I found the information about tours from Limassol, Cyprus to be sparse on Cruise Critic forums so decided to post a very detailed review after our recent trip. Hope it helps others who dock in Limassol and are wishing to do an independent group shore excursion. By the way, why is Limassol classified as a "Greece Port" on these forums as it really belongs in the sub-forum "Other Mediterranean Ports"?
I had the pleasure of touring on an independent shore excursion (“Traditional and Modern Cyprus Tour”) with Spanos Buses Cyprus on September 1, 2023.
We visited Limassol, Cyprus on the Norwegian Jade, which was only in port from 6:30am to 2:30pm (all aboard at 2:00pm). Several weeks before the port of call, I contacted Spanos Buses Cyprus about arranging an independent group shore excursion from Limassol. I received a response within the day from Mr. Vasilis Spanos describing the various tours available and the related costs. Our tour was only 45 Euros which was substantially less than a similar NCL shore excursion. Spanos Buses Cyprus was available to answer any and all of my questions at a moment’s notice. I was particularly impressed when I got an immediate response through WhatsApp even on a public holiday in Cyprus, and this is before I even agreed to book – I think that speaks volumes about how much this company cares about its customers (or in this case, only a potential customer). Using Cruise Critic and Facebook, we assembled a group of fellow cruise passengers (minimum to run the tour is 16) and confirmed the tour. No deposit was requested nor required.
Prior to our arrival, Spanos Buses Cyprus sent detailed information about the meeting point, including a detailed satellite photo of the cruise ship terminal.
On the day of the tour, Norwegian Jade docked at a berth that was not in front of the cruise ship terminal. A complimentary shuttle bus was available to bring passengers to the terminal building, or one could walk there in about 10 minutes (at a moderate pace). The terminal building was modern, had good air conditioning, and strong and free WiFi. We walked through the terminal building (no processing required) to the parking area where Mr. Vasilis Spanos was waiting with his company’s sign. We were directed to a comfortable and clean minibus with good air conditioning. We were introduced to our driver and guide – both excellent and professional – for the tour. We were able to pay for the tour with credit card at this time, or could pay in Euro cash at the end of the tour.
The tour started shortly after 7:30 AM i.e., on time. Our first stop was at the Kolossi Castle, which we did not enter. The history of this medieval Crusader building and its associated sugar factory was explained to us and we had a short time to take some photos of the outside of the castle and/or visit the gift store which apparently is famous for its fresh-squeezed orange juice. Following the castle, we headed to nearby Ancient Kourion. Admission was included in the tour price which is often not always the case on these private shore excursions. We were guided through the fascinating ruins of the House of Estolios (which is thankfully shaded from the summer heat) with its interesting mosaics before heading to the famous amphitheatre which is still being used for productions – props were still on set! Our guide gave us all the opportunity to stand in the spot where our voice could be amplified as if speaking into a microphone. After Kourion we headed to the charming village of Omodos in the Troodos Mountains. We were guided through the cobblestone streets to the Timiou Stavrou (Holy Cross) Monastery and a traditional medieval wine press (Linos). En route we had the opportunity to sample some of the local bread called “arkatena”. We were given some free time to roam the picturesque village which looks like a photographer’s dream. A short distance from Omodos village was our next destination, the Lambouri Winery, where we enjoyed wine tasting (included). This was very casual and informative and there was no pressure to buy anything. In fact, if not interested in wine, Lambouri had free WiFi and a comfortable seating area. However, the wine drinkers in our group seemed to really enjoy themselves! Our final stop was the city of Limassol. We only had a short time before needing to return to the ship and I thought we would only do a drive-by of the city, but we did manage a short walking tour of the Carob Mill Complex and the Lemesos Castle, including learning some history about carob syrup production (so-called “black gold”) and Richard the Lionheart’s connection with Cyprus. As we left Limassol, we saw many cruise passengers standing in the blistering sun desperately trying to get onto the overfull paid shuttle buses back to the cruise terminal with little time to spare. Many gave up on the shuttles and were trying to hail taxis to get back to the ship. With that in mind, I’m sure glad we went with Spanos Buses Cyprus to avoid all that stress!
As promised, we were returned back to the cruise terminal before all aboard time. The traffic right in front of the cruise terminal was not well managed by the port and once off the bus, there was also a long lineup just to get into the terminal building. We were all required to pass through security screening before exiting the cruise terminal, and as mentioned before, we had to walk or take the port shuttle back to the Norwegian Jade. There were hundreds of passengers in the cruise terminal being processed so the ship was slightly delayed in leaving as it obviously would not leave a large number of passengers behind in the terminal.
