Shore excursions - Queen Mary 2

[nhlangfeld]

I will be traveling on the TA Queen Mary 2 from Southampton to NYC via Iceland this summer and I'm wondering about booking shore excursions.  Do most people use the Cunard excursions or do some book their own from independent tour guides?  What have your experiences been?  Thank you!

[BklynBoy8]

We rarely book private excursions when sailing. Not saying it's not a good alternate choice if you are accustom to doing so with past experience.

 

We like selecting the excursions offered by shipboard after careful analysis of the contents. We really don't like to also take those excursions that take up the entire day offered in port (4-6 hours). With that analysis, we were happy with any previous tours we have taken. The tour guides are well versed with informing us with information related to our location and keeping the group together. And we have to credit the drivers which are like the Captains of the bus with their professional handling of the vehicle and our safety. They also watch our personal possession while away from the bus. The one important factor is that they keep us on time to return to the ship leaving time to add shopping but also to return before the ship departure from the port.

 

You really don't want to be part of a You Tube recording missing the ship and all on board waving Aloha....

 

But if we wish to just leisurely see the scenes, we just plan a walking tours for sightseeing and shopping and stretching our legs.

 

We are waiting for our excursion listing to be released and do our thing with looking it over.

 

Bon Voyage.

[nybumpkin]

19 minutes ago, BklynBoy8 said:

 

We are waiting for our excursion listing to be released and do our thing with looking it over.

 

BklynBoy8, in your experience how far out from sailing will they release QM2 shore excursions? We've always done a mix of ship tours, independent tours and DIY, depending on the port and the time the ship spends in port.

 

[BklynBoy8]

5 minutes ago, nybumpkin said:

BklynBoy8, in your experience how far out from sailing will they release QM2 shore excursions? We've always done a mix of ship tours, independent tours and DIY, depending on the port and the time the ship spends in port.

 

nybumpkin,

Hi from one New Yorker to another.....

 

We are booked for the July 4th and awaiting for their release. I know according to cruise documents Pre Cruise Documentation is due around 4/30/19 date. We just passed Final Payment so I believe things are going to start to move faster.

 

So hoping for end of April beginning of May.....

 

Enjoy the Good Weather...

[nybumpkin]

45 minutes ago, BklynBoy8 said:

nybumpkin,

Hi from one New Yorker to another.....

 

We are booked for the July 4th and awaiting for their release. I know according to cruise documents Pre Cruise Documentation is due around 4/30/19 date. We just passed Final Payment so I believe things are going to start to move faster.

 

So hoping for end of April beginning of May.....

 

Enjoy the Good Weather...

Thanks so much. The warmer temperatures are a relief! I have one very bedraggled crocus blooming in the year today....

 

BTW, we've been to Halifax as a port call six times - QM2 in July will be #7. It's one of my favorite ports with lots to do within walking distance of the ship.

[Lanky Lad]

We usually book a ships tour if we are going more than a short distance from the ship.  They are more expensive, but at least you know the ship will wait for you.

[nhlangfeld]

Thanks for all of your help everyone!  

[BiggDawg]

9 hours ago, nhlangfeld said:

I will be traveling on the TA Queen Mary 2 from Southampton to NYC via Iceland this summer and I'm wondering about booking shore excursions.  Do most people use the Cunard excursions or do some book their own from independent tour guides?

 

4 hours ago, Lanky Lad said:

We usually book a ships tour if we are going more than a short distance from the ship.  They are more expensive, but at least you know the ship will wait for you.

 

Not wanting to be the subject of a YouTube "dock runners" video, I get the the potential benefit of knowing that the ship is waiting,

but,

nhlangfeld didn't say which crossing in the Summer.  I am doing a 14-day crossing that stops in Iceland, as well. But ours, and I assume nhlangfeld's as well, is overnighting in Iceland.  If we take a non-sponsored excursion on the FIRST day, I should think that the ship leaving should not be a concern...?

[exlondoner]

 

16 hours ago, BklynBoy8 said:

nybumpkin,

Hi from one New Yorker to another.....

 

We are booked for the July 4th and awaiting for their release. I know according to cruise documents Pre Cruise Documentation is due around 4/30/19 date. We just passed Final Payment so I believe things are going to start to move faster.

 

So hoping for end of April beginning of May.....

 

Enjoy the Good Weather...

 

We are on QM2 in mid June, and the excursions appeared on our VP fifteen weeks in advance. Haven't had the paper version yet though.

[brian1]

15 hours ago, Lanky Lad said:

We usually book a ships tour if we are going more than a short distance from the ship.  They are more expensive, but at least you know the ship will wait for you.

We know that by experience.On a Kandy,Sri Lanka tour last year we arrived 2hrs after sailaway time.Because it was a ships tour,the captain personally waited at the gangway with trays of champagne.We were still too late for the MDR though.We still do private excursions also.

[nhlangfeld]

BiggDawg I assume we will be on the same TA crossing (leaving 14 July from Southampton).  That's a good point that it wouldn't matter on the first day since we are staying overnight.  I haven't seen any of the excursions posted yet, but I'm looking forward to seeing what they are.  

[BiggDawg]

13 minutes ago, nhlangfeld said:

BiggDawg I assume we will be on the same TA crossing (leaving 14 July from Southampton).

 

I am!  (We are...)

