Excursion Question: Riviera Gems of Antiquity Cruise, May 2014

[Storm Cat]

My husband and I are taking our first cruise on the Riviera this Spring--the Gems of Antiquity cruise, leaving Athens on May 15th. The cruise is offered through the alumni association of my husband's university and is handled by a company called GoNext Tours. GoNext has sent us a package detailing the shore excursions we can sign up for.

 

Is it a good idea to sign up (and pay for) shore excursions in advance, or is it better to wait until you are aboard ship to see if there are other and better offerings?

 

We've never been on a cruise before and looking forward to it and want to make the best of it we can. A friend who has a lot of cruise experience recommends the tour agency or ship excursions as the tour guides will make sure you're back at the ship on time before it sails. (I don't want to sound paranoid, but being stuck on Santorini while the ship sails on to Mykonos, along with our bags and baggage, doesn't seem like a lotta fun...:rolleyes:)

 

OTOH, we've done an organized tour before and while we liked it, we know the limitations of being on a tour company's timetable.

 

I blush with embarrassment, but yes, we are this green at cruising, and any advice about whether to sign on to the GoNext excursions, wait and sign on to something when we board the ship, will be much appreciated.

 

Link to Cruise:

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/findcruise/easternmediterranean/RVA140515/default.aspx

 

Thanks,

Jaye

[Mura]

Jaye,

 

As far as ship's tours are concerned, there won't be last minute additions so if you see a tour you like listed on line, don't be afraid to sign up for it. Sometimes tours are eliminated because not enough people signed up for it, but that doesn't happen often.

 

Many of us prefer to do our own private tours -- smaller groups and the ability to design your own itinerary are prime factors. But it is definitely true that if your ship's tour should be delayed, the ship will wait for you. They may not wait for a private tour.

 

You should look at the available tours online (offered by Oceania) and also go to your Roll Call to see if there are private tours that you might be interested in joining.

 

Mura

[JimandStan]

I see that this is your first Post, Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

Waiting until you get onto the boat, can be a little late, so Cruise Critic has (wisely) set up a Roll Call Forum, where networking with your fellow passengers and making such arrangements may easily be accomplished.

 

The Roll Call for your specific voyage may be found here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1968858

 

Enjoy meeting everyone and planning the daylights out of your cruise!

Getting there really IS half the fun.

[Toranut97]

I like to mention that there are some of us who - despite the higher price - prefer the ship's excursions. DH and I enjoy perusing what is being offered at our leisure, and by meeting the minimum number of excursions booked, we are able to get a small discount.

 

We have joined privately arranged tours several times and they have ranged from great to so-so. The "so-so" was in a port that was only just becoming accustomed to welcoming cruise ships and so there were not many good English language guides available yet. (Actually I do not see that port on O itineraries anymore). The ports on your sailing likely have many excellent guides available.

 

We take the ship's tours for convenience and security. They are clearly not for the frugal. We do not find sharing a bus with others a hardship or demeaning, as many here do. And on occasion we have gotten guides who were not so great and we just wandered off on our own to meet the bus later! On our last cruise my DH had a health issue during our tour in Pompeii, and it was so helpful that the guide was in contact with the ship and we could be assisted upon our return. (BTW everything was okay.)

 

I am sure you will have the time of your life on your cruise! Hopefully you have found your roll call by now and it is helping you sort things out. Remember that only you can decide what is most important to you in terms of tour selection. Do what seems best to you, enjoy yourself, and be at peace with your decisions. To each their own!!!

 

Donna

[hypercafe]

We always take the ship tour as we feel safer, if the tour is late coming back the ship will wait. Also if it is bad or has a problem the ship might make good. Many take private tours and has been said the best place to arrange them is the roll call for your trip. If you see a ship tour you like I would book it on line but it is up to you. I always found the people at the tour desk happy to help once on board. You will have a great trip as Oceania provides a good trip!!

[JimandStan]

if the tour is late coming back the ship will wait

 

That is no longer true.

 

In the economic climate of today, waiting even a few hours can cost the ship tens of thousands of dollars; so while Oceania might be more inclined to wait for a late Oceania tour; in the end, economics must rule the day.

 

Please don't present things that you "want to believe" as facts.

[Mura]

J&S,

 

I'm thinking that as with most things, this can also be relative.

