Can you leave a ShoreEx before the end?

[MJfromCA]

Can you leave a Celebrity shore excursion before it ends, and if so, what is the protocol for doing that?

 

I've seen on the boards that many of you book your own private tours and that would be another option. In general, we are more comfortable using the ship's excursions, and we would want to go to all the places covered by the two Istanbul Celebrity tours (Ottoman and Byzantium) except the last stop on one of the tours, the Chora Museum. We'd rather leave the tour at that point and go the Grand Bazaar for an hour instead (before it closes for the weekend).

 

The Bazaar is on the way to the Chora Museum - could we ask the tour bus to drop us off? Or is it more proper to take a taxi or walk from the previous stop? Do you just tell the driver/tour guide about your planned early departure at the start of the excursion, or the Celebrity tour director beforehand as well?

 

Looking for help on protocol and feasibility - thanks!

 

-- MJ

[Blazerboy]

We often leave tours before the end, either to spend more time at one site, or to wander through the port on our own. I would always ask the escort/driver if it was a problem when I boarded the bus. As far as the extra stop, that is really the perogative of the driver, as it is often hard to stop in traffic in busy cities. We've tipped a little extra when they make this kind of accomodation. We've mentioned to others on our bus that we wanted to leave the tour early, and when enough of us approached the escort, the driver and escort were more than willing to make an announcement that if anyone wanted off, to let them know, and they'd be stopping at "X' place. They will usually remind you that you are on your own for transportation back to the ship, and, if late, that the ship won't wait for you, etc., but it's never been a problem. One important thing, to be considerate of your fellow tourists: always tell the driver AND escort AND a few people sitting near you on the bus. Why? Those darned head counts the organizers do!:D If you mention to all these groups, it's less likely that they will hold the tour bus waiting because the headcount now comes out wrong!

[Druke I]

We've also left tours before the end, only after checking with the "tour guide" and/or driver, to make sure that it will not interfere with their operation/policy, etc.

 

As noted above, once you leave, you are responsible yourself to get back to the ship before its scheduled departure.

[jgf]

On a Century eastern Caribbean cruise last autumn, we left a shore excursion in San Juan before the end, as an act of self-preservation - we managed to have the bus driver/tour guide who decided that we really needed to see the rush-hour traffic on the highway to the airport and the various public housing projects, cock-fighting arenas, and Texaco stations along the way in daylight, rather than Old San Juan. We were on the bus with two of our tablemates from dinner, and the four of us were increasingly punch-drunk with laughter at the absurdity of it all. (The driver also pointed out to us the site of the Dupont Plaza Hotel, which burned down in the 1980s, killing many people. Not your usual tour commentary.) The driver stopped at the San Cristobal fort so we could get out and have a look (of course, by this time it was dark, so we couldn't see much). After a brief conversation amongst the four of us, we decided there was absolutely no way we were getting back on that bus, so we asked one of the other tour participants to tell the driver we wouldn't be back and we did a little walking tour of Old San Juan on our own, before going back to the ship.

 

One of these days I do mean to go back to San Juan and see the old part in daylight...

[MJfromCA]

Thank you all for sharing your experiences and suggestions. This was exactly the advice I needed.