SHORE EXCURSIONS by CELEBRITY?

[yourpete]

What do you think - this is a post I made to my upcoming cruise on Millennium 7th Dec 2014 out of Singapore - am I wrong ?? ??:confused:

 

I really wonder if its worth all the Hassel to try and do your own thing - shore excursion wise?:rolleyes: There are posts here that sound like headless chickens trying to get on and off private trips.:eek: Bear in mind that the Cruise ships will allow their own to get off first and wait if they are delayed etc. etc. Private arrangements must be a bit of a gamble:D - ie will we get off in time? will our booked tour turn up? will we return in time? what if there is a break down of the coach/boat etc, etc.:confused:

It may cost more via Celebrity but there are some guarantees.

At least I have my drinks package to fall back on.:)

[Duanerice1]

You are not wrong because this is your opinion. Do I agree, no, but that's OK. Never been on a ship sponsored tour and not sure I ever will. It's not really the cost that dissuades me but they are usually much larger groups of people.

 

No right or wrong here.

enjoy,

Duane

[jelayne]

We have done both & prefer a private tour, particularly those arranged on the roll-call.

 

As DH says you can only go as fast as the slowest person, touring with a bus load of folks it can be darn slow. A group of 6-8 can customize the tour and see what they want for the amount of time they want to spend.

[bigbenboys]

We almost always go with the cruise ship tours. We took a cruise on Millie out of Singapore. Indonesia customs changed our port of entry. So the day we stopped at each city in Indonesia changed. Celebrity was great, gave people free internet time to make changes for private tours. Since we had booked with Celebrity all was great. Celebrity took care of the problems not us.

[DebbieMacG]

I prefer private tours and have organised or taken part in numerous ones, always excellent. :DI have done five ships tours in eight cruises. Three were very good :) two were very bad :(

[jkgourmet]

You are not wrong because this is your opinion. Do I agree, no, but that's OK. Never been on a ship sponsored tour and not sure I ever will. It's not really the cost that dissuades me but they are usually much larger groups of people.

 

No right or wrong here.

enjoy,

Duane

 

Well said, Duanerice.

 

When I cruised solo in my twenties, I took ship excursions, both for the security and the company. Decades later, with more land and cruise travel experience (and a husband), we rarely take ship excursions. In fact, we often don't book ANY tour, preferring to go on our own by public transport or maybe taxi, to somewhere local and non touristy.

 

We have had our fill of ancient ruins, museums, statues of naked David, churches, mosques, Buddha's, art museums (okay, we were never fans), city halls, etc etc etc

 

There are exceptions. We've happily booked cruise ship excursions in cities where safety was questionable (Tunisia earlier this year, Cartegena in 2003). And when we really wanted to visit an area that was a long way away from the cruise port in case we were delayed on our return (lake Atilan in Guatamala - truly wonderful).

 

But at this point in our lives, we do tours only when truly necessary or convenient or for something of an added value. A culinary tour in Lima and a visit to an Embera Indian village are already arranged for our Dec canal + south america cruise.

 

Other ports, we're likely to do on our own with a taxi. Find a bar, some shops, a restaurant. Taste the local food and drink. Converse as well as we can with anyone we meet. Visit the local food markets. See how the citizens really live - as much as we can given the obvious limitations.

 

Maybe it's this: we prefer to pretend we are traveler's rather than tourists. Sometimes we succeed.

[BubMunkeyBles]

I've done both. We mix it up sometimes. We do a lot of private because smaller groups are nice sometimes (also more affordable often times too). If the ship offers something unique we'll book that (like the St. John excursions in St. Thomas is a pretty awesome deal). I never feel like I don't know what I'm doing though, but I also am very used to international traveling and getting around on my own under normal circumstances.

[welshfamily]

I like to think we are sensible in our choices.

When visiting ports which are known to be 'safe' we are happy to pick up a taxi a the port or use public transport as long as the ship is docked for enough time. If time is short we have taken a ships tour eg to Brugge as we only had 6 hours in port. We also use ships tours if the offering is unusual eg Corinth and the canels from Athens. Both excellent.

We have used a ships tour at Santorini simply to avoid the queues at the tenders and bottom of the cliff.

However our best tours have been with recognisable and reputable private companies such as Rome in limos and Alla tours. Other good tours have been when we have been able to book official guides at historical sites such as The acropolis and used a mixture of taxis and public transport.

In places we consider unstable or unsafe or simply....' Very foreign ' such as Cambodia or even Costa Maya we have used ships tours for safety.

