Shore Excursions quite a mess

[the_dylaness]

On our June 3 Reflection sailing we encountered quite a few "misses" with the Shore Excursion department.  We don't often do a lot of ship-sponsored shore excursions but sometimes it is convenient especially in an area where we are unsure about language barrier, or there's a particular option that seems like it'd be hard to source from a local vendor.

 

Although this isn't really necessarily Celebrity's fault, I was surprised to see that the one "beachy" option for Corfu sold out months in advance.

Onboard I asked about the priority waitlist which is supposed to be a "thing" for Elite members, from my understanding.  (I called about it in advance and the phone clerk said it must be done onboard).  The attendant did not know what I was talking about but told me they were trying to secure extra availability and she would call me either way to let me know... never heard back.

 

Our "Croatian Adventure" was hands down the worst shore excursion I have ever been on.  It was a massive fail at nearly every turn.  Our guide and driver got lost several times which put us waaaaay behind schedule.  I notified our tour guide of a food allergy within the first 20 minutes of our trip, and he promised to contact the restaurant ahead of time...  

 

We met in the theater at 10:15 am and arrived at our first stop, to pick up our bikes, at about 11:40.  (Based on the guide's comments I estimate we were about 25 minutes late.)  When we got there several of us asked about a bathroom break (since we had left the ship at 10:15...) we were told to "go in the forest."  It seemed like the first time any of them had received this request (or maybe the first time they ever did the tour?!)  Eventually they took us around 12pm to a smoke-filled cafe where we were asked to go in and use the restrooms- out of necessity I complied but the smell was amazing and I felt bad for the poor cafe staff having probably 8-10 tourists walk in and use their restroom, all in a row.

 

The biking was fine until we came to a creek.  We were asked to remove our shoes (most of us were wearing sneakers) and ford the creek with our bikes in tow.  Fine... but would've been nice to know about this part in advance so we could wear waterproof sandals or water shoes if needed.  There were pieces of broken glass and a shattered taillight on the shore, I overheard one passenger complain of getting cut on their foot but I don't know if it was on this, or something else.

 

We returned the bikes and then started our ill-fated adventure again, this time to "the beach" so we could swim.  We got lost again.  This was a marina and boat ramp.  Because we were so far behind schedule we were asked to spend only 10 minutes at the beach... which, once most of us cycled through the two changing areas, left just enough time to wade in down the boat ramp and get back out.

 

We then proceeded to the speedboats which would take us to lunch.  Earlier in the day we had been promised rafting behind the boats and I was VERY excited about this!  Unfortunately we were denied the opportunity because we were late.  If you're following, so far our adventure day has been 1) holding it 2) smoky cafe 3) fording a creek with broken glass barefoot 4) Clark Kent-style rapid clothing changes to swim off a boat ramp at a Marina and 5) not tubing.  Let's go ahead now and add #6 which is avoiding deafness- the RIB boats alternately blared some kind of club music and inexplicably, AC/DC, at such high volumes it could not POSSIBLY be safe for your hearing.  I held my fingers in my ears the entire (probably 40 minute) ride and also tore up an extra surgical mask and wadded it up and put it in my ears.  Let's not forget "adventure" #7 which is avoiding food allergies- the dish I was served first thing at the restaurant was the one food I am allergic to.  I was able to send it back and the waiter quickly brought an allergen-free replacement which I appreciated, but it would've been better to just have avoided this altogether.  For reference, the allergen was in the entree (which we knew and had discussed on the tour bus that morning).  After we finished our main course the guide came by to ask me if I would like to get an allergen free option... that was like 30 minutes ago!?

 

We left rather suddenly because our boats arrived which did not leave all of us time to use the "one person at a time" restroom at the large restaurant.  So we endured another blaring speedboat ride, this time bladders jarring for many of us.

