Are excursions worth it??

[HappyTexan44]

None of the others are as good as the Rome one.   Because I devoured the Rome one, I've checked out some others.  Maybe the others aren't done by the same people, or maybe it was that the other cities just don't have the depth of interesting stuff.   The Florence and surrounding area one was worthwhile, maybe 70% as good as Rome's.  Memory tells me it was probably done by the same people.  

 

[GreenFamily]

Just now, HappyTexan44 said:

None of the others are as good as the Rome one.   Because I devoured the Rome one, I've checked out some others.  Maybe the others aren't done by the same people, or maybe it was that the other cities just don't have the depth of interesting stuff.   The Florence and surrounding area one was worthwhile, maybe 70% as good as Rome's.  Memory tells me it was probably done by the same people.  

 

I’ll probably order the Florence book and do Florence without a tour. I’ve seen the highlights, but would enjoy some of the lesser known sights. 

[baelor]

There is no need for an Athens excursion if you plan ahead and sort out transportation.  I would highly recommend focusing on the Akropolis (plus museum, where most of the artifacts are stored) and the National Archeological Museum if it is your first time in the city.

 

The main value of an excursion in Rome will be cutting the Vatican Museum line, if that is something you want to do.  No need for an excursion if you are simply going to different Ancient Roman sites, hitting up museums like the Capitoline, or church hopping.

[Hlitner]

I love the basic question of "Are excursions worth it?"  Our answer is that this depends on the cruiser and the ports.  For the most part, having cruised extensively for over 50 years, we do not think most excursions are "worth it" for us.  DW and I have a simple philosophy. of preferring to do our own thing (i.e. independent travel).  There are some cruise ports where we think small group tours are a better option, in which case we do join with others (often on the CC Roll Call) for a tour (generally less than 10 persons).  Our general rule is NOT to take cruise line excursions unless they do something we cannot reasonably do on our own or with a small group tour.

 

Why?  Large groups have large group problems!  Thinks only move as fast as the slowest person, excursions are too structured, and we often feel like cattle (when on a large group tour) being herded around by a tour guide.  

 

But we also advise that independent travel required doing pre-trip homework, knowing your options, having a Plan B, having some "travel sense," and generally having a "spirit of adventure."

 

Hank