DIY Excursions Best or Not?

[2055]

I have read comments that cruise liners tend to charge more for excursions and it is possible to arrange your own same excusions when you go ashore, cheaper. Is that the case and what disadvantages are there in booking the excusions your self?

[Coravel]

Many ports have road trains which will take you around the town or city for a tenner each and provide a running commentary. There are often lots of hop-on-hop-off buses available but these cost rather more. We have also hired a mini bus which we have shared with other passengers and they will cost much less than the "official" excursion. However, you should have your wits about you because in some ports, the taxi driver will have his own agenda and try to take you to a shopping centre. You will certainly save a lot of money doing it yourself, but you must make sure you get back to the ship on time as they won't wait for you if you are late. If you are on an official excursion then the ship has to wait for as long as it takes. Unfortunately, the port talks rarely mention road trains or hop-on-hop-off buses because they are keen to sell the excursions.

[Parsman]

It very much depends where your cruise takes you. In the Mediterranean and Caribbean it is often better to explore independently. However, in some places I have been with Fred. Olsen eg China or, parts of South America I have preferred taking a cruise ship excursion. If you go sight-seeing relatively close to the ship its usually ok but if you go further afield by taxi or public transport you have to make sure you get back in time or you could be stranded which can prove very expensive.

[LondonTowner]

I think the prices charged for excursions by the cruise ships are extrotionate. As I worked as a tour guide for many years I begrudge paying the prices.

In most destinations it is easy to arrange your own excursions. I have gleaned lots of information from the forums on Tripadvisor. We have also used the HOHO buses in many destinations.

particularly in the Caribbean it is very easy to arrange something on the dockside as tourism is their main source of income.

[Galloping granny]

Where are you planning to go? DIY is certainly the way to go in many places. In St. Petersburg there is an excellent company called TJ Travel who take care of everything for you be it 1 person or 20. Recently 10 of us did 3 days with them covering everything and eating in Russian restaurants. We had a great guide and the cost was excellent. Cheaper than the shore excursions. TJ Travel take care of the visa so no problems in that area. Tallinn is also a great city to walk around and explore on your own.
Galloping Granny.

[GThornton]

We are planning to book "NORWAY IN A NUTSHELL" but aren't totally sure what we would get for the money. For the two of us it will cost over £200 going on what it says on the webste.

[jeanlyon]

We DIY everywhere we can. We just do some looking on the internet or these forums. Just did US/Canada cruise and DIY'd everywhere.

[Coravel]

The problem is that Norway is very expensive and this is reflected in the cost of the tours. "Norway in a Nutshell" is a delightful excursion involving various mountain railways from which you can view the stunning scenery. Personally I think it's well worth the money. More can be found at this website:

http://www.norwaynutshell.com/en/explore-the-fjords/norway-in-a-nutshell/prices/

[Host Sharon]

It just depends what you want to see. FO are more expensive than P&O tours for example, but in Norway ships invariably berth close to the main centres of the ports, so it is usually easy to wander off and explore ashore. Just be aware that if you want to eat and drink ashore, it will probably cost you as much as diong a shore excursion though.

[LondonTowner]

My partner and I did a Norway cruise in June and did not do the ship's excursions as it was very easy to arrange trips ourselves, even though I do have a mobility problem.

In Flam we were the only ship in port so I checked to see what time the ship's excursion were taking the train so we could avoid it. We went to the station, only about 200m from where we were docked, and bought our tickets.

In olden there was a mini train which we took on a trip to a beautiful lake, but everything is within walking distance.

In the other ports we did HOHO buses.

[Freecall]

There's no easy answer, it really depends on you. There is no doubt that you can save money by DIY but it all depends on your personal attitude to risk.