 

When we got to the kayak site, I had experienced enough and stated I'd simply stay on the shore while the others enjoyed the kayaking experience (mostly so I could go find a restroom.)  I did not realize the kayaking was point to point so I did need to go, ok, fine... but they were short a kayak.  So my husband (who if you've been reading my other posts had emergency surgery <24 hours before we flew to Rome) got a single kayak (we had intended to share a double) and I was put in a double kayak... with two other people.  Though they were lovely companions and I don't fault them at all, it was a bit crowded, and only two of us could paddle, so the third was deadweight.  You won't be surprised to hear we were the last to arrive at the shore.  When we got there, I asked to PLEASE use a restroom and was told none were available but I could go up to a bar or cafe. I went up and found a pay public toilet, thank goodness.  When I got back, our group was gone!  I eventually found them quite some ways away, all waiting on our bus.  The bus driver was "15 minutes away" (which I don't understand since we were already more than an hour past our stated arrival time back to the ship) which was more like 25.  

 

I let the onboard Shore Excursions desk know about this and they refunded 30% of the cost.

 

Finally, we had intended to do the "Small Group: Italian Pasta Making Experience" but based on our abysmal experience in Croatia, changed our minds and cancelled.  It's a good thing we did, because I talked to another shipmate who did attend, and did not get to make pasta... because it was Sunday and the pasta-making place is closed on Sundays. The tour guide told them that X is well aware of the fact that the tour participants will NOT get to make pasta if they do this tour (which is literally called PASTA MAKING!) but continue to sell it anyway. They toured a factory and store or something instead, I did not quite understand.

 

Step up your game, X!

 

 

 

[Arizona Wildcat]

After 2 years of no shore excursions and many tour operators closing, Celebrity is just now restarting shore excursions.   Most of them are OK.  A wonderful and sadly a few are dreadful.  Lots of new tour operators and not all of them are experienced 

I hope you immediately shared your experience with customer relations and requested a refund.  Only by letting X know of the problem can they fix it.

[Susanb10567]

Wow…sorry about your experiences. I am sailing on the Edge September 3rd. I was very torn about what to book private vs ship more probably because of the packing of busses. I am Elite but I have only sailed Celebrity so far in the Caribbean and Bermuda  so I have really not done their excursions except beach ones. 
 

Before Celebrity we sailed Disney all over Europe when my daughter was young and did all ship excursions and had wonderful experiences. Right now we booked private for Santorini and Rhodes and are doing a beach excursion in Mykonos and going to Capri in Naples..hopefully we don’t have a similar experience and Celebrity steps up their game

[madmedic]

35 minutes ago, the_dylaness said:

On our June 3 Reflection sailing we encountered quite a few "misses" with the Shore Excursion department.  We don't often do a lot of ship-sponsored shore excursions but sometimes it is convenient especially in an area where we are unsure about language barrier, or there's a particular option that seems like it'd be hard to source from a local vendor.

 

Although this isn't really necessarily Celebrity's fault, I was surprised to see that the one "beachy" option for Corfu sold out months in advance.

Onboard I asked about the priority waitlist which is supposed to be a "thing" for Elite members, from my understanding.  (I called about it in advance and the phone clerk said it must be done onboard).  The attendant did not know what I was talking about but told me they were trying to secure extra availability and she would call me either way to let me know... never heard back.

 

Our "Croatian Adventure" was hands down the worst shore excursion I have ever been on.  It was a massive fail at nearly every turn.  Our guide and driver got lost several times which put us waaaaay behind schedule.  I notified our tour guide of a food allergy within the first 20 minutes of our trip, and he promised to contact the restaurant ahead of time...  

 

We met in the theater at 10:15 am and arrived at our first stop, to pick up our bikes, at about 11:40.  (Based on the guide's comments I estimate we were about 25 minutes late.)  When we got there several of us asked about a bathroom break (since we had left the ship at 10:15...) we were told to "go in the forest."  It seemed like the first time any of them had received this request (or maybe the first time they ever did the tour?!)  Eventually they took us around 12pm to a smoke-filled cafe where we were asked to go in and use the restrooms- out of necessity I complied but the smell was amazing and I felt bad for the poor cafe staff having probably 8-10 tourists walk in and use their restroom, all in a row.

