Viator and other "non - O" sightseeing advice

[Hlitner]

22 hours ago, kibutzer said:

Suggest you also post on ports of call, and on roll call you are on. Viator is very different based on country and tour. 

My issue with Viator is why deal with a third party booking agency when there is no need?  It is easy enough to conduct one's own research and hire local tour providers.  When dealing direct you may (or may not) save money, and know where to go if something goes wrong.  These days, we have learned to deal direct with most entities unless a third party is going to save us money or be a good advocate when things go south.   With Viator, you generally do not know who the local tour provider will be until after you have booked and paid.  

 

As a simple example, consider Kusadasi (a major cruise port in Turkey).  Many folks book private tours in that city, and there happen to be many excellent local tour companies and guides.  We know of two highly regarded tour companies (we have used one) with whom we would be happy to do business.  There are also quite a few local tour providers that are less professional, do not have the best guides, etc.  If we were to book with Viator, we would not have any control over the provider.  A few years ago when we decided to book a private tour (in Kusadasi), we directly e-mailed our chosen tour company and gave them specifications on the kind of guide we would accept.  We also restructured the published tour to meet our own wants (it was our 5th visit to Kusadasi).  When we arrived, we got exactly what we had requested, and it was a near perfect day.   If we had Viator or any other third party booking agency we would have likely paid more money and had zero control over the qualifications of our specific guide.  To be honest, DW and I dislike tours (we are mostly DIY travelers) but when we do want a tour, we prefer to have some control over the qualifications of the guide or to deal with a local tour provider who has a stellar 

 

Hank

[YourWorldWithBill]

Thanks for the useful info about tour providers. A couple of others I've heard good things about but not used myself are Venture Ashore and Shore Excursions Group.

[Hlitner]

6 hours ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

Thanks for the useful info about tour providers. A couple of others I've heard good things about but not used myself are Venture Ashore and Shore Excursions Group.

I would advise that just like Viator, you are referring to tour booking agencies (tour consolidators) which are not the actual tour provider.  With these booking agencies you are also dealing with a third party company...not the actual tour provider.

 

Hank

[YourWorldWithBill]

3 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I would advise that just like Viator, you are referring to tour booking agencies (tour consolidators) which are not the actual tour provider.  With these booking agencies you are also dealing with a third party company...not the actual tour provider.

 

Hank

Good point. I use Viator to find the tour operator.

[Panama111]

On 7/16/2023 at 9:43 PM, YourWorldWithBill said:

Good point. I use Viator to find the tour operator.

I have not been happy with VIATOUR. I find  THAT BOOKING DIRECTLY With A SMALL LOCAL TOUR COMPANY  is always cheaper, sometimes considerably cheaper, plus there are smaller groups and more flexibility and additional extras added on.

 

[pinotlover]

Viator lost me in Seville. For one of their tours we had to walk about a half mile and be at some non descript hotel by 7:30 to catch the tour bus. The bus drives around town for an hour picking up other tourists, and I’m sure you’ve guessed it, stops at our hotel at 8:45 to pick up a different group. The 8:45 group paid about $25 each less than us, plus had a leisurely breakfast. That was the end of Viator.

 

That hour+ of pickup time was built into the tour time each way. So what was advertised as a 6 hour tour, ended up 2.5 hours shorter. Plus we had an hour plus bus ride to get to Córdoba, and the bus never stopped for a bathroom break. Some of us were in pain when we got there.

Edited August 1, 2023 by pinotlover

[Vineyard View]

We also are DIY or private/small group travelers. I have mostly used TripAdvisor, and in the past (Pre -C) there was a lot of private tour recommendations in the CC Ports of Call section. That data seems to have been scrubbed along with most older posts. I am appreciating the information on this thread. 
We used our SM credits for a catamaran O trip in Santorini, and a small group full day in Tunisia. 16 is the max small group size, and that feels big for a ‘small’ group, but it’s not a large bus. We made that mistake on Seabourn in a less travelled area of Croatia this Spring, and it was a reminder of how much we hate wasting a day doing that. We will not repeat it again if possible to visit where we want.  So we are hoping that these two O excursions are not too disappointing, but they will be the only ones that we take. 

