Tina80 Posted July 25 #1 Share Posted July 25 Hi all, My 9 year old daughter and I will be on RC 9 nights Greek isle cruise this coming October. I was wondering which one these tour (offered by Royal Caribbean cruise) would you recommend? Have you booked these and if so, what was your experience like? 1) Best of Ephesus: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/account/cruise-planner/category/pt_shoreX/product/KD9R?bookingId=8667980&shipCode=OY&sailDate=20241001 2) Akrotiri & Chania Old Town: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/account/cruise-planner/category/pt_shoreX/product/IQ39?bookingId=8667980&shipCode=OY&sailDate=20241001 4) Oia and Fira town: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/account/cruise-planner/category/pt_shoreX/product/SOC8?bookingId=8667980&shipCode=OY&sailDate=20241001 5) Explore Athens and Ancient Acropolis: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/account/cruise-planner/category/pt_shoreX/product/PRH4?bookingId=8667980&shipCode=OY&sailDate=20241001 Thank you 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare RobInMN Posted July 25 #2 Share Posted July 25 Not exactly sure which direction you are going with your question. Looking for recommendations that would be enjoyable for a 9 year old? These specific tours vs. other ship tours? or ship tours vs. independent? We are going on Greece & Turkey (formerly Holy Land) in October. We are doing ships tours at 2 ports, independent at 5. and nothing at 1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LB_NJ Posted July 26 #3 Share Posted July 26 I am going to try and answer the general question about how good are Royal Carribean tours in general. As to the specific tours you might want to ask the question in the ports of call forum and also maybe on Tripadvisor and other travel sites. You might also look at the tours on the other cruise lines since they all seem to use the same tour companies. In general, I have not been that happy with Royal/Celebrity tours in the Carribean however I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of their tours in the Mediterranean. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina80 Posted July 26 Author #4 Share Posted July 26 19 hours ago, RobInMN said: Not exactly sure which direction you are going with your question. Looking for recommendations that would be enjoyable for a 9 year old? These specific tours vs. other ship tours? or ship tours vs. independent? We are going on Greece & Turkey (formerly Holy Land) in October. We are doing ships tours at 2 ports, independent at 5. and nothing at 1. I was trying to find out if those specific tours (offered by the cruise line) are worth the money compared to the other 3rd party options. i.e. viator. From what I read online, 1 is a great and well recommended tour, and for 5, there are far better options with 3rd party tour companies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina80 Posted July 26 Author #5 Share Posted July 26 12 minutes ago, LB_NJ said: I am going to try and answer the general question about how good are Royal Carribean tours in general. As to the specific tours you might want to ask the question in the ports of call forum and also maybe on Tripadvisor and other travel sites. You might also look at the tours on the other cruise lines since they all seem to use the same tour companies. In general, I have not been that happy with Royal/Celebrity tours in the Carribean however I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of their tours in the Mediterranean. Thank you for your response. I went ahead and booked the Ephesus tour (above) after reading so many great review online. I have also posted in my roll of call to see which other tours my cruise friends are considering to book 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckynana Posted July 26 #6 Share Posted July 26 3 hours ago, Tina80 said: Thank you for your response. I went ahead and booked the Ephesus tour (above) after reading so many great review online. I have also posted in my roll of call to see which other tours my cruise friends are considering to book Good call on your choice! We did this RCI tour back in 2011..our tour didn't include the dining; however, it was very informative, and we were very happy with it overall! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare RobInMN Posted July 26 #7 Share Posted July 26 (edited) 3 hours ago, Tina80 said: I was trying to find out if those specific tours (offered by the cruise line) are worth the money compared to the other 3rd party options. i.e. viator. From what I read online, 1 is a great and well recommended tour, and for 5, there are far better options with 3rd party tour companies ok. That helps. Ship tours are always more expensive. Sometimes it's worth it, especially on tendering ports. Ship tours have priority on the tenders. Then you have the guarentee to return to ship. If the ship's tour does what I want, sometimes it's just easier than finding an independent one. The other issue I have had with ship tours is the "free time for shopping and the blatant shopping kick back tour guides must get for pushing specific shops. The worst experience we've had