question on tours

[fritochip]

This is our first SS cruise...we will be on back to back cruises in MAy to southampton and Copenhagen. I have looked at the posted tours on the itinerary; are they well done? Do you recommend DIY? Trying to get organized and would love some input!

Thank you!

[Seafairer]

Fritochip, I think you'll find that tours in that part of the world are of a reliably high quality. If you'd like to specify which cruise you're on, others will chime in with specifics and recommendations, and visa advice for Russia, if you need it.

 

One thing I've learned, and this applies to any cruise line: it's a good idea to "read between the lines" of tour descriptions, so there aren't many surprises. For example, if you're in Rome, will you have a real guided tour of, say, the Coliseum? Or will the motor coach simply slow down to "view" the site (a drive-by) or just stop briefly for a "photo op"? If bus travel is involved, how much time is spent getting there and back, versus the actual tour? This information is usually part of the tour description, so you can think more carefully about your options and preferences.

 

Also, if a tour includes, say, a church, vineyard, and museum, are you really interested in all 3? If you just want to visit the museum, you could probably do that on your own and put the extra time to better use.

 

The tour director is always a good resource. You can get most of the specifics you'll need, and you usually don't have to sign up for tours until you're on the ship. Also, the cruise director knows the ports and can help steer you to (or away from) a variety of destinations.

 

If you decide that the DYI route works best, please allow for the fact that the ship doesn't wait for late passengers unless they're on the ship's own tours. Schedule a lot of extra time so you're back at least an hour (preferably more) before final boarding time (which is usually 30 min. before departure). Just in case you're faced with a flat tire or vehicle breakdown, traffic detours, a driver getting lost, traffic congestion, slow roads, etc. If something unexpected happens, it's up to you to get to the next port (without your passport, a good reason to take Silversea's list of "port contacts" whenever you're ashore), so planning that extra time is a sensible precaution when you're on your own.

[Herman The Cat]

I would also suggest the CruiseCriticForm/Ports of Call. You can get some good ideas on your ports in terms of what you should see, what shouldn't be missed, people's experiences, what is DIY-able, etc. The ship tours are generally well-done but the groups from the ship might be larger and the experience perhaps less personal (depending on the tour) than one you might arrange and/or customize on your own. However, DIY does take a lot of extra time and effort.

[Seafairer]

By the way, Fritochip, you might get more replies if you start a new thread with a title that's more specific to your itinerary, like "Tours in Baltic & Scandanavia."

[fritochip]

This Portlander is very happy for the replies and I will repost with specific areas of interest! We are both excited for the adventure in MAy!

[SuzCruise]

I'm currently asking a question about tour costs, so in an effort to get some good karma, I'll provide some info to you that will hopefully be helpful. :).

 

I haven't cruised silversea before and I don't know what tours you are considering, so I can't help with info about tours, but can with the DIY aspect. We did the Baltics on our own and loved every minute of it. In St Petersburg we hired a guide, but other than that we just trekked around on our own. The big caveat is that I really like doing research and I really do my homework before hand. We had a really lovely and effortless experience in each port because of that. We hopped a train in Germany and spent the day visiting a lovely castle in a storybook little village that happened to be having a street festival where we enjoyed brats and beer with the locals while listening to music. I know we had more fun than our friends who were bussed to some tourist sights.

 

If you do decide to DIY, these boards are invaluable. Go to the ports boards and you will find trip reports and written guides that will walk you through the how and where of any question you may have. And we also got ideas of what to do in ports we didn't know much about.