How do You Book Excursions: ship or private or all on your own?

Well, Zjen, I hope you have a wonderful cruise!! And, hopefully you'll find some great things to do in port. I don't think you said where you're off to, but I've found that it's not unusual to be able to get a taxi and negotiate a price for the day or half the day and get a pretty great tour for not too much.

 

Lois, like you, I wouldn't want to exclude people and certainly not just because they're solo and it might cost me a few dollars more. There are a lot more people traveling solo than there used to be and I imagine that will only increase.

I'll be on the NCL Epic. I was looking for a tour in Cannes to see other places along the French Riviera. I think I can take a train to Monaco and Nice. Just need to plan it out [emoji4]

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Your tour, your rules. :)

 

I think it is great to do it the way you do, but most people (in my experience) don't see it that way when organizing tours. I sure don't want the responsibility of organizing a tour and I'm grateful to people who do--I couldn't handle the stress of worrying about what if some people don't show up and the others don't want to pay extra for the missing people and I'm stuck with the bill... So I'm willing to follow their rules if they are willing to organize the tour. :)

It CAN be a bit stressful sometimes! :) But, I actually enjoy doing it.

I'll be on the NCL Epic. I was looking for a tour in Cannes to see other places along the French Riviera. I think I can take a train to Monaco and Nice. Just need to plan it out [emoji4]

 

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Lucky you! I'll be doing the same cruise in the fall! I don't know yet what I'm going to do in Cannes. If you're having trouble finding a tour in any of the Italian ports of call, check out romeinlimo.com or italytoursharing.com--you may find a tour there you can join.

Have a wonderful cruise!

I asked to join some group excursions on the Roll Call, but seems like that they want a couple to join them. So, I have looked elsewhere. I've looked at TripAdvisor and Travelocity. My question is if they mail you the vouchers or can it be printed at home?

 

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They may not have thought others cruise solo so just looked for a couple. What did they say to you?

It CAN be a bit stressful sometimes! :) But, I actually enjoy doing it.

 

 

 

Lucky you! I'll be doing the same cruise in the fall! I don't know yet what I'm going to do in Cannes. If you're having trouble finding a tour in any of the Italian ports of call, check out romeinlimo.com or italytoursharing.com--you may find a tour there you can join.

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

I'm excited to start my vacation! I'll be leaving for Europe in less than 2 weeks. I think we port during the Cannes Film Festival.

I am signed up for two excursions through Italytoursharing.com and both parties were welcoming. Just need enough people now :p

They may not have thought others cruise solo so just looked for a couple. What did they say to you?

They wanted a couple to make sure their excursion is filled and don't want to look for another solo unless I can find someone. Understandable. The other person gave me the silent treatment. It's ok, I'm not worried. I can either go on my own or go with a tour where the agent put people together. No need to organize my own group :D

When my husband and I took a 2 week European cruise, we did EVERYTHING through NCL. I was SO disappointed. SO expensive and BAD service/food/etc. BUT had read before travelling that Europe was HORRIBLE with pickpockets and crime. Then we heard of several small groups of people who were robbed because they were NOT with the large NCL group. Now I am heading to Cuba, alone. I am scheduling tours directly with companies in Cuba and NOT with NCL. Will be my first time doing this. So, here's hoping all goes well.

When my husband and I took a 2 week European cruise, we did EVERYTHING through NCL. I was SO disappointed. SO expensive and BAD service/food/etc. BUT had read before travelling that Europe was HORRIBLE with pickpockets and crime. Then we heard of several small groups of people who were robbed because they were NOT with the large NCL group. Now I am heading to Cuba, alone. I am scheduling tours directly with companies in Cuba and NOT with NCL. Will be my first time doing this. So, here's hoping all goes well.

I hope it goes well for you!

I see sometimes when people say they feel safer on a cruise line tour, but to me you'd stand out more as a large group than a group of six or eight. But, what you've heard doesn't support that, does it? I still feel better with a smaller group and no matter where I am I take precautions against pick pockets.

Have a great cruise!

I've travelled heaps on my own, for business, sports and leisure. I recently did my first cruise and because it was my first one and I booked it quite late I booked all my excursions through the cruise line. But my plan for the next one is to book through private tour operators where possible.

If it was a European or North American cruise I'd more likely head off exploring on my own as I'm very well versed in figuring out how to get around in Europe and the USA myself thanks to past experience. But Central America and some of the Caribbean islands travel advice leaves me a little more wary.

I don't worry about pickpockets in Europe as unless you are dressed in a way that screams "American/Asian tourist" you're far less likely to be a target.

Just came off my 1st cruise and my sister and I booked our excursion in Cozumel privately (not through Carnival). It was amazing. I see no reason why you'd have to book through the ship as a solo...

