Europe Shore Excursions

[hencoll]

We too are jumping from the DCL pool to try the Vista, we'll be on the 6/3 Mediterranean. I've been immersing myself in all things Carnival for the last few months and it's nothing like the, "be the first" DCL mentality. Certainly there are some things you really have to be on top of but its not like trying to get a cabana on CC and being hosed unless you're concierge or platinum. I so hope we really enjoy CCL because I'm so tired of paying DCL prices. We booked this cruise about 2 weeks before DCL released the middle of 2016 cruises, we got this cruise for $4400 for 2 insides, (4 people), on opening day, the same week for the Eastern Caribbean on the Fantasy was $8600 for 2 insides (4 people).

 

I've been reading tons of reviews on the bigger CCL ships here on CC and am getting really excited about this cruise. I know it will not be like DCL in many respects but to be able to see the Mediterranean at about have the price of the Caribbean, I'll forgo getting "free" soda on DCL.

 

You will not be disappointed! I'm a big DCL fan as well but all of our port intensive European cruises have been on other cruise lines and we have not missed the "Disney difference" at all. The massive amount of money saved by booking with another cruise line has paid for some amazing private tours for our family which included many cool activities geared towards our 3 DDs. It also helped cover some pre/post cruise land stays in Barcelona, Copenhagen, London and Paris.

 

I booked the June 11, 2016 - 10 day cruise as soon as it was available. We are taking my inlays on their first trip to Europe and I felt this itinerary gave us a great variety of ports. There will be a total of 7 of us and we got 3 cabins (2 balcony and 1 inside) for a little more than DCL wanted for a family of 4 in one balcony cabin on a 7 night European itinerary. :eek:

[aprilcl]

John Heald wrote on his June 16, 2015 blog:

"

the so-called “pirate” excursion industry that has manifested itself in Italy, Spain, Greece and other ports of call. I remember a tour operator who had parked its buses on the pier in Civitavecchia (Rome) and picked up some guests who had made arrangements via the internet to provide an excursion around the city.

 

Just as guests were boarding, the police arrived and escorted the buses and the guests to the police station where the company involved was fined thousands of euros. Of course, the guests lost their excursion and the money... "

Please help clarify.... Is this recent? Did this involve highly reviewed tour companies (like RomeinLimo, RomeDrivingTours or DriverinRome)? Our plan was to book our own excursions in Italy and not go through Carnival... now I am second guessing.

[BaseballMomof4]

John Heald wrote on his June 16, 2015 blog:

"

the so-called “pirate” excursion industry that has manifested itself in Italy, Spain, Greece and other ports of call. I remember a tour operator who had parked its buses on the pier in Civitavecchia (Rome) and picked up some guests who had made arrangements via the internet to provide an excursion around the city.

 

Just as guests were boarding, the police arrived and escorted the buses and the guests to the police station where the company involved was fined thousands of euros. Of course, the guests lost their excursion and the money... "

Please help clarify.... Is this recent? Did this involve highly reviewed tour companies (like RomeinLimo, RomeDrivingTours or DriverinRome)? Our plan was to book our own excursions in Italy and not go through Carnival... now I am second guessing.

 

While I am not familiar with the other two, RomeinLimo would certainly not fall into the category of "pirate tour company". They are a well established, well respected tour company. We have used them in the past and will use them in the future.

[fuddrules]

now I am second guessing.

 

Which is what he wants.

 

Stick with those companies/tours that have multiple recommendations here and/or on tripadvisor and you'll be fine.

 

Carnival tours do have the guarantee the ship won't leave without you, where, the others don't. But I don't believe I've ever read where someone was left in a Euro port who had used one of the highly rated independent tour operators.

 

I like using them simply for the fact I can book a small group - say 5 to 16 people and there is more flexibility on what you do. Also fewer "cats" to heard when you want to leave. Otherwise, there's nothing wrong with Carnival excursions and some do prefer the security they provide.

Edited June 21, 2015 by fuddrules

[b_cruise]

Honestly, I would only use rome in limo, joe bananas and italytoursharing.com

 

Like the above poster said stick with ones that have been reviewed on cc by reputable cruise critic members.look at how many posts the members have to make certain. Those posters saying they like or don't like something but only have one post are red flagged ( just like on TA).

 

Ships tours are usually more expensive, more people, and not as good. It is very rare a private tour would make u miss the boat unless u are using a less reputable tour company.

 

I would bet that italytoursharing.com and the other two I mentioned have never had clients miss the ship.

[LEtue]

We booked Izmir through Ephesus Shuttle. They have good reviews on TA and here. Several tours to choose from and the prices are very reasonable.

 

We have 4 private tours currently booked just due to ease factors in certain ports. We will DIY the others. I am sure Carnival can come nowhere near the per person prices we got for groups of 8.

 

I will have to research it a bit more, but some of the reviews I have read about local guides have been less than wonderful saying that whole buses of tourists are taken to sketchy places that are obviously in cahoots with the tour guides and they try sell them stuff. One said they were taken to a "fashion show" that was creepy and then after people tried to hard sell them leather goods. Another review had a similar experience except they were taken to a carpet place.

