Private Tours vs Ship Excursion

[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

Hi All,

 

Opinions needed.

 

Have read much on this forum about private tours, sometimes arranged thru Roll Calls/Meet & Greets. Lots of folks seem to like them.

 

I have always been a Nervous Nellie and have taken only ship sponsored tours and excursions as I have always been under the impression that if something happens to delay a tour's return to the ship, the ship will wait for a ship sponsored tour, but will not wait for someone delayed on a private tour. This reason is enough for me to stay with ship sponsored tours. I know they are more expensive, and sometimes crowded, but missing the ship departure is not an experience I would like to have. My DH is worse than me, he doesn't even like taking ship excursions the morning of departure, if for example, the ship is leaving at 1PM.

 

How do others feel about it? Good experiences or bad? Anybody else as paranoid as I am about missing the ship departure?

[catl331]

We don't take private excursions that are scheduled to end closer than 2 hrs before departure time, either morning or afternoon. The private are generally better IMO just because there are fewer people and you are less likely to get some of those annoying people who always show up late for departure from each stop! With a smaller group you can always be close to the guide when s/he is talking about something rather than at the back of a crowd where you can't hear well.

 

BTW, you are not guaranteed that the ship will wait for a delayed HAL excursion ... sometimes they simply can't. If an incident such as a traffic tie-up from an accident delays a private excursion there's a good chance that a HAL excursion will also be delayed, so you get the same benefit of the ship waiting. But HAL will get you to the next port at their expense if you miss the ship when on a HAL excursion.

 

Once on a Caribbean cruise our captain delayed departure waiting for a private tour to return even though all the HAL tours were back, simply because he could afford the delay since the next island was close. :)

Edited April 7, 2018 by catl331

[Daisyloo]

We have done both private and ship excursions.

For long, all-day excursions (like the Alhambra tour from Malaga Spain) we will definitely do ship excursions. If there is a short excursion that leaves us plenty of time to get back to the ship we will consider a private excursion.

I guess it all boils down to how much risk you are willing to take.

[CruiserBruce]

There are many, many , many discussions around Cruise Critic on this topic. Yes, generally, (but not always) the ship will wait for a late ship's excursion. However, depending on the time line, they may wait for private excursions...this has been documented around Cruise Critic.

 

What hasn't been documented is private excursions coming back late, and causing people to miss their ship. Yes, it has happened once or twice...about the same amount of times the ship didn't wait for a ship's excursion.

 

There are dozens and dozens of recommended private vendors on the Ports boards. These vendors know their reputation would be ruined if the caused a cruiser to miss their ship. It would be headline news!!

 

Private cruises are almost always better choices. They are typically small groups, as few as 2 people, and aren't bogged down by the always present 2-4 people who can't get back to the tour on time. Most importantly, the tours are customiz-able, which frequently allows you to get to premier sites ahead of the bus loads of tourists.

[cruisemom42]

Private excursions vary widely -- they range from a one-person operator with a banged-up jeep on a Caribbean island to a highly professional operation running private tours for hundreds of folks any given week operating in all of the major ports in Italy. One cannot put them in the same bucket, really.

 

When I think of private tours I tend to think of the latter -- highly professional, very dependable, hundreds of excellent recommendations. I would have no hesitation booking those kinds.

 

Regarding your nervousness, I would say this: it is HIGHLY unlikely that any reputable tour company would return you late to the ship. They have experience, built-in planning, support, and communications with a central office. Some of them even guarantee your return or they will pay all expenses in reuniting you with the ship.

 

However, that said, some people just cannot control their fear on this issue, all evidence to the contrary. If you think you'd be so nervous on a private tour that you wouldn't be able to enjoy yourself, by all means it would be better to stick with the ship tour to at least make your level of nerves manageable.

 

For me personally -- a solo, female traveler -- I dislike ship tours due to numerous previous disappointing experiences. I hugely dislike the stops made by most mass market ship tours that are basically just shopping opportunities -- if I am paying for a tour, I want a tour; I can shop on my own time. I also am not a fan of constantly waiting on others, nor have I been very impressed with the quality of many of the guides.

 

I have no fear of taking a private tour, or even better, going it on my own, rather than taking a ship tour!

[3rdGenCunarder]

For years our port experiences have been either ship's tours or totally independent. Our benchmark is time/distance. If we're more than an hour away from the sites we want to visit, we take a tour, usually through the ship. Lately, we've been braver about taking private tours. As others have said, if you do your research and find a tour operator with good feedback/ratings, they will keep a sharp eye on the time.