was a Capri, Sorento, and Pompeii tour back in 2018. I feel like you don't get this with independent tours. While we are on similar itineraries, they are not identical. #1 Ephesus. We booked an independent one via TripAdvisor (Viator). They seemed to be highly recommended on many other roll calls, so I booked them. I see your tour has a Turkish lunch and a carpet demonstration. I don't care about that. I imagine that there is a nearly identical ship tour to the one we booked, as there is for our sailing. The main difference being that the independent one adds the Terrace Houses, which you do not get with the ship tour. The tour is cheaper than the nearly identical ship one, and a max of 10 people. https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g297972-d11462366-EPHESUS_4_to_6_Hours_Private_Tours_ENTRANCE_FEES_are_INCLUDED-Kusadasi_Turkish_Aeg.html #2 Crete. We didn't book anything. This is our last port stop (on a 12 night), and nothing really caught our eye #4 Santorini. For us, this is a tender port. I also was not finding anything better than the ship's tour, so we went with the ship tour. We chose Akrotiri Ruins and Oia Village as opposed to Oia and Fira town. #5 Athens. We went with an independent tour here. It's not necessarily a small group. Could be anywhere from 20-50? (one place says "Standard" group size, another place says "small group"). But it is a 7.5 hour tour that does as much as we can fit in and only does stuff we are interested in. This one I also ran across by looking at other roll calls and appears to have great reviews. https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/tour/athens-introduction-with-acropolis-and-museum/euatintro Was there a #3? Edited July 26 by RobInMN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina80 Posted July 27 Author #8 Share Posted July 27 3 hours ago, RobInMN said: ok. That helps. Ship tours are always more expensive. Sometimes it's worth it, especially on tendering ports. Ship tours have priority on the tenders. Then you have the guarentee to return to ship. If the ship's tour does what I want, sometimes it's just easier than finding an independent one. The other issue I have had with ship tours is the "free time for shopping and the blatant shopping kick back tour guides must get for pushing specific shops. The worst experience we've had was a Capri, Sorento, and Pompeii tour back in 2018. I feel like you don't get this with independent tours. While we are on similar itineraries, they are not identical. #1 Ephesus. We booked an independent one via TripAdvisor (Viator). They seemed to be highly recommended on many other roll calls, so I booked them. I see your tour has a Turkish lunch and a carpet demonstration. I don't care about that. I imagine that there is a nearly identical ship tour to the one we booked, as there is for our sailing. The main difference being that the independent one adds the Terrace Houses, which you do not get with the ship tour. The tour is cheaper than the nearly identical ship one, and a max of 10 people. https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g297972-d11462366-EPHESUS_4_to_6_Hours_Private_Tours_ENTRANCE_FEES_are_INCLUDED-Kusadasi_Turkish_Aeg.html #2 Crete. We didn't book anything. This is our last port stop (on a 12 night), and nothing really caught our eye #4 Santorini. For us, this is a tender port. I also was not finding anything better than the ship's tour, so we went with the ship tour. We chose Akrotiri Ruins and Oia Village as opposed to Oia and Fira town. #5 Athens. We went with an independent tour here. It's not necessarily a small group. Could be anywhere from 20-50? (one place says "Standard" group size, another place says "small group"). But it is a 7.5 hour tour that does as much as we can fit in and only does stuff we are interested in. This one I also ran across by looking at other roll calls and appears to have great reviews. https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/tour/athens-introduction-with-acropolis-and-museum/euatintro Was there a #3? Thank you for your helpful comment, very helpful. Is there any way to cancel the Ephesus tour I booked through the ship? Also, what did you think of your Santorini tour? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina80 Posted July 27 Author #9 Share Posted July 27 3 hours ago, Luckynana said: Good call on your choice! We did this RCI tour back in 2011..our tour didn't include the dining; however, it was very informative, and we were very happy with it overall! Thank you for your helpful comment. I am now happy that I have booked it! I also booked a private tour with Viator for Athens. Mykonos and Crete: Planning to plan my own DIY tours. For Naples, I contacted a couple of private driver/guides, will see what happens. Need to figure out Santorini now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biker19 Posted July 27 #10 Share Posted July 27 4 hours ago, Tina80 said: Is there any way to cancel the Ephesus tour I booked through the ship? You should have gotten an email when you bought something in the planner - that history should allow you to also cancel such a purchase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BND Posted July 27 #11 Share Posted July 27 Just an FYI. Royal doesn't "operate" any excursions. They contract with local vendors who provide them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare RobInMN Posted July 27 #12 Share Posted July 27 9 hours ago, Tina80 said: Thank you for your helpful comment, very helpful. Is there any way to cancel the Ephesus tour I booked through the ship? Also, what did you think of your Santorini tour? Yes. In the cruise planner, go to orders, find the tour. You should have a cancel option. Don't know yet, we don't go until end of October. 