Price Of Tours

[ShawninFL]

I don't know if it is just me, but are the prices of tours in the Mediterranean astronomical? I think 550 euros for 4 people for an 8 hour tour is crazy and that's treating the Euro as equal to the dollar. When you do the conversion, its flat out nuts. I realize if I don't want to pay it, I don't have to go. And I'm going, so I'm going to have to dish out the money. I just wonder if those of us from North America are charged a higher price for these tours than our European friends? Just thought I would solicit others' thoughts.

 

Happy Cruising.

 

Shawn

[agabbymama]

We do seem to be in the minority. But like you, I feel these prices are astronomical, that's why I'm doing the Hop on/Hop off buses in Rome, Naples, Florence & Pisa. Someone mentioned one in Athens that I'm going to give a try too. The only place I plan a guided tour is Santorini and Kusadasi. The rest of the ports will be independent.

 

The cost of the cruise & hotels in Rome and Venice pre-cruise and post-cruise are about the cap of my vacation money. I've been before when things were a lot more affordable, so I will see what I can see independently, and that will just have to do.

 

As you said, if you look at the prices, even in EUR, they are terribly high. I'm not really sure why, the EUR is supposed to be strong, so why the costs are so high is incomprehensible to me. Then when you actually do the exchange rate to US dollars, they do become astronomical.

 

Have a great trip!

[mountainmare]

The prices for ship tours on any cruise are made for profit. When you consider the price for gas in Europe, even the cost for private tours is high.

We usually do alot of research and use public trandportation. This is even less expensive than HOHO buses, but it does take doing alot of homework.

As a funny point of interest, after traveling in Europe we returned to the Caribbean last winter--because of the lack of easy and safe public transportation on many of the islands I found it alot harder to plan economical DIY there.

So my advice is to go local---and use public transportation which is a wonderful bargain.

[cberge]

I don't know if it is just me, but are the prices of tours in the Mediterranean astronomical? I think 550 euros for 4 people for an 8 hour tour is crazy and that's treating the Euro as equal to the dollar. When you do the conversion, its flat out nuts. I realize if I don't want to pay it, I don't have to go. And I'm going, so I'm going to have to dish out the money. I just wonder if those of us from North America are charged a higher price for these tours than our European friends? Just thought I would solicit others' thoughts.

 

Happy Cruising.

 

Shawn

 

Yes, the prices for tours are high and they will get higher even w/o the conversion rate as so many people "have" to or want to do private tours and with all the cruiseships now in the Med the demand is very high and they can get the prices plain and simple.They have their expenses of course re gas,time wear and tear,but now it is mostly profit.Someday the bubble will burst,but not for a while.I do not think that Americans are charged more,but it would not surprise me if they were.Just my thought.....

[jools44]

I live in the UK and so don't need to do the $ to euro conversion but even for us the prices are high. We have booked one ship trip soley because my hubby especially wants to do it but as a point of principle, plus realism that is the only one. This board has been fantastic for helping to plan trips and I am looking forward to the adventure of the whole thing now.

[m steve]

Thinking of what we pay in the Caribbean for a tour vs. Europe I think we don't take into consideration that we may be traveling 50-100 miles from the ship vs. 10 -20 around an island. I feel that the prices are very high as well but there's so much more to see and we don't take this trip a few times a year like I do in the Carib. I figure about $300 a day for the 2 of us in the various ports except where we overnight or can get a hoho bus.

[funkylady]

We're going on our first cruise in January and have been costing up prices of costa ship excursions here in England. One excursion to Cairo, for example, visiting pyramids and lunch on the Nile works out at 118 Euros per adult and 88.50 Euros per child. The exchange rate was about 1.4 Euros to the £. Having toured parts of France and Spain in our car with our children we are not strangers to independant travel, however, the thought of missing the boat should anything go wrong if we organised our own trips does bother me a lot. We want to enjoy our adventures without too much worry but hate to think that we'll get 'ripped off' as a result of taking the easier option. We haven't decided what to do yet......!:(

[DedeM]

Yes, everything seems very high to me too. Taken individually, at a minimum of $250 pp, they don't seem that bad. We spent a fortune in Alaska on helicopter, trains, and whale watches.

 

But when you add up the costs of a 12-day med cruise (only 1 at-sea day) and the incredible shrinking US$, to think a 500 euro tour for two will cost us $750 - it's alarming.

 

We'll try to do what we can on our own and of course not all ports require guided tours (THANK GOD), but there are two in particular where we'll have to give in: Tuscany wine region and Pompeii/Amalfi coast.

[NAS-KARR]

I think we'll have to grin & bear it, Like an OP said it's a matter of supply & demand......& I personally don't see anything coming down in price. Infact during my lifetime I've never seen a price drop other than a temp. "sale".

 

Although private drivers and/or tours have alot of pluses going for them, more than a HOHO bus or a ship's tour.

