Who takes the cruise line excursions?

[2blueyam]

We are trying the private tours for the first time on our Baltics cruise. Berlin and St. Pete with SPB. Tallinn and Copenhagen on our own. Stockholm and Helsinki on ships tours. My wife has been reluctant to do private tours for fear of missing the ship.

 

Helsinki would could probably do on our own, but my DW found a ships tour that includes Provoo that she liked, so we booked it.

 

In Stockholm, the ships tour goes to the Vasa Museum, tour of Old Town Hall and a visit to Gamla Stan. Looking at the time line, I couldn't figure out a way to do this on our own. After looking at the tour description, I see that the length of the tour has us getting back to the ship right when it sails. No way I would chance getting back that late on a private tour or on our own. I also researched the tours at the Town Hall and they only run every 30 minutes. If it is full you wait for the next one. The cruise ship group is big enough, it is a tour of it's own and not subject to the 30 minute intervals for the general public so that problem is avoided as well.

 

Well, I think the private tours were very good, but in many ways my favorite days were the two that we did on our own. Less crowds and setting our own pace. The ship's tours in Stockholm and Helsinki were also quite good, but of course we were in crowds much of the time. Time was lost getting on and off the large bus and waiting for that last person or two to make it back to the bus.

 

In the future I would probably try to do it on my own if practical, then get a private tour. Even with that I would still do the ships tour if that was the "right" thing to do for that port and timing. They all have their advantages and disadvantages.

[cruisingberger]

I do if #1. I am uncomfortable with the port (ie.Samana) or if #2.They offer something really cool (ie. river tubing), otherwise for most ports I like to rent a car or scooter.

[marshhawk]

If I have plenty of time and I feel safe in a port I will go do my own thing.

If I have only 5-7 hours in a port, and there is something that I want to do that takes 4-6 hours, and I don't want the ship to leave without me, then I use a ship's excursion. Or if I don't speak the language of the country, I would use a ship's excursion.

[dsrdsrdsr]

One thing about doing it yourself all the time, it can give you a real knowledge of your own superiority. To be able to look down on people who do things differently and to realise they're no better than cattle, it must give you a really good feeling about yourself. ;)

 

Me, I do what I want. My money, my convenience, my decision as to whether the convenience is worth the money. And I don't see my fellow passengers (or myself) as cattle, so the ship's tours are a valid option.

[STARFISH*4]

have only really had one bad ship excursion and that was post-cruise tour then to airport.

 

cant say i have experienced the crowds or "cattle-lines" or any of that, guess we were LUCKY and picked the right excursions on the right cruiseline.

some of my BEST excursions have been ship excursions--one exception

my Maui tour (independent).

 

have been late getting back on some ship excursions or just in time...NEVER worrying, but also have had vehicle trouble on private excursion and WORRYING--that was to close for my comfort.

 

i dont always find the ships tours so much more $$$ when you take in consideration other transportation costs or excursion fees and then i do have that "comfort" in knowing that if something happens i am on a ships tour!

[donaldsc]

My impression from a months reading and participating in these boards is that Cruise Critic members lean to privately arranged shore excursions. My observation from just five cruises is that most cruisers stick with the offerings of the cruise line. Anybody have a handle on the actual stats?

 

If you take a ships tour, you get an overpriced cattle tour that is mainly populated with either people who are immobile or who are barely mobile. You can count on spending more time in shops than seeing things. If you get a meal that caters to people who thing that an Egg McMuffin is exotic food. You will be told exactly what to see and will not be able to stop at the places you want to stop at.

 

If that sort of a tour appeals to you, you will love a ships tour.

 

DON

[dsrdsrdsr]

If you take a ships tour, you get an overpriced cattle tour that is mainly populated with either people who are immobile or who are barely mobile. You can count on spending more time in shops than seeing things. If you get a meal that caters to people who thing that an Egg McMuffin is exotic food. You will be told exactly what to see and will not be able to stop at the places you want to stop at.

 

If that sort of a tour appeals to you, you will love a ships tour.