 

If the ship docks close to what we want to see, we just take a shuttle (once upon a time these were free!) or a taxi into town. It has always worked out well, but it does require planning. When we were in Stockholm, we wanted to see the Vasa Museum. We left the ship as soon as we could, and took a taxi to the museum. We thought we were going to arrive before they opened, but they were open and we went right in. The museum has the restored ship in the center and several floors of exhibits arranged around the ship. We were just finishing our quiet relaxed visit, when the tour buses arrived. We heard the commotion and looked down from the top floor. The ground floor looked like Times Square on New Year's Eve!

 

Comment on HAL's tours. Read the reviews on the Exc site. There may not be many, but they can give you a sense of what the tour is like. In Alaska and the Caribbean, I've found prices aren't too inflated on ship tours. But in Europe, HAL's prices are insane! Thank goodness for the wonderful planners on our roll call. Where we aren't doing an independent day we're doing tours with the roll call.

[Homosassa]

It was interesting that on our recent 14 day Rotterdam cruise, I heard of problems with three private tours on three different islands.

 

First was San Juan. A private tour to Yunque Rain Forest did not make it back and the people were left. Luckily, the next port of call was St Thomas.

 

In St Lucia, several passengers were robbed on a privately arranged walking tour.

 

In Aruba, five passengers were taken to a remote part of the island by a cab driver, robbed of all valuables and left stranded. Somehow, they made it back to port.

 

The ship was only carrying 1300 passengers so news spread quickly. I can only imagine that for larger ships, passengers may not be as aware of what is occurring.

[Cruising-along]

Depending on the port, whenever possible I prefer "doing it on my own" with either a rental car or using public transportation. We have done this all over Europe as well as ports closer to home. IMO that's the only way to really get the feel of a place and get full enjoyment. For me it's more interesting to research ahead of time and do what *I* want to do, not go along with the decisions of even a small private group. No restraints other than making sure to get back to the ship well before sailing time, and that means having alternate ways to get back in case of car trouble, etc. That has never happened to us, but always better safe than sorry. I know it isn't for everyone, but I get a lot more out of my port day by doing that. My own schedule and decisions. Even on private tours we have ended up seeing things we didn't enjoy, or having a meal that was more expensive than it was worth.

[Caribbean Chris]

One question I ask myself is - where’s the next port? If it’s somewhere you could easily reach, you might have a stronger comfort level if your tour gets stuck somewhere and you miss the ship.

 

Take your passport with you and bring along the port agent information which is usually printed in the daily program. If the tour is running slightly late, you could have the driver call to advise your ETA.

 

We’ve made our own plans many times and saved some money, but there’s not always much of a differential.

 

I use ship’s tours or transportation when we are docking a long distance from a city, for example Cadiz for Seville. The train schedule made it impossible to go there independently and get back before sailing. It was Easter Sunday, and HAL’s tour was quite nice with lunch included.

 

HAL offered reasonably priced roundtrip bus transportation from the pier in Vigo to Santiago de Compostella, which worked out great for independent travelers.

 

I booked HAL’s tour for Casablanca where I had a greater comfort level with them vs other options. It’s all about your comfort zone.

 

You can have good and bad experiences with both. Once another pair we met through a Cruise Critic roll call just suddenly decided on the pier that they were making other plans, leaving the remaining four of us paying their previously-agreed upon share for a private arrangement. It wasn’t a huge amount in that case, but it could have been.

[OCruisers]

It's lots easier to take shore excursions offered by the ship ... unless it's a simple taxi ride to a beach or to town. :)

[kazu]

Generally speaking, if there is a professional operator available we do private tours and even private transfers.

 

I have certainly done ship's excursions in the past and, if they were a solid experience, I would do more but, that has not been the case.

 

They can start late and you lose time and there is always that endless line for washrooms and the wait for the straggler who thinks that the meet up time doesn't apply to them. :(

 

With private tours, the groups are infinitely smaller and there is more flexibility. Want to stay longer in one place and shorten the stay elsewhere? No problem (assuming the group is in agreement). Usually our guides get us to the sites before the tour buses arrive (less crowded) and we often see far more and more things at greater depth than the ship's tours.

 

I have lost track of how many private tours I have been on now. I know it is over 50. We have never missed the ship, nor even come close. I schedule mine to be back well in advance and make sure my guides are the professionals with the back up that cruisemom already identified.

