Ship excursions vs. Private excursions

[mitchmatch1]

Hello everyone,

My wife Sigal and I are first timers and are very excited about our Clebrity Equinox cruise this summer from July 4th Barcelona to Athens July 11th.

 

We are travelling with my brother and his wife and we are looking for the best experience possible.

 

We were wondering if some experienced cruisers could share whether excursions from the ship or private excursions are the better choice.

 

Hope to meet you soon,

Mitchell from Montreal :)

[Bonnie J.]

We prefer private tours. Why? Cost is often half for same tours, not as many people on the tours, you get to know he guide. Private tours are very well aware of when you must be back at the ship. They want to keep a good recommendations for cruise passengers. However, if it is a new port we're not familiar with we may choose the ship's tour 1st time there.

Go to your roll call here on cruisecritic and meet others who will be on your cruise. We have gone on tours they recommend and taken tours with them. You can also ask about tours here.

Edited May 31, 2015 by Bonnie J.

[Host Anne]

Hi Mitch ~ we almost always do private excursions now. There are so many great options in the Med for private tours. If you visit our Ports of Call boards and search by the ports you'll be visiting, you'll get lots of ideas.

 

Here's a link to the Ports of Call area for Europe: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=19

 

If you post the ports here, I'll give you some suggestions for any ports we've been to before.

 

ENJOY!

[BlueRiband]

For first timers, a ship sponsored excursion is usually the better choice. If there is a delay the ship will wait for one of it's own tour groups. If you are on your own the ship does not wait.

 

Many here have experienced smaller groups and far more interesting tour experiences by taking a private tour. One reason these tours tend to be a better value however is that the private tour operator isn't paying the massive liability insurance required by the cruise line. All the major cruise lines charge a premium for tours because insurance ranges from $1 - 5 million USD per passenger per tour. If something happens to go very wrong on a ship sponsored tour, everyone is covered.

 

That said, with just a one week it's likely to be a whirlwind cruise with not much time in each port. I'd go with the ship sponsored tour to avoid bad surprises.

[celebrity]

Welcome to Cruisecritic and the wonderful world of cruising! You have chosen well in selecting Equinox. The ship is absolutely fabulous! We sailed her Sept 2013 in the Med and in 23 cruises was our very best!

 

I highly recommend signing up for your roll call for your sailing and join others on shared private tours. Not only will you Dave a lot of money, the smaller groups will allow you to see and do a lot more than any ship sponsored excursions.

 

If you are interested, you can reserve Barcelona Day Tours to pick you up at the airport and give you a 4 hour tour before dropping you off at your hotel. We did that and it worked wonderfully. We then checked into our hotel, and headed off on our own to explore Barcelona on foot. It's a fabulous city! Make sure you reserve tix to La Sagrada Familia prior to arrival and wonder at the marvel of the longest running architectural endeavor.

 

I don't know your itinerary, but if you post it here, I can perhaps suggest some private guides that we used.

Excited for you!

Edited May 31, 2015 by celebrity

[paul929207]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

Many of the Med ports are great if you want to Do It Yourself. A great guide book is Rick Steves's Med Cruise Ports.

[celebrity]

For first timers, a ship sponsored excursion is usually the better choice. If there is a delay the ship will wait for one of it's own tour groups. If you are on your own the ship does not wait.

 

Many here have experienced smaller groups and far more interesting tour experiences by taking a private tour. One reason these tours tend to be a better value however is that the private tour operator isn't paying the massive liability insurance required by the cruise line. All the major cruise lines charge a premium for tours because insurance ranges from $1 - 5 million USD per passenger per tour. If something happens to go very wrong on a ship sponsored tour, everyone is covered.

 

That said, with just a one week it's likely to be a whirlwind cruise with not much time in each port. I'd go with the ship sponsored tour to avoid bad surprises.

 

I respectfully disagree! I researched extensively all the tour companies that we used. Barcelona Day Tours, Rome in Limo, Ephesus Shuttle and PK Travel.

Every one was highly rated on Trip Advisor and they delivered far more than any ship excursion at a lower cost.

You cannot compare a bus to a Mercedes Sedan that drove us all around Rome or along the Amalfi coast to a bus load of tourists.

Edited May 31, 2015 by celebrity

[first2travel]

Ships make a tremendous profit on excursions. They scare the passenger informing them that the ship will leave unless you take their sponsored tour. Happy travels!

