We have a Getaway Greek Isle cruise this Sept. Cruise line excursions or outside vendors?

[roddy good boy]

I have combed the reviews and boards and have seen conflicting opinions on this issue. I am concerned about using outside vendors for some of the ports with early afternoon boarding times (Ephesus/ Kumasi is 6:30am -1:30 pm). However, one poster stated that the outside tours were the way to go for tender ports like Santorini. Any guidance would be appreciated. 

[fredflint]

It really depends on what you want to see, sometimes with the ships tours you need to wait for a full bus and they can be larger, more touristy.  But for tender ports you do  tend to get off the ship first.  For Santorini do you want to tour the town or go to the other side?

 

Most of the times the private tours will be the way to go but as always YMMV.

 

Funny side story years ago on a Celebrity cruise to Alaska the naturalist on board took our the same private whale watching tour as we did.  To me that was all I needed to know I made the right choice.

 

If you want a more offbeat or private tour book your own for a mainstream safe crowded tour go with the ship speaking with a very wide brush!

[Rick&Jeannie]

It's always a toss up trying to decide whether to go with the ship tours or non-ship.  Should you decide to try a non-ship tour while in Santorini, I suggest you look up Tours by Kostas.  We have done private tours with him twice now, with a private group of 6 both times.  He will show you the absolute best of Santorini.  Just be advised that it can take a LONG time to get up the mountain via the cable car from the pier where the tenders dock.  Quite often there are very long lines...and apparently the local "culture" has no qualms about cutting lines!  Still...we had a GREAT time as you can probably surmise since we went back to him a second time.

[yakcruiser]

6 hours ago, roddy good boy said:

I have combed the reviews and boards and have seen conflicting opinions on this issue. I am concerned about using outside vendors for some of the ports with early afternoon boarding times (Ephesus/ Kumasi is 6:30am -1:30 pm). 

I am usually an independent tour kind of guy but with a 1:30 departure I believe I would stick with a ships tour. Ephesus is a fair way from the port.

[CCJack]

We are on the 9/1/24 Getaway out of Athens (Piraeus).    

 

For Kusadasi (Ephesus) there have been no NCL excursions listed on the NCL website for several months (at least when I log in).  So I booked a private excursion through Ephesus Shuttles.   I cannot vouch for them as it is our first visit, but they were very prompt with email replies and were fully aware of the limited time in port for our ship. Does your ship go to Kumasi ???

 

For Santorini, I booked the NCL Oia excursion simply to avoid the cable car up.   (still need to take the cable car down, but walking down may be an option for us.)   Plus with the FAS this excursion seemed like a good value. 

 

For the other ports, I am still investigating as you are.

 

In general, I can say we used to always do private excursions, however, the last couple years we have been moving back to ship excursions.  The price benefit of private doesn't seem to be as much as it used to be.  Plus, we have had several cruises where getting off of the ship has been an issue due to mechanical problems / issues.  (even with ships that are docked).  The cruiselines  prioritized their excursion passengers to get off first.   Sometimes this was an hour or two delay for others. 

 

In summary, I look at all options (private vs. ship excursion vs. DIY) and try to make a reasonable decision !

 

Have fun planning!

 

 

[mcmomny]

We were on The Jade last August and had purchased the FAS Plus package so we had $100 per excursion savings plus our Latitude discount so we opted to use only NCL excursions where in the past we have booked privately.

 

We were in Greece when it was 100 plus degrees so we basically booked the cheapest excursion as they would provide transportation so some of our excursions ended up being free due to our $100 port excursion costs

 

Our tour guide for Ephesus was fantastic and we felt we had plenty of time even thou it was a short stop!

 

 Istanbul, our guide was great and kept us moving so we could see all the major sights and when we were given free time to shop the market we asked her for advice to go somewhere for a drink and snack she she pointed us in the right direction for a great experience!

 

Santorini, we also booked NCL so we could avoid the cable car lines up as they tender you to the old port where the buses are, nice scenic drive and a nice stop at a winery before being dropped at Oia where we walked around and took the cable car down. We lucked out with no lines but we heard other complain later about the long lines.

 

Rhodes, because all that was left was The religious history tour we booked for the transportation but boy this was the high light of all of our tours!  Our guide was great and we learned so much history and really were glad we had booked this excursion!

 

Mykonos, again a bus ride to tour the island but we also had free time so worked out great.

 

Each port we had enough free time to sit at a scenic cafe for a cold beverage and snack and watch the world go by! Our favorite part of travel!