My only suggestion to improve this tour is to perhaps show everyone a large map of Cyprus at the beginning of the tour as I think many fellow tourmates did not have a good sense of the geography of the island.
Our guide was friendly, knowledgeable, easy to understand, calm and organized, and notably she always kept an eye on the time (extremely important when on a shore excursion) without rushing us. At the beginning, she laid out the tour’s itinerary and timing and reassured us we would be back to our ship on time. She explained where there would be an opportunity to use toilets if needed and offered everybody complimentary ice cold bottled water (in contrast, our significantly more expensive tour in Jerusalem a few days earlier charged an exorbitant amount for water). Later in the day, she touched upon the sensitive subject of a divided Cyprus not from the perspective of a “Greek Cypriot” but rather with the lens that former neighbours are now segregated and after 50 years of separation, the next generation of Cypriots will sadly not know anything other than division. Spanos Buses Cyprus uses wireless earphone technology so that it was always possible to hear what our guide was saying. This is as opposed to most other tours we have taken where only the people directly in front of the guide can clearly hear what he or she is saying. If desired, one could even use their own wired headphones with the devices. Our driver was personable and importantly operated the mini-bus in a safe manner (Cypriots have a reputation – possibly unfounded – for being bad/aggressive drivers). At the winery, she spontaneously gave my teenage daughter a juice box as she was obviously too young to partake in wine tasting. Bravo and thank you, Christina! This keen observation, attention to detail, kindness, and going above and beyond exemplified our whole tour experience with Spanos Buses Cyprus!
Certainly, our time in Cyprus was far too short! Our few hours in port did not do justice to an amazing destination such as Cyprus. When I return, I will definitely stay for longer and hope to use the services of Spanos Buses Cyprus again. We have taken many shore excursions across numerous continents and this tour was easily one of the best we have experienced in so many aspects – ease of communication, value for money, attention to detail, quality of personnel and equipment, organization, etc. – and would recommend this company without hesitation.
Hope this information helps someone in their planning.
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Rare
.png.469882c3dcf717e25087cffe94dce586.png "Great Review")
I found the information about tours from Limassol, Cyprus to be sparse on Cruise Critic forums so decided to post a very detailed review after our recent trip. Hope it helps others who dock in Limassol and are wishing to do an independent group shore excursion. By the way, why is Limassol classified as a "Greece Port" on these forums as it really belongs in the sub-forum "Other Mediterranean Ports"? I had the pleasure of touring on an independent shore excursion (“Traditional and Modern Cyprus Tour”) with Spanos Buses Cyprus on September 1, 2023. We visited Limassol, Cyprus on the Norwegian Jade, which was only in port from 6:30am to 2:30pm (all aboard at 2:00pm). Several weeks before the port of call, I contacted Spanos Buses Cyprus about arranging an independent group shore excursion from Limassol. I received a response within the day from Mr. Vasilis Spanos describing the various tours available and the related costs. Our tour was only 45 Euros which was substantially less than a similar NCL shore excursion. Spanos Buses Cyprus was available to answer any and all of my questions at a moment’s notice. I was particularly impressed when I got an immediate response through WhatsApp even on a public holiday in Cyprus, and this is before I even agreed to book – I think that speaks volumes about how much this company cares about its customers (or in this case, only a potential customer). Using Cruise Critic and Facebook, we assembled a group of fellow cruise passengers (minimum to run the tour is 16) and confirmed the tour. No deposit was requested nor required. Prior to our arrival, Spanos Buses Cyprus sent detailed information about the meeting point, including a detailed satellite photo of the cruise ship terminal. On the day of the tour, Norwegian Jade docked at a berth that was not in front of the cruise ship terminal. A complimentary shuttle bus was available to bring passengers to the terminal building, or one could walk there in about 10 minutes (at a moderate pace). The terminal building was modern, had good air conditioning, and strong and free WiFi. We walked through the terminal building (no processing required) to the parking area where Mr. Vasilis Spanos was waiting with his company’s sign. We were directed to a comfortable and clean minibus with good air conditioning. We were introduced to our driver and guide – both excellent and professional – for the tour. We were able to pay for the tour with credit card at this time, or could pay in Euro cash at the end of the tour. The tour started shortly after 7:30 AM i.e., on time. Our first stop was at the Kolossi Castle, which we did not enter. The history of this medieval Crusader building and its associated sugar factory was explained to us and we had a short time