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare RobInMN Posted July 27 #13 Share Posted July 27 2 hours ago, BND said: Just an FYI. Royal doesn't "operate" any excursions. They contract with local vendors who provide them. Well yes, of course. Many times they are even run by the exact same tour company that also lists them independently on their own web site or places like Trip Advisor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina80 Posted July 27 Author #14 Share Posted July 27 7 hours ago, Biker19 said: You should have gotten an email when you bought something in the planner - that history should allow you to also cancel such a purchase. I looked everywhere, even tried clicking the link in the email, the app, planner but nothing shows. I says reserved and the email states that it’s paid for but when I log into my account, it lets me reserve it again like I haven’t even paid it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken at the beach Posted July 27 #15 Share Posted July 27 7 minutes ago, Tina80 said: I looked everywhere, even tried clicking the link in the email, the app, planner but nothing shows. I says reserved and the email states that it’s paid for but when I log into my account, it lets me reserve it again like I haven’t even paid it In the cruise planner under tat sailing click on your initials in the upper right hand corner, then go to order history Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina80 Posted July 27 Author #16 Share Posted July 27 (edited) 3 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said: In the cruise planner under tat sailing click on your initials in the upper right hand corner, then go to order history found it, thanks much! Edited July 27 by Tina80 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina80 Posted July 27 Author #17 Share Posted July 27 19 hours ago, RobInMN said: ok. That helps. Ship tours are always more expensive. Sometimes it's worth it, especially on tendering ports. Ship tours have priority on the tenders. Then you have the guarentee to return to ship. If the ship's tour does what I want, sometimes it's just easier than finding an independent one. The other issue I have had with ship tours is the "free time for shopping and the blatant shopping kick back tour guides must get for pushing specific shops. The worst experience we've had was a Capri, Sorento, and Pompeii tour back in 2018. I feel like you don't get this with independent tours. While we are on similar itineraries, they are not identical. #1 Ephesus. We booked an independent one via TripAdvisor (Viator). They seemed to be highly recommended on many other roll calls, so I booked them. I see your tour has a Turkish lunch and a carpet demonstration. I don't care about that. I imagine that there is a nearly identical ship tour to the one we booked, as there is for our sailing. The main difference being that the independent one adds the Terrace Houses, which you do not get with the ship tour. The tour is cheaper than the nearly identical ship one, and a max of 10 people. https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g297972-d11462366-EPHESUS_4_to_6_Hours_Private_Tours_ENTRANCE_FEES_are_INCLUDED-Kusadasi_Turkish_Aeg.html #2 Crete. We didn't book anything. This is our last port stop (on a 12 night), and nothing really caught our eye #4 Santorini. For us, this is a tender port. I also was not finding anything better than the ship's tour, so we went with the ship tour. We chose Akrotiri Ruins and Oia Village as opposed to Oia and Fira town. #5 Athens. We went with an independent tour here. It's not necessarily a small group. Could be anywhere from 20-50? (one place says "Standard" group size, another place says "small group"). But it is a 7.5 hour tour that does as much as we can fit in and only does stuff we are interested in. This one I also ran across by looking at other roll calls and appears to have great reviews. https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/tour/athens-introduction-with-acropolis-and-museum/euatintro Was there a #3? Thank you so much, very helpful, i took #3 out, was another tour for Naples. I will probably cancel my Best of Ephesus tour and book it through Viator. Yesterday I booked Viator's Athens tour and they asked me to purchase my own Acropolis tickets. Did you have to buy your own tickets or lunch with the Ephesus tour? also, Viator told me I have to pay 10 Euros if we need a booster seat for my nine year old, so I will have to look up that rule Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina80 Posted July 27 Author #18 Share Posted July 27 @RobInMNI canceled my $393.00 tour with the ship and am about to book the very same tour through the link you posted, if I book the private one it will cost $205, if I pick the small group, it would be $150 something. Which one do you recommend? Do we waste time waiting for others to cime before we leave? Oh I am so excited, you saved me so much money! Thank you! