Quality of MSC Shore Excursions for Cape Town to Venice Cruise?

[chem eng]

We are planning to take the MSC Sinfornia from Cape Town to Venice on March 10, 2023.  There are a lot of ports that I have not been to.  MSC hasn't released the available shore excursions list yet.

 

I'm wondering if MSC shore excursion prices are reasonable.  I have cruised with Costa and found that their excursions covered good places to see and were generally reasonable.  I am willing to pay about 100 USD per excursion.  I have also cruised extensively with Norweigan and found that I had to to a lot of work to get shore excursions from the locals' as the price of their excursions were not reasonable. 

 

We will be going to Durban South Africa, La Possession Reunion Island, 2 days at Port Louis Mauritius and Victoria Seychelles, Jeddah Saudi Arabia and Eqypt ports.

 

Any advice is appreciated.  If I end up going with local shore excursions I will place the information on the Cruise Critic roll call.  

 

Thanks

[Mrs f.]

See if there is a rollcall group for your cruise. You will be able to find others on your cruise and see what they are doing.  We try always to do private tours rather than those from a ship.

[chem eng]

There is a rollcall group for my cruise but nobody has done any of the work yet. 

I'm asking about the quality/cost of MSC tours as I cruised with Costa from Rome to Dubai before and really did not find very many independent operators in that area.  I actually ended up paying more (fewer people) than the cruise line.  

[sfc2015]

We prefer the private tours as they are designed to fit the traveler's needs and not a huge coach tour. We are happy to join small tours or as happened on our last SA trip book individually for the same tour, so members of the same cruise are together but individually responsible for their own costs.

[SFtraveller]

Fantastic itinerary. I'll be getting off while you'll be boarding. Can you go into your booking and get the excursion download. The other day, I don't think the prices were on mine. Please do write back with info.

 

Reunion Island, long story, but we found a driver and he took us on either side for 2 days. In Mauritius used a taxi, walk out past the gate.  

 

For Seychelles, you could try to buy their tour to the island with the S. But the islands to the E, were lovely, but I didn't see that offered. On Costa it was hundreds of dollars but the most impressive maneuvering of people and transport and efficiency. Rented a car, very easy to drive around. If you need her contact I could try to find it.

 

For Jeddah, I need to find transport to the ship. It's 62 miles if we dock at KAEC, to Jeddah. I just wrote to the KSA official site and they told me to rent a car at the airport - not, or use apps. For other areas of KSA they were recommending guides with numbers, but didn't get that for J. Perhaps it depends who answers that day?

 

Sokhna Port need to get to Cairo. I checked here and John Bull wrote “Same applies to Petra from Aqaba and Cairo from Port Sokhna, with the added complication of both being secure ports." He recommended ships tours, as the distances are so great from ship to site to ship. I think it was on here, they were charging $457? EACH person to go the pyramids and if time, a market. I too, would advise a ship's tour.

 

Um, Chem....have we travelled before?

[chem eng]

I just noticed that you replied to my question.  Thanks a lot.  I already have visited Egypt with Memphis tours so I have seen the various temples, so I'm not feeling the pressure to find excursions in this area.  

 

Are you sailing on MSC?  How did they handle the Jeddah visa?

 

MSC now has all the excursions available on their website.  Most of the excursions are reasonably priced which makes it easier for me.  

 

I'm not sure if we have met up on our travels.  I'm a retired female engineer from Toronto Ontario in Canada.  I have done lots of cruising as it is great way to see the world.

[chem eng]

Just to let you know that I booked all of my excursions with MSC.  I thought that the prices were very reasonable.  The only port I'm not doing an excursion is Sofkna as both of us have spent several days in Cairo before.  The price to Cairo with day tours of sights with dinner was $182.52 USD with the 20% discount if you booked before the cruise.  

 

It just makes it easier with no worries about missing the boat or meeting the private drivers.  

[Markanddonna]

MSC cruises tend to be harder to find others to tour with because most don't use the Cruise Critic Boards.