Journey to Antiquities Shore Excursions

[gr8-2travel]

Doing research before the shore excursion sign-up date opens for our late-November Athen-Rome (first Viking) cruise.
My question: how do the costs of the NON-INCLUDED shore tours offered by Viking compare to those that may be available through local tour companies?
Are local shore excursion companies found to be reliable to get us back to port on time for embarkation? This aspect, more than the cost of the actual excursion tends to make me insecure about going with a non-Viking tour, but at the same time, if there are better shore excursions offered we don’t want to miss out!
Any advice and recommendations are greatly appreciated. 
 

 

[CurlerRob]

1 hour ago, gr8-2travel said:

Doing research before the shore excursion sign-up date opens for our late-November Athen-Rome (first Viking) cruise.
My question: how do the costs of the NON-INCLUDED shore tours offered by Viking compare to those that may be available through local tour companies?
Are local shore excursion companies found to be reliable to get us back to port on time for embarkation? This aspect, more than the cost of the actual excursion tends to make me insecure about going with a non-Viking tour, but at the same time, if there are better shore excursions offered we don’t want to miss out!
Any advice and recommendations are greatly appreciated. 
 

 

 

Our experience is that costs for a cruise line excursion can run from 2X - 3X the cost of the same, or similar excursion booked privately. This is NOT unique to Viking - it's been consistent across other lines.

 

You mention "better shore excursions". Better can mean cheaper, but can also mean the ability to have a smaller or private tour, with the ability to customize it personally. We have frequently opted to pay more than the ship's tour cost, but for a more private and personalized experience.
 

You need to evaluate your personal risk tolerance regarding local tours. A select few may guarantee to get you back to the ship if they cause you to miss the sailing (as would the ship tour). Most are well aware of sailing constraints and will have you back in time for sailing (it tends to be fatal to their business to do otherwise). Ask the question of any potential provider - a reputable one will have no issue in responding to you. Again, a benefit of private tours is the ability to specify your wish to be back by a certain time, consistent with your own comfort level.

 

That said, stuff can happen. All the assurances in the world don't help if your transport breaks down 60 miles from the ship, an hour before all-aboard.

 

Our personal rule of thumb is that we will take a local tour if we can easily catch up with the ship the following day, should we miss it (think Messina to Naples in your case) AND if we are comfortable with our ability to navigate the local culture and language. If the ship is leaving for a multi-day  passage, or we are uncertain that we can arrange the necessary travel, we use the ship's offerings.

 

By using these guidelines, we have had great success with local tour providers over the years without any problems. The CC boards are full of good recommendations for specific tours and companies. Enjoy! 🍺🥌

[Peregrina651]

It would be helpful if you would list the ports that you will be visiting.

 

Also check out: Ports of Call here on Cruise Critic.

[Heidi13]

9 hours ago, CurlerRob said:

 

Our experience is that costs for a cruise line excursion can run from 2X - 3X the cost of the same, or similar excursion booked privately. This is NOT unique to Viking - it's been consistent across other lines.

 

You mention "better shore excursions". Better can mean cheaper, but can also mean the ability to have a smaller or private tour, with the ability to customize it personally. We have frequently opted to pay more than the ship's tour cost, but for a more private and personalized experience.
 

You need to evaluate your personal risk tolerance regarding local tours. A select few may guarantee to get you back to the ship if they cause you to miss the sailing (as would the ship tour). Most are well aware of sailing constraints and will have you back in time for sailing (it tends to be fatal to their business to do otherwise). Ask the question of any potential provider - a reputable one will have no issue in responding to you. Again, a benefit of private tours is the ability to specify your wish to be back by a certain time, consistent with your own comfort level.

 

That said, stuff can happen. All the assurances in the world don't help if your transport breaks down 60 miles from the ship, an hour before all-aboard.

 

Our personal rule of thumb is that we will take a local tour if we can easily catch up with the ship the following day, should we miss it (think Messina to Naples in your case) AND if we are comfortable with our ability to navigate the local culture and language. If the ship is leaving for a multi-day  passage, or we are uncertain that we can arrange the necessary travel, we use the ship's offerings.

 

By using these guidelines, we have had great success with local tour providers over the years without any problems. The CC boards are full of good recommendations for specific tours and companies. Enjoy! 🍺🥌

 

Rob,

 

A brilliant response, as it is the model we also use.

 

Another couple of points I consider are:

 - Payment: Viking shore-ex want full payment at time of booking, while with private vendors, I always negotiate for the latest payment terms, preferably day of tour. Unfortunately, these days, I find most vendors want money at least a couple of weeks early.

 - Cancellation: Viking shore-ex guarantee full refund, provided you cancel before the deadline. I look for vendors that also guarantee full refunds if the ship doesn't dock and cancel for any reason no more than a week out, preferably less.

[gr8-2travel]

3 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

It would be helpful if you would list the ports that you will be visiting.

 

Also check out: Ports of Call here on Cruise Critic.

Athens, Ephesus, Sousa Bay, Messina and Naples. I have been looking at the Ports of Call board and have some ideas already but no one really seems to discuss/compare the costs. Since we have limited shore-ex experience (and no experience with Viking) I figured the experts here would have comments and recommendations. Thanks! 

