Clinching Posted June 13, 2013 #1 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Hi,this our first cruise and the excursions are becoming a real headache.We are cruising western med on Nautica. Should we be booking excursions online or can we wait until on board? Is there a real risk that they will be all full? I'm looking at the roll call and also wondering if people get a group together on board? I've bought Rick Steves book, to see if we could just do our own thing to suit ourselves. Any feedback very welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted June 13, 2013 #2 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Hi,this our first cruise and the excursions are becoming a real headache.We are cruising western med on Nautica. Should we be booking excursions online or can we wait until on board? Is there a real risk that they will be all full? I'm looking at the roll call and also wondering if people get a group together on board? I've bought Rick Steves book, to see if we could just do our own thing to suit ourselves. Any feedback very welcome. On a six hundred passenger ship, you have to walk a fine line because Oceania Excursions are just as likely to be cancelled for lack of participation as they are to be overbooked. By the time that you get onto the ship, most people will have made their plans already, so while you might be able to tag along on somebody elses' tour, waiting until then is not something that I would recommend. I would strongly suggest that you put out feelers on the Roll Call, either asking to join the tours of others or organizing one of your own. People who are further along in their planning than you are will generally be very generous in giving advice. Ask Questions! If you spend a little time browsing in the Ports of Call area for the stops on your cruise, you will learn a lot in a short time about how all of this works. Enjoy your cruise! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canuck.qc Posted June 13, 2013 #3 Share Posted June 13, 2013 My first cruise was similar, Med.on Nautica. Great choice, nice sized ship to get familiar with life onboard. The best thing you've done is join your R.Call! If you want to get the best value&experience join a small group from your R.Call ASAP, they fill up quickly. You can find many excellent recommendations on the 'Europe Boards' along with previous cruises similar to yours. If you choose to take O excursions book them online, although the few I have taken don't measure up to the private excursions. Also, make your own arrangements for transfers and hotels, far less expensive than O. Get familiar with each port, compile a list of your must see places, join a group, start the booking process early, good tour companies fill up fast. Have a great trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wr2next Posted June 13, 2013 #4 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Hi,this our first cruise and the excursions are becoming a real headache.We are cruising western med on Nautica. Should we be booking excursions online or can we wait until on board? Is there a real risk that they will be all full? I'm looking at the roll call and also wondering if people get a group together on board? I've bought Rick Steves book, to see if we could just do our own thing to suit ourselves. Any feedback very welcome. Clinching, Don't let the excursions be a headache. Planning them should be the most fun. Jim and Stan are right (they always are so always listen carefully to their advice), get on the roll call for your cruise. I've done private excursions as well as the O excursions in the past. Figure out first what you really want to do in each port. If O offers a port itinerary that you do not see or cant find with a private tour and it is important to you, book it early. My experience in the past is that availability of tours on board depends alot on the weather forecast during the cruise. Personally, I like to make sure I know for sure I have reservations so I like to book early (regardless of private or O excursions).. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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