Should I book shore excursions?

I will be traveling across the Atlantic on Riviera by Oceania. I was wondering if I could book tours at the ports once we leave the ship in Barcelona, Cartagena, and Malaga Spain. Then the Canary Islands , Fort De France, ST John's Antiqua, St Kits? Or is it better to book them before we leave in November?

I will be traveling across the Atlantic on Riviera by Oceania. I was wondering if I could book tours at the ports once we leave the ship in Barcelona, Cartagena, and Malaga Spain. Then the Canary Islands , Fort De France, ST John's Antiqua, St Kits? Or is it better to book them before we leave in November?

You might also want to post this on the Oceania forum here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=51

Also, find your Roll Call in this forum and ask your fellow cruisers about their excursions:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=714

I also wanted to welcome you to Cruise Critic.

In Barcelona, there are HopOn/HopOff bus near the Columbus Monument outside of the port.

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For Europe I would book private tours in advance

Caribbean you could book private tours in advance or just pick up at the dock

the key is research before you go

If you want additional input beyond this board the place to post would be on the ports of call boards because you are asking about specific ports.

With that said, my experience is the same as LHT28. In Europe I would book the tours in advance either ships tours or tours directly on your own. The ports of call boards are great sources of information for private tours as is Cruise Critic's sister site Travel Advisor. In the Caribbean you can book them early or upon your arrival. If you want something special I book early.

Keith

You should understand that USUALLY cruise sponsored trips have been vetted by the cruise lines AND MORE IMPORTANT, the ship will not leave before your return. Any other excursion your on your own

We did this cruise a year ago. No need to book anything in Cartagena or Malaga in advance. If you are reasonably fit you can walk from the ship to most attractions in Cartagena. In Malaga there may be a free shuttle bus and then you can walk to lots of attractions such as the cathedral, Alcazaba and shops. In the Canaries you can easily pick up a taxi to take you on a little tour on arrival.

Hope that helps, you are in for a treat on Riviera,

Libby

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You should understand that USUALLY cruise sponsored trips have been vetted by the cruise lines AND MORE IMPORTANT, the ship will not leave before your return. Any other excursion your on your own

Not exactly true. But if they sail without a cruise line excursion getting back, THEY are responsible for taking care of you and getting you to the next port to rejoin the cruise. Food, lodging, transportation, etc.

MOST of the time, they will wait. But there have been reports where they did not.

Whether you book "tours" is a personal decision (we have traveled all over the world...mostly doing things on our own without the use of tours). But a basic generalization, which is actually true, is that in Caribbean ports you can always find tours once you get to the island. Another option is to simply negotiate a deal with a taxi driver at the ports. But in Europe it is often a different story. In most European ports there are not going to be groups of professional tour guides....just waiting for you to book. In some ports you might not even find a taxi (this varies). So if you decide that you want to be on some kind of tour/excursion (while in Europe) it is best to book it in advance whether its a cruise line excursion or a private tour you arrange online (or by using the Cruise Critic Roll Call for your cruise).

Hank