ship excursions vs. independent-anyone ever been left?

[salboz]

Been on 42 cruises , 5 continents, and 9 cruise lines. Have rarely used ship tours. I am going to Russia and the Baltics in June and have made all my tour arrangements with off ship vendors. You just need to check them out on cruise critic, trip adviser and other such sites where people who have actually toured with these companies rate them. Never been close to missing a ship. Too much counts on it for the tour guides to risk their reputation and future business.

[Jetswdo]

For your basic question- If for whatever reason, costs, itinerary, etc. you choose a private excursion: if it is with a reputable company- which tripadvisor and cruise critic can be of a great help- you really need not worry. These operators are very vigilant in making sure that you will be returned to your ship in time. That being said, please don't automatically not go on a ship excursion. For all the cruises I have been on, there have been times when it just was easier, and either the same money or even a little less, then if we DIY or used a private company. Example, on an Alaska cruise we did 2 excursions through the cruiseline- They were priced well and did exactly what we wanted. The return times would not have worked if we used an outside agency for us and it would have been a bit more. The other excursions we did, were through private operators that were highly recommended- and much cheaper than cruise line. They were wonderful as well.

[Ferry Beach Kayaker]

We just finished a 34 day circumnavigation tour of Australia with two stops in Indonesia. We did all are own touring including renting cars in the non city Australian ports. The only HAL excursion we took was in Lombok Indonesia where we felt the HAL excursion would be safer. Well, after eight hours on a bus with grumpy people who wouldn't drink the provided bottled water despite + 90 degree muggy temperature because of not wanting to use the bathrooms in Indonesia, I was ready to scream. They just got grumpier and grumpier. There was eight buses and each bus did a lot of driving around so the buses wouldn't hit the same sites all at once so when we got to a sight we were rushed through with not enough time to see the sight. The ship sponsored excursion reconfirmed to me why we like to go out on our own with maybe another couple.

[eh2zed]

We do nothing but independent tours for the most part. The key rules to follow are:

1/ start your tour asap after docking. Do not wait for later or until after lunch. Give yourself the most time possible.

2/ know what you want to do and where you want to go. Do not leave it to chance.

3/ If at all possible start your tour the furthest from the pier you intend to go. Then work your way back throughout the day. In this way you eliminate the stress of being miles away late in the day and then finding out there is a traffic problem.

4/ insist with your private guide or taxi driver that you MUST be back to the ship at least 30-60 minutes before All Aboard. Some guides and taxis like to cut it close. Keep checking with them as the day goes on as a reminder.

We have done a 100 or more DIYs and never a problem

[Corby114]

My family and I were on a Royal Caribbean's Explorer Of The Seas seven day Eastern Caribbean cruise that stopped the last day in Nassau in 2003. We did a beach break type excursion where two cruise passengers were involved in a jet ski accident. While sitting on the beach black storm clouds approached us and everyone was told to get off of the beach and seek shelter in the building across from the beach. My wife told me that my son left his sandals on the beach. I walked over to the beach and observed one of the independent jetski owners riding in circles in the channel. We later learned that a young couple rented a jetski and were riding in the channel. A speedboat didn't see them and crashed into them. The nineteen year old male was killed and the twenty year old female was critically injured and had to be airlifted back to Miami. The ship left Nassau two hours late for the return to Miami. They held up the ship for the excursion guests to return and for the family of the people involved in the incident to get their belongings for their flight back to Miami.

[cruisemom42]

The only time we've been late was on a ship's tour, and the ship waited for us.

 

 

We have never been left behind in a port. But we have been on several ship excursions that got back to the ship late -- and our ship was waiting for us.

 

The above comments highlight a point most people probably don't consider: ships tours are occasionally back late to the ship because THEY KNOW THE SHIP WILL (in most cases) WAIT.

 

I've been cruising for 40 years and have taken many private tours, as well as doing many ports completely on my own. I can't tell you how many times I've been back on board the ship, showered, and enjoying a cocktail in the lounge before dinner when I see the buses from ship tours turning up 1 or even 2 hours late....

 

I've probably read more posts here on CC than any other posters to this thread with the exceptions of Hank and Paul. I can only recall one instance of someone arriving back late to the ship on a private tour -- and their circumstances were extremely irregular.

 

Personally, I take responsibility for myself when I travel (often as a solo). I will DIY in just about any port, including Europe, Turkey Israel, and Egypt in the past -- sometimes with no one else but myself. I've also taken private tours as a solo.

 

I am fully prepared with a plan should I miss the ship. Guess what -- I've yet to come close.:cool: It helps to be a compulsive planner.

[Musclengrace]

you have made my decision for me. going on our 1st cruise on disney dream 2/24 and was teetering abt the bahamas...on our own on ship excursion to atlantis...think ill go w ship!

