ship excursions vs. private tours - Is there that big of a difference?
Jul 30th, 2006, 03:44 PM
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ship excursions vs. private tours - Is there that big of a difference?
I've been online for 2 days now, planning excursions for our visits on the upcoming cruise from Barcelona to Athens (includes Marseilles, Monte Carlo, Livorno, Civitavecchia, Amalfi/Positano, Taormina, Valletta). I realize that a private tour (there are 4 of us travelling together) will be more personal and we will travel by car versus by bus, but the price for a private tour versus the bus tours do not seem much "cheaper" when you convert the Euros to dollars. I have contacted all the "favorite" and "most popular" tour guides for quotes. Many drivers do not include a guide for the popular places such as the Colloseum, Vatican museums and you have to pay extra for the guided tour.
Then, there is always the "fear" that you won't make it back to the boat on time with a private tour and the boat will not wait for you.....
I also realize that we can probably do many of the tours on our own w/ a tour guidebook, but I do that ALL the time and this trip, I wanted to relax and not have to plan everything - (just finding the private drivers and responding back and forth to the emails has been enough work).
Although we are well travelled, we are not really experienced cruisers and I want to make the most of this vacation. Any comments or suggestions? Am I doing something wrong?
Then, there is always the "fear" that you won't make it back to the boat on time with a private tour and the boat will not wait for you.....
I also realize that we can probably do many of the tours on our own w/ a tour guidebook, but I do that ALL the time and this trip, I wanted to relax and not have to plan everything - (just finding the private drivers and responding back and forth to the emails has been enough work).
Although we are well travelled, we are not really experienced cruisers and I want to make the most of this vacation. Any comments or suggestions? Am I doing something wrong?
Jul 30th, 2006, 05:18 PM
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dolciani: I have just returned from our first cruise. It was to Scandinavian capitals, St Petersburg, and Tallinn. I can answer only as it might be relevant to that itinerary, as I have not cruised your itinerary.
My general reaction is that private or self guided tours will almost always be more advisable than the ship's land excursions. There is one major reason: The size of the ship's bus means about 35 to 40 + in the bus. Just getting all those people on and off the bus and through whatever attraction/meal will take more time than a smaller group. Having said that, I recognize the convenience factor of the ship's excursions. It all depends on what you want to make out of each port of call. (There are some who don't get off the ship; the cruise is the vacation, not the land sites and attractions.
On our recent cruise, after purusing the ship's itineraries I did a lot of homework re: what to see in each port. I asked lots of questions here and on other boards. In the end, we decided to do all the ports except one, on our own. We were very happy with our decision. The one port, St Petersburg, we hired a private guide and put together a group of eleven.
I can tell you that for St Petersburg, we saw more at a considerable less cost than any combination of ship excursions. But, as you are indicating, all of a sudden, I was caught up in a major planning effort I had not anticipated. However, as it turned out, it was well worth it. The only ship excursion we took was the ballet in St Petersburg, totally out of convenience, and it was fine.
You are not doing anything wrong. You sound like someone coping seriously with the planning side of things, which is the right thing to do. Every one on this board can attest to meeting some very unhappy tourist in some locale, whose frustration can be traced to not doing homework and/or deciding what to expect from a given trip.
You might sign in to Cruise Critic dot com and exchange some thoughts with those more experienced cruisers for some more thoughts. Anyway, not sure I helped, but please enjoy the cruise. Ours was wonderful. (search my name for my brief report if you wish)
My general reaction is that private or self guided tours will almost always be more advisable than the ship's land excursions. There is one major reason: The size of the ship's bus means about 35 to 40 + in the bus. Just getting all those people on and off the bus and through whatever attraction/meal will take more time than a smaller group. Having said that, I recognize the convenience factor of the ship's excursions. It all depends on what you want to make out of each port of call. (There are some who don't get off the ship; the cruise is the vacation, not the land sites and attractions.
On our recent cruise, after purusing the ship's itineraries I did a lot of homework re: what to see in each port. I asked lots of questions here and on other boards. In the end, we decided to do all the ports except one, on our own. We were very happy with our decision. The one port, St Petersburg, we hired a private guide and put together a group of eleven.
I can tell you that for St Petersburg, we saw more at a considerable less cost than any combination of ship excursions. But, as you are indicating, all of a sudden, I was caught up in a major planning effort I had not anticipated. However, as it turned out, it was well worth it. The only ship excursion we took was the ballet in St Petersburg, totally out of convenience, and it was fine.
You are not doing anything wrong. You sound like someone coping seriously with the planning side of things, which is the right thing to do. Every one on this board can attest to meeting some very unhappy tourist in some locale, whose frustration can be traced to not doing homework and/or deciding what to expect from a given trip.
You might sign in to Cruise Critic dot com and exchange some thoughts with those more experienced cruisers for some more thoughts. Anyway, not sure I helped, but please enjoy the cruise. Ours was wonderful. (search my name for my brief report if you wish)
Jul 31st, 2006, 02:00 AM
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Dolciani - 'the price for a private tour versus the bus tours do not seem much "cheaper"
The cost of a day-trip by limo in Italy is usually in the region of €300-350, give or take.
The cruise tours are often in the region of € 70-100+ - from what others have said.
So for 4 people, not much difference, it's true.
But you can always travel much more cheaply by public transport, of course.
Why pay € 300+ to go to Rome when you can do it for € 8 return per person?
Similarly, Livorno-Florence return by train costs €12
Hope this helps ...
Steve
The cost of a day-trip by limo in Italy is usually in the region of €300-350, give or take.
The cruise tours are often in the region of € 70-100+ - from what others have said.
So for 4 people, not much difference, it's true.
But you can always travel much more cheaply by public transport, of course.
Why pay € 300+ to go to Rome when you can do it for € 8 return per person?
Similarly, Livorno-Florence return by train costs €12
Hope this helps ...
Steve
Jul 31st, 2006, 03:32 PM
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My experience cruising is limited... but I would try to avoid ship excursions as much as possible. Check out cruisecritic.com. Go to the "Boards" section. There will be a list of all cruise lines and you can select yours and , hopefully, get lots of current info. Also, I do think they have a special listing for Excursions.
Jul 31st, 2006, 03:47 PM
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"My experience cruising is limited... but I would try to avoid ship excursions as much as possible..."
Grandma: it might really be helpful if you explained why you would avoid ship's excursions given your self-described "limited" experiences.
Grandma: it might really be helpful if you explained why you would avoid ship's excursions given your self-described "limited" experiences.
Jul 31st, 2006, 04:05 PM
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"Many drivers do not include a guide for the popular places such as the Colloseum, Vatican museums and you have to pay extra for the guided tour"
I am not a cruiser, but I can offer this info:
In Italy , by law, drivers are not permitted to act as guides at major sites- for that, a separate liscence is required. However they can arrange for a guide in advance.
I am not a cruiser, but I can offer this info:
In Italy , by law, drivers are not permitted to act as guides at major sites- for that, a separate liscence is required. However they can arrange for a guide in advance.
Aug 1st, 2006, 02:34 PM
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Well.... the few we took (on an excellent major line) were over priced and disappointing. Fellow cruisers were even more disenchanted. Also, I've spent some time exploring the cruisecritic.com site and the consensus there seems to be for individual arrangements. Once again, I think there's lots of valuable information to be found there.
Of course, our experience on the big cruise line was influenced by our first cruise experience which was on the Clipper Adventurer. ...... a small ship with everything included and an outstanding experience.
Of course, our experience on the big cruise line was influenced by our first cruise experience which was on the Clipper Adventurer. ...... a small ship with everything included and an outstanding experience.
