in a direction.

Another suggestion…for the ports Rick Steves doesn’t include, he recommends Lonely Planet.  And with Lonely Planet, you can purchase for download only the chapters you need/want.  Rick also has city guides for places like Rome that you might want to investigate.  If you live within driving distance of a Barnes & Noble, a little browsing might be helpful.  EM

[cruiserking]

You've narrowed it down to three port excursions, that's a great start. Since it's your first cruise it's always comforting to book through the cruise line. The excursions are pricey but, you know you'll be in good hands and make it back to the ship in a timely fashion. 

 

Have a look at the excursions in each of the three ports that appeal to you then do some research on Tripadvisor and online to see which particular locations are the most interesting, compelling and memorable places to visit. 

 

Pick up some tour guides to familiarize yourself for all of the ports so you can make a beeline once you debark and know where you want to explore for the ports you are doing on foot. Fodors and Frommers are my two favorite travel guides both with tons of great information and tips. 

 

Excursions really expand your experience of a port visit. The best ones will make several stops and also include free time for you to stroll around on your own. 

 

Have a wonderful cruise. 

 

Jonathan

 

 

[9tee2Sea]

I would strongly recommend a shore excursion in Rome.  The sites are at least 1 hour away.  Trains can go on strike at any moment.  With a shore excursion, you don't wait in line for the Vatican City tour.  If by chance, your excursion comes back late  ( very good possibility), the ship will wait.  Our excursion came back 1 hour late, and the ship waited for our group.  If you do private tours, and come back late,  catching up to the ship is your problem.  Also, I'm starting to like the "no pressure" of some shore excursions.  I usually take public transport or walk when in ports, but for the ports that have long travel times to City Center, I do the excursion.  Sometimes spending more for peace of mind is worth it.

Edited January 6, 2023 by 9tee2Sea
mis-spelling

[Flatbush Flyer]

17 minutes ago, 9tee2Sea said:

……If by chance, your excursion comes back late  ( very good possibility), the ship will wait…..

While a ship will do its best to wait for its own tours that may be running late, there are no guarantees. 
Read your T&Cs. “Time and tide wait for no man.” There are instances where sea and port conditions require staying on schedule. That said, the ship may guarantee that it will assist in getting you to the next port and absorb the associated reasonable costs.

[HappyTexan44]

Once you narrow down your excursion options, make sure you read reviews on each excursion.  

This is probably more likely for the Caribbean ones that I'm researching.  But I've seen many described as "Spend a lot of time standing around waiting on people, drinking and being dumped to spend time in expensive tourist stores."  

 

[boatsrfun]

On 1/3/2023 at 12:08 PM, HappyTexan44 said:

This sounds like a lovely trip!    
Like you, I am planning my first cruise.   But, I did spend three weeks in Rome and I love history and particularly Ancient Roman history (therefore the three weeks there)   You will have to make some tough choices on what to visit.   

I'd skip the Colosseum.   Not that it isn't worth visiting, but I don't think it rises to a must-do until the stay is at least three-days.   

You might think that the Vatican is only worthwhile for Catholics.  I'm not.   But it is my top 5 favorite museums.   They have a huge collection of Roman statues.   I've read that at one point people were taking the marble statues and burning them to make plaster.    Marble apparently makes awesome plaster.   So a pope had his people gather up the statues that weren't burnt yet.   
 

Something worth knowing on the statues.   Only gods were more than life-size.   Even statues of people being precisely life-size was a little presumptuous.   So, people were a little bit smaller than life-size.   This explains why in a museum you might see a huge statue and they'll say, "We used to think it was goddess Whatever, but now we aren't sure which goddess it is." and you would otherwise wonder, "How do you know it isn't Mrs. Richie-Rich"    

Some things I heard from a Roman on a train that is local lore.    So take it with a grain of salt.  

• In the Vatican there is a copper framework over the hole to the tomb.    The copper was from the Colosseum water pipes.    Locals said, "The Pope took what the barbarians left."
• The sculptor of the Neptune fountain was a competitor to the architect of one of the nearby buildings.   Neptune has his arm up over his head as if to say, "The building is going to fall on me."   To me it looks like he is hunting, but amusing if a double-meaning was meant.   
• Many homes built during a certain time period have an entry-way that has one giant slab of marble and the room is the precise size of the marble that had been outside the Colosseum.   Everyone denies that theirs came from there.  
  