 

DON

Don - the above sentence only has any relevance if you've travelled on many ships' tours with a wide variety of cruise lines in ports all round the world. So why did you travel on so many, when you clearly hated every minute? And could you hint as to how many tours and with which lines?

[ovccruiser]

If you take a ships tour, you get an overpriced cattle tour that is mainly populated with either people who are immobile or who are barely mobile. You can count on spending more time in shops than seeing things. If you get a meal that caters to people who thing that an Egg McMuffin is exotic food. You will be told exactly what to see and will not be able to stop at the places you want to stop at.

 

If that sort of a tour appeals to you, you will love a ships tour.

 

DON

 

We did a tour to Rome with the cruiseline and did the Vatican, Coleseum, Trevi Fountain, St Peters Basillica and had time for shopping, had lunch(included) all with a very capable tour guide, coach from Citiciveccia for $285. Yes, we could have done it for less, but, with two tour guides provided by the cruiseline, we did not queue anywhere, so had more time to see the sites, and we arrived back nearly 35 minutes late because of a traffic holdup and the ship waited for us. By the way, our lunch was served at a 4* hotel with silver service, not quite, as you say, an egg McMuffin, but we were happy with it:D:D

[windsor123456]

Here is an article I wrote for my online newspaper about why we chose private tours for our sightseeing tours

 

 

http://www.windsorsquare.ca/2011/06/27/touring-alternatives-sightseeing-in-style/

[ducklite]

We've used them on our cruises in the past, and learned that it's not always the best thing to do.

 

Next year we'll use the ships excursions for two or three of our ports, but for the most part we plan on getting off and exploring on our own.

[Poppet1964]

I'm essentially a first time cruiser going to the med next June. I've already booked private excursions for the 4 of us for the same price as the ship excursions and we can add 2 more people for no extra cost. We'll have flexibility and be able to customize our excursion, it won't be a cattle call and hopefully we won't have any issues getting back to the ship on time :-)

 

I used the CC boards to find a recommended tour company that could accomodate us at 3 out of the 5 ports of call.

[ronjj66611]

For the vast majority, we book privately. The exeptions being if the tourist site is a long way away and some what harder to do on your own. The last time we took a ships tour was in Egypt. We left from Alexandria and flew to Luxor and Valley of the Kings. Yes, it was a very expensive excursion for the 3 of us, but given the fact that we actually had to fly to the from the port to our destinations, I would not have gone if Celebrity didn't have a ships excrusion there. It was probably the best tour we ever taken.

Ron

[17pioneer]

I find its hit and miss. Travelled with a group of friends, did Florence\Pisa with them privately and it was a bust, ship tour which some took was better, Rome, the ship tour which we took was better than their private tour. Naples\Sorrento the private tour was much better. Majorica, ship tour was a bust and private tour great. One caveat, if it involves helicopters and glaciers I would use the ship's tour in case of fog delaying the the inbound leg. (I flew a Huey, trust me). Found this to be true on several other cruises also

[sjmarante]

i book with the cruiseline

[GlendaleCruiser]

Why does it seem to be okay to insult cruisers who use the cruiseline excursions? You don't know anyone's reasons. It is highly offensive.

 

I sometimes do and sometimes don't. Depends on the price and offering.

 

I've never been taken to an "egg mcmuffin" type place for a meal.

I've been able to bypass queues because of the tour (Vatican--that was me walking by you and hundreds of others).

 

Sometimes I take a cab because I know where I want to go.

 

BUT, I would never bash people for doing either.:confused:

[Railer]

I agree GlendaleCruiser. On our Alaskan cruise, we did only ship excursions because I didn't know how to get anywhere. On my upcoming eastern Med, we have some private, some DIY and a ship excursion planned. Alexandria, Kusadassi and post cruise in Athens are private. Volos is a ship excursion. Dikili is still in the planning stage. Venice, Split, Dubrovnik, Corfu and Istanbul are all DIY with much help from others on CC. Whatever your choice, I hope everyone has a great cruise.