[hubofhockey]

For first timers, a ship sponsored excursion is usually the better choice. If there is a delay the ship will wait for one of it's own tour groups. If you are on your own the ship does not wait.

 

The private tour companies, especially the ones vetted on Cruise Critic are well vetted here and the risk is next to nothing. I have never read a thread about a private tour company getting passengers to the ship late. They know that if they did, they would be out of business pretty quickly.

 

Ship tours have too many people and tours are impersonal. On our first cruise in Europe, we stuck with private tours. Now we mix up private tours with doing ports on our own (using trains or just walking off into cities where possible). Obviously, if you have no self control and don't mind the time of day, then you'll miss the ship.

[mitchmatch1]

Thank you for your recommendation

[springfire]

I almost always prefer private excursions better. Since this is your first cruise, I would recommend doing the ships excursion. This being your first cruise, you need to get an understanding of how everything works on the ship. When you are ready for your second cruise you will be in a better position to research and followup on private excursions. Private excursions usually have less people, better prices and you are able to get to more places. You do need to use a reputable company when you do a private excursion. With the ships excursion, they handle everything and you will not have anything to worry about. Enjoy your first cruse!

[Putterdude]

We always use private excursions unless travelling a very long distance or in a politically unstable country such as in Central America. Normally private tours offer a better tour and a much better price than that of cruise lines.

[celebrity]

I almost always prefer private excursions better. Since this is your first cruise, I would recommend doing the ships excursion. This being your first cruise, you need to get an understanding of how everything works on the ship. When you are ready for your second cruise you will be in a better position to research and followup on private excursions. Private excursions usually have less people, better prices and you are able to get to more places. You do need to use a reputable company when you do a private excursion. With the ships excursion, they handle everything and you will not have anything to worry about. Enjoy your first cruse!

 

I hope this doesn't come across as combative but you are the 2nd poster to recommend a ship sponsored excursion over a private one that will be far superior and cost less. Why would you want the OP to spend more and get less? Being your 1st or 50 th has no validity..it's all about the experience.

Our first Med cruise was all private and went off without a hitch because we did our research in advance.

Joing others on a roll call who may very well be seasoned travelers can help immensely.

[FawnRiver]

Personally, I tend to go with ship excursions. They are not all large groups, nor are they always impersonal, nor are they all that much more expensive than a private excursion. For example, on a roll call for an upcoming cruise, a large number of our fellow cruisers are doing private tours of Rome. All they've done is hired a driver to take them from the port and around Rome. They are each responsible for purchasing tickets to get into the sites they want to visit and if they want a guide, they also have to make arrangements for that as well. Once you add up all the costs, it isn't that big a difference from a ship's excursion where all you do is sign up and go with the flow. The charge comes up on your stateroom bill at the end of the cruise and if for some reason your ship has to miss that port, you're not out a single dime. That having been said, some ship excursion prices are obviously more expensive than they need to be, you just have to do some research if you're interesting in trying to find the best deal for you.

We've done both and have had excellent times with both. The cruise lines hold their tour operators to a rather high standard and they are there for you when things go wrong (personal experience talking here). If you find a reputable private operator and have a group to go with (via your roll call, most likely), then it is a viable option.

It all comes down to what you want to do, what your options are and how comfortable you are with the costs & risks associated with whatever you choose.

Either way, good luck and have a great cruise.

[hubofhockey]

Well, I will agree with the above post about limo tours in Rome. We have been to Rome twice on cruise vacations and had a much better time doing it on our own than with a limo.

 

The best way to do Rome is to get off the ship and walk to the train station and take the train to Rome. We did that and set up a guided walking tour (used Roman Candle) of the Forums and skip the lines tour of the Coliseum. It was great walking right past all of the cruise passengers waiting in line with their little circle stickers. :D We did that in the morning and then went to Piazza Navona for lunch, walked around there, then to Pantheon and Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps before heading to the train station for a ride back to Civi. All of that was easy to do. We did it with our kids and another family we met on the roll call.

[celebrity]

Well, I will agree with the above post about limo tours in Rome. We have been to Rome twice on cruise vacations and had a much better time doing it on our own than with a limo.

 

The best way to do Rome is to get off the ship and walk to the train station and take the train to Rome. We did that and set up a guided walking tour (used Roman Candle) of the Forums and skip the lines tour of the Coliseum. It was great walking right past all of the cruise passengers waiting in line with their little circle stickers. :D We did that in the morning and then went to Piazza Navona for lunch, walked around there, then to Pantheon and Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps before heading to the train station for a ride back to Civi. All of that was easy to do. We did it with our kids and another family we met on the roll call.