 

I just wanted to post a quick recommendation for Ephesus Shuttle! We toured with them last October during our Serenade OTS cruise and they were absolutely wonderful to work with - from start to finish. We toured from Kusadasi and did the Tour 4 -A1 and added the Terrace Houses (don't miss them). We did not have to do the stop at the carpet factory and it was a wonderful day! They are rated #1 on TripAdvisor and it is well deserved :)

[heatherbelle]

We too are jumping from the DCL pool to try the Vista, we'll be on the 6/3 Mediterranean. I've been immersing myself in all things Carnival for the last few months and it's nothing like the, "be the first" DCL mentality. Certainly there are some things you really have to be on top of but its not like trying to get a cabana on CC and being hosed unless you're concierge or platinum. I so hope we really enjoy CCL because I'm so tired of paying DCL prices. We booked this cruise about 2 weeks before DCL released the middle of 2016 cruises, we got this cruise for $4400 for 2 insides, (4 people), on opening day, the same week for the Eastern Caribbean on the Fantasy was $8600 for 2 insides (4 people).

 

I've been reading tons of reviews on the bigger CCL ships here on CC and am getting really excited about this cruise. I know it will not be like DCL in many respects but to be able to see the Mediterranean at about have the price of the Caribbean, I'll forgo getting "free" soda on DCL.

 

Ex DCL cruiser here, now on my third Carnival cruise, love them, the only thing I miss compared to DCL is the free buns in cove cafe and their desserts. Great value for money IMO.

[BaseballMomof4]

I just wanted to post a quick recommendation for Ephesus Shuttle! We toured with them last October during our Serenade OTS cruise and they were absolutely wonderful to work with - from start to finish. We toured from Kusadasi and did the Tour 4 -A1 and added the Terrace Houses (don't miss them). We did not have to do the stop at the carpet factory and it was a wonderful day! They are rated #1 on TripAdvisor and it is well deserved :)

 

Thank you for posting this. I was concerned by some of the previous posts about the unwanted stops and had left them out of our consideration for our Izmir port. I will check them out once again.

[cmcsharon]

Thank you for posting this. I was concerned by some of the previous posts about the unwanted stops and had left them out of our consideration for our Izmir port. I will check them out once again.

 

Are you concerned at all about the distance...Izmir being so much farther away than the port they docked at? I've been thinking I should go with the ship excursion to Ephesus because of it, even though I normally book excursions. I would love to see a review from someone that used them from the Izmir port.

[BaseballMomof4]

Are you concerned at all about the distance...Izmir being so much farther away than the port they docked at? I've been thinking I should go with the ship excursion to Ephesus because of it, even though I normally book excursions. I would love to see a review from someone that used them from the Izmir port.

 

I have checked them out on Trip Advisor and have seen really good reviews. I have also checked out 7 Wonders, who gets great reviews on Trip Advisor and they have a base in Izmir.

[cmcsharon]

I have checked them out on Trip Advisor and have seen really good reviews. I have also checked out 7 Wonders, who gets great reviews on Trip Advisor and they have a base in Izmir.

 

Thank you! I'll check on trip advisor. I hadn't heard about 7 Wonders so I'll check them too.

[CatlinSTJ]

Think of it this way...if you were doing a land based trip, you would book your own tours through reputable companies, correct? Thousands, if not millions, of people travel successfully and book their own adventures, take cabs, etc. in these cities without the cruise lines every day.

 

 

 

 

Next cruise: Carnival Vista - July 2016

[BaseballMomof4]

Think of it this way...if you were doing a land based trip, you would book your own tours through reputable companies, correct? Thousands, if not millions, of people travel successfully and book their own adventures, take cabs, etc. in these cities without the cruise lines every day.

 

 

 

 

Next cruise: Carnival Vista - July 2016

 

Totally agree. I always use local tours now but I do my research as well, both here and Trip Advisor.

[cmcsharon]

Think of it this way...if you were doing a land based trip, you would book your own tours through reputable companies, correct? Thousands, if not millions, of people travel successfully and book their own adventures, take cabs, etc. in these cities without the cruise lines every day.

 

 

 

 

Next cruise: Carnival Vista - July 2016

 

I agree and appreciate your perspective but I also think it really depends on how comfortable your party is with the risks. Because the consequences are vastly different between getting back late to your hotel on a land based vacation and getting back late to the port on a cruise.

 

I usually book private tours but I wasn't comfortable doing that in Belize going to Xunantunich...the peace of mind outweighed the savings. I'll need to do some more research on Turkey before I decide what we'll do.

[bridgetjonesni]

I agree and appreciate your perspective but I also think it really depends on how comfortable your party is with the risks. Because the consequences are vastly different between getting back late to your hotel on a land based vacation and getting back late to the port on a cruise.

