Non-cruise tours?

[carolekv]

On Celebrity Infinity in August around Italy and there are some non-cruise excursions I am interested in.  (My adult son will be with me and is a big fan of Game of Thrones so I'd love to take him on a tour of the film locations in Malta, and I don't think Celebrity has this tour.)  I've always been afraid of trusting that a non-cruise excursion will get me back to the ship on time, and I have this horrible fear of being stuck ashore because of traffic or an irresponsible driver in a foreign country with no luggage.  Any guidance on this?  I know, where is my sense of adventure?  I do have one, but cruises for me are to relax first and foremost, so I avoid most risk.  

[tallnthensome]

Simply check reviews of your tour operator online and study the feedback. There should be some from other cruise passengers. We use 3rd party excursions all the time. A good operator will be responsive to emails. They will confirm ship departure through emails with you as well in person when meeting at the pier. Their livelyhood depends on being good and reliable.... One bad review online of someone being stranded would ruin them and they know this. All of our operators have always gotten us back early. Believe it or not, the smaller groups on private tours are more reliable and more organized than ship tours and move faster.

[chemmo]

You could also look on your roll call and see if anyone is doing/arranging similar. You may find someone who has already done this tour and can advise...

 

There is nothing wrong with being sensitive to the ships leaving time...We are too. We have known of people left behind and it has cost them significant cash to say nothing for worry. When doing things independently we go as early as possible and plan (where possible) to be back near to the ship (not reliant on buses, taxis, boats) about 90 minutes before set boarding time. We can then enjoy the cruise port area with no worries! 

[keesar]

I would suggest to do a review of the operator on the  port forum and Trip Advisor.  Make sure you and the tour guide are operating on SHIP time and not local time as there could be a difference.  As mentioned, book something earlier in the day to provide a cushion just in case.  We often book with private operators and the anxiety is normal.

[Fouremco]

We do non-cruise excursions all the time, but will only use those that have been operating for several years and have a solid reputation. If you can't find much information Googling the provider, or if the reviews are only average, pass and look for another excursion.

 

As you are keeping abreast of COVID-19 and know its potential impact on your cruise, just bear in mind that tour operators have varying policies with respect to down payments and refunds. Some will provide a refund if your ship doesn't make it to port, while others offer no refunds at all. 

[Miaminice]

1. Go to the roll call of your cruise!

2. Use reliable tour operators like Tours by locals. They offer a return to ship guarantee.

 

Edited February 29, 2020 by Miaminice

[GastroGnome]

Make sure your tour operator has insurance which will get you on to the next port of call if you miss.  (Oh... and will refud oif you do not arrive in port fopr some reason) All the reputable ones do and they also make sure you do not miss!  Thier reputation would be down the pan for a start.

 

It did take me a while to pluck up courage to do non ship tours - but we do all the time now.

[TeeRick]

Many many people here on Cruise Critic arrange and take non-Celebrity private tours pretty much all the time without issue.  They are usually less expensive, less crowded, overall just better.  If you are truly worried about getting back, then consider a privately arranged (but very expensive) tour with Celebrity Journeys.  The only time I hesitate about a non-Celebrity tour is in tender ports where it might take quite some time to get off the ship.  Or get a tender back to the ship.  Particularly for a full day tour that travels a distance from the port.  But that risk is still low.  And even lower if you have priority tendering (suites, Elite, etc).

[Jim_Iain]

I agree with others and check out the reviews of the vendor.   Remember if the tours were to miss a ship they will be lambasted on their reviews and their business will suffer. 

 

I take about 80% non-cruise excursions and have never been even close to missing the ship.  

[Spif Barwunkel]

Can't do any better than the advice given by the good folks on this thread. Indeed, the final decision should be made based on how comfortable you are with it. Mostly, we have toured with non-X excursions and at times used local and Celebrity. In June we will be on Infinity from Barcelona to Venice, including Malta, Greece and Croatia. Because of the logistics, distance and crowds in these ports we felt better using only Celebrity tours. Actually, with the discount given by X at the time we booked the excursions, the cost was very comparable to local vendors. 