 

Absolutely agree that DIY is the most economical. Personally not in my comfort zone and would not have given me the experience I was seeking.

 

Booking Rome in Limo got us to the Colisseum ( skipped the lines) , the Roman Forum, Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, Circus Maximus, Palatine Hill, Vittorio Emmanuel Monument and a private tour in the Vatican again skipping the lines. Our driver gave us a pre programmed cell phone and we called him when we were ready for the next site and off we went.

 

In Naples, we also booked them and driving on the Amalfi coast in a Mercedes allowed us to see and stop when and where we wanted. I would have been nervous in those huge busses.

We stopped when we were hungry at Da Constantino and had a fabulous lunch up on the cliffs. Headed to Pompeii after lunch and again called our driver when we were ready to head back. Truly a memorable day.

 

Best of all, since we were a party of three, we did what we wanted, when we wanted at our own pace. No waiting for stragglers that wandered off shopping, etc.

 

Everyone's priorities are different but since it was our first time, we didn't want any regrets.

Well worth it for us!

[springfire]

I hope this doesn't come across as combative but you are the 2nd poster to recommend a ship sponsored excursion over a private one that will be far superior and cost less. Why would you want the OP to spend more and get less? Being your 1st or 50 th has no validity..it's all about the experience.

Our first Med cruise was all private and went off without a hitch because we did our research in advance.

Joing others on a roll call who may very well be seasoned travelers can help immensely.

 

Not sure how you can say if your on your 1st cruise or your 50th cruise, it does not make a difference. Having experience at doing something almost always makes things easier the next time you do it. The OP indicated this was his first cruise and they are traveling overseas for this cruise. Taking a ship excursion they will have a wonderful experience and it will be stress free for them. They won't have to worry about anything. The variables on a private excursion, worrying about getting back to the ship in time, finding out where to meet them in a place they have never been before, payment ahead of time to them. Doing a ship's excursion will give them peace of mind and they will have no stress.

I agree with you if that they want to do the research and do their homework they can find some great private excursions. I also agree that they can get some great information from their roll call.

I still feel that for your very first cruise, enjoy the ships excursions! Make your life easier and enjoy your vacation. When they do your next cruise you can start to experiment with private excursions.

[OCruisers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

There's nothing wrong with taking excursions thru the ship if you wish.

It's certainly the easy way! :D

 

LuLu

[hubofhockey]

Absolutely agree that DIY is the most economical. Personally not in my comfort zone and would not have given me the experience I was seeking!

 

There's something to be said for those nice air conditioned Mercedes limos. :cool: It sounds like you had a great experience. When you need to travel long distances and want to visit different cities on the same port day, they make a lot of sense. The best way to see Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast is with a driver guide company.

 

I enjoyed Rome on our own and I will say that what you missed out on in the Forums and Coliseum was the lack of a professional guide. The driver guides are not professional guides and are not allowed to walk with you. We enjoyed the small group with Roman Candle and a guide who really knew her stuff.

 

My issue with the cruise coach tours is that there are too many people and you get slowed down in lines, breaks where people come back late, and those headphone tours can be very impersonal. Not a fan.

[SantaFeFan]

Ships make a tremendous profit on excursions. They scare the passenger informing them that the ship will leave unless you take their sponsored tour. Happy travels!

 

It is not "scare", but fact. It is true that the ship will wait for a ship sponsored tour if they can, but are not obligated to for private tours. Not sure why that is considered a "scare tactic" by some grumpy people on these boards.

 

We do both private and ship tours. It depends on where we are, what is available, and what interests us. Unlike some snobs on CruiseCritic who look down their noses on ship tours and the people who take them (calling such tours "cattle calls", which implies that the people taken them are "mindless cows"), we don't denounce the ship tours, even if we choose to arrange a private tour instead. They are just fine if you want the convenience and security they offer. As others have said, they are the easiest to sign up for.

 

Reputable private tour companies take their reputations very seriously and will make sure you are back in time. But if something does happens to make you late, the ship probably won't wait for you. Some tour companies will even guarantee that they will make all the arrangements to get you back to the ship if it is missed while in their care. But even in those cases, missing a ship is a bad experience.

 

Having said all of that, as first timers, I would suggest you do the ship tours to get familiar with the process and what they offer. Then, on your next cruise, you will be better able to decide if a private tour is right for you.