[LHT28]

5 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

 I have mostly used TripAdvisor, and in the past (Pre -C) there was a lot of private tour recommendations in the CC Ports of Call section. That data seems to have been scrubbed along with most older posts. I am appreciating the information on this thread. 
 

There are still lots of  posts  in the ports of call section

Are you viewing CC on a phone or computer ?

 

[Vineyard View]

A little of both. Last year and early this when I was planning our Seabourn trip, there wasn’t much on the ports we were going to on CC. I used the forums section on TA as well as the main sections on TA. Granted, we went to some small off the beaten track ports, so that may have been part of it, but I am still not seeing specific tour companies listed like they were in the past because that info was scrubbed.  That information is slowly building again.
I found out that CC did some type of house cleaning that removed most pre-pandemic posts. Some of them are out there if you Google the questions for the ports, which is interesting. I discovered this when someone was trying to assist me with a port they had visited preC.  It was no longer on CC. They went out of CC and googled, and actually found their CC post doing that. 

[LHT28]

1 minute ago, Vineyard View said:

A little of both. Last year and early this when I was planning our Seabourn trip, there wasn’t much on the ports we were going to on CC. I used the forums section on TA as well as the main sections on TA. Granted, we went to some small off the beaten track ports, so that may have been part of it, but I am still not seeing specific tour companies listed like they were in the past because that info was scrubbed.  That information is slowly building again.
I found out that CC did some type of house cleaning that removed most pre-pandemic posts. Some of them are out there if you Google the questions for the ports, which is interesting. I discovered this when someone was trying to assist me with a port they had visited preC.  It was no longer on CC. They went out of CC and googled, and actually found their CC post doing that. 

I am still seeing  posts  as far back as 2009

but as long as you find what you are looking for  that is good

 

[pinotlover]

16 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

We also are DIY or private/small group travelers. I have mostly used TripAdvisor, and in the past (Pre -C) there was a lot of private tour recommendations in the CC Ports of Call section. That data seems to have been scrubbed along with most older posts. I am appreciating the information on this thread. 
We used our SM credits for a catamaran O trip in Santorini, and a small group full day in Tunisia. 16 is the max small group size, and that feels big for a ‘small’ group, but it’s not a large bus. We made that mistake on Seabourn in a less travelled area of Croatia this Spring, and it was a reminder of how much we hate wasting a day doing that. We will not repeat it again if possible to visit where we want.  So we are hoping that these two O excursions are not too disappointing, but they will be the only ones that we take. 

As far as numbers on a small group tour; as has happened before, we had four fellow passengers join us on one of our private tours on our Vista cruise. There were 14 of us in total. Four from an Oceania tour, and ten of us signed up for a private tour. We paid $150/ couple, they paid Oceania $350 each. They got what they paid for. An excellent small group tour of 16 or less passengers. We also got what we paid for.

 

For planning purposes, have you chosen alternative uses of your SM credits if O cancels either port or tour? 

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, pinotlover said:

As far as numbers on a small group tour; as has happened before, we had four fellow passengers join us on one of our private tours on our Vista cruise. There were 14 of us in total. Four from an Oceania tour, and ten of us signed up for a private tour. We paid $150/ couple, they paid Oceania $350 each. They got what they paid for. An excellent small group tour of 16 or less passengers. We also got what we paid for.

This happens all the time in Bermuda. There will be 6 who book direct with the the Bermuda tour operaor and 6 who book with cruise lines and pay twice as much. I looked at the excursion prices when I was there on Oceania and they charged about two and a half times as much as booking with the Island Tour Centre. Everyone is all togethrer on the excursion paying a different price booked direct, booked Celebrity, booked Oceania and booked Viator. 