 

Whatever you choose, it will be the right decision for you.

[4774Papa]

8 hours ago, tallnthensome said:

Simply check reviews of your tour operator online and study the feedback. There should be some from other cruise passengers. We use 3rd party excursions all the time. A good operator will be responsive to emails. They will confirm ship departure through emails with you as well in person when meeting at the pier. Their livelyhood depends on being good and reliable.... One bad review online of someone being stranded would ruin them and they know this. All of our operators have always gotten us back early. Believe it or not, the smaller groups on private tours are more reliable and more organized than ship tours and move faster.

BRAVO, when we first cruised, we did ship's excursions, or just visited the port on our own, however after meeting so many fellow passengers that extol the virtues of private tours, we have largely done private tours for our last 18 cruises.

 

We have NEVER had a private tour come back late to the ship.  We have had one cruise were we arrived about the same time as the return date.  That was a tour in Scotland that involved many tours being delayed a bit, by a traffic accident coming into the port.  The ship's excursions were delayed as well as our private tour.  ALSO, this was ONLY ON ONE TOUR.

 

We do take a ship's tour on rare occasions, that being when the location of the sites where we would visit are a considerable distance from the ship and the ship's excursion is not significantly higher than private tours.

 

Also, we find that most private tours will guarantee not being late to the ship, but if they are you will be transported to the next port.

 

Huge point, research your tour's ratings by others.  If you find no significantly negative comments, particularly ones about being late, go for it.

[m8zenblue]

Please do your research !!!

I have seen the ship leave someone at the port because they were late from a private excursion.

It was not pleasant to witness.

[nini]

You will learn a TON if you do some research on the Ports of Call/ Europe/ Italy 

boards. Before our 2018 trip to Italy/ Greece, this is how I was able to research suggestions and past

cruiser's excursions. Also, on your Roll Call, is how you can get together with other passengers

who want to do the same.

[jmb4534]

I agree with all of the above. We do private tours about 95% of the time. I look at my Roll Call and Port of Call here on Cruise Critic and then I go to Trip Advisor and try to book first or second rated tour in my destination. I have always had excellent results and adventures. 

One thing that wasn't mentioned that I always look at.... See how difficult it would be to get to your next port of call.  I'm extra careful in choosing a tour if this is the last port of my cruise and getting back to the US would be a major problem/expense. 

Go for the private tour and have a wonderful time! 

 

[sippican]

37 minutes ago, m8zenblue said:

Please do your research !!!

I have seen the ship leave someone at the port because they were late from a private excursion.

It was not pleasant to witness.

 

I've been on a cruise where two ships' tours were left behind, I've also seen ships wait for private tours if they were able. Sometimes those entertaining pier runners are thought to be private tour participants, when they are actually just irresponsible individuals. 

[az_tchr]

10 hours ago, carolekv said:

On Celebrity Infinity in August around Italy and there are some non-cruise excursions I am interested in.  (My adult son will be with me and is a big fan of Game of Thrones so I'd love to take him on a tour of the film locations in Malta, and I don't think Celebrity has this tour.)  I've always been afraid of trusting that a non-cruise excursion will get me back to the ship on time, and I have this horrible fear of being stuck ashore because of traffic or an irresponsible driver in a foreign country with no luggage.  Any guidance on this?  I know, where is my sense of adventure?  I do have one, but cruises for me are to relax first and foremost, so I avoid most risk.  

Have organized a dozen or so tours and booked directly with many others. The tour operators were often the same people used by the cruise line.

There are situations I would not book a private tour. For example in LeHarve it is 3 hours travel time each way to Paris. The day we will be there is the day before a holiday weekend. Traffic will be horrible. Thus would not book. FWIW, I contacted 2 tour companies and both responded quickly suggesting other places nearer our port. Neither would accept a private tour to Paris that day.

That is the exception.