 

CIAO,

[Hlitner]

I guess my comment would be why take a tour? The Med countries are not third world countries and in most ports you can do things on your own. In fact, during more than 30 years of European travel, and many many med cruises, I think we have only taken 2 tours. I do understand that not everyone is comfortable doing their "own thing," but in Europe its a very viable option if you do a little pre-trip homework. As an example, 4 people would pay over $300 for just simple cruise-line offered bus transportation between Civitavecchia and Rome, but for less than $100 (total price for 4) you can take the train which is actually faster than the bus. When in places like France, you can also use rental cars (if you are comfortable driving). We often rent cars in France, Italy, and even Greece and the cost is usually about $80 - $100 for a day which is pretty cheap when divided by 4 persons. There is lots of info on this board about every port and the internet is a great source of other info. We routinely save thousands of dollars on every European cruise by not using tours, and we have always had lots of fun.

 

Hank

[Beth & Rob]

I agree, but it is what it is....

 

We signed up at the very beginning with the Meet and Mingle and have made great friends and great plans. With so much time to research I think the tours we've inked are a good deal. Our Naples tour for the Amalfi Coast etc, since 24 of our CC group are doing it, comes out to about about $150 per person. This is including 3 vans, the guide for Pompeii and the entrance fees and lunch costs. Hey, for 9 hours, where else can you get this for 9 hours?

 

I think you just really have to be proactive when it comes to motivating and network with the folks who've signed up on CC.

[sueknirk]

If you book the tours off the ship you are paying in dollars rather than euros. Many ports have a long drive and the ships tours are well organized and have advance tickets that help advoid lines especially in cities that are far from the port. After 21 cruises we usually use ships tours in ports that are new to us. You can also get tours directly off the ship from the vendors who are always waiting there. Europe is great. Go on tours in new cities.

[Beth & Rob]

All our tours (and with our CC group there are about 15 different ones over the course of our trip) have been quoted in Euros and are expecting payment in Euros

[venicebound]

Having read this original post & the replies I just want to add that now you know the reason many Brits, Germans, Italians etc. are now vacationing in the Dominican/Cuba/Mexico. You don't actually think they want to get on an 8-10hr flight for 1 week just because it beautiful. They simply can't afford to travel within their own countries anymore. It's a bargain for them.

 

Having said that I'm still incredibly excited about my upcoming cruise. I've done my research & no I don't think I will be taking many of the ship tours. Sorry I'd much rather spend that on food & trinkets. I love getting on local buses & trains. Meeting the real people can be fun as long as you keep an open mind & not stress too much.

 

PS - My hub speaks Italian so for us it may be a tad easier.LOLOL

[Jade13]

I don't know if it is just me, but are the prices of tours in the Mediterranean astronomical? I think 550 euros for 4 people for an 8 hour tour is crazy and that's treating the Euro as equal to the dollar. When you do the conversion, its flat out nuts. I realize if I don't want to pay it, I don't have to go. And I'm going, so I'm going to have to dish out the money. I just wonder if those of us from North America are charged a higher price for these tours than our European friends? Just thought I would solicit others' thoughts.

 

Happy Cruising.

 

Shawn

 

The price for gas in Italy was about $7.00 per gallon this summer (we asked our driver and did the conversions). 550 euros is about average for 8 hours. Most vans hold 8 persons so you need to try to link up with others on your roll call. That is what we did.

[Hlitner]

The price for gas in Italy was about $7.00 per gallon this summer (we asked our driver and did the conversions). 550 euros is about average for 8 hours. Most vans hold 8 persons so you need to try to link up with others on your roll call. That is what we did.

 

That price is very true. It really is a shocker when you fill up your small rental car (last time we had a tiny Ford) and a tank of gas costs over $70. And in France you also have the tolls where I just close my eyes and hand the toll-taker my credit card!

 

Hank

[Globaliser]

I guess my comment would be why take a tour? The Med countries are not third world countries and in most ports you can do things on your own. ... I do understand that not everyone is comfortable doing their "own thing," but in Europe its a very viable option if you do a little pre-trip homework.

This is very true.

 

What one must remember is that tours are priced at what the market will bear. The high prices of these tours reflects the premium that those who are uncomfortable about touring under their own steam are prepared to pay.

Having read this original post & the replies I just want to add that now you know the reason many Brits, Germans, Italians etc. are now vacationing in the Dominican/Cuba/Mexico. You don't actually think they want to get on an 8-10hr flight for 1 week just because it beautiful. They simply can't afford to travel within their own countries anymore.

This isn't true. There are plenty of very affordable good-quality holidays in the Med. The long-haul sector of the packaged holiday market remains relatively small compared to traditional short-haul holidays. But many people do want to go further afield because they want to go to different places, often relatively unspoilt compared to the very built-up and densely-populated areas of the Med. Plus there is abundant unique local culture and flavour in places like Cuba that you just don't get in more homogenised destinations.

[Hlitner]

This is very true.

 

There are plenty of very affordable good-quality holidays in the Med.

