Excursions?

[Ecady]

I'm a newbie. When do excursions become available for an Oct 1 cruise out of Southampton...some Baltic, some western Europe. What advice do you have for booking excursions? Thanks so much. E Cady

[George C]

18 minutes ago, Ecady said:

I'm a newbie. When do excursions become available for an Oct 1 cruise out of Southampton...some Baltic, some western Europe. What advice do you have for booking excursions? Thanks so much. E Cady

Check with your roll call , when we did Europe we did almost all excursion with fellow passengers, cheaper than the ones sponsored by the ship and more fun.

[LHT28]

Depends on the cruise line  

Check on the forum for your cruise line

 I would think ships tours would be listed by now  on their website

[ontheweb]

Also, you do not have to do organized excursions. You can research a port, and decide for yourself what you wish to see and do.

 

But, I do agree with check your roll call and see if there are any you have private excursions who might be doing something you wish to do and are looking for others to join them.

[John Bull]

Hi, and welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

I would have thought ships' excursions for October would already be published.

 

Most Cruise Critic members do their excursions independently of the ship - some DIY with local transportation, some use local tour operators.

But in some circumstances - tight scheduling, unreliable local transport, absence of a Plan B etc - even experienced cruisers sometimes choose ship's excursions.

 

If you tell us your ship and your ports-of-call we can give you an idea of what's worthwhile.

 

George mentioned your cruise's Roll Call.

Go back to the main menu https://boards.cruisecritic.com/

After the cruise line boards are the Roll Calls.

Click on your cruise line & navigate from there to your ship.

All the threads start with the sailing date  They're not in chronological order, when someone posts on one it goes to the top, just like this and the other forums. So you need to scroll through to find the one with your sailing date. There's likely to be folk on your cruise posting on there looking for excursion sharers.

Post on there anyway, to say Hi to your ship-mates.

 

Bon voyage

 

JB 🙂

[Host Kat]

3 hours ago, John Bull said:

... So you need to scroll through to find the one with your sailing date...

 

Actually, the Roll Call Finder Tool is used by members when they are looking to see if there is an established Roll Call thread for their cruise. There is one at the top of most ship Roll Call forums. Here is a sample clip:

 

As long as the sail date in the Roll Call thread title is in the suggested format mentioned in How To: Create A New Roll Call shown below, the Roll Call Finder Tool works just fine.  

Click  ROLL CALLS  

• Click your Ship's (or Cruise Line's)name to open the correct forum 
• Browse the topic titles shown in the forum to double check there is no existing Roll Call topic for your sail date. 
• Click the Start New Topic button at the top of the Ship's roll call forum.
•  In the Title Box, type the name of your ship, your sail date and year. 
  • When you create a new ROLL CALL topic, you MUST include the sail date in the subject line, and here's the suggested format:    Example: January 1, 2016
  • Please note the suggested date format with the month first and spelled out completely will ensure your new Roll Call topic appear in search results
• Type a message in the message box and click the Submit Topic button.

 

[Ecady]

So there are no answers to my question because I haven't posted it correctly? Karen

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Ecady said:

So there are no answers to my question because I haven't posted it correctly? Karen

There are answers  you maybe do not like what they are??

 

Maybe someone will point you in the right direction   but  need more information

 

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Ecady said:

So there are no answers to my question because I haven't posted it correctly? Karen

Are you sailing Oceania Sirena in Oct ?

 If so there are excursions listed  on the website

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/baltic-cruises/london-to-london-SIR221001/ports/?sr=%2fcruise-finder%23time_frame%3d2022-6|2022-7|2022-8|2022-9|2022-10|2022-11|2022-12%26duration%3d8-10%26ship%3dSIR%26sort%3dfeatured%3adesc%26page%3d1%26pageSize%3d10#ports=PME

 

You can also ask your TA or O  for the PDF  file for all excursions

 

Join the Oceania forum 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/29-oceania-cruises/

 

just a heads up  the cruise is now sailing from Portsmouth & not Southampton

 

[Markanddonna]

3 hours ago, Ecady said:

So there are no answers to my question because I haven't posted it correctly? Karen

Ecady, The people on this board are extremely helpful and generous with their wisdom and advice. It wasn't that you didn't post correctly, but that your question would require lots of work and communicating with you. 

 

Besides their advice, I would recommend a visit to the library and some time on the computer researching ports of call.  Have you heard of Rick Steves?  Go to RickSteves.com or use his books that are in every library.

[Host Kat]

On 6/29/2022 at 11:12 AM, Ecady said:

... some Baltic, some western Europe...

 

@Ecady

 

Planning your time in port can be daunting and research-intensive. If you're trying to decide between two shore excursions or want recommendations for a tour guide, ask your fellow Cruise Critic members on the Ports of Call - Europe forums. In your case, research your ports on the British Isles/Western Europe and Northern Europe & Baltic Sea forums. Not only will they tell you their favorite and less preferred shoreside adventures, but they'll likely post beautiful photos and detailed instructions, too -- down to bus routes and walking maps. Browse through the thread titles there and look for titles of interest. You will probably find your fellow Cruise Critic members have already posted questions and received answers that will be of interest to you.

