Plain ol' shore transfers are not listed on HAL website to book in advance?

[Emmie]

Hello, everyone!

I'm wondering about booking shore excursions in advance. For many of our ports, my DH and I are going to be on our own, either with a private guide or just taking the HAL bus (if there is one) to the city and then wandering by ourselves. For a number of the ports (Dubrovnik, Barcelona, Cartegena, Cadiz) I cannot find a listing for a simple transfer into town. They do have one listed for Florence. Does not seeing one listed mean that the ship doesn't have one, or is it just too simple to get a transfer and therefore they only let you sign up on board? Any information is, as always, greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Emmie

[dakrewser]

Hello, everyone!

I'm wondering about booking shore excursions in advance. For many of our ports, my DH and I are going to be on our own, either with a private guide or just taking the HAL bus (if there is one) to the city and then wandering by ourselves. For a number of the ports (Dubrovnik, Barcelona, Cartegena, Cadiz) I cannot find a listing for a simple transfer into town. They do have one listed for Florence. Does not seeing one listed mean that the ship doesn't have one, or is it just too simple to get a transfer and therefore they only let you sign up on board? Any information is, as always, greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Emmie

It depends on how far away "town" is. Go to the CC home page and click thru to the ports listings - it'll give you details on where you dock and how far away (and how to get to) the main tourist areas.

[grannynurse]

There often will be shuttles to town from the pier. Most often there is a charge. Sometimes, if HAL arranges for a shuttle you can use your room card as you board the shuttle. Most often it is local currency,they sometimes take US dollars, but the dollar is so undervalued now, it would be expensive. If you can get Euros in an ATM, by using a credit card, in one of your early ports it would help. The ship offers currency conversion in Europe but also adds a surcharge.

We have paid as much as $8 pp to go to town. Usually it is between $3.50 and $5.00 pp each way. Also, depending on the port, the shuttles may not be very dependable. We had to wait an hour in Reykjavik, and then wound up sharing a cab with other pax. There are always cabs at the pier but you need to be careful and ask the right questions. Metered vs unmetered, flat rate etc.
Your shorex lecturer or port consultant should be able to give you the right info. ASK!
GN

[dakrewser]

Your shorex lecturer or port consultant should be able to give you the right info. ASK!
GN

I'll disagree with that. The Shore Excursion rep can tell you about shore excursions, but is usually either hopeless (or unwilling) to discuss anything else. The "port consultant" (a.k.a., the Diamonds International tout) knows even less about getting around than the shoreex personnel.

THe only way to be sure is to do your own research. Get a good guidebook (with maps). You may need more than one to cover all ports. There's loads of information available here, on other web sites and in the guidebooks.

The one think you do need to bring with you from the ship is the name, address and phone # of the line's Port Agent. These are the people who can help should you run into a problem, especially a problem getting back to the ship on time!

[RuthC]

Dave, Granny's right about the Port Lecturer in Europe; he's not just a shill for the shops who have paid a commission.

On Europe cruises the Port Lecturer gives excellent talks about what to see/do in the port if you haven't booked a shore excursion. He talks about how to get around, money matters, all sorts of helpful stuff. He has desk hours available when he will help work out a plan based on your interests. He'll have maps available and will mark out a route.
He may also be able to discuss shopping matters, but that is not the main function.
The lectures are generally well-attended; I've felt I've truly missed something imoportant when I haven't gone. (And I don't shop.)

[dakrewser]

Dave, Granny's right about the Port Lecturer in Europe; he's not just a shill for the shops who have paid a commission.

I remember they used to be that way, but it has been a few years since we cruised in Europe. Still, nothing beats having a good guide book in hand...

:) -dave