[CCJack]

25 minutes ago, mcmomny said:

We were on The Jade last August and had purchased the FAS Plus package so we had $100 per excursion savings plus our Latitude discount so we opted to use only NCL excursions where in the past we have booked privately.

 

We were in Greece when it was 100 plus degrees so we basically booked the cheapest excursion as they would provide transportation so some of our excursions ended up being free due to our $100 port excursion costs

 

Our tour guide for Ephesus was fantastic and we felt we had plenty of time even thou it was a short stop!

 

 Istanbul, our guide was great and kept us moving so we could see all the major sights and when we were given free time to shop the market we asked her for advice to go somewhere for a drink and snack she she pointed us in the right direction for a great experience!

 

Santorini, we also booked NCL so we could avoid the cable car lines up as they tender you to the old port where the buses are, nice scenic drive and a nice stop at a winery before being dropped at Oia where we walked around and took the cable car down. We lucked out with no lines but we heard other complain later about the long lines.

 

Rhodes, because all that was left was The religious history tour we booked for the transportation but boy this was the high light of all of our tours!  Our guide was great and we learned so much history and really were glad we had booked this excursion!

 

Mykonos, again a bus ride to tour the island but we also had free time so worked out great.

 

Each port we had enough free time to sit at a scenic cafe for a cold beverage and snack and watch the world go by! Our favorite part of travel!

thanks this is helpful.   Can you tell me in Istanbul, was the NCL excursion on a bus or walking with a guide (and using trams, etc.)   

[mcmomny]

We did "Classical Istanbul", yes pricey but very worth it. This was our most expensive NCL excursion on this trip.

 

Bus to get to a few different locations but than a walking guided tour in the heart of the city, about 2 miles of walking on and off. Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar plus our guide also pointed out many other things along the way, either on the bus or walking.

 

FYI, women must cover their heads in the Mosque and no bare knees for men or woman.

 

Tour included an excellent Turkish lunch!

 

Matter of fact all of the tours we did with NCL included a snack break of local food and wines or lunch if it was an all day tour.

 

Again we were there in the summer which is the height of tourism for Europe and it was packed!  And hot! But worth it!

 

If you are starting in Athens try to go a few days early as Athens was amazing, crowded but amazing!

 

 

[roddy good boy]

Thank you for all of the excellent tips! We are also on the Sept. 1st sailing! Sorry, I meant Kusadasi, not Kudasi. What makes it even more disgraceful is that I’ve been there previously, in 2015, on the Jade. It was my favorite port of that Mediterranean cruise. My husband couldn’t make that trip, due to the recent death of my father in law (he didn’t want to leave his mother alone that soon), so I really want him to experience Ephesus and Mary’s house. 
 

Thanks for letting me know I’ll need to cover my hair in the mosques in Istanbul. I wasn’t sure about that. I’m 65, so the days of wearing a short dress and/or short shorts have long passed.

 

You have all given us much to consider. I’ll rethink the outside tours…

[Travelling2Some]

3 hours ago, CCJack said:

For Santorini, I booked the NCL Oia excursion simply to avoid the cable car up.   (still need to take the cable car down, but walking down may be an option for us.)   Plus with the FAS this excursion seemed like a good value. . . In general, I can say we used to always do private excursions, however, the last couple years we have been moving back to ship excursions.  The price benefit of private doesn't seem to be as much as it used to be.  Plus, we have had several cruises where getting off of the ship has been an issue due to mechanical problems / issues.  (even with ships that are docked).  The cruiselines  prioritized their excursion passengers to get off first.   Sometimes this was an hour or two delay for others. 

 

In summary, I look at all options (private vs. ship excursion vs. DIY) and try to make a reasonable decision !

 

I agree.  We have booked the least expensive ship's excursion a time or two just to get off the ship quickly (especially in Santorini).  Then we just let the guide know that we are going off on our own for his headcount.  The $50 excursion credit can markedly decrease the gap between ship-sponsored and private.  I also factor in the distance from port, the reliability of local transport and how difficult it would be to catch up with the ship at the next port should we actually miss the boat.  In some places it's only a short train ride within the same country so no big deal.   However, if the port is followed by two sea days that is a much bigger risk. All in all, the answer depends on the specific port.

[roddy good boy]

It’s odd, because the excursions offered for our Sept 1 cruise are limited. As CCJack mentioned, there’s nothing listed for Ephesus. I just checked for Istanbul and the classical Istanbul isn’t offered, nor is the religious history tour in Rhodes. I’d love to book both of those tours. Nine years ago, I do recall that some excursions for our ports (Venice, Kusadasi, Croatia, and Athens) were uploaded a little closer to the sail date.  I wonder if that’s still the case. 