 

The biking was fine until we came to a creek.  We were asked to remove our shoes (most of us were wearing sneakers) and ford the creek with our bikes in tow.  Fine... but would've been nice to know about this part in advance so we could wear waterproof sandals or water shoes if needed.  There were pieces of broken glass and a shattered taillight on the shore, I overheard one passenger complain of getting cut on their foot but I don't know if it was on this, or something else.

 

We returned the bikes and then started our ill-fated adventure again, this time to "the beach" so we could swim.  We got lost again.  This was a marina and boat ramp.  Because we were so far behind schedule we were asked to spend only 10 minutes at the beach... which, once most of us cycled through the two changing areas, left just enough time to wade in down the boat ramp and get back out.

 

We then proceeded to the speedboats which would take us to lunch.  Earlier in the day we had been promised rafting behind the boats and I was VERY excited about this!  Unfortunately we were denied the opportunity because we were late.  If you're following, so far our adventure day has been 1) holding it 2) smoky cafe 3) fording a creek with broken glass barefoot 4) Clark Kent-style rapid clothing changes to swim off a boat ramp at a Marina and 5) not tubing.  Let's go ahead now and add #6 which is avoiding deafness- the RIB boats alternately blared some kind of club music and inexplicably, AC/DC, at such high volumes it could not POSSIBLY be safe for your hearing.  I held my fingers in my ears the entire (probably 40 minute) ride and also tore up an extra surgical mask and wadded it up and put it in my ears.  Let's not forget "adventure" #7 which is avoiding food allergies- the dish I was served first thing at the restaurant was the one food I am allergic to.  I was able to send it back and the waiter quickly brought an allergen-free replacement which I appreciated, but it would've been better to just have avoided this altogether.  For reference, the allergen was in the entree (which we knew and had discussed on the tour bus that morning).  After we finished our main course the guide came by to ask me if I would like to get an allergen free option... that was like 30 minutes ago!?

 

We left rather suddenly because our boats arrived which did not leave all of us time to use the "one person at a time" restroom at the large restaurant.  So we endured another blaring speedboat ride, this time bladders jarring for many of us.

 

When we got to the kayak site, I had experienced enough and stated I'd simply stay on the shore while the others enjoyed the kayaking experience (mostly so I could go find a restroom.)  I did not realize the kayaking was point to point so I did need to go, ok, fine... but they were short a kayak.  So my husband (who if you've been reading my other posts had emergency surgery <24 hours before we flew to Rome) got a single kayak (we had intended to share a double) and I was put in a double kayak... with two other people.  Though they were lovely companions and I don't fault them at all, it was a bit crowded, and only two of us could paddle, so the third was deadweight.  You won't be surprised to hear we were the last to arrive at the shore.  When we got there, I asked to PLEASE use a restroom and was told none were available but I could go up to a bar or cafe. I went up and found a pay public toilet, thank goodness.  When I got back, our group was gone!  I eventually found them quite some ways away, all waiting on our bus.  The bus driver was "15 minutes away" (which I don't understand since we were already more than an hour past our stated arrival time back to the ship) which was more like 25.  

 

I let the onboard Shore Excursions desk know about this and they refunded 30% of the cost.

 

Finally, we had intended to do the "Small Group: Italian Pasta Making Experience" but based on our abysmal experience in Croatia, changed our minds and cancelled.  It's a good thing we did, because I talked to another shipmate who did attend, and did not get to make pasta... because it was Sunday and the pasta-making place is closed on Sundays. The tour guide told them that X is well aware of the fact that the tour participants will NOT get to make pasta if they do this tour (which is literally called PASTA MAKING!) but continue to sell it anyway. They toured a factory and store or something instead, I did not quite understand.

