RCCL Tours

[Nana57]

First time to Mediterranean. Has anyone taken any tours thru RCCL?

[Hlitner]

There is a basic tenant about all the mass market excursions in Europe (and elsewhere). They simply contract with local land companies to provide the excursions, and most of the cruise lines tend to use the same companies in many ports. Many cruise lines have also contracted out their entire onboard excursion department, so the folks who you deal with onboard do not even work for the cruise line, but rather for a private company that makes their money by marketing and selling excursions. They must make enough money to cover the cost of their employees onboard, the cost of their company, cost of management, profit, and also be able to pay a hefty percentage of sales to the cruise line. What this means is that cruise line excursions are generally quite expensive (some would say vastly overpriced). In many cases you can save a lot of money by simply booking private tours/excursions with companies and individuals ashore. You are cutting out several layers of expenses plus you have a better chance of finding exactly what you want. So you might want to do some online research about your ports, whether you can easily handle them on your own, can get a good deal with a shore-based tour provider, perhaps join with others via the CC Roll Call for your cruise, etc.

 

Getting back to your original question, we have taken some RCI tours...but it was years ago (we now seldom take any tours and just do our own thing). They do contract with very reputable shore providers, generally use large tour buses, and usually have a cruise line employee ride along on every tour to help the tour guide keep track of all the souls. If you are happy to be a part of a large tour group and are willing to pay the price you will likely be satisfied.

 

Hank

[LondonTowner]

I agree with Hlitner. We hardly ever take shore excursions (except in St Petersburg) and a couple of times due to time constrictions. Particularly as I have limited mobility, I do plenty of research and plan what we are going to do at our ports of call. It can involve public transport, walking or taxi, whichever means is cheapest and easiest to get to what we want to see.

 

Most European ports of call are easily done via your own steam or booking direct with a local supplier.

[Got2Cruise]

I have taken the excursions on the Med cruise. Do you have specific questions?

[Nana57]

My husband and I have never been to the Mediterranean so this is a big step for us. We usually go to the Caribbean and are doing a B2B in July on the Jewel. We have been to the same ports about 3X so we are looking to venture out. Last year we went to Alaska and we loved it. We took the land portion that RCCL offered and we loved it.

 

So next June we are planning to do the Mediterranean Greek Isle cruise out of Barcelona. Not sure how many nights to stay in Barcelona before the cruise. Friends are saying we can tour Barcelona ourselves, but I'm not sure. The ports are Cannes (Monte Carlo) France, La Spezia (Florence/Pisa) Italy, Civitavecchia (Rome) Italy, Piraeus (Athens) Greece, Kusadasi (Ephesus) Turkey, Santorini, Greece, Naples (Salerno) Italy.

 

Have heard private tours are the best. Barcelona Day Tours, Riviera Premium Tours, Rome in Limo, Easitaly Tours, Rivera Premimu Tours and Ephesus Shuttle.

 

Have heard that it's better to take a ship tour as you can miss the boat if you are late getting back.

 

Any advise would be helpful in planning this adventure!

[Hlitner]

The good news is that you have lots of time to explore the various options (cruise line excursions, private excursions, or DIY) and that should just add to the fun and excitement of your upcoming adventure. DW and I have been cruising (and doing driving trips) in Europe for over thirty years and nearly always DIY. And, we have never missed a ship (came close twice). If we ever do miss the ship, we always have a "Plan B" on how to catch-up...but that is a different topic.

 

Private tour operators are used to dealing with cruise ship passengers and make it their business to get their charges back in plenty of time. Is it possible to miss the ship? Sure, anything is possible and it has happened. But having cruised for years in the Europe we have yet to personally meet anyone who missed the ship. Most of the time when it does happen it is because the passengers do something really stupid like forget to set their watch or decide to go shopping when they should be heading back to the ship.

 

As to your ports, they are all wonderful places that offer lots of different options. We have done every one of those ports DIY (on multiple cruises) so that is always an option for those willing to do their pre-cruise homework. Most of those ports also have many excellent private tour operators so you might want to get active on your CC Roll Call board where you can possibly join with others on some private excursions. Keep in mind that most cruise line excursions are on large buses with 50+ cruisers. Private excursions are usually a lot more intimate and generally less costly. And DIY can be the most economical and give you total flexibility to do what you want, when you want.

 

So many choices. Just think of all the fun you are going to have planning the trip :)

 

Hank

[sunsetbeachgal]

If you are thinking of doing private tours, versus "do it yourself", you should try to find others on your roll call to share with. Most of the vehicles the private tour operators use can fit at least six or eight, or more. Private tours are great, but they are very expensive, so to split it among others makes it doubly good...a great tour and more affordable.