 

[Mum2Mercury]

On 6/29/2022 at 12:12 PM, Ecady said:

I'm a newbie. When do excursions become available for an Oct 1 cruise out of Southampton...some Baltic, some western Europe. What advice do you have for booking excursions? Thanks so much. E Cady

 

Some ship excursions will be available now.  Others will pop up soon.  No real rules.  

 

However, private excursions are better than ship offerings, and they're available now.  In a private excursion you'll be part of a smaller group and will have more control over your day.  That private excursions cost less is just the cherry on top.  

 

How to find private excursions?  Just google -- then review online to see that other people have been pleased with their services.   Before you book, check your cruise app to find out what time you'll dock /how long you'll be at each stop.  Choose the earliest option in the day and plan to be back on board well ahead of sailing time; 2 hours is our comfort level.  

Edited July 2, 2022 by Mum2Mercury

[navybankerteacher]

The best first step is to find something out about each port - is there anything in or near it that interests you.  Then decide if you would prefer to go just on your own (including whoever you are sailing with). Then talk it up on your cruise roll call to see if others have same/similar interests - perhaps to join with them.

 

A lot depends upon your interests, what there is to see/do in each port, and your inclination to go it alone or with others.

[cruiserking]

Since you're a first time cruiser it's a good idea to book some excursions with the cruise line. Ship excursions will be best for locations that are a distance from the port stop. Some of your port stops you'll be able to do on your own just walking around the city or village. Plan on booking two or three of the excursions that most appeal to you. 

 

The European excursions are usually very good. The cruise line has been working with these vendors for years and you can depend on them. Much better than going with a third party outfit like Viator which is a crap shoot. The major benefit of booking cruise line excursions is if the trip is late returning to port the ship will wait for you. If your independent excursions is late you'll have problems. On two separate cruises Holland America Line's Noordam waited for us to return from ship sponsored tours.  

 

Have fun researching your excursions and have a great cruise. 

 

Jonathan

[Ecady]

Thank you so much for all of your advice. I have looked over the many excursions for the London to London cruise leaving Oct 1 (10 days) from Portsmouth.

 

Bruges, Amsterdam, and Scandinavian ports are the stops. I believe Copenhagen, Oslo, etc. I do think it would be hard for novice passengers to book locally. I agree that finding folks interested in the same excursion to partner with is a great idea. I assume the roll call forum is the place to try to do that. 

 

Could also wait on some options till we're boarded and see then if anyone wants to partner.

 

Again, thank you. And if you have any suggestions for these ports of call do share. Karen

 

 

[fshepinc]

Karen,

 

It sounds like a great cruise -You're going to have a great time! Here are some tips that might be helpful:

 

1. Study the ship's excursions, paying attention to things like activity level. You'll get a good understanding of which kinds of activities will be in your comfort zone. When considering the amount of walking you'll do, don't forget that you'll be walking on cobbled streets!

 

2. A canal cruise in Amsterdam is lovely, and generally easy -but you have to decide if climbing in and out of the boat is a problem for anyone in your party. I would also encourage a visit to the Anne Frank museum. Streets in Amsterdam tend to be uneven, so a lot of walking can be hard on your feet and hips (at least if you're my age). 

 

3. Oslo has an excellent on-and-off tour bus that will take you around the city and let you hang out at the places that interest you. The city hall is really worth a walk-through, and the statue park is amazing. It was my favorite port on my last Baltic cruise. Word of warning: it's a very expensive city. A cup of tea in a café cost me $13.

 

4. Copenhagen is a beautiful city, and mostly walkable. Bicycle tours are popular.

 

5. London is my absolute favorite place. Not sure how much time you'll have in the city, but some of the musts are the National Gallery, the British Museum, and afternoon tea at Fortnum & Mason. The latter requires advance reservations, and go hungry as it is an all-you-can-eat meal. When I did my last Baltic cruise I flew in and out of London. I went two weeks early and stayed with friends, then flew to Copenhagen to catch the ship. The cruise ended in Stockholm, and I flew back to London and spent another week before flying home.

 

The ship's own excursions have the advantage of being easily arranged, with total confidence, and the assurance that if something runs late the ship will wait for you. The excursions offered will likely be things that have proven popular with your fellow passengers. Booking a private excursion is usually much cheaper, but you do have to plan it yourself and keep an eye on the time. It does offer much more personalization -more time to spend at a gallery or museum that interests you, or the ability to stop at sidewalk café that catches your eye. 

 

Whatever you decide to do, remember this: It's your vacation, and it's okay to skip an excursion if you just don't feel up to it, or if a different plan sounds more attractive. I've had people swear that an excursion was not to be missed, only to find myself bored out of my mind - and had a wonderful time on excursions others said were a total waste of money. You know yourself better than any of us here, so take our specific suggestions with a grain of salt.  Finally, for some people a cruise like this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip, and they feel they must cram everything in. Others have the luxury of knowing they have been before, or will go again. Take all the stress off yourself and just do what you want to do, with no regrets over money spent or missed opportunities.