 

Step up your game, X!

 

 

 

We were originally going to be on the pasta factory trip. We never got to do the cruise in the end but I did query the fact that the excursion was on a Sunday but in the t&C's X clearly stated that the factory was not open on Sundays. Never got an answer despite many emails and hours on hold. This was way back in February. Surprise surprise! 

[FionaL91]

This reflects our experience too. We had a sailing around Mykonos beaches trip we were looking forward to today. The ship had to tender due to high winds and so we thought the excursion might be cancelled. It went ahead (navigation showing Beaufort scale of 6-7) and it was awful. The waves were so bad everyone had to cram inside the sailing boat as the waves kept coming over the deck, some had to sit on the floor. They cancelled the only stop where there was opportunity to swim in the sea as it was too windy. They then took us to a beach, only gave us 45 minutes and we were told it was €30 - €50 to use the sun bed and umbrella. If we chose not to pay we were told to move further down the beach.

 

It was honestly awful and not the relaxing experience we were expected. Gave us a really bad impression of the celebrity excursions and the island. We left comments with guest relations but I am hoping for a full refund. At certain points I would have paid anything to be back on the ship or land! 

 

Fingers crossed our Athens and Pompeii tours are better! 

[Purplsmurf]

That’s terrible. We recently sailed which sounds like the same itinerary. We did all Celebrity excursions because we had a lot of OBC to use and didn’t have any issues. You are a great writer! To be honest, I was laughing through some of your post, not because it was a funny situation, it definitely wasn’t,  but the way you wrote it made me laugh. Again, so sorry that you experienced such a bad excursion.

[the_dylaness]

I need to make one amendment and one addition:

 

1) The appetizer was the item that contained the allergen, not the entree (so even weirder when I was asked about it AFTER the entree.)

2) The bus driver wore his mask around his chin the entire time, effectively useless, despite the fact that the X policy is that all people on tour buses must be masked.

 

[Bruin Steve]

I've been on 60 cruises... and counting... 18 European cruises. I prefer to put together or join small group private tours--for a variety of reasons. But I've taken a great number of cruise line shore excursions. BTW, I have a few clunker private tours as well over the years. But, yes, with shorexes, you can get some very good excursions, some very bad ones... and everything in between. One Med cruise on Celebrity, we had a shorex in Rome with only 11 passengers and two guides. It was phenomenal. They covered more than advertised. Same cruise, we had one with 18 people in San Gimignano with a great lunch in a wine cellar at a winery. OTOH, we once had the tour guide from hell in Gdansk who seemingly purposely lost 3/4 of the group along the way.

 

First thing to realize is that NONE of the cruise lines actually provide ANY of the shore excursions. They are all contracted for with local tour companies. And they are different providers in every port. So, if you get a bad excursion in Dubrovnik, that does NOT mean you will have a bad tour in Naples. They are different providers. And we've seen better and worse tours and guides on different buses, same tour, same cruise. You book ANY tour, you take your chances. One thing with a shorex, you CAN complain to Guest Relations or the Shorex desk and they MAY compensate you somehow... of course, that doesn't replace the experience.

 

Right now, the cruise lines--ALL the cruise lines--have extra challenges thank to the pandemic. Some local providers are trying to gear up back to normal after two years of being out of business. Some attractions are closed or limited thanks to Covid. Everyone is still on the learning curve right now. We've been on two Celebrity and two Princess cruises since the restart... and, believe it or not, Princess is just as screwed up--if not worse. I won't even start to try to explain the Princess issues here.

 

Not having enough kayaks? That shouldn't happen--but it's on the local provider... no way one can blame Celebrity for that. Broken glass on the path? Not great--but hard to see that as anyone's fault. Lack of rest room opportunities en route? Welcome to touring in about 90% of the world. It all adds up to a pretty bad day. Sorry. It happens. I'd probably keep away from tours called "(anything) Adventure". Always a good idea to search Cruise Critic and elsewhere in the internet for reviews of shore excursions.