[gr8-2travel]

Souda Bay (auto-correct!!!!) 

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, gr8-2travel said:

Athens, Ephesus, Sousa Bay, Messina and Naples. I have been looking at the Ports of Call board and have some ideas already but no one really seems to discuss/compare the costs. Since we have limited shore-ex experience (and no experience with Viking) I figured the experts here would have comments and recommendations. Thanks! 

 

Athens

The ship docks in Piraeus and with traffic congestion, it can be a longer trip than in many ports. Athens has an excellent subway system, with a station close to the port. Therefore, it is easy to visit the main sites on your own.

 

Some vendors, I consider in Athens are:

·       Anker Travel -  https://www.ankertravel.net/

·       Timeless Athens Tours - https://www.athenstours.gr/best-greece-tours/

o   Athens Day Tour - https://www.athenstours.gr/shore-excursion/athens-sightseeing-city-tour/

·       Athens Tours Greece - https://www.athenstourgreece.com/

·       Niki Olympic Tours - http://www.olympictours.gr/shore-excursions/joined/piraeus

o   Athens Highlights – 8 hrs

o   Ancient Corinth & the Canal – 5.5 hrs

o   Athens Explorers – 8 hrs

 

Ephesus

The ship docks at Kusedasi, which again is a good drive to Ephesus, but I have never experienced traffic issues in this port, with our last visit being 2015. Having been a number of times before, I wasn't impressed with any of the Viking tours on the website. Here are the vendors I consider:

·       Best of Ephesus Tours - https://www.bestofephesustours.com/index.html

·       Pupa Tours - https://pupatourism.com.tr/tour/ephesus-tour/

·       Argeus Tours & Travel - https://argeus.com/tour/ephesus-tour

·       Anker Travel - https://www.ankertravel.net/t-izm004-full-day--ephesus142

·       Levant Solmaz (private guide) - https://leventsolmaz.com/meet-levent-solmaz/

·       Ephesus Shuttle - https://www.ephesusshuttle.com/categories/kusadasi-to-ephesus?id=1

 

Messina

The ship tours looked OK. Didn't find too many private vendors of interest.

·       Italy Tours, EU (https://www.italytours.eu/shore-excursions/)

o   Mount Etna, Taormina & Surroundings

 

Naples

Depends on your interests and how far from the ship you want to venture. Here are the vendors I consider:

·       RomeCabs - https://www.romecabs.com/

·       AP Tours - https://www.aptours.it/Shore-trips-from-Naples

·       Italy Tours EU - http://italytours.eu/

o   Pompeii, Sorrento & the Amalfi Coast

o   The Classic Amalfi Coast Tour

o   Naples, Sorrento & Positano

·       Tuscany Taste Tour - https://tuscanytastetour.com/products/sub-0-cruise-shore-excursions-in-italy-1.htm

[gr8-2travel]

Thank you so much, @Heidi13! This, (like all your responses that I have come across,) is so very helpful and informative! We are scheduled for pre-cruise time in Athens and hopefully that time won’t be taken up waiting for flights at airports between Phoenix, AZ and Athens 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼 Given that uncertainty though, I am hesitant to schedule any tours in Athens. I am going to wait to see if things get better with the airlines before scheduling anything formal, otherwise we will go with the flow once we actually land. I will definitely look into your suggestions for the other tours once on board, since your suggestions are extremely helpful to us in deciding what to do in each port. Thank you again! 

[gr8-2travel]

14 hours ago, CurlerRob said:

 

Our experience is that costs for a cruise line excursion can run from 2X - 3X the cost of the same, or similar excursion booked privately. This is NOT unique to Viking - it's been consistent across other lines.

 

You mention "better shore excursions". Better can mean cheaper, but can also mean the ability to have a smaller or private tour, with the ability to customize it personally. We have frequently opted to pay more than the ship's tour cost, but for a more private and personalized experience.
 

You need to evaluate your personal risk tolerance regarding local tours. A select few may guarantee to get you back to the ship if they cause you to miss the sailing (as would the ship tour). Most are well aware of sailing constraints and will have you back in time for sailing (it tends to be fatal to their business to do otherwise). Ask the question of any potential provider - a reputable one will have no issue in responding to you. Again, a benefit of private tours is the ability to specify your wish to be back by a certain time, consistent with your own comfort level.

 

That said, stuff can happen. All the assurances in the world don't help if your transport breaks down 60 miles from the ship, an hour before all-aboard.

 

Our personal rule of thumb is that we will take a local tour if we can easily catch up with the ship the following day, should we miss it (think Messina to Naples in your case) AND if we are comfortable with our ability to navigate the local culture and language. If the ship is leaving for a multi-day  passage, or we are uncertain that we can arrange the necessary travel, we use the ship's offerings.

 

By using these guidelines, we have had great success with local tour providers over the years without any problems. The CC boards are full of good recommendations for specific tours and companies. Enjoy! 🍺🥌

Thank you. Yes, by “better” I meant that we don’t mind paying more if we can get more out of the tour. I appreciate the info and think your idea of “catch-up” is fabulous but not sure DH would survive my anxiety if that ever needed to happen! LOL!