Excursion reviews

[lovestocruisesue]

The NCL website will not allow me to open the excursion reviews. Is there a way to do this or possibly another place to read reviews of excursions.

[ggTexasGal]

10 minutes ago, lovestocruisesue said:

The NCL website will not allow me to open the excursion reviews. Is there a way to do this or possibly another place to read reviews of excursions.

You'll need to use this:  (there are lots of sub-categories/places):

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/2-ports-of-call/

Edited September 14, 2023 by ggTexasGal
correction

[hallux]

You may also find more info in this other recent thread:

 

[Da-Painter]

If you place a review on NCL's website, and the review points out a lot of problems with an excursion, NCL will not post it. I have had a few terrible excursions with NCL (20+ cruises), made a truthful review, but bad reviews are not posted. It's also stated in their T & C.

 

[ontheweb]

34 minutes ago, Da-Painter said:

If you place a review on NCL's website, and the review points out a lot of problems with an excursion, NCL will not post it. I have had a few terrible excursions with NCL (20+ cruises), made a truthful review, but bad reviews are not posted. It's also stated in their T & C.

 

That policy not only applies to NCL. I once reviewed 2 Carnival excursions, one a glowing review and the other a total pan. I bet you can guess which one did not meet their standards.

[eileeshb]

I can usually find the same excursions on Trip Advisor or with a determined google (other search engines are available) to figure out the excursion provider and get to the reviews that way if it’s not widely reviewed on cruise critic. 
e.g. I found out who the excursion providers are for the 2 whale watching excursions being offered by NCL at Juneau in October and was able to contact the one that uses smaller boats to find out if they’re expecting any weather issues to affect their excursion before I booked it. 

[Da-Painter]

We have used many other Shore Excursion companies, not just NCL,  just Google, and find them. On our European all day excursions, instead of sitting on a bus with 50 other people for 8 hours, we would be in a van with 5 or 10 other folks. A lot faster doing the identical excursion, as no stopping for the ***** shops as you have with NCL, you get in and out of attractions faster, instead of waiting for other folks who get lost and not back to the bus on time. NCL try's to scare you and tell you if you do not get back in time, you will be left. But the other companies offering shore excursions, would generally shave a few hours off the same shore excursion, as well as be a lot cheaper, so there is no worry about getting back on time.

[Awawego]

On 9/14/2023 at 4:58 PM, lovestocruisesue said:

The NCL website will not allow me to open the excursion reviews. Is there a way to do this or possibly another place to read reviews of excursions.

I want to leave an excursion review but I can't get in to do it. I called NCL excursion desk and they said they are no longer allowing reviews. Pretty scary! The excursion I took was in Grand Cayman, the Mangrove Kayak Adventure through Anchor Tours. The guide did not stay with me and I had to turn around and go back by myself because the ocean was too rough to paddle in. They are darn lucky I did not flip over and drown!

[cruiseny4life]

3 minutes ago, Awawego said:

I want to leave an excursion review but I can't get in to do it. I called NCL excursion desk and they said they are no longer allowing reviews. Pretty scary! The excursion I took was in Grand Cayman, the Mangrove Kayak Adventure through Anchor Tours. The guide did not stay with me and I had to turn around and go back by myself because the ocean was too rough to paddle in. They are darn lucky I did not flip over and drown!

Leave a review for Anchor Tours on Google:

 

[Alatraveler1]

Noticed their excursions only had one or a few reviews anyway, and all were glowingly positive.  Apparently all were absolutely perfect.  Private excursions have more reviews, not to mention the fewer passengers per tour and usually less expensive price tag.  

 

[ontheweb]

9 hours ago, Alatraveler1 said:

Noticed their excursions only had one or a few reviews anyway, and all were glowingly positive.  Apparently all were absolutely perfect.  Private excursions have more reviews, not to mention the fewer passengers per tour and usually less expensive price tag.  

 

Not surprising that there are only positive reviews. After a Carnival cruise once, I wrote reviews for 2 excursions. One was an extremely positive review, while the other was very negative. I bet you can guess which got posted and which got rejected for not meeting their standards. 

[PATRLR]

There are also groups specific to NCL excursions on the other popular social media sites.    A group called "NCL Excursion Reviews" I've found to be useful.