 

The roll call is invaluable and yes smaller is better but we have had a good experience on Celebrity tours too. If Celebrity would get rid of 'shopping experiences ' and introduce some more unusual tours we would certainly use them more often, simply for ease.

[sunshine nana]

We also have done many wonderful private tours organized on our roll calls and also ship's tours to areas that were unsafe or far away. I will say on our last cruise, we had the first problem on a private tour. The guide did not have the correct insurance papers and we could not leave Koper for over an hour. And in Naples, we should have met our group ON the ship and not on the dock as there we two areas of dock after leaving the ship and exiting the large arrival building. A word to the wise, meet before leaving the ship.

[Sloop-JohnB]

I've done both. We mix it up sometimes. We do a lot of private because smaller groups are nice sometimes (also more affordable often times too). If the ship offers something unique we'll book that (like the St. John excursions in St. Thomas is a pretty awesome deal). I never feel like I don't know what I'm doing though, but I also am very used to international traveling and getting around on my own under normal circumstances.

 

This is Mr Sloop & my travelling style as well.

 

We also take into consideration other thingsat that may have a bearing l... Tendering vs Docking - Short Stay vs Long - Safety - Language etc

 

Or if we want to take on a very busy / hectic itinerary while ashore (ie 2 Excursions in one Day)

 

I would not say that in regards to Ship or DIY that one is necessarily always better over the other ... Just different. Sometimes one "works better" than the other for a variety of reasons...

 

Lol, including cost and size of group ( and sometimes Mr Sloop & I just like to go our own way )

 

Cheers!

Edited November 17, 2014 by Sloop-JohnB

[swerdjr]

We did a Mediterranean cruise last fall and booked all our tours with Celebrity. We did the small groups which was a bit more money but loved every minute. All the tours included lunch which were 5 star. It was our first cruise with Celebrity and highly recommend their tours.

[Charles4515]

What do you think - this is a post I made to my upcoming cruise on Millennium 7th Dec 2014 out of Singapore - am I wrong ?? ??:confused:

 

I have done many private tours and never found them to be a hassle or gamble. All tour operators show up because they are counting on the tour fee. Every now and then for this or that reason like using up an onboard credit I have booked a cruise line excursion. That reminded me why private tours are better. In some instances cruise line excursions are the only option but if private tours are an option I will do those. There are a few instances where a cruise line excursion should be done, like Tulum for example cause of the ferry ride and long bus ride but in general not. I won't even book cruise line excursions to use up OBC anymore.

 

As far as your December 7th sailing out of Singapore since I have never done that itinerary or researched it I won't say you are wrong for that itinerary, but for sure it is wrong for the Mediterranean, Baltic, Norwegian, Alaskan and Caribbean itineraries I have done. And wrong for Bermuda, any who books a cruise line excursion in Bermuda has not done any planning ahead or research, or has rocks in their head.

Edited November 17, 2014 by Charles4515

[Charles4515]

We did a Mediterranean cruise last fall and booked all our tours with Celebrity. We did the small groups which was a bit more money but loved every minute. All the tours included lunch which were 5 star. It was our first cruise with Celebrity and highly recommend their tours.

 

The Celebrity small group tours are a lot more than booking private tours! I have seen the prices. I have been on three 11 and 12 day Med cruises and the private tours that were put together on the roll calls were all top notch. But hey if you have money to waste when you can get the same or better for less, it is your money!

[RJAYL]

We did a Mediterranean cruise last fall and booked all our tours with Celebrity. We did the small groups which was a bit more money but loved every minute. All the tours included lunch which were 5 star. It was our first cruise with Celebrity and highly recommend their tours.

 

 

I agree small groups are much better than large group. I have also done ship sponsored excursions and private excursions and have had good and bad experiences in both I have had the same experience using guides recommended by Rick Steves some good some bad. You roll the dice you take your chances !

 

 

 

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[cruise kitty]

I am a dedicated DIY traveller, & one ships tour was enough to teach me that they are not for me :)

 

However, for some people, they are perfect.

 

Not everyone likes to do the research & planning that it takes to pull off fantastic days in port, & some people have physical limitations that make ship tours very appealing.

 

My parents did the Solstice in Alaska in Sept. They took ships tours in every port, some days they did 2 tours :eek: Dad was exhausted, but loved it.

 

They completely enjoyed the tours & Mom loved not having to worry about getting lost, etc., she is definitely not someone who would feel comfortable on her own.

