Shore excursion in another language - yay or nay?

[tfran8]

Hi all, my upcoming cruise is on the Anthem going to the Canary Islands. I am very excited but on one of the islands something I really wanted to see - Mount Teide - is only offered as a Spanish language tour. It’s a fairly good price too and I am really considering it - it’s either that or go with a non ship tour which I am a little concerned about as it’s almost as long as the port time. 
 

Has anyone ever taken a shore excursion in another language (that you didn’t understand)? How was it?  The place I want to go is supposed to be beautiful but I know I will be missing out on some of the descriptions etc. 

[jcl410]

I only speak English, but my wife speaks Spanish.... The two of us did an excursion in Las Palmas in Spanish (and Portuguese). It worked OK, but only because my wife could translate....

 

Once, when I was by myself, I rented a car and drove to Mt. Teide. I road the cable car to the top, an the views are Marvelous! There's a rental car place right in the port. (You will need an International Drivers form from AAA.)

 

Aloha,

 

John

[Fouremco]

If you are concerned about timing, you might want to consider booking through companies such as Viator (https://www.viator.com) or Shore Excursions Group (https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com). They are highly professional, offer a variety of excursions of different lengths that include Mt. Teide, and the Shore Excursions Group even guarantees that you'll get back to your ship in time:

 

Guaranteed Return to Ship

We have never had a customer miss their ship. Our team possesses over 80 years of combined cruise line experience and we are not aware of a single case in which a customer on an independent tour missed a ship. In the extremely unlikely event that you miss your ship due to the late arrival of one of our tours, we will arrange and pay for your accommodations, meals, and transportation to the next port of call, and we will pay you an additional $1,000 USD per customer for the inconvenience.

 

Their prices tend to be lower than those of the cruise lines, but more than private excursion providers. If you aren't comfortable with private tours, Viator or Shore Excursions Group would be a choice well worth considering.

 

[twangster]

I'd be more concerned with something like... "Be back on the bus in 30 minutes" but in another language I couldn't comprehend. 

[Tin can]

2 minutes ago, twangster said:

I'd be more concerned with something like... "Be back on the bus in 30 minutes" but in another language I couldn't comprehend. 

 

I have read on here about reluctance from excursion operators to take you if you don't speak the language for this very reason and more importantly I guess from a litigation point of view for safety instructions. 

 

 

[crewsweeper]

On 5/25/2023 at 11:17 AM, tfran8 said:

Hi all, my upcoming cruise is on the Anthem going to the Canary Islands. I am very excited but on one of the islands something I really wanted to see - Mount Teide - is only offered as a Spanish language tour. It’s a fairly good price too and I am really considering it - it’s either that or go with a non ship tour which I am a little concerned about as it’s almost as long as the port time. 
 

Has anyone ever taken a shore excursion in another language (that you didn’t understand)? How was it?  The place I want to go is supposed to be beautiful but I know I will be missing out on some of the descriptions etc. 

If you posted this on another social media forum, I replied.  Get a translation app like Babbel.  And even if you don't have that or it doesn't work without wifi or via your cell phone connection, go anyway.  Its as a great excursion.  

[lenquixote66]

On 5/25/2023 at 11:17 AM, tfran8 said:

Hi all, my upcoming cruise is on the Anthem going to the Canary Islands. I am very excited but on one of the islands something I really wanted to see - Mount Teide - is only offered as a Spanish language tour. It’s a fairly good price too and I am really considering it - it’s either that or go with a non ship tour which I am a little concerned about as it’s almost as long as the port time. 
 

Has anyone ever taken a shore excursion in another language (that you didn’t understand)? How was it?  The place I want to go is supposed to be beautiful but I know I will be missing out on some of the descriptions etc. 

I was fluent in 6 languages having been in a language honors program in high school.My wife is fluent in several languages as were my parents.

We have been on excursions where we were able to converse with tour guides.

 

 

[tfran8]

Hi all, Thanks for the info! It is one of the only tours remaining (so unfortunately Viator and such are already sold out on the date). My husband took Spanish back in high school/college, so he could understand some of it (hasn't used it since) but unfortunately, I do not know the language. It's very last minute (our original tour - In English - just gave us the cancellation this week), but I am trying to find anyone who has taken the tour in a language they didn't understand, and how it was.