clarification on princess excursions

[feedmytummy]

hi, all! considering some ship excursions and will be traveling with my 74 year-old mother. the ports we're stopping at don't have "easy" options, so i've been reading the details on the "medium" ones to make sure they aren't too strenuous. kind of confused because some list walking distance (in yards), some list number of steps, and some list them both separately. i assumed steps = stairs but there is one excursion where number of steps = 1900!! any insight/experience would be appreciated... thanks!!

[cdngrl]

yup, confusing for sure!

maybe if you can be more specific about where you are going and which excursions someone who has been on the excursion can help you?

[feedmytummy]

yup, confusing for sure!

maybe if you can be more specific about where you are going and which excursions someone who has been on the excursion can help you?

 

sorry for the vagueness... we're looking at the following:

 

1) best of kuala lumpur. first stop shows walking distance 500 yards; total number of steps = 30. next stop shows walking distance 500 yards; total number of steps = 20. third stop shows walking distance 50 yards; no steps listed. etc...

 

2) best of phuket. none of the stops show walking distance in yards, only number of steps. the stop at a thai village for a cultural performance is the one that lists 1900 steps!!!

 

i just looked at them on the princess site again. there is a pop-up next to the number of steps on the kuala lumpur tour that states "elevator available" but no such pop-up on the phuket one. i just can't wrap my head around actually having to walk up 1900 steps?!?

[cdngrl]

and who had to count those steps? or are they stairs? i understand your confusion! hopefully someone who has taken these tours can aid in your decision-making! those are new ports to me, unfortunately i am no help. good luck!

[feedmytummy]

and who had to count those steps? or are they stairs? i understand your confusion! hopefully someone who has taken these tours can aid in your decision-making! those are new ports to me, unfortunately i am no help. good luck!

 

hahaha... i just pictured some poor soul getting halfway up, losing count, and having to start back at the bottom again! anyway, thanks for trying to help. hopefully, someone on here will be able to decipher the princess code.

[easyboy]

I think it is better to confirm with the Shore Excursion desk once onboard what that 1,900 steps information really is. Princess might have different tour operators in Kuala Lumpur (KL) and Phuket. While it is yards and steps for KL, Phuket's 1900 steps may also be a distance, or close to a mile. Mine is only a guess. The Shorex desk can clarify that.

[feedmytummy]

I think it is better to confirm with the Shore Excursion desk once onboard what that 1,900 steps information really is. Princess might have different tour operators in Kuala Lumpur (KL) and Phuket. While it is yards and steps for KL, Phuket's 1900 steps may also be a distance, or close to a mile. Mine is only a guess. The Shorex desk can clarify that.

 

 

i was thinking about waiting til we got on the ship to ask but there aren't really any other tours we'd be interested in. so, if this one doesn't work out for us, i'd probably want to book a private tour ahead of time. do you by chance know of an email or 800 number for princess i could call? i've looked on the website but, since i'm currently out of the country, it doesn't list any and instead just tells me to find an international travel agent.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[joybook]

I would bet by last dollar that steps means stairs.:)

[feedmytummy]

I would bet by last dollar that steps means stairs.:)

 

 

say it ain't so! 1900 of them? and that doesn't qualify as a 'strenuous' excursion??

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[LokiPoki]

I don't know how fit or otherwise your mother is, but something else to consider is the transport they use... I can usually manage a couple of steps - of the stair variety - with assistance (I'm rather younger than your mother, but with major mobility issues), but the bus we found ourself on had steps so steep I had to hoick myself up backward on my bum & go down forward in much the same fashion. Most with us would have been the 70+ age bracket, and most of them struggled greatly with the steps.

 

Otherwise, agree with advice about talking to shoreex desk...they should also be able to tell you (or contact the tour operator and find out) what sort of difficulty of terrain you're dealing with too...e.g 500m over flat or flattish ground might be easier than 100m up a steep hill.

[cdngrl]

i doubt its 1900 stairs. its probably distance.

perhaps book the excursion online now to ensure you have spots, then look around for a private tour. you can always clarify or cancel once on board without being charged.

i forgot to mention that i'm doubtful that if you call princess, anyone with any knowledge can answer your question. in my experience, they see the same information available to you.

Edited October 23, 2016 by cdngrl

[Northern Light]

Consider going into the Ports of Call forum and posting your question for the specific port. Might get a better response. We are also very much aware of number of steps, stairs, if there is a railing, etc. and do due diligence in our research. You need to hear from others who have similar issues. Do you know how to use Google Earth? It has helped us with planning because we can see elevation, distance and so forth.

 

Sandy :)

Edited October 23, 2016 by Northern Light

[easyboy]

i was thinking about waiting til we got on the ship to ask but there aren't really any other tours we'd be interested in. so, if this one doesn't work out for us, i'd probably want to book a private tour ahead of time. do you by chance know of an email or 800 number for princess i could call? i've looked on the website but, since i'm currently out of the country, it doesn't list any and instead just tells me to find an international travel agent.

Princess contact no. - 1-800-774-6237 (1-800-PRINCESS)

Just temper your expectation that a Princess rep can answer your question. It's only the Shorex desk onboard, or anyone on CC who took the same excursion, who can give you a definitive answer.