 

Oh, and your desired shorex in Corfu being sold out. That happens... best to book early if it's your only choice. Of course, on Corfu, if you just want to visit a beach, you could always take a taxi.

 

Sorry that you weren't happy with the shorex you booked.  I hope you had a great cruise otherwise.  What other ports did you visit?  What did you do in those?

Edited June 17, 2022 by Bruin Steve

[cangelmd]

Wow! What an, uh….adventure?

We got back from British Isles cruise a few weeks ago, it was definitely a mixed bag of tours - some good, some bad. Our private tours were both good to excellent, but one of them turned out to be 42 people on a bus. We remained masked and escaped without Covid, but I’m not sure everyone did. One of our Celeb tours was awful (only tour I’ve ever been on where no one tipped the guide, she was that bad), the other was a great excursion - definitely a mixed bag.

Interestingly, the driver/guide on one tour said there were less than half the buses meeting the ship because there just aren’t enough drivers.It’s going to be a rocky summer, but maybe we are getting there.

[upwarduk]

52 minutes ago, cangelmd said:

there were less than half the buses meeting the ship because there just aren’t enough drivers.

It makes me wonder what the cost of fuel will do to tours. 
In the UK it is now almost £2 per litre.

I read last week a report written by a passenger who had completed their cruise and at 7 am they left Silhouette to get on to the Eavesway coach for their journey home. This coach picked up at 3 other cruise ships in Southampton.
Eventually, 3 HOURS later the coach was ready to leave Southampton!😱

 

[Ride-The-Waves]

Consider it an "adventure" and relish the experience.  You are not in the "midwest" anymore, Dorothy.  Not everything is perfect.  By and large, touring in Croatia is wonderful.  Lived there for three years.  The people are great and friendly.  Again, chalk it up to an "adventure."

[the penguins]

11 hours ago, FionaL91 said:

This reflects our experience too. We had a sailing around Mykonos beaches trip we were looking forward to today. The ship had to tender due to high winds and so we thought the excursion might be cancelled. It went ahead (navigation showing Beaufort scale of 6-7) and it was awful. The waves were so bad everyone had to cram inside the sailing boat as the waves kept coming over the deck, some had to sit on the floor. They cancelled the only stop where there was opportunity to swim in the sea as it was too windy. They then took us to a beach, only gave us 45 minutes and we were told it was €30 - €50 to use the sun bed and umbrella. If we chose not to pay we were told to move further down the beach.

 

It was honestly awful and not the relaxing experience we were expected. Gave us a really bad impression of the celebrity excursions and the island. We left comments with guest relations but I am hoping for a full refund. At certain points I would have paid anything to be back on the ship or land! 

 

Fingers crossed our Athens and Pompeii tours are better! 

Why Guest Relations? You are just adding another link in the chain go straight to the Excursions desk.

[FionaL91]

43 minutes ago, the penguins said:

Why Guest Relations? You are just adding another link in the chain go straight to the Excursions desk.

There was no one at the excursions desk...

[cachouonacruise]

On Silhouette now, and so far, we took 5 excursions, one private. They were all very, very nice with the exception of one in Scotland.

 

For our Scotland excursion, the boarding process with a meeting point on the pier was chaotic. Multiple groups going on different excursions were standing in the vicinity of a chained gate, calling tours individually. People had no numbers on them and there were no visual clues. Celebrity staff really did their best, but, they did not have the tools to properly handle the situation.
 

Luckily, although we almost missed our tour, we made it. Then during our one hour drive in a warm/hot bus, ( it took almost 40 minutes to feel the air conditioning), our guide was mute, besides three or four instructions, he gave us at the beginning. Not a word about Scotland, nor about the areas we drove through.

