Going off on our own

We are taking the 2018 QE World Cruise. I cannot seem to find the answer to my question anywhere.

Is it possible to arrange our own Overland Tours instead of using the very expensive Cunard options?

I would call Cunard but doubt that the people who answer the phone have experience with this type of question .

In other words, do we have a curfew and do we have to check in if we leave the ship? if so, I will.

Thank you in advance.

We are taking the 2018 QE World Cruise. I cannot seem to find the answer to my question anywhere.

Is it possible to arrange our own Overland Tours instead of using the very expensive Cunard options?

I would call Cunard but doubt that the people who answer the phone have experience with this type of question .

In other words, do we have a curfew and do we have to check in if we leave the ship? if so, I will.

 

Thank you in advance.

On QV this year we stayed with friends in Miami between the ports of Port Canaveral and Fort Lauderdale, and did our own overland tour to Iguazu Falls between the ports of Rio and Buenos Aires (significantly cheaper than the Cunard tour), and a few years ago we went to Angkor Wat when we were on QM2 - between Bangkok and Ho Chi Min City.

Our travel agent let Cunard know about it, and there were no issues.

We also once had an overnight in Civitavecchia, and decided to skip Rome and go to a very romantic hotel in Sorrento for the night. We did not let our cabin stewardess know about it, and she was beside herself when we got back on board the next evening. She was convinced we must have been kidnapped or murdered. Now we make a point of letting our cabin steward know if we will be away overnight!

We've done it and so have our friends. Just let the ship know, and out of courtesy, your cabin steward and you are good to go.

Thank you both for your wonderful answers.

Time to plan. :D

Thank you both for your wonderful answers.

Time to plan. :D

Just double check any visa requirements though. Sometimes the requirements for a day visit on a ship aren't the same as for an overnight or two stay. Might not apply, but do double check

Just keep in mind that if there is a problem on your 3rd party tour and you are unable to get back to the ship by departure time, the ship may not wait for you.

We had a incident with a non-Cunard tour in Costa Rica a few years ago. The tour's van broke down and they had to call and wait for replacement that was located 40-50 miles away. We did make it back to the ship - just barely! That was enough of a scare for us to be very careful when booking tours since then.

Bob

We also have told our waiter if we won't be at future meals.

We also have told our waiter if we won't be at future meals.

Yes, I forgot - we do that too, as well as our table mates so they don't wait for us.

We also try to get back to the port where we will be rejoining the ship the morning that we sail, or if we have time, the night before.

As has already been said, you can do it, just let everyone who might miss you know. You would be very unpopular if the ship sails late after waiting for you because you had not told anyone you were going to re-join at the next port.

We left the ship in Fukuoka last year and took the Shinkansen to Kyoto, and spent the night there. The next day, we took the Shinkansen to Tokyo and picked up the ship.

This is a good guide for understanding the trains and purchasing tickets. We bought Green Car tickets and were very comfortable. The trains leave precisely on the second, and are spotless. It was a great experience.

For the first leg, we purchased our ticket at the counter, but the kiosks are easy to navigate and we used it for the Kyoto to Tokyo leg.

I highly recommend going to Kyoto, it was not bombed during WWII and much of the original architecture is still there. In Kyoto, we used buses and subways and found it very easy to navigate. If you are interested, I am happy to share the name of the small hotel where we stayed, it was lovely.

This is a helpful site for understanding the trains:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2018.html

Ricki

We left the ship in Fukuoka last year and took the Shinkansen to Kyoto, and spent the night there. The next day, we took the Shinkansen to Tokyo and picked up the ship there.

 

This is a good guide for understanding the trains and purchasing tickets. We bought Green Car tickets and were very comfortable. The trains leave precisely on the second, and are spotless. It was a great experience.

 

For the first leg, we purchased our ticket at the counter, but the kiosks are easy to navigate and we used it for the Kyoto to Tokyo leg.

 

I highly recommend going to Kyoto, it was not bombed during WWII and much of the original architecture is still there. In Kyoto, we used buses and subways and found it very easy to navigate. If you are interested, I am happy to share the name of the small hotel where we stayed, it was lovely.

 

This is a helpful site for understanding the trains:

 

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2018.html

 

Ricki

Thank you for this Ricki. We are thinking of leaving the ship when we are in Osaka (really Kobe I gather) and taking the Shinkansen to Tokyo.

Thanks to everyone for their help.

There is no way I would leave the ship without informing the logical parties. I wondered if it were even possible. Some cruise lines can make that a difficult process.

We left the ship in Fukuoka last year and took the Shinkansen to Kyoto, and spent the night there. The next day, we took the Shinkansen to Tokyo and picked up the ship.

 

This is a good guide for understanding the trains and purchasing tickets. We bought Green Car tickets and were very comfortable. The trains leave precisely on the second, and are spotless. It was a great experience.

 

For the first leg, we purchased our ticket at the counter, but the kiosks are easy to navigate and we used it for the Kyoto to Tokyo leg.

 

I highly recommend going to Kyoto, it was not bombed during WWII and much of the original architecture is still there. In Kyoto, we used buses and subways and found it very easy to navigate. If you are interested, I am happy to share the name of the small hotel where we stayed, it was lovely.

 

This is a helpful site for understanding the trains:

 

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2018.html

 

Ricki

Thanks for the link - we will be joining the ship in Osaka, but we plan to fly to Tokyo a few days early and have a quick look around Tokyo and Kyoto before coming to Osaka, and hope to use the train for transport.

Thanks for the link - we will be joining the ship in Osaka, but we plan to fly to Tokyo a few days early and have a quick look around Tokyo and Kyoto before coming to Osaka, and hope to use the train for transport.

Safarigal,

If you would like the name of the hotel in Kyoto, please email me:

Ricki at aol.com

It was lovely and very reasonable and well located.

Ricki