Question about the coaches on Celebrity excursions

[PeglegJ]

Hi everyone,

 

Travelling on Eclipse this summer, my first cruise!

 

Such a silly question but looking at the Rome trip for example, the coach journeys are quite long. Does anyone know if they have loos on board the coaches? It would make all the difference to my ability to do the excursions.

 

Many thanks in advance,

 

PLJ

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[cruisestitch]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

There is huge variation in the equipment used by Celebrity's tour operators. None of it is owned by Celebrity. It is all subcontracted to local vendors. The coaches (bus in American) used one week might be replaced by different vehicles the next week. So sorry, it probably won't be possible to get the answer to this question, at least not a definitive answer.

 

You may get some answers from those who have taken some tours in the past, but just remember that what they experienced may not be what you will find.

[floridatravelersforlife]

You have two choices with Private Excursions

 

Private car who will stop whenever you want. ie There were four of us in a minivan to Cairo who got food poisoning in Cairo and the three hour drive back to Alexandria was a stop and GO. No problem

 

or

 

Some private operators have buses with loos, but you have to do your research to make sure you get what you desire.

[ArtM]

Most of the longer tours make a rest stop on the order of every 90 minutes, if they are not already making stops at points of interest which might have loos.

 

There are two other things to keep in mind, one is to have local currency in case the facilities are not free, and the other to to remember that the facilities may not be what one has at home - the "long drops" in Alaska are a good example of this.

 

Art

[capecodder2]

I can't think of a coach for touring that did not have a loo in the past 10 years. In more remote areas the standards may not be up to ours (USA) but niether are the public rest rooms. You may want to check for sure with the excursions people on the shiip, but I doubt it will be a problem in most cases. There are many passengers out there with similar issues.

[pete_coach]

We were on a Celebrity tour in Naples. We went to Pompeii and Sorrento then back to Naples and the coach had a washroom.

The length of the tour does not mean that is how long you are on the bus. I think the distances traveled will dictate whether the coach has a facility or not. The trip from Civitavecchia to Rome is just over an hour so, there may be no facilities on the bus. You will be let off to look around and then back onto the bus for another destination.

[eandj]

Another option for you might be to join a group on your roll call board and ride a private van tour. Becasue it it private you will be able to make many more stops and see much more than on a large group tour. Especially in Rome, where the big coach buses can't get up and down all the roads.

[Project_gal]

I am also from the UK and this is also an important factor for me. One of the reasons we cruise is because cruise companies are used to serving US customers with higher demands/expectations than us! It is our experience that, where available, ship's and private excursions use coaches with loos [buses with restrooms]. If these are not available in local ports [as others have pointed out, the crusie companies do not own the tour companies], "comfort breaks" are always scheduled in. These are acknowledged up-front in - we tend to be much more coy about calls of nature.

 

When we were in Bangkok on our last cruise, our private tour guide always knew where to find the nearest loo and whether or not these were "5 star" enabling us to decide how urgent the need was.

 

Although we have not cruised in the Med except Spain at the start of a transatlantic, we have found cruise ports are also geared up to the needs of cruise passengers and public facilities tend to be more easily available than the equivalent none cruise port locations.

 

Incidentally, when on board, you will find your needs well catered for. There are ample public loos in additon to the facilities in your stateroom.

 

Enjoy your first cruise. It is a great way of travelling.

 

Sue

[ghstudio]

I can't think of a coach for touring that did not have a loo in the past 10 years. In more remote areas the standards may not be up to ours (USA) but niether are the public rest rooms. You may want to check for sure with the excursions people on the shiip, but I doubt it will be a problem in most cases. There are many passengers out there with similar issues.

 

The buses that Celebrity chartered for the 10 hour ride from Villefranche to Barcelona (Century mechanical breakdown last year) did NOT have bathrooms. It just added to our complete frustration with how Celebrity handled that situation. However these were charter/tour buses, so believe me, they exist in France and Spain.

 

Yes, they did make stops every two hours!!!

 

I would not assume that there will be bathrooms on any tour bus....and that applies even if you call celebrity and someone swears to you that there are bathrooms on the buses.

[PeglegJ]

Thanks everyone, I guess the key is not to be coy!

 

I have thought about joining up on the roll call for the trips, there are some, but I hate the idea of holding up strangers with my frequent needs!!

 

From these forums I thought that calling Celebrity was probably pointless.

 

I do feel reassured though (if still a little anxious) - thanks :-)

 

Jackie

 

xx

[ghstudio]

Thanks everyone, I guess the key is not to be coy!

 

I have thought about joining up on the roll call for the trips, there are some, but I hate the idea of holding up strangers with my frequent needs!!

 

From these forums I thought that calling Celebrity was probably pointless.

 

I do feel reassured though (if still a little anxious) - thanks :-)

 

Jackie

 

xx

 

I can almost guarantee you that "your frequent needs" are the same frequent needs of the other "older" folks on the cruise.

[PeglegJ]

Thanks again. You are right, although I am not one of the "older" folks I am sure there are plenty in my position!

 

Maybe I shall give it a whirl.......

 

Jackie

x

[hcat]

the ship's excursion busses for Rome & Florence (both long drives) stopped midway or so during the trip for a bathroom break & time to stretch one's legs... very clean facilites but Euro style (no real seats)

 

can't recall if they had emergency bathrooms on board the busses...

[hcat]

the ship's excursion busses for Rome & Florence (both long drives) stopped midway or so during the trip for a bathroom break & time to stretch one's legs... very clean facilites but Euro style (no real seats)

 

can't recall if they had emergency bathrooms on board the busses...a Celeb rep. was with us on all our bus trips

[Project_gal]

although I am not one of the "older" folks I am sure there are plenty in my position!

 

Jackie

x

 

Jackie

 

More than we will ever know!

 

Sue

[luvtocook]

We did a Celebrity tour from Le Havre to Paris (3+ hours) and we had a very nice tour bus with a bathroom AND we made a stop halfway at a very nice place as well. We haven't done very many ship tours but this was the longest one and the only one with a bathroom. On all of our private tours, we have had drivers that know exactly where to stop if "the need" arises!

[CaroleLee]

Hi everyone,

 

Travelling on Eclipse this summer, my first cruise!

 

Such a silly question but looking at the Rome trip for example, the coach journeys are quite long. Does anyone know if they have loos on board the coaches? It would make all the difference to my ability to do the excursions.

 

Many thanks in advance,

 

PLJ

x[/quote

Good question,

Suggest you post this question on excursion board and list the excursions you are planning to take. Again no firm answer but if previous cruisers on your planned excursions says yes or no it would give you a good guess-estimate.

Carole

[PeglegJ]

Great idea will do that.

 

Thx