 

 

Very true indeed! We will be in Europe 3 times during the next year and still find we can travel very well on a reasonable budget. The trick is to avoid overpriced tours, do most things on your own, carefully choose hotels (some of the best and most charming hotels are small and reasonable), and eat at cafes/restaurants used by the locals as compared to many of the overpriced tourist-trap restaurants/cafes that cater to tourists. But, we sure do miss the days when a Euro cost us 89 cents!

 

Hank

[SunflowerProvence]

Hi Everybody,

I understand that the prices of the private tours are high for you but please don't think we are making a lot of money on you.

The price of the oil doesn't have anything to see with as it justs represents a very small part of the price. But please consider that we have to pay a very expansive insurance covering the transportation of passengers : about 200 euros a month or even more.

To run a company in europe is very expansive as we pay a lot of taxes.

All of us usually have expansive cars that cost a lot to maintain.

The worst is the price of the people : a qualified guide costs about 210 euros per day ! because more than the half goes directly to pay the social insurances (social security, retirement, unemployment...)

Furthermore this activity is seasonal : what do you think we do during 5 months in winter ? there is no work for us and even during the season there aren't ships evry days. A lot of companies collapse within the 5 first years because they don't succeed in earning enough money to survive so please stop thinking we are theaves. Most of us do it more for passion than for money. Ask your driver-guide next time how much he earns !!.

We would like to reduce the price of our tour as we know it is not affordable for every body but it is impossible : charging 400 euros per day, for me is a minimum and I can't help it.

(the euro is high also for us as a lot of goods have increased a lot)

A shore trip provider

[natesfirewife]

We are traveling in May with another family and have reserved tours together in Nice, Rome, Florence and for Montserrat in Barcelona. We are paying an average of $450 per family for all day tours, and this does not include the cost of Museums/Places of Interest or lunch. But when you divide it by they number of people that are going, it's just over $110pp. In Alaska it was $250 pp for a 4 hour tour out on the Glacier, doing the ice trekking thing. I think doing a privater tour is woth the money. The vans can go places the buses can't, you don't have to wait for everyone to board the bus, and you can be flexible with what you see. God knows the next time we'll be back to Europe so we want to get in everything on our list and for us, it just made sense.

[Jade13]

I don't know if it is just me, but are the prices of tours in the Mediterranean astronomical? I think 550 euros for 4 people for an 8 hour tour is crazy and that's treating the Euro as equal to the dollar. When you do the conversion, its flat out nuts. I realize if I don't want to pay it, I don't have to go. And I'm going, so I'm going to have to dish out the money. I just wonder if those of us from North America are charged a higher price for these tours than our European friends? Just thought I would solicit others' thoughts.

 

Happy Cruising.

 

Shawn

 

It depends. We paid more from Liverno BUT it is 2 hours each way to Florence. Our Guide needed another driver with a 12 seat van licensed to go into the city (our group was 9) and he was the best "driver" we had all week. Btw, last year the petrol was 8.50 euros per liter...

[Jade13]

We do seem to be in the minority. But like you, I feel these prices are astronomical, that's why I'm doing the Hop on/Hop off buses in Rome, Naples, Florence & Pisa. Someone mentioned one in Athens that I'm going to give a try too. The only place I plan a guided tour is Santorini and Kusadasi. The rest of the ports will be independent.

 

The cost of the cruise & hotels in Rome and Venice pre-cruise and post-cruise are about the cap of my vacation money. I've been before when things were a lot more affordable, so I will see what I can see independently, and that will just have to do.

 

As you said, if you look at the prices, even in EUR, they are terribly high. I'm not really sure why, the EUR is supposed to be strong, so why the costs are so high is incomprehensible to me. Then when you actually do the exchange rate to US dollars, they do become astronomical.

 

Have a great trip!

 

Interesting. The one that I would do without the guide is Santorini. You do not need a guide in the Greek Islands. Where you need the driver is in Liverno if you plan to go to both Pisa and Florence. We had time to climb the Tower as well as in Florence go to the Synagogue, Medici Chapels, Boboli Gardens, Pitti Palace, Acadamia, Cathedral and top of hill for view of Florence. You can not do all of this in one day on foot.

[3girls]

I was thinking the same thing. Santorini was one of the easiest places to travel. A $2 bus ride got us to Oia where we spent the day walking, shopping and eating. The views were spectacular!!! Just sitting in a restaurant overlooking the water with wonderful food and drink ... a memory of a lifetime!!!

[agabbymama]

The ships tour in Santorini is to avoid the cable car/donkey ride up the side of the caldera. You are tendered to a different pier where the buses are parked, then ride up on a road. After the tour, you can be let off up top, or ride the bus back to the tender pier. Not really interested in a "guide" anywhere. I can read and research places on my own, don't someone to tell me the history of a place.

 

The ships tour in Kusadasi is for safety (2 women travelling alone). Still debating this one. My friends great-great-grandmother was born in Turkey, so she does want to go ashore, but with the turmoil in that part of the World, I'm not so sure. We'll wait until the time gets closer and see what the travel advisories say.