 

This said, our experience at the destination was very, very nice. The local guides were dynamic and we enjoyed that aspect.
 

The return bus trip was similar to our way there....Dreadful.

 

I promised myself, prior to go on this cruise, being so happy to cruise again, that I would not complain about anything.... I made an exception for this tour, and Celebrity personnel at Guess Relations ( shore excursions desk hours being limited), were very kind, professional and listened to the info, and provided us a 30% refund.

 

The refund was a kind gesture from Celebrity validating my issue (in my case, this was not a money issue), I was just so disappointed for my first and likely only day in my life in Scotland, to have experienced such a missed opportunity.... By mentioning it to Celebrity, I am hoping that corrective action could be taken, to enhance the value of this tour in the future.

 

But, more importantly, all our other excursions were really enjoyable. And when a port of call was cancelled due to weather,  our refunds were applied almost immediately, without any action required from us.

Edited June 18, 2022 by cachouonacruise
Typos

[the_dylaness]

17 hours ago, Ride-The-Waves said:

Consider it an "adventure" and relish the experience.  You are not in the "midwest" anymore, Dorothy.  Not everything is perfect.  By and large, touring in Croatia is wonderful.  Lived there for three years.  The people are great and friendly.  Again, chalk it up to an "adventure."

 

Never said I didn't like Croatia, or that I didn't like the people.

 

Your "Dorothy" remark is rather insulting.

 

I don't think availability of bathrooms, and avoiding cutting out so much of the planned activities because your driver keeps getting lost, is an unreasonable expectation, whether you are in Nebraska or Dubrovnik.

 

[Dancing Shoes]

Wow.  What could go wrong did.  "Go potty in the forest".....gosh didn't know we were camping  on this excursion?    I am glad that they gave you something back!

[Znjan]

On 6/17/2022 at 11:39 PM, Ride-The-Waves said:

Consider it an "adventure" and relish the experience.  You are not in the "midwest" anymore, Dorothy.  Not everything is perfect.  By and large, touring in Croatia is wonderful.  Lived there for three years.  The people are great and friendly.  Again, chalk it up to an "adventure."

I was born in Pula and raised in Split. Split has a major problem. Tourism is relatively new here and it shows. Two pre covid government surveys rank Split and Dalmatia the worsted in tourist service. One of the reasons is when the season stats here and the requirement for staff explodes the unemployed are forced to take any job on offer. 

[Znjan]

On 6/17/2022 at 6:32 PM, the_dylaness said:

Our "Croatian Adventure" was hands down the worst shore excursion I have ever been on.  It was a massive fail at nearly every turn.  Our guide and driver got lost several times which put us waaaaay behind schedule.  I notified our tour guide of a food allergy within the first 20 minutes of our trip, and he promised to contact the restaurant ahead of time...  

 

As a Croatian I apologise, if you read my previous post you will understand. If you ever get to Split message me. We will show you the real Croatia foc .

[chemmo]

On 6/18/2022 at 8:32 AM, cachouonacruise said:

 

 

I promised myself, prior to go on this cruise, being so happy to cruise again, that I would not complain about anything.... I made an exception for this tour, and Celebrity personnel at Guess Relations ( shore excursions desk hours being limited), were very kind, professional and listened to the info, and provided us a 30% refund.

 

The refund was a kind gesture from Celebrity validating my issue (in my case, this was not a money issue), I was just so disappointed for my first and likely only day in my life in Scotland, to have experienced such a missed opportunity.... By mentioning it to Celebrity, I am hoping that corrective action could be taken, to enhance the value of this tour in the future.

 

I am so pleased you did report your issues. As you say, you can’t get your day back but perhaps your feedback will help the next guests to enjoy more. 

[Sabbycat]

On 6/17/2022 at 12:32 PM, the_dylaness said:

On our June 3 Reflection sailing we encountered quite a few "misses" with the Shore Excursion department.  We don't often do a lot of ship-sponsored shore excursions but sometimes it is convenient especially in an area where we are unsure about language barrier, or there's a particular option that seems like it'd be hard to source from a local vendor.