I guess if you're gonna do a group activity and are concerned for safety? That might be the only real reason I could understand...

I'm a very adventurous solo traveler. I usually just go to a place and wander without making any real plans, and that's exactly what I plan to do in Ensenada in February. not booking a think through anyone this time around. I thought about the wine tasting excursion but decided I'd rather just explore a new city and practice my Spanish with some locals.

I'm a solo traveler and cruiser for many years. I also travel for business (US and Europe) on my own, so I'm very comfortable with it, including using public transportation.

My first choice is to figure out how to see and do what I want to see and do on my own without any tour. Private tours can be a good option. I tend to avoid cruise tours having had some bad experiences with them.

I agree that solos have many different comfort levels when traveling. That's why I think it would be better for advice-givers to take into consideration a wide range of experience among solo travelers rather than just making a blanket recommendation to take a ship tour -- after all, the same advice is equally true for couples who are inexperienced travelers...

As for private tours, I completely agree with others that solos should not be excluded. Most of my cruises are selected for itinerary (in other words, not just the Caribbean!) On roll calls I have found what the OP says: quite often people will set up a private tour with a fixed price for the group, on the understanding that if there are 6 people the cost is X and if it is 7 people it is Y. I don't think the cost of a few dollars either way is necessarily the deciding factor for a lot of folks -- I am more concerned about having a good experience and seeing what I want to see than about saving $10-20 when I'm in Lisbon or Livorno or Saigon.

Finally, I think the "we might miss the ship" card is very overplayed by the cruise lines in order to get people to book their tours. Sure, there are a few people who miss the ship -- but if you are responsible and are accustomed to the need for being on time and allowing a reasonable cushion, the chances are really, really slim that you will miss the ship.

I'm a solo traveler and cruiser for many years. I also travel for business (US and Europe) on my own, so I'm very comfortable with it, including using public transportation.

 

My first choice is to figure out how to see and do what I want to see and do on my own without any tour. Private tours can be a good option. I tend to avoid cruise tours having had some bad experiences with them.

 

I agree that solos have many different comfort levels when traveling. That's why I think it would be better for advice-givers to take into consideration a wide range of experience among solo travelers rather than just making a blanket recommendation to take a ship tour -- after all, the same advice is equally true for couples who are inexperienced travelers...

 

As for private tours, I completely agree with others that solos should not be excluded. Most of my cruises are selected for itinerary (in other words, not just the Caribbean!) On roll calls I have found what the OP says: quite often people will set up a private tour with a fixed price for the group, on the understanding that if there are 6 people the cost is X and if it is 7 people it is Y. I don't think the cost of a few dollars either way is necessarily the deciding factor for a lot of folks -- I am more concerned about having a good experience and seeing what I want to see than about saving $10-20 when I'm in Lisbon or Livorno or Saigon.

 

Finally, I think the "we might miss the ship" card is very overplayed by the cruise lines in order to get people to book their tours. Sure, there are a few people who miss the ship -- but if you are responsible and are accustomed to the need for being on time and allowing a reasonable cushion, the chances are really, really slim that you will miss the ship.

Hi Cynthia:)......your postings are so spot on (with me anyway:D).......I so agree about the comfort level thing.

What is comfortable for one person may be totally off base for someone else.

I've found that it's not unusual to be able to get a taxi and negotiate a price for the day or half the day and get a pretty great tour for not too much.

That's the one thing I'm very wary of. I do a mix of private/ship tours, or just wander around on my own (by foot or on public transport), but I've never just jumped in a taxi at the port on my own. Particularly in the Caribbean I hear a lot of people say "just get in a taxi at the port and tour the island that way", but it's not something I'm terribly comfortable with on my own, though I sometimes feel like I'm missing out! Sometimes I meet up with one or more people who have no specific plans, and I'll do that with them, but have never taken the leap to doing it alone.

That's the one thing I'm very wary of. I do a mix of private/ship tours, or just wander around on my own (by foot or on public transport), but I've never just jumped in a taxi at the port on my own. Particularly in the Caribbean I hear a lot of people say "just get in a taxi at the port and tour the island that way", but it's not something I'm terribly comfortable with on my own, though I sometimes feel like I'm missing out! Sometimes I meet up with one or more people who have no specific plans, and I'll do that with them, but have never taken the leap to doing it alone.

I agree with you, particularly if one is female. I know of two women who were kidnapped and threatened by drivers (fortunately for both, neither were assaulted and both were freed within 18 hours) when they got in a cab to make a specific trip on the island (one to work, one to school). They were both young women in their late 20s who knew the island, let alone a tourist with little local knowledge, and it still happened to them.