[mcmomny]

I know that our tours were posted much closer to the cruise as at the time we were sailing Greece was having those terrible fires and extreme heat problems.

 

Classical Istanbul we booked as soon as we saw it available as it has always been one of my husbands bucket list to see Hagia Sophia.

 

I have noticed that NCL since Covid doesn't seem to have a lot of excursions posted all at once, they seem to trickle in.  So you have to look often and book fast before they fill up.

 

In 2023 we wanted a certain excursion to St John so we could hike the National Park but it was sold and and a few days before we sailed they posted another one so we were able to go!

 

There are no excursions at all for our booked Africa cruise in January which makes us wonder if this could become a problem as we really would prefer to use NCL excursions but if they don't have anything we want than it might be too late for us to find private excursions.

 

I do find it difficult sometimes to book a cruise when you have no ideas about what kind of excursions they will offer!

 

 

Edited March 17 by mcmomny

[mcmomny]

13 hours ago, roddy good boy said:

Thank you for all of the excellent tips! We are also on the Sept. 1st sailing! Sorry, I meant Kusadasi, not Kudasi. What makes it even more disgraceful is that I’ve been there previously, in 2015, on the Jade. It was my favorite port of that Mediterranean cruise. My husband couldn’t make that trip, due to the recent death of my father in law (he didn’t want to leave his mother alone that soon), so I really want him to experience Ephesus and Mary’s house. 
 

Thanks for letting me know I’ll need to cover my hair in the mosques in Istanbul. I wasn’t sure about that. I’m 65, so the days of wearing a short dress and/or short shorts have long passed.

 

You have all given us much to consider. I’ll rethink the outside tours…

Same for me, 63 and no knees showing!

[CCJack]

13 hours ago, roddy good boy said:

It’s odd, because the excursions offered for our Sept 1 cruise are limited. As CCJack mentioned, there’s nothing listed for Ephesus. I just checked for Istanbul and the classical Istanbul isn’t offered, nor is the religious history tour in Rhodes. I’d love to book both of those tours. Nine years ago, I do recall that some excursions for our ports (Venice, Kusadasi, Croatia, and Athens) were uploaded a little closer to the sail date.  I wonder if that’s still the case. 

Yes,   I booked our 9/1 cruise last October and check a couple times a week and there has never been any excursions listed for Kusadasi, or the classical Istanbul.    Lots of NCL excursions for Rhodes but not the religious history... I am wondering if they change the names sometimes.

 

I think the NCL website and excursion booking is not NCL's strength.   There are lots of inconsistencies it seems.   

 

However, I have to give them credit for such value pricing for children on the Rhodes Kayak Adventure. 

 

 

[roddy good boy]

I saw that! 🤣

[julig22]

On 3/16/2024 at 5:07 AM, roddy good boy said:

However, one poster stated that the outside tours were the way to go for tender ports like Santorini. Any guidance would be appreciated. 

That advice could backfire big time.  The tours might be better/cheaper but NCL excursions get priority for tenders, which sometimes makes a difference. Make sure you try to find info on what others have said regarding tenders for the ship and destinations.

[CCJack]

Can anyone make a recommendation on NCL excursions in Crete?  It looks as if most either stay near Heraklion, or head west to Rethymno or east to Agios Nikolaos..

 

 

[mcmomny]

So I looked at my notes from our trip in August and the excursions we took are still listed on NCL website if you search the excursions tab, so maybe they just aren't linked to your cruise date just yet? 

 

Maybe call NCL and see if they can book them for you?

 

We did these five excursions

"Magnificent Ephesus"

"Classical Istanbul"

"Exploring Rhodes Religious Past"

"Scenic View of Mykonos"

"Charming Oia and Winery"

 

Hope this helps!

 

On a side note, make sure to be on the top deck of the ship as you cruise the Bosphorus Strait and under the Bosphorus Bridge!  Super cool!  Once at around 1 am and again when leaving Istanbul before dinner!

 

 

[roddy good boy]

Well, I just contacted the excursion NCL desk and was assisted by a really nice lady, who informed me that she can’t book a tour that isn’t already listed as available for our cruise. She said that IT is working on adding Ephesus tours for our cruise, so that was some good news! However, her guess was as good as ours, as to when any new tours will be added. In other words…I guess we wait…