 

If HAL were to offer tours like this, I would probably not worry about researching for guides and use them, but they don't. So, private tours are our preference.

[jhannah]

My rule of thumb is the farther away from the ship the more inclined I am to stick with the ship's tour. We have had many wonderful private tours over the years. Those operators are keenly aware of the time. Touring with a few others (or just another couple) is so much more enjoyable.

 

Check these boards or travel forums to see what others have experienced. You then can make an informed decision .

 

We have never had any close calls getting back to the ship.

[Alberta Quilter]

Funny you should post about this, OP, as I've been having a similar debate about a tour on our upcoming cruise. Only difference is that ours isn't between private and ship but between DIY and ship. For the DIY, we would need to take a taxi to the train station, train, then shuttle bus, and a short walk to the site, and then do it all in reverse on the way back. But then I read about train strikes, and even if the trains were running that day, I was concerned about missing the return train. I was making myself nervous enough that I thought we should take the ship tour. I think we will; the only real incentive to DIY for this port was to save some money but we have a wee bit of OBC from our TA that the ship tour will be "free".

 

Incidentally, we will be doing some DIY, ship, and private tours in other ports. I really weigh the risks with what we want to do, our abilities, tendering or docking, and distance to the site(s).

[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

Thanks to everyone sharing their opinions and experiences. It is very interesting to read what everyone does regarding tours/excursions.

 

I see many folks prefer private tours. I have not had any bad experiences on ship tours, just occasionally they may stop someplace, or spend too much time someplace, in the course of the tour which does not hold too much interest for us. Other times they may not spend enough time at an attraction/site in our opinion, and it feels "rushed". And yes, there are always the occasional "stragglers" who think it is all about them, and show up late all the time to the dismay of the rest of us. This is the same for land vacations with a tour company, although the land vacation tour companies nip that in the bud if they see it happening - it is not tolerated. I always read the reviews on ship tours and go with the ones with highest ratings. Every now and then, one might be a little disappointing but for the most part, I have been pleased with what I have experienced. The prices are always a little inflated but I don't get too upset by that, as long as it is a good time, and we all make it back to the ship safely and on time.

 

I have traveled quite a bit, but I am not the most experienced and worldly traveler. Many of you have traveled many, many miles more than me. I guess, with experience comes comfort and confidence in arranging things on your own. I may have to try it sometime!

 

My big adventure is going to be Bermuda where I am taking a ship tour of the whole island the first day, and then we are going on our own the 2nd day, taking public transport bus/ferry to places where we would like to spend some time. Never did this before, so it will be a first. Seems to be pretty easy from what I have read on the Bermuda port board and on here, as well as on the official Bermuda tourism site.

 

Thanks again for all your input. Nice to read about others' experiences. It is how I learn.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Thanks to everyone sharing their opinions and experiences. It is very interesting to read what everyone does regarding tours/excursions.

 

I see many folks prefer private tours. I have not had any bad experiences on ship tours, just occasionally they may stop someplace, or spend too much time someplace, in the course of the tour which does not hold too much interest for us. Other times they may not spend enough time at an attraction/site in our opinion, and it feels "rushed". And yes, there are always the occasional "stragglers" who think it is all about them, and show up late all the time to the dismay of the rest of us. This is the same for land vacations with a tour company, although the land vacation tour companies nip that in the bud if they see it happening - it is not tolerated. I always read the reviews on ship tours and go with the ones with highest ratings. Every now and then, one might be a little disappointing but for the most part, I have been pleased with what I have experienced. The prices are always a little inflated but I don't get too upset by that, as long as it is a good time, and we all make it back to the ship safely and on time.

 

I have traveled quite a bit, but I am not the most experienced and worldly traveler. Many of you have traveled many, many miles more than me. I guess, with experience comes comfort and confidence in arranging things on your own. I may have to try it sometime!

 

My big adventure is going to be Bermuda where I am taking a ship tour of the whole island the first day, and then we are going on our own the 2nd day, taking public transport bus/ferry to places where we would like to spend some time. Never did this before, so it will be a first. Seems to be pretty easy from what I have read on the Bermuda port board and on here, as well as on the official Bermuda tourism site.

 

Thanks again for all your input. Nice to read about others' experiences. It is how I learn.

 

Bermuda's public transport is easy to navigate. Just remember that they drive on the "other" side of the road when you go to a bus stop--or you could end up going in the wrong direction.

[JT1962]

I rarely take a tour through the ship. I find that independent tours generally offer smaller groups, longer touring times and are many times quite a bit cheaper. We have never had an issue or come close to missing the ship.

