Tour Information Please

[TerryLP]

We (my wife, twin daughters, and I) are sailing on the Ruby in June. We are doing the Grand Mediterranean cruise. We have always booked our tours through Princess and done the group tours. I was wondering what kind of experience some of you might have on booking private tours, especially in Italy. How do they compare price wise? Are they safe? Are they worth the money by comparison? Tipping? Any information that you can give will be appreciated.

Terry

[-Lew-]

You're going to enjoy the Grand Med itinerary. That was our first Med itinerary and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

You didn't ask, but let me suggest that you plan to spend additional time in Barcelona and Venice before and after your cruise...both wonderful cities with a lot to see and do.

 

I suggest you visit the various ports of call boards for the countries you will be visiting. You'll find answers to your questions and more as there is a wealth of information there.

 

Also, join the roll call for your cruise. You'll find others who have cruised the Med before who can provide insight. Some will also likely put together shore excursions you can join.

 

In cruising Europe, we have done Princess and private and have experienced good and not-so-good tours with both. The ports of call boards will provide some good info on tours from those who have taken them.

 

Enjoy your cruise...

 

Lew

[paul929207]

We have booked several private tours in Europe including one in Sorrento in May and never had a problem. Price is often half what the cruise lines charge. They are a small group, so a much better tour than the ship's

[cleobella]

We booked a private group tour with Rome in Limo for Naples with a group we connected with on this site. We paid a little less then the comparable Carnival Tour with the added bonus of having only 6 in our group and getting to make our own itinerary. In Rome we joined a group through the Share a Shore Excursion in Italy site. Again we paid less, shared the tour with 3 other couples and were able to make changes to the standard itinerary to see what we wanted to. Both of these experiences were great and I would go the private tour/shared private tour route again. The Carnival Tours were expensive and we heard terrible stories about people being herded around in groups of 50, where they could not hear the commentary and felt like they could not see everything they wanted. Good luck with your planning!!

[Gracie115]

We used Rome In Limo in both Rome and Naples and they did a wonderful job, for less money. We also used Guided Tours Israel in Israel and they were also excellent.

 

Do check the Boards for info about different tour companies, but also check Trip Advisor, they have a lot of information.

 

Our Med cruise this past Sept. was the first time we did excursions not ship sponsored....they were far better than any we've been on with the ship...mostly because of the smaller number of people....if you find a reputable company there's no reason to believe you won't have the same experience.

[chipmaster]

We did Grand Med a few years ago, went private in every port or DIY no regrets

 

At many places saw the big bus tours come later with their tour guide holding their Princess flag and sheep in tow. The price / value if you do a private vehicle compared to the Princess works out to be similar, but the experience will be far better with private!

 

In every port we were off way earlier than all of the bus tours. That plus the small vehicle that enabled curbside dropoff and faster travel time meant we were there earlier, saw more and back on the ship usually sipping a drink by the pool way before the bus tours came back.

 

Tipping is just a small addition and even factor that in far better value going private. It might not be for everyone if you like the big crowds and don't want to do a bit of research, if you do, you'll be rewarded!

 

 

We (my wife, twin daughters, and I) are sailing on the Ruby in June. We are doing the Grand Mediterranean cruise. We have always booked our tours through Princess and done the group tours. I was wondering what kind of experience some of you might have on booking private tours, especially in Italy. How do they compare price wise? Are they safe? Are they worth the money by comparison? Tipping? Any information that you can give will be appreciated.

 

Terry

[TerryLP]

Thanks for all the information. I think that we will do private tours in at least some of our ports. It sounds like a fun way to go.

 

Terry

[hylasgirl]

We (my wife, twin daughters, and I) are sailing on the Ruby in June. We are doing the Grand Mediterranean cruise. We have always booked our tours through Princess and done the group tours. I was wondering what kind of experience some of you might have on booking private tours, especially in Italy. How do they compare price wise? Are they safe? Are they worth the money by comparison? Tipping? Any information that you can give will be appreciated.