to take some photos of the outside of the castle and/or visit the gift store which apparently is famous for its fresh-squeezed orange juice. Following the castle, we headed to nearby Ancient Kourion. Admission was included in the tour price which is often not always the case on these private shore excursions. We were guided through the fascinating ruins of the House of Estolios (which is thankfully shaded from the summer heat) with its interesting mosaics before heading to the famous amphitheatre which is still being used for productions – props were still on set! Our guide gave us all the opportunity to stand in the spot where our voice could be amplified as if speaking into a microphone. After Kourion we headed to the charming village of Omodos in the Troodos Mountains. We were guided through the cobblestone streets to the Timiou Stavrou (Holy Cross) Monastery and a traditional medieval wine press (Linos). En route we had the opportunity to sample some of the local bread called “arkatena”. We were given some free time to roam the picturesque village which looks like a photographer’s dream. A short distance from Omodos village was our next destination, the Lambouri Winery, where we enjoyed wine tasting (included). This was very casual and informative and there was no pressure to buy anything. In fact, if not interested in wine, Lambouri had free WiFi and a comfortable seating area. However, the wine drinkers in our group seemed to really enjoy themselves! Our final stop was the city of Limassol. We only had a short time before needing to return to the ship and I thought we would only do a drive-by of the city, but we did manage a short walking tour of the Carob Mill Complex and the Lemesos Castle, including learning some history about carob syrup production (so-called “black gold”) and Richard the Lionheart’s connection with Cyprus. As we left Limassol, we saw many cruise passengers standing in the blistering sun desperately trying to get onto the overfull paid shuttle buses back to the cruise terminal with little time to spare. Many gave up on the shuttles and were trying to hail taxis to get back to the ship. With that in mind, I’m sure glad we went with Spanos Buses Cyprus to avoid all that stress! As promised, we were returned back to the cruise terminal before all aboard time. The traffic right in front of the cruise terminal was not well managed by the port and once off the bus, there was also a long lineup just to get into the terminal building. We were all required to pass through security screening before exiting the cruise terminal, and as mentioned before, we had to walk or take the port shuttle back to the Norwegian Jade. There were hundreds of passengers in the cruise terminal being processed so the ship was slightly delayed in leaving as it obviously would not leave a large number of passengers behind in the terminal. My only suggestion to improve this tour is to perhaps show everyone a large map of Cyprus at the beginning of the tour as I think many fellow tourmates did not have a good sense of the geography of the island. Our guide was friendly, knowledgeable, easy to understand, calm and organized, and notably she always kept an eye on the time (extremely important when on a shore excursion) without rushing us. At the beginning, she laid out the tour’s itinerary and timing and reassured us we would be back to our ship on time. She explained where there would be an opportunity to use toilets if needed and offered everybody complimentary ice cold bottled water (in contrast, our significantly more expensive tour in Jerusalem a few days earlier charged an exorbitant amount for water). Later in the day, she touched upon the sensitive subject of a divided Cyprus not from the perspective of a “Greek Cypriot” but rather with the lens that former neighbours are now segregated and after 50 years of separation, the next generation of Cypriots will sadly not know anything other than division. Spanos Buses Cyprus uses wireless earphone technology so that it was always possible to hear what our guide was saying. This is as opposed to most other tours we have taken where only the people directly in front of the guide can clearly hear what he or she is saying. If desired, one could even use their own wired headphones with the devices. Our driver was personable and importantly operated the mini-bus in a safe manner (Cypriots have a reputation – possibly unfounded – for being bad/aggressive drivers). At the winery, she spontaneously gave my teenage daughter a juice box as she was obviously too young to partake in wine tasting. Bravo and thank you, Christina! This keen observation, attention to detail, kindness, and going above and beyond exemplified our whole tour experience with Spanos Buses Cyprus! Certainly, our time in Cyprus was far too short! Our few hours in port did not do justice to an amazing destination such as Cyprus. When I return, I will definitely stay for longer and hope to use the services of Spanos Buses Cyprus again. We have taken many shore excursions across numerous continents and this tour was easily one of the best we have experienced in so many aspects – ease of communication, value for money, attention to detail, quality of personnel and equipment, organization, etc. – and would recommend this company without hesitation. Hope this information helps someone in their planning.
