Shore Excursions Group!

[Deborahevents]

We are going on a 12 night Med with Venice cruise in 2020. We are a large group so I wanted to book private tours in advance. 

 

I miss understood my agent ... thought she said book through Shore Excursions Group.  So I booked tours. Only to find out this was not a group she knew of.

 

Anyone have reviews on this tour group agency?

We will be in Nice, Rome, Florence, Naples, Venice and Split. We have booked tours that  sound perfect for the group (Venice is just the gondola rides).

 

Any feedback from anyone who have traveled with excursions planned by this group? Thx for any and all. 

 

[Kartgv]

I would check for reviews on TripAdvisor; they will have a broader cross-section of travelers than just cruisers.    Did you pay in advance (hope not!)?   If not, just cancel the bookings and rebook somewhere that is well recommended.   

[Essiesmom]

You might also ask on the Ports of Call forums here.  EM

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/2-ports-of-call/

[CruiserBruce]

Shore Excursion Group is discussed on the Ports boards frequently. They are a broker, not a tour provider. That means they take your money, and contract with a local, low bid provider. 

 

The pluses, low cost. The not so good...customer service issues are sometimes very hard to resolve. The local vendor can be hard the contact if a change is required. Private transfers have turned into shared shuttles, with unexpected delays. English skills have been less than expected. A selection of other issues.

 

Many here would rather deal direct with a recommended local vendor.

[Deborahevents]

Thank you. 

 

I am such a researcher so I’m upset that I thought I was booking in the right place (having been guided there but I must have heard incorrectly) my agent wanted me to look at  shore trips not shore excursions. I’m going to research my own like I normally do.

 

I will look for direct books for each of the locations.

[leaveitallbehind]

Most of the third party tour arrangers are brokers - as are the cruise lines - in that they arrange the tours on your behalf but are not directly tied to any of them.  ShoreTrips is a reputable company and their tours can be arranged on your behalf by your TA as well.

[lab_love123]

As CruiserBruce describes, Shore Excursions Group is a third party broker. I've used it a few times with success, and I give their pricing a check in my research. I wouldn't necessarily run scared, but if the language barrier is a concern and you specifically want totally private group excursions, then booking direct with local vendors may be your best bet.

 

Also, you'll hear shore trips and shore excursions to mean the same thing. It's entirely possible your TA said something like book group shore excursions, or something to that effect, so you searched shore excursions group and obviously, since there's a site with that exact name, that's what's going to come up. Don't beat yourself up about it! 🙂

[Lady Chew]

We've had some good tours booking through them, and some not-so-good tours.  

 

So now I try much harder to find the local tour companies/guides so I can book directly with them.  If that's not possible, I still use Shore Excursions.  

[Deborahevents]

Thank you all!

I’ve made decisions and feel

good about the choices. 

 

I truly appreciate your input.