Terry

 

 

I believe private tours are the only way to go in the Mediterranean. I think ship excursions are a rip off on almost every port. There are so many recommended touring options and ALL are a great value. There is a thread close to this one about "Romeinlimo". They are an incredible tour company with impeccable service. Everyone thinks so. You cannot go wrong with them. They also offer discounts when combining tours. We have had some of our most memorable days in Europe on a Romeinlimo tour. I've sailed the Mediterranean about 5 or 6 times now, and I still hire them out of Rome (Civitavecchia), Livorno (Florence and other locations) and my favorite port is Naples. Private tours along the Amalfi Coast are incredible. Read through some of the reviews on the "Romeinlimo" thread and you'll see there are many of us that agree. They are totally safe and I've never heard of ONE incident on one of there tours.

 

You didn't say all your other stops, but in Athens we used Paul's Taxi and he came highly recommended and was incredible to work with and tour with. LOVED them!

 

In Kusadasi we used EKOL tours and they were incredible also.

 

Feel free to ask any questions about sites or anything. I've been to many different destinations out of each port.

 

Just whatever you do... don't go through the ship. I did that my first Med cruise when I got married and the difference is amazing! Not being on a bus with 50 others is a much better experience.

 

Have a great time!

[ksps cruise fan]

We (my wife, twin daughters, and I) are sailing on the Ruby in June. We are doing the Grand Mediterranean cruise. We have always booked our tours through Princess and done the group tours. I was wondering what kind of experience some of you might have on booking private tours, especially in Italy. How do they compare price wise? Are they safe? Are they worth the money by comparison? Tipping? Any information that you can give will be appreciated.

 

Terry

 

 

As long as you stick with names of companies that get positive comments, you'll be totally safe -- as long as we're taking safe to mean returning you to the ship in time, knowing the route, using well-maintained cars.

 

Next you'll have to decide what matters to you: a lot of reliable information when you're visiting the site or a combination of service and as much information as your driver happens to know before reaching the site. These are two very different kinds of tour experiences and only you can decide which will work best for you. There's no a single company that "everyone" thinks is the best.

 

 

The companies that have names focusing on transportation are the combo service/information types (e.g. Rome Cabs or RomeinLimo). If you would prefer a licensed guide, but are reluctant to DIY to use the train to travel from distant ports into the city (e.g. Civitivecchia and Livorno) private licensed guides can make transportation arrangements for you. You'll probably pay more for the licensed guide/transportation combo than the driver only. Incidentally, many cruisers who choose the driver only option also hire a private guide for specific places like the Vatican or Pompeii.

 

Happy cruising and, again, there's no single company or approach that everyone thinks is best.

[Gracie115]

For Athens we used PrivateGreeceTours and they were wonderful. Nikos, the owner stayed in constant contact with us via email because of the frequent strikes there so we would know what to do if one was called for the day we were there(thank goodness it didn't happen). The guide he provided for the Acropolis was wonderful and very knowledgeable. I will definitely use them again if I return.

[Chloe1500]

TerryLP, we just returned from this same cruise last month, and we really enjoyed all the ports, many of which are relatively easy to DIY. My suggestion is to buy Rick Steves' book "Mediterranean Cruise Ports" as well as reading these boards, then decide what your family's comfort level is about trying things on your own. We also did the Princess tour, Ephesus and the Terrace Houses in Kusadasi, which was excellent in every way, and Princess' s Cinque Terre excursion in Livorno, which offered a convenient "package" of walking, boat and bus travel to see four of the five villages in a day and get us back in time.

[LoveCruisin72]

Thanks to all of those who responded to this question. We will also be doing the Med cruise beginning May 30,2012. I was wondering the same thing about Princess vs private tour. Now i'm going to use this advise and start checking things out. Thanks!

[Born2go]

Just a suggestion. I downloaded Rick Steves podcasts for tours of the ancient Agora in Athens, the Acropolis and the Athens City Walk. They are great! He has them for places all over Europe and best of all, they are FREE! You can go at your own pace & pause your Ipod/mp3 player if you want to spend more time at any one place.

 

Just go to the I-Tunes store and put Rick Steves in the seach bar. Great for DIY types.

[LoveCruisin72]

Thanks for the suggestion, Born2go! I have downloaded them as well. Great info!