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, Vineyard View said:

A little of both. Last year and early this when I was planning our Seabourn trip, there wasn’t much on the ports we were going to on CC. I used the forums section on TA as well as the main sections on TA. Granted, we went to some small off the beaten track ports, so that may have been part of it, but I am still not seeing specific tour companies listed like they were in the past because that info was scrubbed.  That information is slowly building again.
I found out that CC did some type of house cleaning that removed most pre-pandemic posts. Some of them are out there if you Google the questions for the ports, which is interesting. I discovered this when someone was trying to assist me with a port they had visited preC.  It was no longer on CC. They went out of CC and googled, and actually found their CC post doing that. 

 

Part of the problem -- and I do understand it -- is that old info is only so good. Since the resumption of travel post-COVID, many agencies and individual guides are no longer working in the tourism sector; they found other jobs during the long shut-down, one imagines. So old info must always be viewed with caution.

 

Of course, info about what to see and do doesn't change, but CC can't exactly read each post and make a decision...

 

Travel logistics also change rapidly. Nearly every day on the Italy port someone posts outdated info about getting to/from Civitavecchia from Rome, for example. Just in the last 6-7 years, the following changes have been made:

 

-- The port entrance at Civi has been moved

-- New terminals have opened for larger ships

-- Free port shuttle routes inside the port changed

-- A dedicated city bus to/from the train station was added

-- Elevators were installed at the Civitavecchia train station, and

-- New for 2023, there is now a port shuttle that will take you direct to the train station without need of a transfer (for 6 euros)

 

So even if you sailed out of Civitavecchia five years ago, quite a few things have changed and you should always re-check.

 

[YourWorldWithBill]

14 hours ago, Panama111 said:

I have not been happy with VIATOUR. I find  THAT BOOKING DIRECTLY With A SMALL LOCAL TOUR COMPANY  is always cheaper, sometimes considerably cheaper, plus there are smaller groups and more flexibility and additional extras added on.

That's actually what I meant: I find the tour companies, then contact them directly. That way I can arrange a small, flexible tour in line with what I want, which is always with a local company that is happy to change what they are obliged to if the booking is through Viator. But there are some great tour companies that don't work with Viator

[Vineyard View]

6 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Part of the problem -- and I do understand it -- is that old info is only so good. Since the resumption of travel post-COVID, many agencies and individual guides are no longer working in the tourism sector; they found other jobs during the long shut-down, one imagines. So old info must always be viewed with caution.

 

This is absolutely a huge problem. It seems to be so across so many sectors of the service industry. 
in many countries a tour guide was formally trained and licensed. I was under the impression that it was a fairly good living. So I just have to wonder where they all went to. But regardless, you identify a widespread issue. 

[mamaclark]

On 7/15/2023 at 11:46 AM, Sny said:

Check Tours by Locals.  We've had nothing but good experiences with them.  Excellent communications.

I am happy to see this and would be interested to know where you have used them. We are booked in April 2024 Tokyo to Singapore. I am looking at them for Tokyo.

[harlor]

On 8/1/2023 at 7:05 AM, pinotlover said:

As far as numbers on a small group tour; as has happened before, we had four fellow passengers join us on one of our private tours on our Vista cruise. There were 14 of us in total. Four from an Oceania tour, and ten of us signed up for a private tour. We paid $150/ couple, they paid Oceania $350 each. They got what they paid for. An excellent small group tour of 16 or less passengers. We also got what we paid for.

 

For planning purposes, have you chosen alternative uses of your SM credits if O cancels either port or tour? 

Hi, 

Could you explain your comment about alternative uses of SM credits if O cancels. Do you mean choosing a different O excursion or are you saying we can use the SM credit for something else, maybe ship board credit?

Thanks

Loretta

[pinotlover]

4 hours ago, harlor said:

Hi, 

Could you explain your comment about alternative uses of SM credits if O cancels. Do you mean choosing a different O excursion or are you saying we can use the SM credit for something else, maybe ship board credit?

Thanks

Loretta

I meant alternative shore tours. The credit can only be used for shore tours.