Shore tours .....DIY or via Princess?

[ArizonaRalphie]

When we began cruising, we ALWAYS booked the ships tours and excursions. When you do this, you are pretty much treated like a herd of cattle, assembling in the theater, following each other, one by one, down the gang plank to your waiting bus, then 40 to 60 people crowding onto said bus for the tour.

 

It took us really quite awhile before we were comfortable enough to pre-book tours with independent operators or find one at the pier. It is so much nicer being in a smaller, more intimate group than with the herd, questions being asked and answered without a public address system. All this, combined with the fact that an independent tour is generally at 60% to 80% of the cruise line price, makes it pretty much a no-brainer for us.

 

There are times though when the cruise line will have booked all of the operators available space so you're stuck. While I would rather not pay the cruise line price for an excursion, I can understand that they do have certain time involved in organizing and let's face it, they are in business to turn a profit.

 

On our upcoming New Zealand/Australia cruise, my Dear Wife has been working feverishly on our excursions and has assembled some pretty good packages for our group of six.

[waltsindickie]

I must agree that it is certainly much cheaper to book tours through local operators. You save atleast 25-30% on the price. I did this on my last shore excursion on the stadenham feb 07. One of the best tours i have ever experienced was in Dunedin with Back to Nature Tours. Chris our tour guide took us to places you would never see in the big buses. We all felt that the tour was so much more relaxed and it was great to be able to converse with the guide. We e-mailed him three months prior to our arrival and we organised the perfect tour for our small group of six after a bit of e-mailing.

[konatyme]

Hi, ArizonaRalphie!

My hubby & I (and another couple) will be on the Dawn Princess San Francisco to Sydney cruise Sept. '08. We'll be stopping for 1 day each in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin. Considering what I've been reading on these posts, I'd like to look into some independent tours. Would you mind sharing info about any particularly interesting ones your wife has located? Thank you! (P.S. I hope this is allowed--I'm pretty new to these boards!)

[Missabby]

Advantages of a DITY tour? For four or more people on a tour, it's much cheaper than a ship's tour. Let's say, for four people, you'll probably be in a mini-van. Beats the heck out of being crammed in a 44 passenger bus. Gotta use the loo? No problem. Just tell your driver/guide to pull over at the next available location. Like that photo opportunity? Stop the mini-van whenever you want! Need I say more?

 

We took Mount Classics (Tauranga/Rotorua) and Arthur's Tours (Dunedin) and both were cheaper for 8-hour tours than similar Holland America tours for four people.

[margord]

Advantages of a DITY tour? For four or more people on a tour, it's much cheaper than a ship's tour. Let's say, for four people, you'll probably be in a mini-van. Beats the heck out of being crammed in a 44 passenger bus. Gotta use the loo? No problem. Just tell your driver/guide to pull over at the next available location. Like that photo opportunity? Stop the mini-van whenever you want! Need I say more?

 

We took Mount Classics (Tauranga/Rotorua) and Arthur's Tours (Dunedin) and both were cheaper for 8-hour tours than similar Holland America tours for four people.

 

Do you have the websites for the tours above. I tried to googgle them but keep getting a network error.

 

Marilee

[Annatoo]

Do you have the websites for the tours above. I tried to googgle them but keep getting a network error.

 

Marilee

 

Mount Classic Tours (for Tauranga/Rotorua) can be found on Cruise Critic. You will also find operators in all NZ/OZ ports on this site...and a Cruise Ship Schedule. It is.........

www.mctours.co.nz

Athur's Tours in Dunedin is www.arthurstours.co.nz these are from memory so trust correct ;)

B E V

[margord]

Mount Classic Tours (for Tauranga/Rotorua) can be found on Cruise Critic. You will also find operators in all NZ/OZ ports on this site...and a Cruise Ship Schedule. It is.........

www.mctours.co.nz

Athur's Tours in Dunedin is www.arthurstours.co.nz these are from memory so trust correct ;)

B E V

 

Thanks Bev, that worked.

 

Marilee

[pinksuit]

I agree with Mike - check out this Web site http://www.nzmaori.co.nz/ to see what the Maori Center includes. Learning about the Maori culture IS New Zealand and this site is better than others we visited. The drive should be a lovely one, but using a driver, albeit more expensive, ensures that you'll see exactly what you wish to see since you can customize the trip.

 

As an aside...one of the fun things we did that most people miss (don't know if it's still as open as it was then) was walking along the golf course. Only place we ever been (my DH is a golfer) where you could see steam and boiling mud arising from the course and the signs by some of the hazards tell you not to try to retrieve lost balls...due to boiling mud!

 

Whatever you decide, have a great day!

 

Shelia,

Just a word of thanks to you! You are such a "delightful poster". Your tone of giving advice and or sharing information is very warm. We appreciate that!.:)

PinkSuit