 

Although this isn't really necessarily Celebrity's fault, I was surprised to see that the one "beachy" option for Corfu sold out months in advance.

Onboard I asked about the priority waitlist which is supposed to be a "thing" for Elite members, from my understanding.  (I called about it in advance and the phone clerk said it must be done onboard).  The attendant did not know what I was talking about but told me they were trying to secure extra availability and she would call me either way to let me know... never heard back.

 

Our "Croatian Adventure" was hands down the worst shore excursion I have ever been on.  It was a massive fail at nearly every turn.  Our guide and driver got lost several times which put us waaaaay behind schedule.  I notified our tour guide of a food allergy within the first 20 minutes of our trip, and he promised to contact the restaurant ahead of time...  

 

We met in the theater at 10:15 am and arrived at our first stop, to pick up our bikes, at about 11:40.  (Based on the guide's comments I estimate we were about 25 minutes late.)  When we got there several of us asked about a bathroom break (since we had left the ship at 10:15...) we were told to "go in the forest."  It seemed like the first time any of them had received this request (or maybe the first time they ever did the tour?!)  Eventually they took us around 12pm to a smoke-filled cafe where we were asked to go in and use the restrooms- out of necessity I complied but the smell was amazing and I felt bad for the poor cafe staff having probably 8-10 tourists walk in and use their restroom, all in a row.

 

The biking was fine until we came to a creek.  We were asked to remove our shoes (most of us were wearing sneakers) and ford the creek with our bikes in tow.  Fine... but would've been nice to know about this part in advance so we could wear waterproof sandals or water shoes if needed.  There were pieces of broken glass and a shattered taillight on the shore, I overheard one passenger complain of getting cut on their foot but I don't know if it was on this, or something else.

 

We returned the bikes and then started our ill-fated adventure again, this time to "the beach" so we could swim.  We got lost again.  This was a marina and boat ramp.  Because we were so far behind schedule we were asked to spend only 10 minutes at the beach... which, once most of us cycled through the two changing areas, left just enough time to wade in down the boat ramp and get back out.

 

We then proceeded to the speedboats which would take us to lunch.  Earlier in the day we had been promised rafting behind the boats and I was VERY excited about this!  Unfortunately we were denied the opportunity because we were late.  If you're following, so far our adventure day has been 1) holding it 2) smoky cafe 3) fording a creek with broken glass barefoot 4) Clark Kent-style rapid clothing changes to swim off a boat ramp at a Marina and 5) not tubing.  Let's go ahead now and add #6 which is avoiding deafness- the RIB boats alternately blared some kind of club music and inexplicably, AC/DC, at such high volumes it could not POSSIBLY be safe for your hearing.  I held my fingers in my ears the entire (probably 40 minute) ride and also tore up an extra surgical mask and wadded it up and put it in my ears.  Let's not forget "adventure" #7 which is avoiding food allergies- the dish I was served first thing at the restaurant was the one food I am allergic to.  I was able to send it back and the waiter quickly brought an allergen-free replacement which I appreciated, but it would've been better to just have avoided this altogether.  For reference, the allergen was in the entree (which we knew and had discussed on the tour bus that morning).  After we finished our main course the guide came by to ask me if I would like to get an allergen free option... that was like 30 minutes ago!?

 

We left rather suddenly because our boats arrived which did not leave all of us time to use the "one person at a time" restroom at the large restaurant.  So we endured another blaring speedboat ride, this time bladders jarring for many of us.