[paul929207]

The important thing is your piece of mind. If you or someone with you is going to be real worked up about getting back to the ship, then it is probably better to pay the extra for the ship tour.

[John Bull]

you have made my decision for me. going on our 1st cruise on disney dream 2/24 and was teetering abt the bahamas...on our own on ship excursion to atlantis...think ill go w ship!

Ahh, another victim of over-hyped risks.;)

But .................

 

The important thing is your piece of mind. If you or someone with you is going to be real worked up about getting back to the ship, then it is probably better to pay the extra for the ship tour.

............ yep, if you're gonna sleep easier, it's worth the cost & other downsides. Especially for a first cruise. You can then see for yourselves & use the experience make your mind up what to do on your next cruise.

 

JB :)

[GORDONCHICK]

In 9 cruises, we've never taken a ship excursion. I will add that we've not cruised in Europe yet. We have thoroughly researched our ports each time, found what interested us and found independent tour operators. Not only did we research here, but also on Trip Advisor. We've always booked with a company/individual who had a long history of great tours, great customer service and completely understands the need for their guests to get back to their ship well before the latest time. Our personal deadline is usually 90 minutes before the "all aboard". Their livelihood depends on this. Repeat business and recommendations depend on it. Yes, things can happen, but the operators we've gone with have contingency plans in place to take care of just about anything.

 

I like the personalized tours and not feeling like I'm in the middle of a cattle drive. Never once have we come remotely close to missing our ship!

[curleyaa]

If you are doing Europe sailings I would reccommond using ship excursions. Traffic is terrible in Europe and if you are delayed with ship excursions they will wait.

 

Several people have left ship on own and have missed sailing.

 

In the islands there are several dependable tour operators for excursions.;)

[paul929207]

We spent 36 days in the Crown Princess in October and November in the eastern Med. We took one ship tour and three private tours. All the rest we did on our own.

[John Bull]

Traffic is terrible in Europe

 

Wow Curley that's waaaay too sweeping.

Is traffic terrible "in the USA?"

 

JB :)

[Hlitner]

If you are doing Europe sailings I would reccommond using ship excursions. Traffic is terrible in Europe and if you are delayed with ship excursions they will wait.

 

Several people have left ship on own and have missed sailing.

 

In the islands there are several dependable tour operators for excursions.;)

 

Interesting observation. We have been traveling thoughout Europe (and the world) on our own (on both extensive driving trips and on cruise vacations) for about thirty-five years and have never known this stuff :). After driving more then 10,000 miles just in Italy (not to mention thousands of more miles in other countries we do appreciate you giving us this advice. I should mention that despite spending nearly 3 years on cruises (over half on European cruises) and often renting cars at ports we have never missed a ship. As to traffic, we have found Europe to be no worse (or better) then most places around the world. On our most recent European cruise (62 days) we stopped in 31 ports of 13 countries, rented cars in a few of those ports, went off on our own in all but 3 of those ports....and my goodness....we are still here (on time) to tell the tale. We figure that avoiding tours saved us far in excess of $5000 and, as usual, we were able to do what we wanted, when we wanted, with whom we wanted (which means we were not trapped on large buses and driven around like cattle).

 

We agree that excursions are the way to go for many folks who have all kinds of phobias and other fears about doing their own thing, and the more who take those excursions the better it is for we who rent cars, use local public transit, trains, etc. So please keep trying to talk everyone into taking the overpriced ships' excursions (we are stockholders and this does help make profits for our cruise stocks (RCI and CCL)) :)

 

Hank

[CGMCruisers]

Wow, Hank... not sure your sarcasm is warranted. This is supposed to be an open forum for everyone's opinions and experiences. Obviously, you are well traveled and perhaps do not feel a need for caution when visiting another country. No need to disrespect someone less traveled who does.

[Granny DI]

We've taken private tours, ships' tours and done our own thing. It really depends on the port. We've lived in Europe, the Caribbean and South America. We wouldn't think twice about doing our own thing, private tour etc in most countries but there are others that there is no way we would go on anything but a ship's tour.

[Hlitner]

Wow, Hank... not sure your sarcasm is warranted. This is supposed to be an open forum for everyone's opinions and experiences. Obviously, you are well traveled and perhaps do not feel a need for caution when visiting another country. No need to disrespect someone less traveled who does.

 

Sure glad you got your say :) By the way, I hear traffic is bad in the USA!

 

Hank

[VillaHappy]

sure glad you got your say :) by the way, i hear traffic is bad in the usa!