 

Russ

[GlendaleCruiser]

i agree glendalecruiser. On our alaskan cruise, we did only ship excursions because i didn't know how to get anywhere. On my upcoming eastern med, we have some private, some diy and a ship excursion planned. Alexandria, kusadassi and post cruise in athens are private. Volos is a ship excursion. Dikili is still in the planning stage. Venice, split, dubrovnik, corfu and istanbul are all diy with much help from others on cc. Whatever your choice, i hope everyone has a great cruise.

 

Russ

 

 

like

[Arzeena]

Why does it seem to be okay to insult cruisers who use the cruiseline excursions? You don't know anyone's reasons. It is highly offensive.

 

I sometimes do and sometimes don't. Depends on the price and offering.

 

I've never been taken to an "egg mcmuffin" type place for a meal.

I've been able to bypass queues because of the tour (Vatican--that was me walking by you and hundreds of others).

 

Sometimes I take a cab because I know where I want to go.

 

BUT, I would never bash people for doing either.:confused:

 

I totally agree. We do ship tours sometimes and at times we go on our own or with other tours.

[GlendaleCruiser]

I will play devil's advocate here and ask you to read John Heald's blog on Carnival. It seems that due to an itinerary change, a cruiser and family were going to be out $275 cancellation fee on a private tour. The day the Magic is going to Rome this tour company had no openings.

 

The poster wanted Carnival to reimburse them for the $275 and give them complimentary tours in two locations. Not a chance.

 

Even though I do both private and cruise ship tours, and also cabs, this is food for thought and something that should be considered in the equation.

[cruisemom42]

If you are going to take a private tour, you should always check their cancellation policies and make sure it's something you can live with. Generally the tours I've booked (and I often do not book any tour at all but truly DIY) either do not ask for any upfront payment or have a cancellation policy that includes not charging the customer if the ship fails to make port for any reason on the scheduled day (i.e., an event that is out of the control of the passenger).

 

I would never consider asking the ship to reimburse my expenses for a privately booked tour! :eek:

 

P.S. In my mind this is another good argument for why DIY is best. You are never out any money if the ship doesn't make port (or you get sick, or anything else....), AND it doesn't really make any difference if the ship rearranges its itinerary. Sure.....you might have to make small changes if you are there on a Monday instead of a Sunday, for example, but if you've done your research you'll be able to get around and see whatever is open.

[Harry and Lucille]

Always worth reposting from time to time :rolleyes:.

 

[ldubs]

We do across-the-board with kind of a priority. First: on our own. Second Private or Ship's depending on the port and venues available. We might have to reconsider now that we know they provide egg McMuffins.

[jamessemaj]

We do across-the-board with kind of a priority. First: on our own. Second Private or Ship's depending on the port and venues available. We might have to reconsider now that we know they provide egg McMuffins.

 

Very much agree, except it's all on my own unless I'm just looking to reduce transportation complications of doing it on my own. I avoid all guided excursions. But I don't disparage those who enjoy them, and the Egg MacMuffin crack was over the top. I have news, when you're guided around by somebody, it's all pretty basic bump on a log, and I love Egg MacMuffins.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We use them most of the time

[Kindy]

It's not like I have tons of experience, but it seemed that the less active you are the more likely you are to take the ship's shore excursions. They're well equipped and often handle passengers with disabilities.

 

And it also depends on the place. Take for instance Russia. The visa requirements (200$ and redtape) make it prohibitive to DIY for a 2-3 day stay. You almost don't have a choice to go with an organised tour. And it seems the ship's excursion department knows this, it cost 300$ for a one day morning and afternoon excursion on Holland Eurodam in 2009. Still it might be reasonable if you don't want the hassle of arranging the tour and finding others to go with you.

 

If you do go through the hassle, 300$ will buy you a fuller tour with a local operator. They even give you a bonus DVD of all the things you will have sped through. :P More likely your fellow excursionists will be more spry than the average on the ship's excursion too. And the local operators live and die on the word of mouth we generate. They do not want 15+ disgruntled people on their hands because they've missed their ship. They take every plain to make sure you're on time.

 

So I lean towards local operators in civilised places, and DIY where possible, but I think the ship's excursions also answer a need for some passengers. I only wish the ships would see fit to provide a better quality/price ratio.