 

 

13 minutes ago, nhlangfeld said:

That's a good point that it wouldn't matter on the first day since we are staying overnight.  I haven't seen any of the excursions posted yet, but I'm looking forward to seeing what they are.  

 

That is what prompted me to start looking at private excursions, because Cunard has not posted any.  First Mate wants to get ducks in a row, or at least think about what may be the options.  Cunard should get these up so we can compare, lest they lose the business.

Cruise Critic shows a page of potential private excursions in the "Shore Excursions" area for Reykjavik and the surrounding area.

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/shore-excursions/port/490/

 

We are not looking at private excursions on any of the other port calls, since they are not overnight.  But then, ports of call were not the reason we chose a Transatlantic crossing, anyway.  If I want to visit cities again, I'll just do that.    So, for us, port excursions would just be secondary (especially the short ones in Canada, no offense to my Canadian neighbors, but the cities chosen don't seem to be the most interesting, and the stopovers are pretty short.).

 

Edited March 31, 2019 by BiggDawg
Added CC Link

[nhlangfeld]

I agree, it would be helpful for Cunard to post the excursions early on.  Personally, I'm taking this particular trip to go to Iceland and the other stops.  I mean, if I have to cross the Atlantic, why not stop and see what's there?  We are doing the regular  7 day TA from NYC to Southampton in June.  I've always wanted to see Iceland so I'm very excited for this.  

[nybumpkin]

1 hour ago, BiggDawg said:

 

I am!  (We are...)

 

 

 

That is what prompted me to start looking at private excursions, because Cunard has not posted any.  First Mate wants to get ducks in a row, or at least think about what may be the options.  Cunard should get these up so we can compare, lest they lose the business.

Cruise Critic shows a page of potential private excursions in the "Shore Excursions" area for Reykjavik and the surrounding area.

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/shore-excursions/port/490/

 

We are not looking at private excursions on any of the other port calls, since they are not overnight.  But then, ports of call were not the reason we chose a Transatlantic crossing, anyway.  If I want to visit cities again, I'll just do that.    So, for us, port excursions would just be secondary (especially the short ones in Canada, no offense to my Canadian neighbors, but the cities chosen don't seem to be the most interesting, and the stopovers are pretty short.).

 

Reykjavik is the only port where we're planning on an excursion. I've seen some private offerings, but before booking something I wanted to see what Cunard is offering. Right now my tentative game plan is a tour the first day (probably the Golden Circle, although I'm open to some other tours), dinner in Reykjavik, and a walking tour the second day. Our oldest son bought us a museum pass. We're not interested in the Blue Lagoon. In both Liverpool and Halifax we're doing DIY. That leaves Corner Brook as the only place without any idea yet.

[Lanky Lad]

Last time I was in Corner Brook (about 14 yrs ago) there was a shuttle bus to St Johns.  This was on a yellow school bus.

[kmerlin14]

Are you sure it went from Corner brook to St. Johns? Those cities are 693 kms apart--about a 7 hour drive one way.

[BklynBoy8]

Example of the Ship waiting for a ship's tour, we were at Cornerbrook on the QE2 quite a number of years over a decade. It was it's Maiden Sailing into that port.

 

Our ship tour was a 5-6 hour tour that was quite extensive and went inland. Also the first time this tour was used by the QE2 Tour Staff.

 

Well it was beautiful and picturesque with a delicious Fish Chowder and Fish & Chips lunch. Part of the tour was touring the newly developed National Park that was still being built. It was quite a surprise to the bus driver the shape of the roads we had to drive on. Well we had to do a major re-routing with took us out of the way and time was drawing late.

 

Well we finally got on our way the departure time was drawing nearer. One key feature of this tour in our favor, we had two of the tour staff with us on the buses.

 

Well it's 530PM with a 5PM departure time. Well about 540PM we are rounding a turn and we saw the glorious sight of the QE2 and the smoke stack billowing. We approached the pier and we saw everyone on board out on the decks. And the QE2 Horns saluted our arrival.  We all exited the buses and you heard the largest roar and cheers from the decks above while we headed for the gangway. As soon as the last person hit the gangway it was brought on board. In minutes we high tailed out of the port...Glad we were a group and 2 tour staff with us....

[Lanky Lad]

20 hours ago, kmerlin14 said:

Are you sure it went from Corner brook to St. Johns? Those cities are 693 kms apart--about a 7 hour drive one way.

I went to St Johns maybe not from Corner Brook, it's a long time since.

[Summergee]

It is very expensive to eat out in Iceland. 

[nybumpkin]

9 hours ago, Summergee said:

It is very expensive to eat out in Iceland. 

Understood. We've been looking at less expensive options, like the food hall in this article: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/16/travel/iceland-seafood-restaurants.html. It just seems a shame to visit a new port for an overnight and not try something local.

[newjoisey]

we have done dozens of shore excursions purchased from our personalizer and always no drama,only once did we use a private tour but they were recommended by cunard and they were fine 

 

[Chandris81]

We will be on the same crossing.  We will be renting a car in Iceland.  The first day we plan to visit  The Secret Lagoon and  Reynisfjara Beach. There wasn’t an excursion that did both so we decided to do it on our own.  Hopefully we will beat the excursion and enjoy The Secret Lagoon before it gets too crowded.    The second day we will probably hang out in Reykjavik.