JBVols Posted February 4, 2011 #1 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I just talked to an Oceania representative asking if we could get find out which ports would have the free shuttle service for our upcoming 2/24/11 Marina cruise. She said that they have asked for that information but "it would not be provided even to them."She also said we would be provided a list of the free shuttle ports once we got on board. Like most people on this board we arrange for private tours but would help in the planning if we new in advance which ports had free shuttles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meow! Posted February 4, 2011 #2 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Oceania noramlly does not provide shuttle service, even when other lines such as Seabourn and Silversea do for some ports. You will be better off to assume that there will be no shuttle service and plan accordingly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBVols Posted February 4, 2011 Author #3 Share Posted February 4, 2011 In the letter I received today with the new brochure, one of the new additions is free shuttles in over 80 ports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhohea Posted February 4, 2011 #4 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I just talked to an Oceania representative asking if we could get find out which ports would have the free shuttle service for our upcoming 2/24/11 Marina cruise. She said that they have asked for that information but "it would not be provided even to them."She also said we would be provided a list of the free shuttle ports once we got on board. Like most people on this board we arrange for private tours but would help in the planning if we new in advance which ports had free shuttles. I asked via email back in late December 2010 for a list of ports on my upcoming 2 Marina cruises that would have shuttles and this is a sample of what I was sent on Jan 14th, 2011. I am on the May 6 & 16 Venice to Barcelona cruises. So they do know know. Send them an email to specialservices@oceaniacruises.com. I am not sure what "On your own" tour is. Maybe someone can tell me????? We are offering free shuttle service on a select number of ports based on where we will be docked or anchored. Any areas in which we are further away from the city center, we will be offering an “On Your Own” tour for a small fee. Below is some of the information you are requesting: PIRAEUS – ship scheduled to dock at International Cruise Vessels, Terminal A, Akti Miaouli 10, Piraeus KUSADASI – exact pier assigned few days prior the call however all berths are very conveniently located to center SANTORINI – ship to anchor and tender. Cable way to move guests uphill where center is located ZAKINTHOS – ship to anchor and tender to downtown area TAORMINA – ship to anchor and tender where tours start – On your Own tour AMALFI - ship to anchor and tender close to downtown area CIVITAVECCHIA – ship to dock, exact berth unknown at this time however every berth is provided with terminal where buses board guests for tours LIVORNO – ship to dock, exact berth unknown at this time. Shuttle bus to be available as needed to outside port area. No free shuttle to Pisa or Florence . MARSEILLE - ship to dock, exact berth unknown at this time however every berth is provided with terminal where buses board guests for tours. Depending on docking location, free shuttle will be provided. BARCELONA – ship to dock at muelle adosado, free shuttle. I think you just have to get the right person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruin Steve Posted February 5, 2011 #5 Share Posted February 5, 2011 It's always difficult to try to plan ports based on cruise line shuttles... It's not enough to know whether they have them, but also to where they have them... Many ports are really only the gateways to more distant sites...So, the provided shuttles are typically only to the port city town center or railroad station...and even those may not be in the same place...and the places you want to visit may be somewhere else entirely... Traditionally, cruise lines really have little incentive to make life easier for those opting to ignore the cruise line-sponsored shore excursions... If they decide to provide free shuttles, it is likely that they are doing it in response to competition and in order to soothe those passengers who seem to want them... But, you really have to ask yourself first for each port what YOU want to do or see...Plan around that...Don't plan around a free shuttle, it's not worth the exercise... If you are taking a shore excursion, the free shuttles are irrelevant...If you are arranging a private tour, your tour guide should be picking you up at the ship and the free shuttles are, again, irrelevant... The only relevance to free shuttles is if you are planning on wandering some port on your own or using public transportation... If so, just figure that IF there are free shuttles, they will take you somewhere from which you can pick up taxis or other transportation or you can just walk around there... If there are no free shuttles, assume that it is because you are already walking distance or taxis are readily available... Personally, I don't worry about it... Most ports, I will have a tour or excursion arranged... If I don't, then it's probably because it doesn't require advanced planning...Take Barcelona, for example...We're planning no tour there...I know where the ship docks...and I know where I can walk and where I can find taxis...If I find that Oceania is providing a free shuttle (hopefully to somewhere central like the Placa Catalunya), I'll just consider that a bonus... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HawkeyeCruisr Posted February 5, 2011 #6 Share Posted February 5, 2011 I am not sure what "On your own" tour is. Maybe someone can tell me????? Hi Rhonda, An "On Your Own" tour is one that O offers, as in "Florence On Your Own" where they take you by bus from Livorno to Florence, give you a set number of hours there (on your own) and then take you back to the ship. These tours are listed as ship excursions along with all the other guided excursions. While the cost for these tours is less than a regular excursion, I wouldn't exactly call it a "small fee". Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhohea Posted February 5, 2011 #7 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Hi Rhonda, An "On Your Own" tour is one that O offers, as in "Florence On Your Own" where they take you by bus from Livorno to Florence, give you a set number of hours there (on your own) and then take you back to the ship. These tours are listed as ship excursions along with all the other guided excursions. While the cost for these tours is less than a regular excursion, I wouldn't exactly call it a "small fee". Nancy Thank you for your explanation. I had never heard the term before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sldispatcher Posted February 5, 2011 #8 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Oceania noramlly does not provide shuttle service, even when other lines such as Seabourn and Silversea do for some ports. You will be better off to assume that there will be no shuttle service and plan accordingly. Free shuttles were abundant in Morocco (i'm pretty sure) and Tenerife stops on this recent Maiden Voyage cruise. It seemed like the more distant or industrial the port situation....but I bet it won't be a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meow! Posted February 5, 2011 #9 Share Posted February 5, 2011 When we cruised on the Regatta in 2004 (Western Mediterranean) and the Nautica in 2008 (Eastern Mediterranean), no shuttle were provided in any of the ports by Oceania. At Corfu, the port authority provided a shuttle between the ship and the Duty Free building at the port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipity1499 Posted February 5, 2011 #10 Share Posted February 5, 2011 When we cruised on the Regatta in 2004 (Western Mediterranean) and the Nautica in 2008 (Eastern Mediterranean), no shuttle were provided in any of the ports by Oceania. At Corfu, the port authority provided a shuttle between the ship and the Duty Free building at the port. Apparently, this has changed since your cruise in 2008 & our last cruise in 2007..You might want to read post No. 3 & post no 4 in this thread...You will see that Oceania will be providing free shuttle service in select ports per the letter "jbvois" received with the brochure..We received the 2011 brochure, but threw the letter away:(..Some of the ports are listed in post No. 4.. For our April cruise, I'm about to e-mail Oceania's Special Services to find out where they are docking in Yorktown & if they will be providing a shuttle between Yorktown & Williamsburg.. Even to pay a fee for a "tour on our own" would be worth it to us...We've been to Williamsburg before & don't want a guided tour..However, I would really like to get back into the gift shop once again, for some Christmas ornaments, for our kids & friends.;).Last time we were there we were on our sailboat returning to Fla & did not have enough space to store all the gifts I wanted to purchase..;) Please don't tell DH..We might even decide to have lunch there... Cheers...:)Betty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meow! Posted February 5, 2011 #11 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Thanks. So things keep changing with time ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
no fuss travel Posted February 5, 2011 #12 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Thanks Rohhea.(Hope I spelled your name correctly) We will be on the ship at the same time you are sailing from Athens to Barcelona. I have been looking at private tours as both of us have been to Florence, Pisa and Rome before and do not wish to see the same things again. If anyone has advice for Monte Carlo and Marseille, would appreciate names of private tour guides. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted February 5, 2011 #13 Share Posted February 5, 2011 It would be nice if they could tell you in your Cruise Booklet surely they know at the time they are printed Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wripro Posted February 5, 2011 #14 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Even Seabourn and Silversea do not inform you at which ports there will be shuttles, though one can assume with those lines that there will be one. Hopefully, Oceania will now provide one in the ports where they are necessary. However, a shuttle has nothing to do with a tour. If you are planning to do a private tour make the plans without regard to shuttle service. A shuttle will only take you into the center of town, not provide a tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plimsol Posted February 5, 2011 #15 Share Posted February 5, 2011 We have recently returned from B2B cruises - IST-CPT and CPT-SIN. We had shuttle service in many ports but I believe that some were Oceania sponsored shuttles, others by the city/port that we wer visiting and others a joint venture. We were told the night before that there would be shuttle service for the next day's port of call. That information was printed in the Oceania Currents. Before we started this journey, we did not depend on 'free' shuttle service in our plans. If you make your own tour plans with an independent tour operator, do not rely on the shuttle to take you to a specific meeting point. In nearly all cases, we arranged with the tour operator to meet us at the pier at an assigned time. Reliable tour operators are very much in tune when and where the ship docks, and if there are changes in schedules. Yes, it was a bonus to have the 'free' shuttle service in many of our ports but some bring you just outside of the port area to taxis stands and other into the centre of the city, eg. Valencia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacheco18 Posted February 5, 2011 #16 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Just off Nautica Singapore to HOng Kong. There was free shuttle service where needed. Not to worry. O has changed its practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wripro Posted February 6, 2011 #17 Share Posted February 6, 2011 This is a very welcome addition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rialannah Posted February 7, 2011 #18 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Thanks Rohhea.(Hope I spelled your name correctly) We will be on the ship at the same time you are sailing from Athens to Barcelona. I have been looking at private tours as both of us have been to Florence, Pisa and Rome before and do not wish to see the same things again. If anyone has advice for Monte Carlo and Marseille, would appreciate names of private tour guides.Thanks. Sylvie di Cristo is a very highly regarded driver/guide for the French Riviera. A group of 7 of us used her last year when "Insignia" docked in Monte Carlo and we all thought that she was outstanding. Try Google for her email address and website as well as links to many reviews. She does get booked up early. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShopperfiendTO Posted February 7, 2011 #19 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Hi Rhonda, An "On Your Own" tour is one that O offers, as in "Florence On Your Own" where they take you by bus from Livorno to Florence, give you a set number of hours there (on your own) and then take you back to the ship. These tours are listed as ship excursions along with all the other guided excursions. While the cost for these tours is less than a regular excursion, I wouldn't exactly call it a "small fee". Nancy +1. We took the "Florence on your own" "tour" a cuople of years ago and it was $109 per person (It was $99 pp if you booked before boarding the ship). The extent of the "tour" was the "guide" giving you some information during the ride to the destination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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