 

Also, something else to consider is that for some of the places that are further from the port, the cruise line may offer roundtrip transportation for a fee, and then you have the time on your own.

Edited June 23, 2014 by sunsetbeachgal

[Pet Nit Noy]

My husband and I have never been to the Mediterranean so this is a big step for us. ... So next June we are planning to do the Mediterranean Greek Isle cruise out of Barcelona. Not sure how many nights to stay in Barcelona before the cruise.

 

Barcelona is a great favorite of most cruisers so consider staying at least two nights: your arrival night and one additional night. My husband and I visited four nights post-cruise in Barcelona and simply fell in love with the place. If you like food, interesting architecture, and seaside strolls, you'll become a fan too.

 

Friends are saying we can tour Barcelona ourselves, but I'm not sure.

 

You have to figure out what you mean by tour "by yourself." If you mean can you get from site "A" to site "B" without getting hopelessly lost, the answer is absolutely. Barcelona is an easy city to navigate although the Gothic Quarter, the oldest part of the city has the narrow meandering streets characteristic of the oldest part of any European city. If you mean get the most out of a visit to the appealing places, the answer is somewhat different. There's a cruiser, who goes by the name Cruisemom, who is famous for her research about the architecture and the history before visiting a place. She must collect a Master' degree equivalent for every place she visits. I salute her awesome research skills and dedication. I like to learn as much as I can but I find life has a way of putting too many demands on my time to do that level of research. That's why I like to schedule private tours, either for just my husband and me or as part of a group of six or eight.

 

I can only echo what most folks on this board are telling you, a small group tour is infinitely preferable to the large groups typical of a ship-sponsored tour.

 

The ports are Cannes (Monte Carlo) France, La Spezia (Florence/Pisa) Italy, Civitavecchia (Rome) Italy, Piraeus (Athens) Greece, Kusadasi (Ephesus) Turkey, Santorini, Greece, Naples (Salerno) Italy.

 

You'll want to post your questions to the correct board for each of those ports. Right now, you're asking on the French board and, while many of us have visited places in Italy, Turkey, and Greece, you'll get the best information on the dedicated board. Besides, others will benefit from the questions and answers you generate so getting things in the right place is most helpful.

 

Have heard private tours are the best. Barcelona Day Tours ... Rome in Limo...

 

These two tour companies illustrate the wide variety in the kind of tours you might take. Since you'll be in Barcelona, you'll be using the services of Barcelona Day Tours as day walking tours. The guides you'll be working with will be licensed guides, experts in the information they're sharing.

 

In contrast, Rome in Limo's basic operation provides a driver to get you from place to place. The driver will be delightful company. He'll tell you jokes. He'll talk about his life. You'll have a wonderful time. As for learning about the sites/sights you're seeing, not so much. Your driver will know something about your destinations; what he knows may even be accurate. But his license is for transportation only and he cannot accompany you into any site to provide information. If you want to learn about your destinations, you'll need to ask the transportation services to hire a licensed guide in addition to the driver.

 

There are destinations where the port is far away so a private vehicle is clearly a pleasant way to get you want to go. There are several such ports in your itinerary. That's why joining an existing private small group tour or organizing one or two is probably your best strategy. You'll get the convenience of direct transportation with the benefit of learning something.

Edited June 23, 2014 by Pet Nit Noy

[Nana57]

Thank you all for your help.

[Hlitner]

A few weeks ago DW and I were strolling through the Marais area in Paris on a gorgeous Sunday and passed a really cute, well located café, that was in the perfect position in terms of the sun and people watching. So, we sat down, ordered a nice Caprese salad and a Carafe of wine. We sat in that café for over an hour, really enjoyed watching the people walking by, and had a couple of nice conversations with others at nearby tables.

 

Now why do I post this? Because although we spent an entire afternoon in the Marias district (it was not our first visit to Paris or this neighborhood) what we remembered was not the history of a building, the courtyard of a museum, etc. What we remembered was our time relaxing at that café. We have had a similar experience in Rome in the wonderful Piazza Navona (our favorite spot in Rome) and also loved our light lunch on a perfectly located terrace in St Paul de Vence (the last time we visited).

 

For those that enjoy this kind of experience, you need to have some time away from tours/excursions. One can certainly go place to place and see lots of sites with a decent tour, but it can be quite enjoyable to have time to "stop and smell the roses."

