Celebrity Constellation - “Small Group” How many does that mean?

[MCazer]

Have some shipboard credit to use, and usually do excursions on our own or with small group from cruise critic.

 

so, anyone have knowledge of Celebrity’s “Small Group” size when it comes to excursions? 

 

Looking at at this one at the moment (The Ruins Of Herculaneum - Small Group)

 

[Fogfog]

It should tell you in the description or tabs 

Likely under 20...

[MCazer]

14 minutes ago, Fogfog said:

It should tell you in the description or tabs 

Likely under 20...

You’d think so, but no. 

 

I started a Chat, and they couldn’t tell me.  Gave me an email address to send questions to (shorex@rccl.com). So I am looking at all the ones I may be interested in and sending an email later.

[ghstudio]

We Took a small group tour just last week and we had 20 people.

[Cruising89143]

We did a couple of those small groups on X and both times it was less than twenty people. One was limited to sixteen.

[MCazer]

3 hours ago, cruisingator2 said:

We did a couple of those small groups on X and both times it was less than twenty people. One was limited to sixteen.

How were they? Did you feel like it was too many people? So used to 8 or less

[MCazer]

3 hours ago, ghstudio said:

We Took a small group tour just last week and we had 20 people.

Was it good? 

[Cruising89143]

Just now, MCazer said:

How were they? Did you feel like it was too many people? So used to 8 or less

 

It wasn’t bad. One was in Rome and the other was the Amalfi Coast. The tour in Rome wasn’t great but it was due to the Vatican being a zoo. Packed. 

[steve ch]

Often, the word "small" really refers to the bus, a minivan rather than a tull size coach. This can be important on small roads etc. However, if the bus is full, a small group can feel more crowded than a group of 50 on a coach. Somewhere outdoors, like Herculaneum, I don't think the group size really matters.

Edited July 21, 2019 by steve ch

[GastroGnome]

We've done X small group tours and had them limited to 4 on one occasion and 6 on another.  It just depends where you are going and how you are getting there.  That said - if you are looking at going to Herculaneum I would guess 20 or less on the basis of a small coach not a big one.    Watch the timings of tours to Herculaneum.  Ideally go in the morning.  In the afternoon shade is cast over most of the subterranean site making the artifacts harder to see.

[chemmo]

1 hour ago, steve ch said:

Often, the word "small" really refers to the bus, a minivan rather than a tull size coach. This can be important on small roads etc. However, if the bus is full, a small group can feel more crowded than a group of 50 on a coach.

 

We have found this too. On one minibus tour we did the guide had to come into the back to allow a man in the front who simply could not fit onto one of those drop down across seats. My 6’ husband was cramped and his legs needed to encroach into my space...It is perhaps as well I am small!

 

In both Europe and the Caribbean we have had some comfortable small buses but have also had ones that have been more basic and every seat taken. Those with drop down side seats are the worst as there is no aisle ‘spreading’ room and no where other than on your knee for bags, cameras...

 

 

 

 

Edited July 21, 2019 by chemmo

[ghstudio]

7 hours ago, MCazer said:

Was it good? 

That's the same tour we took a couple of weeks ago on the Constellation: The Ruins Of Herculaneum - Small Group.  20 folks on a full sized bus.  The regular tour started at 1pm, the small group tour started at 8:30.  We cancelled our regular tour and booked the small group tour because it was brutally hot weather....not sure that 20 is really much better than 40 but a smaller group may make it easier to ask questions.  Tours all use radios these days, so you can hear the guide without having to crowd in.  The tour included an unlisted "shopping" stop....which seems to be a feature on most tours these days, celebrity isn't an exception.  We actually returned to the ship an hour early so it was a 3 hour tour (presume the guide either rushed through or didn't show us some things??)...and our guide was blatantly obvious that he expected a tip...so much so that we didn't leave him any tip.

 

We mentioned our experience to the excursion desk and they said they would pass the info on to the local excursion operator.  You may or may not get the same guide, etc.  I'd say if it's brutally hot, book the morning excursion, whatever it is.  Herculaneum is an interesting site.

Edited July 21, 2019 by ghstudio