Edited May 31, 2015 by SantaFeFan

[celebrity]

There's something to be said for those nice air conditioned Mercedes limos. :cool: It sounds like you had a great experience. When you need to travel long distances and want to visit different cities on the same port day, they make a lot of sense. The best way to see Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast is with a driver guide company.

 

I enjoyed Rome on our own and I will say that what you missed out on in the Forums and Coliseum was the lack of a professional guide. The driver guides are not professional guides and are not allowed to walk with you. We enjoyed the small group with Roman Candle and a guide who really knew her stuff.

 

My issue with the cruise coach tours is that there are too many people and you get slowed down in lines, breaks where people come back late, and those headphone tours can be very impersonal. Not a fan.

 

Neglected to mention I did have a private guide at the Colisseum. I'm going to check out Roman Candle for my sister who will be on a land based trip in Rome next year.

Thanks for mentioning your tour company.

[ontheweb]

Well, I will agree with the above post about limo tours in Rome. We have been to Rome twice on cruise vacations and had a much better time doing it on our own than with a limo.

 

The best way to do Rome is to get off the ship and walk to the train station and take the train to Rome. We did that and set up a guided walking tour (used Roman Candle) of the Forums and skip the lines tour of the Coliseum. It was great walking right past all of the cruise passengers waiting in line with their little circle stickers. :D We did that in the morning and then went to Piazza Navona for lunch, walked around there, then to Pantheon and Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps before heading to the train station for a ride back to Civi. All of that was easy to do. We did it with our kids and another family we met on the roll call.

 

Two summers ago, we did the train to Rome. The problem was the train coming back. It was PACKED, which when the temperature outside is almost 100 degrees, is mighty uncomfortable. And then a fight broke out on the train.

 

And then we did a Florence on your own tour with NCL. 10 years prior we attempted to go to Florence on our own, and I screwed up royally. I got us on a train going the wrong way! This time for our anniversary, we did not care about the cost; we were going to see Florence. (BTW, DW is the world's finest elementary art teacher.) We bought timed tickets to the 2 major museums and the cruise lines Florence on Your Own. The air conditioned bus was much more comfortable. DW commented, maybe it would have been worth it to pay extra to get to Rome, and at least be comfortable in the transportation.

 

The one port I would say you definitely should do a private tour is St. Petersburg, Russia.

[buggins0402]

For Naples heading to the Amalfi, a private tour is far superior....the big busses can't park where the little vans can. For Rome and Florence the ship's "on your own" tours are great for those who don't want to mess with the train but want to see things on their own timetable.

[BlueRiband]

I respectfully disagree! I researched extensively all the tour companies that we used. Barcelona Day Tours, Rome in Limo, Ephesus Shuttle and PK Travel.

Every one was highly rated on Trip Advisor and they delivered far more than any ship excursion at a lower cost.

You cannot compare a bus to a Mercedes Sedan that drove us all around Rome or along the Amalfi coast to a bus load of tourists.

 

To each his/her own. Not everyone however has the desire to vet independent tour companies. Tours organized by CC "superorganizers" may be great or they might have a side agenda. (I'm recalling a thread were a member complained of a private tour that spent the first half hour doing something the poster didn't agree with. I don't know what that "something" was - visiting a church, a bar, or who knows what.)

 

Ship sponsored tours make sense if the tour is to take the entire time the ship is in port. On a ship sponsored tour to the American Landing Beaches near Cherbourg, our tour bus hit horrendous traffic. Our tour leader contacted the ship. Right after we reboarded the gangways were removed.

 

As for touring by Mercedes versus tour bus, my line also offers private limo tours. Booking that depends on whether one wants a private one on one with a tour guide or prefers the camaraderie of a group - and willingness to pay for individual attention.

Edited May 31, 2015 by BlueRiband

[Cruisin' Chick]

I have never been to Europe (maybe one day we'll do the Baltic cruise that's on our dream list) but if we book any tours, it will be through the ship. Most of the time, I do the research with guide books and tourism sites for my family, and then we decide what we plan to do in each port. Often on our own. For tours, we have no problem booking through the ship. I will usually see what a comparable, private tour will cost, and there hasn't been much of a difference at all. Maybe that's just how it worked for the ones we've selected. And they haven't been these massive big buses. We've been on at least a couple ship's tours in a comfy vehicle with ten others (besides us) or less. And have been happy.

 

I'm not comfortable with going along with a private excursion that someone on a roll call has set up -- I don't yet know him or her.