  There is an amazing book on Rome called City Secrets.    They asked the local Art Historians, etc. Where do you take visiting friends?   There are a ton of amazing gems just out on the street.   The book came out a while ago, but considering its slant that shouldn't be a problem.  
  
  Just in general:   You might have better luck with a planned private excursion, but not through the cruise.  
   

 

This is the kind of info that absolutely fascinates me.  It's the "stories" of history that you don't often learn in a history class (unless you had a really good history teacher) that make different times and places come alive.  Thanks for sharing!  

[boatsrfun]

On 1/3/2023 at 2:39 PM, navybankerteacher said:

Read up on your ports - get tour books for each from your library so you can visualize what there is to see/do. —- and then pick your own plan; trying to see too many things in any place means not really seeing any on thing.  Decide on your favorite two or three “targets” at each port, then figure out how to hit them and enjoy your trip.

 

Yeah, I'm trying to remember that we can't "see it all" or even close to it all.  

[boatsrfun]

3 hours ago, HappyTexan44 said:

Once you narrow down your excursion options, make sure you read reviews on each excursion.  

This is probably more likely for the Caribbean ones that I'm researching.  But I've seen many described as "Spend a lot of time standing around waiting on people, drinking and being dumped to spend time in expensive tourist stores."  

 

 

Good to know.  Paying for an excursion and then getting something way different than what we expect would certainly be a disappointment!

[GreenFamily]

On 1/3/2023 at 10:08 AM, HappyTexan44 said:

There is an amazing book on Rome called City Secrets.    They asked the local Art Historians, etc. Where do you take visiting friends?   There are a ton of amazing gems just out on the street.   The book came out a while ago, but considering its slant that shouldn't be a problem

This book is only available in hardback. Would it be too heavy for a carry on? 

[HappyTexan44]

4 hours ago, GreenFamily said:

This book is only available in hardback. Would it be too heavy for a carry on? 

You might want to read it ahead of time and take a copy or a photo of the pages of interest.   
I don't remember it being that heavy, but then I'm pretty sure mine had a thick paper cover.  

[bonsai3s]

JMHO, one of the best websites is:

 

https://www.whatsinport.com/

 

* Once you've done your research and have decided on what to do at each port...please come back and tell us...we may be able to provide even more details.  Happy sailing.

 

[HappyTexan44]

One example I just remembered from the City Secrets book.  The Vatican has something in common with huge old museums, in that they don't have a complete understanding of what is in their storehouse.  Some time in the 80's? (going by memory) they found a box of marble penises.  Apparently, when Pope Whoever ordered all them removed from the statues, he didn't say to dispose of them.  So, they were stored.  When the book was written there was someone working on figuring out which one went with which statue, and at that time if you asked nicely they might let you view them.  

 

[Essiesmom]

1 hour ago, HappyTexan44 said:

One example I just remembered from the City Secrets book.  The Vatican has something in common with huge old museums, in that they don't have a complete understanding of what is in their storehouse.  Some time in the 80's? (going by memory) they found a box of marble penises.  Apparently, when Pope Whoever ordered all them removed from the statues, he didn't say to dispose of them.  So, they were stored.  When the book was written there was someone working on figuring out which one went with which statue, and at that time if you asked nicely they might let you view them.  

 

I wonder if the statues have a pained look on their faces…. EM

[broadwaybaby123]

It depends.  If you've been to any of those ports before, then no (unless you're exploring a new part of that port).  If it's your first time, then yes, so that you can get the lay of the land.

[GreenFamily]

I bought the guide book City Secrets: Rome by Robert Kahn. It’s a small lightweight hardback book that can easily fit in a purse or carry-on. Each chapter is broken down into neighborhoods with maps and interesting descriptions of all the highlights with some great recommendations. For example, one contributor suggested a walk to St Peters from Bernini’s point of view. 

It looks like these books are available for other major cities as well. Thank you @HappyTexan44 for the recommendation.

Edited January 11, 2023 by GreenFamily