 

This is a very important point. On our last cruise we decided to book a private excursion in Tenerife to take us up the El Teide volcano. The tour operator had great reviews, they were wonderful at communicating with us beforehand, and the tour itself was second to none. However, when we were still halfway up a mountain on the other side of the island with an hour before "all aboard", we started to worry a little. We reiterated to our driver and tour guide that we really needed to be back by 4pm, as "all aboard" time was 4.30pm but we still had to catch the shuttle bus back from the drop off point to the ship as well. They seemed very relaxed about the whole thing but time was ticking by very quickly.

 

When 4pm came and went, we asked if they could drop us off back at the ship instead of their drop-off point, but they said they didn't have a licence to enter the port area. :confused: We got to the drop-off point at 4.30pm, i.e. all aboard time, but we were still a shuttle bus journey away from the ship! :eek::mad::eek:

 

Thankfully the last shuttle bus was still there, letting passengers on, so we ran and managed to get on that. We actually didn't board the ship until 4.45pm, which was 15 minutes past the deadline. I suspect we only "got away with it" because our cruise line only had limited excursions running themselves that day, so many passengers were on private tours and subject to "Tenerife time", which seems to operate at a much slower pace! Any other port and I think we would have been out of luck.

 

That's not to say, "don't use private tours", but I've learned my lesson that I should tell the private tour operator that I need to back to the ship an hour before all-aboard time, just in case! ;)

[krispykreme97]

Like most I plan to book privately but I still like looking at the excursions offered on the Carnival site and the prices for comparison. It's how I get an idea of what to do at each port. Patiently waiting

[BaseballMomof4]

Like most I plan to book privately but I still like looking at the excursions offered on the Carnival site and the prices for comparison. It's how I get an idea of what to do at each port. Patiently waiting

 

I agree, they are fun to look at but they are always more expensive. I go to the ports of call threads as well to figure out what I want to do.

[HLGW60]

Like most I plan to book privately but I still like looking at the excursions offered on the Carnival site and the prices for comparison. It's how I get an idea of what to do at each port. Patiently waiting

 

 

I do the same thing. On our last Med Cruise, we booked all our tours through private operators. No problems whatsoever and the smaller group size lets you see more in less time. When comparing prices, cruisers should keep in mind the smaller size of a private tour versus the big bus tours typically offered by the cruise ships.

[gertiesmom]

So, I am nervous about booking excursions privately for this cruise. We usually do a mix of ship sponsored and private excursions. I am paranoid that we will miss the ship or something bad will happen on this Europe cruise if we book private excursions. The price difference is probably significant, and I know I am probably just worrying about nothing, but should we just stick with carnival excursions so I don't worry so much? My biggest worry is missing the ship. Am I stressing too much about this?

[HLGW60]

Delete. I see I have already posted my opinion. Sorry.

Edited August 20, 2015 by HLGW60

[fuddrules]

So, I am nervous about booking excursions privately for this cruise. We usually do a mix of ship sponsored and private excursions. I am paranoid that we will miss the ship or something bad will happen on this Europe cruise if we book private excursions. The price difference is probably significant, and I know I am probably just worrying about nothing, but should we just stick with carnival excursions so I don't worry so much? My biggest worry is missing the ship. Am I stressing too much about this?

 

For the main tour companies, yes, you're stressing too much.

 

However, I don't believe a lot of those top tour companies are that much cheaper, if at all. A Rome-In-Limo tour is not cheap.

 

What you gain is some flexibility and time. You gain time due to the fact a smaller group moves faster and there can be some situations a van can navigate areas faster than a bus. You also get a little more personal interaction with the guides.

 

But Carnival tours aren't bad, it's just that quite a few of us here prefer the private tours a little bit more.

[Sam_Eagle]

European excursions will be bookable very soon. John Heald just posted this message...

 

In regards to your Carnival Vista and her European excursions, we are finalising the program right now. We will have some ports online this week and the complete program will be online by the end of next week.

I am very familiar with all the European tours so as and when they have been posted and you have any questions I will be here for you

cheers

[b_cruise]

I actually saved a substantial amount of money booking through italytoursharing.com

 

Just join your roll call and get a group of 8 together. This company will not let u miss the ship because it is their business and reputation on the line. I will be using italytoursharing.com again on my vista cruise in June.

 

When the tours come out, I will price out the differences and post so people know what they can get!! Also, being in a small group compared to a bus load and being able to see more in the short time u visit the ports is priceless!!

[trvlgirlmq]

So glad. We are going to DIY most ports but Marseille is a Sunday and trains are spotty so will probably book through Carnival. May also book transportation only to Florence so we don't have to fool with the whole taxi/train or shuttle/bus/train thing. It's my birthday and I want that day to just be smooth sailing ;)

 

Not all roll calls are very active. Mine has a lot of large family groups who are booking on their own. No sharing has been indicated by anyone else and I don't want to get left with a pricey tour I can't afford if no one else books.

[b_cruise]

If no one joins your tour on the roll call u can cancel it I charge. Just email and let them know and they are great with it. As long as u know a few weeks in advance. Then u can join the ships tour. These companies, at least italytoursharing are very good and run their business with great intentions. I actually have a tour booked but may end up cancelling as it is not a popular tour so I'm just going to wait and see till about one month before.