Are the Ships Excursions overcrowded?

[1kycat]

I'm sure it depends upon the tour...but how many are usually involved? Are you transported on large buses? Is there alot of standing around and waiting on others? Do you feel like your losing out on time?

 

And how much of a head start do you get on the rest of the ones who don't take a ship excursion? Difference between dock/tender?

 

I really appreciate any help. It's our first real cruise...besides a 3 day Disney jaunt in which most of the people on board got sick...

 

Anyway...Thanks

[TEXASMUNK]

In a word..yes.

For example a snorkeling excursion is usually contracted with a local with alarge boat..more people.

Ship excursions will often times be the first folks off the ship..

If you are tendering into a port, excursions will get first dibs on leaving the ship usually becuase the tender will fill with that specific excursion.

 

HAving said all those negative things, the benefit of a ship excursion is that you are guaranteed the ship will WAIT for you if the excursion is late returning to the ship. Individuals are on their own when it comes time to returning to the ship. Where you are tendered into port, the ship willl run shuttles all day back and forth to the port just don't miss the last shuttle.

[Dolphins]

Many of the ship's excursion can accept only a limited amount of people as on a snorkeling boat. My experience has been, for the many reasons stated previously, that many excursions are better handled via the ship than to try to arrange them independently on your own. The cost of transportation to an indepenent tour often negates any savings you may get. In addition, the ship's contractors are closely monitored by the cruise line.

[1kycat]

Thanks for your responses.

 

 

The price of the excursions isn’t really an issue to us as much as the quality and time efficiency. We’re the kind of parents that make their kids run as we go from one ride to the next at Disney World. So it’s hard to imagine getting on and off the bus with 60 people and waiting for the last of them to finish their shopping at every stop. I guess if we took a ship excursion…I would just have to go into it with a different attitude.

 

 

And I don’t know why….but I’m just not scared that we won’t get back to the ship on time. Except for maybe when it comes to going into the deep rainforest or something…that would worry me.

 

 

By the way….when a ship says that it will be in port from….say 8-5. When does it usually leave port?

 

 

Thanks again

[shoreguy]

Thanks for your responses.

 

By the way….when a ship says that it will be in port from….say 8-5. When does it usually leave port?

 

 

Thanks again

 

5:00 - passengers are expected onboard no later then 30 minutes before. In most cases the ship is like a train and leaves on time. Unless they are waiting for a ship's excursion :eek:

[1kycat]

Thanks...

[fin]

The size of the shore tours seem to be limited by the independent people running the tour. In some cases, a finite number of seats on a bus or a boat will limit the number of passangers who can do any tour at any one time. The ship will no longer sell tickets to an event when all seats are gone.

 

As has been stated, those who made arrangements thru the ships tour desk will get priority on the tender or down the gangway when docked.

 

During my last two cruises, the shore excursions were the best part of the trip.

[cdbisme]

My experience has been that it depends on the tour. For the sightseeing tour bus tours, it can be very frustrating going with a ship excursion for the reasons that you mention. It can be frustrating waiting on a large group. For example, when we did the Mediterranean last year, it would have been miserable to do a large tour bus in Rome, for example. We were much better off booking independently with a small group, in my opinion.

 

But then some shore excursions are designed for a smaller group and those can be very good. Ships generally monitor the quality closely so it is less pot luck. I have had some extremely good shore excursions. Many are limited and you can tell by reading the explanation usually whether it is a more individualized tour or a "herd".

[OCruisers]

1kycat .... Sometimes the ship's shore excursions get a "bad rap"! We've been on 40+ cruises and many land trips in the Caribbean pleasure and business....

 

Still, we often take a shore excursion offered by the ship ... IF it's something we want to do!!! (We don't do bus or walking tours :rolleyes: )

 

There's nothing "goofy" about taking a ship's shore excursion! In the "real world" we have to plan-plan-plan for business trips! Nice to have the ship do it for us!

 

On Ship's Excusions: They pick you up from the ship! Take you to have FUN! Return you to the ship! All of this is with NO worries or planning on your part ... and :D you NEVER miss the boat!!!! :cool:

 

Happy Sailing! OCruisers :)

[bssc]

We aim for the more athletic shore excursions, normally bicycling, so we usually end up with 20 or so in our excursion. Some of the more massive ones seem to have 200+ people.

 

And NCL does hold the ship if it is an official excursion. We waited 30 minutes leaving Quebec since a bus was stuck in traffic. On the other hand in Halifax, they left a couple since they decided to go their own way.

[1kycat]

It was, infact, some very slow moving bus tours in Europe that made me want to ask these questions.

 

All of your replies were very helpful. Thanks.

[bankofdad]

I'd say that if the ship is offering the exact tour that you want and they're offering convenient transportation, go with it unless the price is outrageous.

 

That said, don't limit your options to what the ship is offering. There might be multiple alternatives on how to see/do relatively the same thing at any given port, and the ship doesn't always offer the option that's going to give YOU the best experience. They're going to offer the one that's going to make THEM the most money. Look and see what independent operators are offering that will fit your port time, and choose from there.

 

Getting back to the ship on time is obviously very important, but don't forget that the ship controls what time you can get OFF as well. On my most recent trip, this was a problem for a number of our fellow passengers at a particular port, as the ship was not cleared to release passengers after port arrival in enough time for them to make the starting time for self-booked tours.

[robsvacation]

I had a long conversation with an independent tour operator about the economics of dealing with the cruise lines directly. Suffice to say the cruiselines end up with a little under 1/2 the cost of the excursion which forces the operators to charge more and take more people just to make it worth their while. EVERY ship's tour seems to have a stop at some tourist store, something you can usually get out of on a independant tour.

 

That said, I do most of my tours independently and have universally enjoyed them more than the equivalent ship's tours I've taken. For Example, in Grand Cayman our Nativeways tour met us at the dock while the ship's tour was herding the masses, the 10 people on our boat watched from the far side of the sand bar as a giant 2 deck boat disgorged the ship's tour, and I watched as people tripped over each other on the ships tour while my guide was handing me a ray to hold and play with for the third time. I only book tours through the ship if that's the only option, otherwise I look of the net and the boards and find the companies recommended there.

 

If you are touring independantly and something happens, remember the daily newletter or the printed list of recommended stores has a local number to call, make sure you have it. They can contact the ship for you and let them know what's happened. I also take my birth certificate and photo ID with me in case I get stuck and need to re-enter the USA or another country on my own. Trip insurance also helps to relax in case something happens.

[newmexicoNita]

Pros and cons have mostlly been pointed out: We prefer the private tours as they can often be geared to your particular interests and you get more individual treatment, but the time element does play a part. If a private tour will push the time frame remember, as already pointed out, the ship will sail without you if you are not back and everyone will wave as they pull out. We almost missed the ship once; scared the you know what out of me! Decide what is important to you, check out on the net what is available on the islands and plan accordingly. NMNita