 

The tour operators depend on cruise passengers for their income, so it is in their best interest to ensure you are back to the ship on time. Some independents even offer to get you to the next port if you miss the ship while on their tour.

 

 

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[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

Bermuda's public transport is easy to navigate. Just remember that they drive on the "other" side of the road when you go to a bus stop--or you could end up going in the wrong direction.

 

Thanks, I will tie a string around my finger to keep that in mind. I know I almost met my Waterloo in London many years ago when crossing the street and looking the wrong way! ;)

I also read to look for the blue poles at stops to catch a bus going away from Hamilton, and the pink poles denote a stop for busses returning to Hamilton. So that helps!:)

[Host Walt]

Back in the day cruise lines tended to provide shorex's at prices somewhat lower than available independently. Now they have become a profit center. Worse, ship sponsored activities are quite often inflexible. (How many "shopping experiences" does one need?)

 

Conversely when shopping for a "private excursion" it means being a careful buyer and finding activities that are really worthwhile rather than just another shore activity.

 

One characteristic, however, can become quite important; the possibility of a port cancellation. The ship will refund the shorex charges automatically but if booked independently getting a refund could be quite difficult or even impossible.

[paul929207]

Over the years, we have taken about 150 private tours in ports all over the world. We have never had a problem.

[Hlitner]

Another question (often not asked) is do you even need (or want) a tour? Another option is to simple go off on your own (often called DIY) using your feet, public transportation, taxis, trains, etc. In some ports this is quite easy...especially if you do your home work. Many cruisers will also use Hop On Hop Off (HoHo) buses in quite a few ports.

 

The risk of missing the ship is low....as long as folks do their homework, have a "Plan B" in case something goes wrong, and have some "travel smarts." It is the stupid things that can quickly mess up DIY folks...such as not bothering to check what time they must be back aboard :).

 

When it comes to Private Tours, as long as you are using a reputable tour provider there is little to fear when it comes to missing the ship. Good tour companies are very professional and survive by making their customers happy.

 

Hank

[Pudgesmom]

We only do private tours, for the reasons many have stated above. I truly believe the ships try to frighten their OWN passengers into taking their mostly overpriced and overcrowded tours with forced shopping stops to make more money.

 

Just say no to ship tours. Private tours with a good reputation make their entire living on a delivering a good product for a decent price to a non-captive audience. Believe me, they want to return to the ship on time more than you do!

 

Don’t fall victim to the scare tactics.

Edited April 7, 2018 by Pudgesmom

[Kartgv]

The decision for us is largely based on two things:

 

Timing (how far from the port are the attractions you want to see vs available time): The further away, the greater chance that you could be cutting it too close on return to the ship. We've been on at least 4 long ship tours which were seriously delayed getting back to the ship, and in each case, the ship was waiting. I choose not to push my luck by using a private vendor in such a situation.

 

Familiarity with the port/customs/language: If the port is somewhere we've never been before and we don't speak the language, I'd rather have someone connected with the ship's program to handle any problems.

 

In both cases, it's not really fear, just the fact that I'll be more relaxed and enjoy my day more if I'm not watching the time and worrying about issues that could come up. Yes, waiting for late arrivals and having to sometimes wait in lines is annoying, but we've had that happen on private tours also.

 

We've done DIY port days, usually renting a car, and private tours arranged through Roll Calls. The last roll call tour was a very unpleasant experience and kind of soured us on going that route. We've never had a problem with the DIY days, as we plan in advance, know our route and allow plenty of time.

[leaveitallbehind]

We always do independent sight seeing in the ports of call, not having taken a ship sponsored tour in over 20 years. Have never been late back to port on any cruise. In fact, the one time that we were close to the departure time with a return was on a ship excursion - which also happened to be our last. Just our personal preference.

[paul929207]

While on rare occasions some one misses the ship due to a late tour (ship's or private), most people missing have been drinking in the port and lose track or the time.

[CruiserBruce]

Another question (often not asked) is do you even need (or want) a tour? Another option is to simple go off on your own (often called DIY) using your feet, public transportation, taxis, trains, etc. In some ports this is quite easy...especially if you do your home work. Many cruisers will also use Hop On Hop Off (HoHo) buses in quite a few ports.

 

 

Absolutely true. This question is not considered enough. Many ports do not require any tour, just getting around on your own. We seem to do about half our ports now a days on our own, or with a little public transit. It isn't even that hard, most of the time.