 

Hank

[paulaann]

Our family of 13 just returned on June 8 form RCCL Liberty of the Sea. The only RCCL tour that we took was from Marseille to Aix-en-Provence and it was VERY POORLY done. The audio equiptment did not work and the guide spent a lot of time trying to correct the problem rather than giving us info. Once we got to Aix, the guide spent most of her time talking about the shops that we should visit and what to buy. Our whole family thought that the tour was badly run.

 

We did all private tours in the other ports and had excellent guides and tours. In Nice/Villefrance, we used Riviera Premium Private tours and they were wonderful.

In Naples/Amalfi, we used Aldo Limos and they were absolutely incrdible. We have decided that private tours are the only way to go.

[puffy]

I am boarding RCCL liberty of sea in August 7th, I have researched about the tour in Rome and France since Feb, so far I only have barcelona day tour booked.. How difficult to DIY in France port, I will like to do share tour but do not see any tour beside Riviera Premium Tour which they only do private tour. I have checked on roll call but not many mention about the france. Any good suggestion where I should look for. We are only 2 people and too expensive to do private tour. Thanks

[Stay_calm_and_vacation]

We just arrived home from the 7 day Liberty cruise. Being the first time in these ports, we didn't want to miss anything. While we could have gone on our own in the ports we decided to book RCCL tours (except Rome where we used a private guide). We did booked these tours for several reasons. 1) it insured us seeing what we were supposed to see in the big cities 2) we learned things we would not have if we were in our own...like why there is a Star of David at Santa Croce in Florence...about the find of ancient ships in Pisa... The guides talk the entire time and give details about things we would not have gotten if we had been on our own. We had our two daughters (15 and 12) with us so it was important for us to have them learn some stuff as well as see some stuff.

 

 

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[Hlitner]

I am boarding RCCL liberty of sea in August 7th, I have researched about the tour in Rome and France since Feb, so far I only have barcelona day tour booked.. How difficult to DIY in France port, I will like to do share tour but do not see any tour beside Riviera Premium Tour which they only do private tour. I have checked on roll call but not many mention about the france. Any good suggestion where I should look for. We are only 2 people and too expensive to do private tour. Thanks

 

We always DIY in Europe (just returned from a month driving trip in France) but do understand that DIY is not a good option for everyone (those that are scared, or perhaps lack "travel sense").

 

But you only have two French ports (Marseille and Cannes) and each of those ports offers many options that work fine for DIY. In fact, on your own you can actually do more then any cruise line excursion...although we certainly do not recommend doing more...but rather think a lot of enjoyment comes from slowing down and doing less ("stop and smell the roses"). So you need to look at the options for both of those ports (just reading about the tour options will give you some ideas) and decide how you want to spend your day. If you then post some of your thoughts right here on CC, there are a few of us who will be happy to give you some advice on how you can DIY. Keep in mind that both of those ports have decent train connections or rental car agencies. Also be aware that Cannes is a tender port and when you go on your own it usually means a major delay in getting ashore (many others will have priority).

 

Hank

[mskaufman]

We took RCI excursions when we were on Liberty of the Seas a couple of years ago. Royal had a great system of organizing the excursions and getting people off the boat. We did not do ship tours in every port but we did in some. Yes, they were somewhat more expensive than DIY or some private tours. They were all well run with very good guides. I would have no problem using RCI's arrangements again. If you have specific questions, I can try to answer.

[puffy]

Thank you all support and advice from all members. My plan in Marselli is to go to Norte Dome. In cannes I want to go to monte carlo, I know it is tender dock and tend to take longer time. Any recommendation and should I purchase the train ticket ahead and may save time.

[puffy]

my husband loves casino and I want to see palace, how do I go there after tender the dock, how long it takes to reach there, do I have enough time to DIY? Hanks, you always DIY on all Europe, can you give me some advice?

[Hlitner]

Thank you all support and advice from all members. My plan in Marselli is to go to Norte Dome. In cannes I want to go to monte carlo, I know it is tender dock and tend to take longer time. Any recommendation and should I purchase the train ticket ahead and may save time.

 

The trains that run along the coast (between Cannes and Monte Carlo) are regional (TER) trains which are similar to commuter trains in many cities of the world. There are no reservations and no need to purchase tickets in advance. When you get to the Cannes train station you can either buy tickets in the vending machines or at the ticket window, you then validate the ticket by inserting them into the validation machine, and you board the next train. They generally run trains about once or twice an hour.

 

Hank

[mskaufman]

Remember to validate the ticket.

[puffy]

I will take note on all the advice. thank you all suggestion.