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare RobInMN Posted July 27 #19 Share Posted July 27 12 minutes ago, Tina80 said: @RobInMNI canceled my $393.00 tour with the ship and am about to book the very same tour through the link you posted, if I book the private one it will cost $205, if I pick the small group, it would be $150 something. Which one do you recommend? Do we waste time waiting for others to cime before we leave? Oh I am so excited, you saved me so much money! Thank you! We booked the Mini tour with Terrace Houses. It will be a maximum of 10 people. I believe that the Private one is you booking the whole vehicle for yourself. 10 people is usually not too much of an effort to keep herded and on time. 27 minutes ago, Tina80 said: Yesterday I booked Viator's Athens tour and they asked me to purchase my own Acropolis tickets. Did you have to buy your own tickets or lunch with the Ephesus tour? My Athens tour was through ShoreExcursionsGroup (or *****), not Viator. The one we booked (linked above) includes tickets to the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum. They have other ones if you are not interested in the museum. None of the independent tours I booked includes lunch. A lunch stop may be planned, the actual food is not included. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare RobInMN Posted July 27 #20 Share Posted July 27 (edited) 1 minute ago, RobInMN said: My Athens tour was through ShoreExcursionsGroup (or *****), not Viator. HA! Apparently we are not allowed to say the name of that competitor to Trip Advisor. 🤣 Well, they didn't flag the link in my earlier response, so there's that. Edited July 27 by RobInMN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina80 Posted July 27 Author #21 Share Posted July 27 1 hour ago, RobInMN said: We booked the Mini tour with Terrace Houses. It will be a maximum of 10 people. I believe that the Private one is you booking the whole vehicle for yourself. 10 people is usually not too much of an effort to keep herded and on time. My Athens tour was through ShoreExcursionsGroup (or *****), not Viator. The one we booked (linked above) includes tickets to the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum. They have other ones if you are not interested in the museum. None of the independent tours I booked includes lunch. A lunch stop may be planned, the actual food is not included. Very nice, thank you! Booking the Ephesus tour now. as for Santorini, the "tender to port then bus" part sounds more convinient to me compared to all the other tours I looked up which they require you to meet them at the exit of the cable car. Or maybe getting there via the cable car doesn't take that long, not sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare RobInMN Posted July 27 #22 Share Posted July 27 37 minutes ago, Tina80 said: Very nice, thank you! Booking the Ephesus tour now. as for Santorini, the "tender to port then bus" part sounds more convinient to me compared to all the other tours I looked up which they require you to meet them at the exit of the cable car. Or maybe getting there via the cable car doesn't take that long, not sure. I didn't really find anything that much more appealing than the ship's Akrotiri Ruins and Oia Village, and with the tendering, we decided just to do that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina80 Posted July 27 Author #23 Share Posted July 27 9 minutes ago, RobInMN said: I didn't really find anything that much more appealing than the ship's Akrotiri Ruins and Oia Village, and with the tendering, we decided just to do that one. Thank you but unfortunately that tour appears to be sold out. These two are still available: "Oia&Fira town" and "Island of Santorini and Oia village", can't decide which one is a better value 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina80 Posted July 27 Author #24 Share Posted July 27 2 hours ago, RobInMN said: HA! Apparently we are not allowed to say the name of that competitor to Trip Advisor. 🤣 Well, they didn't flag the link in my earlier response, so there's that. LOL! Well, we have the link so...:) as for the pickup location for Ephesus mini tour, I selected "Kuşadası Port Türkiye, Camikebir, Feribot Limanı, 09400 Kuşadası/Aydın, Türkiye, Kuşadası 09400" there was another similar option called Kisadasi pier. Hopefully I picked the right one 😆 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina80 Posted July 28 Author #25 Share Posted July 28 I was looking at a tour to visit Amalfi coast (for my day 2 port day from Naple) and the tour has this meeting point: "Stazione Marittima 8.00 am (docking point of Cruise Ships". Is this where Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the seas dock? Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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