 

I, on the other hand, spent two weeks this last spring basically taking trains across France & the UK, by myself, without the hubby as he could not get away from work, & loved every minute of it. One size does not fit all. ;)

[Lsimon]

I'll throw in my 2 cents and say that we always consider all options: ship's tours, private tours, and just heading out on our own. I don't think it is fair nor wise to count out either one or the other across the board. We've been on some fantastic ship's tours and some bad private tours so there is no magic that says a private tour is better than a ship's tour. And it isn't even always true that a ship's tour will be more expensive than a private tour - it all just depends. Also while we've been lucky with travel mates from roll calls on the few private tours we've done that way we've heard of terrible experiences from other cruisers who did not get along with the others in the small group sharing a private tour.

 

As for timing, the only time the timing of when you can get off the ship makes a difference is at tender ports. Getting back to the ship does make a difference and does enter into our thoughts a little. We've been late back to the ship once or twice on ship's tours with no worry since it was a ship's tour. We've had one extremely close call on a private tour where we were stuck in traffic that was not expected by the tour guide and were the last ones back on board despite a scheduled return to the ship nearly an hour earlier.

Edited November 17, 2014 by Lsimon

[swerdjr]

The Celebrity small group tours are a lot more than booking private tours! I have seen the prices. I have been on three 11 and 12 day Med cruises and the private tours that were put together on the roll calls were all top notch. But hey if you have money to waste when you can get the same or better for less, it is your money!

 

We did research before going and we basically were going to pay the same price as going with a private tour. Since it was our first cruise to the Med we felt comfortable going on tours with 20 people in a group. Again, we had a fantastic time and it was not wasted money.

[Charles4515]

We did research before going and we basically were going to pay the same price as going with a private tour. Since it was our first cruise to the Med we felt comfortable going on tours with 20 people in a group. Again, we had a fantastic time and it was not wasted money.

 

A group of 20 is not a small group! A small group is less than 8. You go in a small vehicle. Not a bus. I don't know where you were researching but all the private tours I took with groups of 4 to 8 were less expensive than the Celebrity tours that took 20 to 30 and the private tours had a better tour or equal tour itinerary. I have done 5 European cruises and most of the tours were private. I did a few cruise line tours and they were okay but going on a tour with 20 people running after a tour guide transmitting to us thru wireless headphones at the Doge was not near as good as a tour of 4 we did at the Hermitage.

[yourpete]

I have done many private tours and never found them to be a hassle or gamble. All tour operators show up because they are counting on the tour fee. Every now and then for this or that reason like using up an onboard credit I have booked a cruise line excursion. That reminded me why private tours are better. In some instances cruise line excursions are the only option but if private tours are an option I will do those. There are a few instances where a cruise line excursion should be done, like Tulum for example cause of the ferry ride and long bus ride but in general not. I won't even book cruise line excursions to use up OBC anymore.

 

As far as your December 7th sailing out of Singapore since I have never done that itinerary or researched it I won't say you are wrong for that itinerary, but for sure it is wrong for the Mediterranean, Baltic, Norwegian, Alaskan and Caribbean itineraries I have done. And wrong for Bermuda, any who books a cruise line excursion in Bermuda has not done any planning ahead or research, or has rocks in their head.

 

 

Thanks for all the views and ideas. I have chosen Charles as that view that rings mostly with me. Asia is new to me and for a 1st visit to the area I have gone with the official Celeb tours. Perhaps next time I will be a bit more daring.

 

I also agree with "Welshfamily" comment - The roll call is invaluable and yes smaller is better but we have had a good experience on Celebrity tours too. If Celebrity would get rid of 'shopping experiences ' and introduce some more unusual tours we would certainly use them more often, simply for ease.

 

 

thanks again - and counting down the days before we are off:)

[notjaded]

Echoing some of the others, we have done a mix. Never dissatisfied with any of the private tours I have arranged. Sometimes dissatisfied with the cruise company's tours.

 

Sometimes feel safer with the cruise tour, but once in Israel, took two days worth of tours from a private guide because I did not want to be on a tourist bus.

 

When taking a private guide, we always plan to be back at the ship 1.5-2 hours before it sails.

 

Two weeks ago in Shanghai, we got off the boat before the Ship's tours left because we were in a suite. We were well on our tour while Shanghai immigration was holding up the ship's tour groups for a few hours. So, the so-called "advantage" of booking ship's tour may not be a reality.

 

Good luck with your experiences....

