Excursion costs Cunard Queen Victoria

[LibertyBella]

I do not know why the idea that cruise excursions are too expensive or too full of slow people has circulated so strongly.  I have been cruising and traveling internationally for decades, and I almost always first review and usually book the ship excursions before I decide to do anything independently. After spending all that money on a cruise and airfare, I do not want to be a cheapskate about the sightseeing portion, nor do I want to be standing in long lines trying to purchase tickets. The main reason I do not choose a ship excursion is if the excursions offered are not comprehensive enough, or if we have already seen or done everything offered.  I usually book many of my excursions as soon as I make my cruise deposit.

 

I have been extremely pleased with most of my ship excursions, and usually I book the longest, busiest excursion that I can find with lunch included. My costs usually run about $100.00- $200.00 a day or so per person for these types of comprehensive tours, no matter the cruise line, and the meals are quite excellent and unique! Also, sometimes it is impossible to arrange a similar tour independently, and I do a great deal of research before I visit a location.

 

Cruise excursions often depart from the ship first, the transportation is quite comfortable, the guides are knowledgeable, and the arrangements are streamlined. Yes, the guaranteed return to ship is a bonus.  By the way, we are exceptionally active and fit for our age--husband is scuba certified and skis every weekend during the Winter; I can dance in the nightclub nonstop after touring ruins all day.

 

As to wandering around, we only do that if we have been to a port previously, and if there is nothing of critical interest we wish to see.  Regarding Rome, I would almost say forget about a day trip--the city deserves multiple days to truly be discovered.  

 

I just sailed last week from Rome to Athens on a Princess cruise with pre-and post-multi day stays, and used Princess shore excursions for most of my tours (the non-stop Ephesus tour that departed at 7:00 AM was superb; We were FIRST to visit the throne room at Knossos; and so forth). 

 

Some of the decisions come down to the port itself--what interests you, what is your physical ability, are you comfortable being on your own, do you have any specific sites you wish to see or things to do, can you manage the language, etc.  My strongest recommendation is to do a bit of research about each place you are going to visit so you know well in advance what is available. Have fun planning!

 

[exlondoner]

Obviously this works brilliantly for you, but it would be a nightmare for me. As for the guides, some are knowledgeable, some not, some speak brilliant English, many, particularly in Italy and Greece, poorly accented English, which is hard to understand. They are often so loud, perhaps because of the general level of hearing of the passengers, that I usually wear earplugs. They are often extremely repetitious. And, worst of all, they talk all the time. I don’t want to be talked at, I want to be left in peace to admire the scenery. I have done my homework and read the guidebooks, I don’t need their commentary. The thought of a long day on a coach with someone jabbering away is, as I said, a nightmare. I try and avoid tours of more than half a day, and tend to stick to those involving wine and lunch. Back in time for a nap.

[Solent Richard]

2 hours ago, LibertyBella said:

I do not know why the idea that cruise excursions are too expensive or too full of slow people has circulated so strongly.  I have been cruising and traveling internationally for decades, and I almost always first review and usually book the ship excursions before I decide to do anything independently. After spending all that money on a cruise and airfare, I do not want to be a cheapskate about the sightseeing portion, nor do I want to be standing in long lines trying to purchase tickets. The main reason I do not choose a ship excursion is if the excursions offered are not comprehensive enough, or if we have already seen or done everything offered.  I usually book many of my excursions as soon as I make my cruise deposit.

 

I have been extremely pleased with most of my ship excursions, and usually I book the longest, busiest excursion that I can find with lunch included. My costs usually run about $100.00- $200.00 a day or so per person for these types of comprehensive tours, no matter the cruise line, and the meals are quite excellent and unique! Also, sometimes it is impossible to arrange a similar tour independently, and I do a great deal of research before I visit a location.

 

Cruise excursions often depart from the ship first, the transportation is quite comfortable, the guides are knowledgeable, and the arrangements are streamlined. Yes, the guaranteed return to ship is a bonus.  By the way, we are exceptionally active and fit for our age--husband is scuba certified and skis every weekend during the Winter; I can dance in the nightclub nonstop after touring ruins all day.

 

As to wandering around, we only do that if we have been to a port previously, and if there is nothing of critical interest we wish to see.  Regarding Rome, I would almost say forget about a day trip--the city deserves multiple days to truly be discovered.  

 

I just sailed last week from Rome to Athens on a Princess cruise with pre-and post-multi day stays, and used Princess shore excursions for most of my tours (the non-stop Ephesus tour that departed at 7:00 AM was superb; We were FIRST to visit the throne room at Knossos; and so forth). 

 

Some of the decisions come down to the port itself--what interests you, what is your physical ability, are you comfortable being on your own, do you have any specific sites you wish to see or things to do, can you manage the language, etc.  My strongest recommendation is to do a bit of research about each place you are going to visit so you know well in advance what is available. Have fun planning!

 

Well said @LibertyBella . I too scan the cruise excursions thoroughly well in advance in order to get a feel for what is on offer. Very often though I see places of interest that clash with other personal interests that preclude the ship's excursions. 

 

As one who cruises by itinerary (Not Ship) the challenge is then on to achieve the maximum benefit from a port call. (I've recently hit my 248th different port of call in my cruising record).  That will often entail a cost that exceeds that of the ship's excursion. Our visit to Florence and Pisa being a prime example...

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2013/10/29/one-way-to-do-florence-and-pisa/

 

[ovccruiser]

Something I forgot to mention, do not expect to see everything on one cruise you will only see glimpses of what is there wherever there is. I live in Bristol and have yet to visit SS Great Britain, The Roman Baths in Bath and many more sights. As an example, the Vatican Museum if you spend, from memory, 3 seconds at each item it would take you several months to view everything. Cruises are nice but I look at them as a snapshot of somewhere I would like to spend more time.

[alibabacruisers]

On 7/27/2023 at 5:13 PM, Solent Richard said:

Alas I've never been one to just wander. When not partaking in a planned excursion I must have a plan in order to get the best out of places. 

 

For example, for Zadar (see link above) I had a plan...

 

 

 

Richard, I love the way your map looks and seems easy to see all on one page.  Would like something like that for Barcelona where we are going to be pre-cruise for about a week.

[saltcreekmom1]

On 7/26/2023 at 7:30 AM, H926PDC said:

Hi I’m new to cruising and looking at booking our first Mediterranean cruise for September 2024. 
Could member’s give me a rough idea of cost of shore excursions?

I appreciate this will vary from port to port, but I’m just trying to get an idea of costs. 
 

Thanks

Gary

Hello.  My daughter and I will be at the same ports this coming May.  Well, the corfu to tremate portion. So far, only a few of the offered excursions look interesting.  Can you tell me what you ended up doing and if you enjoyed it? Were there local tour operators at the port you could utilize last minute? I’ve cruised before in other places in other lines and there were so many more varied options, so I’m not sure if it’s due to the ports or Cunard. 

[PORT ROYAL]

8 hours ago, saltcreekmom1 said:

Hello.  My daughter and I will be at the same ports this coming May.  Well, the corfu to tremate portion. So far, only a few of the offered excursions look interesting.  Can you tell me what you ended up doing and if you enjoyed it? Were there local tour operators at the port you could utilize last minute? I’ve cruised before in other places in other lines and there were so many more varied options, so I’m not sure if it’s due to the ports or Cunard. 

If of interest, there is a Hop on/off terminal just off the ship…. https://city-sightseeing.com/en/44/corfu