 

When we got to the kayak site, I had experienced enough and stated I'd simply stay on the shore while the others enjoyed the kayaking experience (mostly so I could go find a restroom.)  I did not realize the kayaking was point to point so I did need to go, ok, fine... but they were short a kayak.  So my husband (who if you've been reading my other posts had emergency surgery <24 hours before we flew to Rome) got a single kayak (we had intended to share a double) and I was put in a double kayak... with two other people.  Though they were lovely companions and I don't fault them at all, it was a bit crowded, and only two of us could paddle, so the third was deadweight.  You won't be surprised to hear we were the last to arrive at the shore.  When we got there, I asked to PLEASE use a restroom and was told none were available but I could go up to a bar or cafe. I went up and found a pay public toilet, thank goodness.  When I got back, our group was gone!  I eventually found them quite some ways away, all waiting on our bus.  The bus driver was "15 minutes away" (which I don't understand since we were already more than an hour past our stated arrival time back to the ship) which was more like 25.  

 

I let the onboard Shore Excursions desk know about this and they refunded 30% of the cost.

 

Finally, we had intended to do the "Small Group: Italian Pasta Making Experience" but based on our abysmal experience in Croatia, changed our minds and cancelled.  It's a good thing we did, because I talked to another shipmate who did attend, and did not get to make pasta... because it was Sunday and the pasta-making place is closed on Sundays. The tour guide told them that X is well aware of the fact that the tour participants will NOT get to make pasta if they do this tour (which is literally called PASTA MAKING!) but continue to sell it anyway. They toured a factory and store or something instead, I did not quite understand.

 

Step up your game, X!

 

 

 

Thanks for the heads up on the pasta making excursion. We were looking at doing that one on our upcoming cruise, double checked and it is on a Sunday. So we will choose a different excursion. 

[Sabbycat]

14 hours ago, Znjan said:

I was born in Pula and raised in Split. Split has a major problem. Tourism is relatively new here and it shows. Two pre covid government surveys rank Split and Dalmatia the worsted in tourist service. One of the reasons is when the season stats here and the requirement for staff explodes the unemployed are forced to take any job on offer. 

My dh and I were in Split in 2008 and had a wonderful excursion. Just loved the area and the excursion we had. 

[Sabbycat]

On 6/18/2022 at 11:05 AM, the_dylaness said:

 

Never said I didn't like Croatia, or that I didn't like the people.

 

Your "Dorothy" remark is rather insulting.

 

I don't think availability of bathrooms, and avoiding cutting out so much of the planned activities because your driver keeps getting lost, is an unreasonable expectation, whether you are in Nebraska or Dubrovnik.

 

 

OP may not know know about the other uses for the "Dorothy" term. I am sure they meant no insult. I surely did not read it that way, but once you pointed it out, saw how it could be taken in offence. 

[gillyg]

We were also on the Reflection leaving Rome 3rd June. We did 2 X tours, city sights in Naples. This was an afternoon tour going on a coach around the sights. It was really good. Our guide Vito was most entertaining. Stopped half way at a beach side cafe where we were given a voucher for a soft drink or gelato and a restroom stop. Would recommend. 

We also did the Florence by Electric Cart. Most expensive tour we've taken in a while and what a waste of money. Basically you are paying for your 1 hour 30 mins fare in to Florence and 50 mins on a golf buggy with very minimal info given about what you are seeing delivered via a wi fi speaker. It was 98.6 degrees that day so by the time our coach gathered to return (after a 10/15 min walk back to the coach) all any of us wanted to do was return to the ship, but no, we had to go to a leather factory on the way back. The factory was closed (it was Sunday) so just a shop then! which no one wanted to go to.

Complained to guest relations (shore excursions desk closed) and received a refund. Just wanted future passengers to have an honest review of this excursion in case any one is considering it. 

[the_dylaness]

13 hours ago, Sabbycat said:

 

OP may not know know about the other uses for the "Dorothy" term. I am sure they meant no insult. I surely did not read it that way, but once you pointed it out, saw how it could be taken in offence. 

 

I don't know of alternate users for this as an insult either... I read it as "you poor naive midwestern lady, there's a whole world out there!"  What am I missing, Toto? 🙂