Ncl small group excursions question

[littlelulu01]

For anyone who’s taken an Ncl sponsored small group excursion- about how many were on the excursions?

 

We have the distinctive voyage credit for an upcoming cruise along with the shore excursion credit and latitudes discount which puts many of the Ncl small group excursions at about the same cost of diy roll call group excursions.

 

Just trying to gauge what, “small” is so I can be sure I’m comparing apples to apples.

 

Also - some of the Ncl excursions are almost identical with the only difference being, “small group.” For example in Athens they offer Acropolis, archeological museum and lunch. $189 or small group $229. Normally neither would be on my radar but with the triple discount, the ncl excursions sounds like a no hassle easy day. Not typically a fan of large bus tours so the small group excursions for a few $ more sounds appealing.

[poohdreaming]

It really depends on the tour and by small groups, they might be 1 bus full of people and they would still have other buses for all those that picked the same tour. It also depend on the bus they would use. A yellow school bus vs a mini van.

[tomberly]

We have used the NCL small group excursions whenever they are available and have not ever been unhappy with the choice to go small group.

[littlelulu01]

Thanks. Excited to have the ship excursions within a price point that I can justify. We’ve done mainly diy in the past but I’ve only heard great things from everyone who tells about their Ncl sponsored excursions in general. They don’t offer small group on all the excursions but I thought the pricing difference on the ones that had the option was a reasonable amount.

[FamousD]

Thanks. Excited to have the ship excursions within a price point that I can justify. We’ve done mainly diy in the past but I’ve only heard great things from everyone who tells about their Ncl sponsored excursions in general. They don’t offer small group on all the excursions but I thought the pricing difference on the ones that had the option was a reasonable amount.

The NCL excursions are very well organized. Be aware that even if you choose the small group tours, you still end up touring along with the larger groups from several ships depending on how many ships are at a particular port. The small group part typically comes into play with the travel arrangements. For example you would travel in a 12 person van vs. a larger bus. Larger buses can be 15 passenger to 50 passenger. Most are air conditioned. Larger buses have a restroom. Once you get to the site, you're in the mix with everyone else. Your guide may be dedicated to your small group but there are dozens of other groups around you. We went on the regular tours, no small groups, and everything was just great. Our largest group was about 30 people at Chacchoben but we were not crowded and could wander off a bit. Chichen Itza was a group of 13 as that was the max capacity of the prop plane that took us there.

 

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[littlelulu01]

The NCL excursions are very well organized. Be aware that even if you choose the small group tours, you still end up touring along with the larger groups from several ships depending on how many ships are at a particular port. The small group part typically comes into play with the travel arrangements. For example you would travel in a 12 person van vs. a larger bus. Larger buses can be 15 passenger to 50 passenger. Most are air conditioned. Larger buses have a restroom. Once you get to the site, you're in the mix with everyone else. Your guide may be dedicated to your small group but there are dozens of other groups around you. We went on the regular tours, no small groups, and everything was just great. Our largest group was about 30 people at Chacchoben but we were not crowded and could wander off a bit. Chichen Itza was a group of 13 as that was the max capacity of the prop plane that took us there.

 

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Thanks. I was thinking for some tours a smaller group with their own tour guide might be easier to hear in crowded areas and perhaps the flow/maneuverability would go a little better with a smaller group.

[pe4all]

Thanks. I was thinking for some tours a smaller group with their own tour guide might be easier to hear in crowded areas and perhaps the flow/maneuverability would go a little better with a smaller group.

We did an NCL "exclusive" tour in Rome, and have an upcoming NCL "exclusive" tour in Germany. In Italy we were transported on a large bus (I think 54 people on it) and when we got to Rome we were split away from our large group into our small group of 16. It was much easier getting around and hearing the guide. We are also "promised" a group of 12-16 in Germany, but know NCL has chartered the whole train for the 3 hour ride. When we get to our destination we will again be split up. As someone else mentioned - with our latitudes discount and $50 per cabin obc the price really wasn't too much different than the large group tour.