Drcody

I used Italytours for Florence/Pisa and for Sorrento/Pompeii. Both tours were EXCEPTIONAL!!! The pricing beats anything offered on our cruise ship (HAL'S Oosterdam) where you ride very comfortably in a van; not a big bus. They will pick you up at the dock and definitely get you back to the ship in plenty of time. Their drivers and tour guides are excellent and will not overwhelm you with endless information and know exactly where to take you for photo opps, main sites and the very important bathroom breaks. A very strong recommendation from both my wife and I.

Thank you for your response. I am new to Cruise Critic and appreciate any and all suggestions.

My wife and I will be making the voyage from Fort Lauderdale to Athens, Greece. We are seeking other passengers on the same voyage who would like to form a small group (4-8 people) to book a small group excursion in order to save money. I have found and communicated with a local independent tour guide (highly rated on TripAdvisor) who offers tours of the island – either short (3-4 hours) or long (4-5 hours) to various locations. After spending several hours researching tours, I have discovered that by booking directly through the tour owner/operator you can save a SIGNIFICANT amount of money compared to tours offer aboard the ship. And yes, this tour provider has specific tours designed for tourists arriving by cruise ship thereby ensuring he will get all back in plenty of time to re-board the ship. His prices are E 45 = $49 per person/$98 couple for the short tours and E 55 = $60 per person/$120 couple for the longer tours. Compare these prices with what Holland America is offering and you’ll understand why I’m trying to put together a small group. His website is: Azoreantours.com . Once there, click on Shore Excursions to see the different tours he offers. To make it perfectly clear – I do not get any “kick back” or discount by having others book a tour. The owner needs a minimum number of passengers to run any of the tours which is why I am reaching out to fellow passengers. My wife and I are favoring Excursion #1 or Excursion #4 but would consider all others. If you do book a tour, please reach out to me via Messenger of leave a comment on Facebook indicating which tour you’ve booked. Thank you and I’m looking forward to the cruise.