 

The only time we were ever on a ship's tour that was late was not on Oceania but in that case the tour bus broke down and we had to wait for a replacement. It was supposed to be there in half an hour but it was more like an hour and a half as I recall. Also, this was on a Buenos Aires-Valparaiso cruise and we were at a very small port. So the ship waited.

 

Would it have waited if we were six hours late? Hmmm.

 

This was also an itinerary with two day sails between ports and very little public transportation above.

 

But you're right -- it's best not to assume. Passengers were late arriving to the departure port on our Panama Canal cruise (which *was* with O) because of weather delays, and the Captain couldn't wait for them because we would have lost our slot for the Canal. That trumped the needs of the late passengers who were using O's air.

 

Mura

[RetiredFL]

On our first cruise with O in the Baltic about 1/3 of the passengers missed the first two days of the cruise due to weather and airline issues. Don't know if O adjusted the fare. (We always try and fly in a day or two early)

We have seen passengers brought out on the pilot boat and chair lifted on board which could not have been a fun experience.

It is always the Captain's call based on Home Office instructions and the safety of the ship.

For private tours we always tell the tour guide we need to be back an hour earlier than stated in the Currents. Better safe than sorry.

Also, if you do private guides be sure their time is the same as ship's time. In some ports the ship does not change to local time.

[LHT28]

Also, if you do private guides be sure their time is the same as ship's time. In some ports the ship does not change to local time.

I must say in all of our Oceania cruises we have always changed to the current time zone of where the ship is

 

YMMD

 

Lyn

Edited February 19, 2014 by LHT28

[Storm Cat]

Thanks very much for all of your replies. I'm learning a lot. :) Also, I wasn't aware of the Roll Call threads, so I'll be looking at the one for Oceania.

 

After our (non) lovely and (miserably) icy winter, a warm Mediterranean sun sounds like heaven to me. We're not only looking forward to touring the islands, and Athens and Istanbul, but also relaxing on the ship--with someone else doing the driving!

 

I'm surprised that a ship might not wait for a delayed official shore tour to return, but the economics problem does make sense as well, in the case of the Panama Canal, a ship's position and timing to go through the canal. I'm assuming in the case of a delayed official tour, Oceania's local office would step up and help you meet the ship in the next port. Though, honestly, I'm not so much worried about missing the return to the ship as getting a good tour of the islands.

 

Best wishes to all. :)

[Mura]

Storm Cat,

 

You aren't alone in not being aware of the Roll Calls, especially as a new poster. There have been several other such inquiries this week from newbies. I made the same mistake myself at first -- I was used to another list that had far fewer members where all cruises were discussed at the main page.

 

The complication of a ship leaving you at the last port is more serious if your next port is in another country and the ship has your passport! I'm on a May cruise from NY to Dover, and we're planning on a private all-day excursion to a national park from Corner Brook, New Foundland. The next port is not far from Corner Brook and wouldn't be hard to get to if we had to do that -- EXCEPT that last year's cruise didn't dock at that port because of weather. And if that happens this year, it's a four day (or so) sail to the next port -- Dublin.

 

The membership here is split (I wouldn't say 50-50 because I have no idea of the percentages) between people who prefer private tours and those who prefer ship's tours. And there are ports where even people who opt for private tours whenever possible will play it safe with a ship's tour. My husband and I tend to do both, although on our last cruise we only did private tours because the ship's tours were so incredibly overpriced.

 

It always depends on your preferences.

 

If you haven't been to Istanbul before, this is one of our favorite cities. Just beware of cab drivers!

 

Mura

 

 

Ooops. This posted itself ... so I haven't had a chance to proof it!

Edited February 19, 2014 by Mura

[RetiredFL]

I must say in all of our Oceania cruises we have always changed to the current time zone of where the ship is

 

YMMD

 

Lyn

It has only happened once or twice is all our cruises. It appears to be more prevalent in the Caribbean where some islands use a different time than the surrounding area.

In any event, it never hurts to make sure everyone is on the same page/time!

[roquette0604]

I'll be interested to get feedback from you about this cruise and the shore excursions since i'm taking the same cruise in July (Gems of Antiquity too) and have booked an unlimited shore excursion package. Have a great cruisin' and pls share with me your experience and the shore excursions you've taken. Thank you.