[Ellaleah]

I just completed my second NCL cruise on the Bliss. It was 15 days Panama Canal.  It was a very good cruise with the exception of the excursions that I booked through NCL.  Like all cruise lines they use a third party.  I did the Panama Canal Experience and Guatemala. I canceled all other that I had booked.  I think cruiseline excursions are a rip off and these were no exception.  Way too chaotic for me.  This $50. Off per excursion is part of NCL’s marketing and a nice perk I thought.  I woukd not do the excursions or consider that a perk in the future

[cruiser2015]

6 hours ago, Ellaleah said:

I just completed my second NCL cruise on the Bliss. It was 15 days Panama Canal.  It was a very good cruise with the exception of the excursions that I booked through NCL.  Like all cruise lines they use a third party.  I did the Panama Canal Experience and Guatemala. I canceled all other that I had booked.  I think cruiseline excursions are a rip off and these were no exception.  Way too chaotic for me.  This $50. Off per excursion is part of NCL’s marketing and a nice perk I thought.  I woukd not do the excursions or consider that a perk in the future

Is it the organization (or lack thereof) that you are complaining about?

[Ellaleah]

6 hours ago, cruiser2015 said:

Is it the organization (or lack thereof) that you are complaining about?

The lack there of!  They dropped about 7 bus loads of people off in Guatemala and I could only describe it as pandemonium.  It was scary and I couldn’t wait to get out of there.  They should have paid us!

[complawyer]

while this may not work for everyone, but for the past few years, i take the paper describing ALL the available excursions in any given port and when i get off the ship, we find a cab driver, show him where we want to go/what we want to see, and we're off. it's usually 1/2 the price of the ncl excursion even with the $50 off, and the 15% for platinum and above. Our driver will stop anywhere along the route we want to stop. its a major savings if the excursion is $200 or more and you have 3 or more people wanting to go

 

in 2022, we stopped in brugge, wandered around, ate lunch and shopped for about 2-3 hours, and arranged for the driver to come back for us at a designated time and spot. same thing this past summer in helsinki and gdansk. the driver  comes back  as arranged because he wants to get paid. most also take credit cards. 

one of the stops in 2022 was naples, again we hired a cab and he took us to the amalfi coast. the place is amazing, and was not offered as  an excursion

 

the only times we try the excursion is how long it takes to get to the particular city. its a 3 hour ride to paris from le harve, so we took the ncl excursion, same with berlin, although due to weather  conditions, the excursion was canceled 

[bedfordmom]

On our last transatlantic we took three noon ship and two ship excursions. The only reason we took the ship ones  was to use up OBC. One ship excursion was horrible as the guide barely spoke English. The other tour was Ok  but did not compare to the three non ship ones. — Overlord (La Have) Hercules ( La Coruna) and. Ferreira ( Azores) all were excellent.. 

[ChiefMateJRK]

Shore excursions are great for those who take cruises to see new places.  That's really not why some of us cruise.  "See, I've already gone places.  I just want to stay where I am."😎

[complawyer]

so chief, are you saying that you basically just veg out on the ship for most  of the cruise. i book for the opportunity to see different cities, and experience different foods, and cultures, i also go crazy taking pictures.

[ChiefMateJRK]

29 minutes ago, complawyer said:

so chief, are you saying that you basically just veg out on the ship for most  of the cruise. i book for the opportunity to see different cities, and experience different foods, and cultures, i also go crazy taking pictures.

Yeah.  I eat.  I drink.  I find the good music.  I nap.  I enjoy the views from the observation lounge.  I absolutely hate long distance air travel, so almost all of our cruises sail from US ports (we do have an exception with Iceland booked in the future).  We'll be visiting HI for the second time (in many years) next year and will certainly enjoy a few of the better Shorex experiences.  Then it's back to AK, where other than the train in Skagway I find little reason to leave the fun ship.  I'm not particularly interested in different cities, foods and cultures.  Probably a character flaw, but as the saying goes, "I yam what I yam."  (see my avatar)

 

 

Edited December 30, 2023 by ChiefMateJRK

[cruiser2015]

3 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Yeah.  I eat.  I drink.  I find the good music.  I nap.  I enjoy the views from the observation lounge.  I absolutely hate long distance air travel, so almost all of our cruises sail from US ports (we do have an exception with Iceland booked in the future).  We'll be visiting HI for the second time (in many years) next year and will certainly enjoy a few of the better Shorex experiences.  Then it's back to AK, where other than the train in Skagway I find little reason to leave the fun ship.  I'm not particularly interested in different cities, foods and cultures.  Probably a character flaw, but as the saying goes, "I yam what I yam."  (see my avatar)

 

You, sir are truly a character.     😀

 

I'm not you just yet, but I'm working on it.

[ChiefMateJRK]

4 minutes ago, cruiser2015 said:

I'm not you just yet, but I'm working on it.

Work harder and drink more.  If that doesn't do it, find a fine group of 🐀's to learn from.