 

Hank

 

lolol

[cruisemom42]

Wow, Hank... not sure your sarcasm is warranted. This is supposed to be an open forum for everyone's opinions and experiences. Obviously, you are well traveled and perhaps do not feel a need for caution when visiting another country. No need to disrespect someone less traveled who does.

 

Yes, it's an open forum, but the poster Hank quoted gives no basis for suggesting "traffic is bad" and recommending a ship excursion.

 

It's one thing to express an opinion; it's another to pass off hearsay as fact. Hank's response may be a bit pointed (lol), but he does lay out compelling evidence to suggest he knows what he's talking about.

 

For the record, you don't have to be an experienced traveler to do things on your own in Europe, just a good planner. Public transportation is in general very good, much better than we are used to in most areas of the US.

[Hlitner]

Fun fun. Ok, lets be clear. When somebody makes a statement such as "traffic is terrible in Europe" they completely lose any credibility with me. Why? Because the last time I looked, Europe is an entire continent. Sure, traffic is bad in Paris, but when I am driving on the country roads in Normandy, Provence, the Loire Valley, etc. there is usually very little to no traffic. In very major ports such as Civitavecchia and Livorno there is generally little to no traffic in the area near the port and a driver can be out of the city and on the fast autostrade within minutes. On the other hand, we are not sure we would want to rent a car in Istanbul where the traffic near the port is awful. On the other hand, we routinely rent cars in Kusadasi (Turkey) where there is very little traffic once you get clear of the city (this takes less then 10 min).

 

We also strongly agree with Cruisemom's comment that you do not need to be "an experienced traveler to do things on your own in Europe." A little pretrip homework and perhaps the help of a decent guide book (we like the Rick Steves series) is all it takes for many folks to have a great day without being stuck in a herd of fellow cruisers. There are a few of us here on CC that are very active in trying to give assistance to those who want to do things on their own and need a little guidance, directions, and moral support.

 

Hank

P.S. "Pointed?" Surely you jest :)

 

 

 

Hank

[Mizzouaholic]

It's usually cheaper and better to do things independently when possible...

[matymil]

you have made my decision for me. going on our 1st cruise on disney dream 2/24 and was teetering abt the bahamas...on our own on ship excursion to atlantis...think ill go w ship!

 

You should also take into account where you going. Like if your sailing to Nassau I strongly suggest booking excursions. We booked one when we went and wish we had booked more to take up the whole day. We actually went back to the ship early. Nassau is a very crowded urban area and you will probably run into alot of shady people trying to get your money..we did, they are literally waiting for you when you get off your ship. On the other hand, if your going to a place like Grand Turk that has great beaches and a much more laid back atmosphere you can probably get by just fine on your own.

[notentirelynormal]

If you are doing Europe sailings I would reccommond using ship excursions. Traffic is terrible in Europe and if you are delayed with ship excursions they will wait.

 

Your comment reminds me of a co-worker I once had. We lived in Portland, Oregon at the time and she was explaining to me that rush hour traffic in LA really wasn't that bad. After all, she had been there on vacation a few years before and had no problem getting from point A to B. I explained to her that I had lived and worked in LA for many years and I could assure her that rush hour traffic was not a fun time. She again explained to me that I didn't have a clue how the traffic pattern worked. Umm, ok - so you were on vacation for a week and drove to the tourist attraction after breakfast and I drove in it every single day for years... but yup you're right, I don't have a clue.

 

I'm sure you meant well from your comment, but perhaps it was a tad narrow minded.

[Pushka]

Europe is perfect for private shore excursions. Traffic is perfectly manageable when locals know what they are doing in small cars.

 

I reckon ships tours are more likely to be late than private ones because in a group that size there will always be someone who doesn't care about running late. And then there's the toilet stops.

 

On our recent cruise esp in Naples, we were sitting down in Amalfi enjoying pizza, handmade ravioli and wine. The restaurant owner called to an RCL group being led by the paddle person. She asked them to come in for a meal. One lady replied that they only had 20 minutes at Amalfi coast and had to do a bathroom stop in that time. On our private tour we had well over an hour just to sit and relax.

 

I do worry about getting back on time and think that you need to manage those fears. Choosing a well commented on tour group is the key. They will always have a backup plan.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[WhansaMi]

One thing to consider is personal comfort. If you are not comfortable with the chance a private tour cold miss the ship, then stick with the ship's excursion. You will pay extra, but your piece of mind may be worth the extra money.

 

For me, it isn't a matter of money -- I sometimes pay more to do a completely private tour -- but about dislike the feeling of being herded.

 

I am very outgoing, and love hanging with other people, but *really* dislike being one of the "sheeple".

 

We've done private tours and taken off on our own in the Carribean, in Alaska, and all over Europe. We make sure to give ourselves plenty of time, and contract with companies that are well established and well run. We've never had a problem.