[swerdjr]

A group of 20 is not a small group! A small group is less than 8. You go in a small vehicle. Not a bus. I don't know where you were researching but all the private tours I took with groups of 4 to 8 were less expensive than the Celebrity tours that took 20 to 30 and the private tours had a better tour or equal tour itinerary. I have done 5 European cruises and most of the tours were private. I did a few cruise line tours and they were okay but going on a tour with 20 people running after a tour guide transmitting to us thru wireless headphones at the Doge was not near as good as a tour of 4 we did at the Hermitage.

 

To each their own Charles! I consider 20 small group compared to the 200+ that we would have had on the other tours offered by Celebrity. Again, this was our first cruise to the Med and this is what we felt comfortable with.

[Charles4515]

To each their own Charles! I consider 20 small group compared to the 200+ that we would have had on the other tours offered by Celebrity. Again, this was our first cruise to the Med and this is what we felt comfortable with.

 

If 200 plus book a tour they break it down to groups of 20 to 30. They don't clump 200 people with one guide. A typical Celebrity excursion is 20 to 30. There might be one bus or ten buses of 20 to 30. Depends on how many book. 20 to 30 is not a small group. A small group is 10 or less and it does make a difference. I understand where you are coming from. I certainly booked plenty of cruise line excursions when I started cruising. Then I found Cruise Critic and learned of the better way. And the roll calls for putting together small groups. I did a couple of private tours and got hooked on that way. By the time I started doing European cruises I was comfortable with private tours or other DIY. I can understand you not being comfortable doing private tours. Next time you might try one. Mix it up. When I do an Asia cruise like the other person is doing, I would be starting over because I don't know much about Asia and the languages are totally foreign to me. I could end up doing cruise line excursions in that part of the world. I am not saying never do a cruise line excursion. Private tours and DIY are preferable in general but sometimes the Cruise line excursion will be the best option. Like Tulum or Blue Lagoon.

Edited November 18, 2014 by Charles4515

[cheryl20772]

Please don't make the mistake of thinking you are safer if going on a ship excursion and don't think that any port is "safe". We joined a ship excursion in St. Lucia. We felt very safe. There were several buses of cruise passengers going to several destinations on the island in turn. One destination was the Botanical Gardens. We really wanted to see them, but our bus was told to go back to the ship instead and we were given a credit for missing it. Why? Because the passengers from one of our buses was held up at gunpoint in the Botanical Gardens. It can happen anywhere there is opportunity and doesn't seem to matter if in a large group or small one.

 

This will not deter us from taking excursions - private or ship. It just tells us that ship excursions are not safer than any others. Our bus didn't go to the gardens, but there were still taxis and private excursions that didn't know and probably still went that day. I don't know if they got in or if the police turned them away. We do tend to prefer the extra insurances provided by the ship, but will take a private excursion for something special or different.

 

Going to Bermuda next May. Would consider it a safe port. But is it really any safer than where I live? Nothing would surprise me now and I will have to let common sense rule.

[Shaco]

I have done many private tours and never found them to be a hassle or gamble. All tour operators show up because they are counting on the tour fee. Every now and then for this or that reason like using up an onboard credit I have booked a cruise line excursion. That reminded me why private tours are better. In some instances cruise line excursions are the only option but if private tours are an option I will do those. There are a few instances where a cruise line excursion should be done, like Tulum for example cause of the ferry ride and long bus ride but in general not. I won't even book cruise line excursions to use up OBC anymore.

 

As far as your December 7th sailing out of Singapore since I have never done that itinerary or researched it I won't say you are wrong for that itinerary, but for sure it is wrong for the Mediterranean, Baltic, Norwegian, Alaskan and Caribbean itineraries I have done. And wrong for Bermuda, any who books a cruise line excursion in Bermuda has not done any planning ahead or research, or has rocks in their head.

 

So, those who choose the larger excursions often offered by the cruise lines are mentally deficient? We always choose ship excursions for sea and snorkel excursions. Those are on catamarans, not little boats. Entry and exit from the vessel is much easier. Plus, they must get you back aboard, not leave you in the water for fish food, as a private tour person might. Different people have different needs, and anyone who doesn't know that has rocks in their head!

 

Shaco

[gek]

Ship shore excursions are a last resort for me because they are almost always overpriced. I always look at doing my own thing first, usually by public transport. If that is too difficult I look at private tours and only choose the ship's excursion if time is an issue. The anxiety of being stuck in traffic on the way back from a private excursion when the ship sails in an hour is not something I'm keen to experience.

 

However, apart from cost I think comparing the different options is like apples and oranges. Each type of tour has it's own plusses and minuses, even if one of the plusses of a shore excursion is laughing at the stupidity of the one or two idiots who always find their way into a big group :D