Seabourn shore excursions?

[lisa6191]

We just booked a Greece/Turkey cruise for this fall and between the promotional OBC, OBC from our travel agent and OBC from a referral, we will end up with close to $2000 in OBC. The only way I can see to use anything close to that amount is through shore excursions (I realize there are other things but I don't think they will make a dent). I am usually a DIY person and we don't love big bus tours, so I was really not planning on doing ship excursions. How are the Seabourn excursions? I assume they vary, is there a way to tell which are smaller? The info on the site doesn't give a number of guests for each tour. I want to use the OBC, but I also don't want to spend all our time driving around in a big bus with tons of people! Or am I missing another way to use that amount of OBC?

 

Any help appreciated!

[DC Traveler244]

In my experience experience, the excursions that Seabourn offers are large groups on buses. If you don’t like tour buses (I don’t either), you can use the credits for spa services, premium wine, and shopping. With determination, you definitely can make a dent in that OBC!

 

Edited April 5, 2023 by DC Traveler244
Thpo

[Vineyard View]

We are the same - first time Seabourn and generally DIY on shore. We don’t have that volume of OBC that you have, but I did call Seabourn about a couple water excursions. I wanted to know how large the boats were on a couple. It  was helpful.  You may find that there may be a few that are not busses. We have always avoided busses whenever practical to do so. 
 

If spa services that doesn’t work, spa services look to quickly put a dent in your ONC is bottles of wine are not an option. Or both. As DC Traveler suggested 

[lisa6191]

Calling is a good idea. I'll do that tomorrow.

[lincslady]

Do they still offer half or full day excursions in a chauffeured car?  I think it could be for two or four people, and obviously you chose where you wanted to go.  It was fairly pricey, but would make a big dent in your OBC and could be very enjoyable in the right port.

[Dunnedg]

Don't tend to do many ship organised trips. Did do some in Russia and Vietnam because it wasn’t so easy to travel solo. Have to say that whilst they were a bit over priced, in the main they were good. Large coaches but only half full so not overloaded and great guides.

Never pay for a trip to a beach!

[highplanesdrifters]

For our upcoming Greece/Turkey we booked numerous private car excursions through Seabourn. Both half day and full day.  We hate busses, and normally DIY. Given traffic issues in some of the places we are visiting it is reassuring to have a Seabourn booked trip. The ship will wait for us if there is a problem. We also found the private trips in Turkey quite reasonable.  

Edited April 5, 2023 by highplanesdrifters

[lisa6191]

I just called and honestly they were not very helpful. This is the first direct contact I have had with Seabourn and it wasn't the most encouraging experience, unfortunately. The guy said that there is no way to know the maximum capacity for any tour (which seems like it can't be true, otherwise how do they decide when it's full?), and that there are no tours he can recommend as being smaller. He really did not seem that interested in helping me. I may just pick a couple of days and do private car excursions, which will use up the OBC nicely. @highplanesdrifters when you book a private car, do you tell them what you want to do, or let them suggest an itinerary, or both? Have you been happy with the quality of the guides?

[CLOU]

You might or might not have quite as much credit as you listed. Last time I had what I thought was both a promotional credit from Seabourn and a referral credit I found out they were not combinable. I only got the higher amount of the two 

[lisa6191]

Ugh. How would I find that out?

[Vineyard View]

2 hours ago, lisa6191 said:

I just called and honestly they were not very helpful. This is the first direct contact I have had with Seabourn and it wasn't the most encouraging experience, unfortunately. The guy said that there is no way to know the maximum capacity for any tour (which seems like it can't be true, otherwise how do they decide when it's full?), and that there are no tours he can recommend as being smaller. He really did not seem that interested in helping me. I may just pick a couple of days and do private car excursions, which will use up the OBC nicely. @highplanesdrifters when you book a private car, do you tell them what you want to do, or let them suggest an itinerary, or both? Have you been happy with the quality of the guides?

I am sorry that wasn’t a helpful call. Maybe because I was specifically asking how many people on a boat excursion it was a different ability to answer. 
I am guessing though that since I believe every cruise line uses the same tour busses, you can assume they will fill it if able to?  Also depends on itinerary. For instance, on some islands or very small locations, a smaller vehicle/bus are used than a full size bus. 
The only time we experienced ‘private cruise line’ busses was Viking Rivers. That is not the case with their oceans. There may be more that I am not aware of. 

[highplanesdrifters]

18 hours ago, lisa6191 said:

I just called and honestly they were not very helpful. This is the first direct contact I have had with Seabourn and it wasn't the most encouraging experience, unfortunately. The guy said that there is no way to know the maximum capacity for any tour (which seems like it can't be true, otherwise how do they decide when it's full?), and that there are no tours he can recommend as being smaller. He really did not seem that interested in helping me. I may just pick a couple of days and do private car excursions, which will use up the OBC nicely. @highplanesdrifters when you book a private car, do you tell them what you want to do, or let them suggest an itinerary, or both? Have you been happy with the quality of the guides?

Sorry the Seabourn agent was not helpful. It's the luck of the draw. They have so many newbies.  In a very slight defense it is a challenge for land staff to have a handle on each excursion on every ship these days. The variables are high. Bus size and availability are quite the challenge in many ports. As booked numbers grow Seabourn might try to add another bus. 

 

On to helping you have a great experience! Yes they guides will generally do what you would like and customize a tour for you.  Once on board go to excursion guest services and have a discussion about what you would like to do.  We have never regretted spending money on private tours.

 

I've done a bit of research on our upcoming trip.  If our ports overlap, happy to share information.  Just send details on which ports you have questions about. 

 

[CLOU]

If you have a travel agent you could ask them to find out which credits are combinable.  If not you contacting Seabourn directly to ask, but considering the experience you just had, there are no guaranties on the accuracy of any response.  You can definitely ask at Seabourn Square after you board.

[lisa6191]

11 minutes ago, CLOU said:

If you have a travel agent you could ask them to find out which credits are combinable.  If not you contacting Seabourn directly to ask, but considering the experience you just had, there are no guaranties on the accuracy of any response.  You can definitely ask at Seabourn Square after you board.

I did reach out to my travel agent and you are correct, not everything is combinable. It looks like we will still end up with $1600 OBC, we just won't be able to use the referral credit. But I appreciate the heads up, thanks!

[lisa6191]

2 hours ago, highplanesdrifters said:

Sorry the Seabourn agent was not helpful. It's the luck of the draw. They have so many newbies.  In a very slight defense it is a challenge for land staff to have a handle on each excursion on every ship these days. The variables are high. Bus size and availability are quite the challenge in many ports. As booked numbers grow Seabourn might try to add another bus. 

 

On to helping you have a great experience! Yes they guides will generally do what you would like and customize a tour for you.  Once on board go to excursion guest services and have a discussion about what you would like to do.  We have never regretted spending money on private tours.

 

I've done a bit of research on our upcoming trip.  If our ports overlap, happy to share information.  Just send details on which ports you have questions about. 

 

Thank you! I am really not 100% sure of any of the ports, to be honest. Our ports are Skiathos, Kavala, Istanbul overnight, Izmir, Kusadasi, Mykonos and Milos. I was considering using a private car in Kusadasi for Ephesus, although I have found other private tours of Ephesus that cost less than the private car with Seabourn. The only other choices for private car are Istanbul and Izmir (the private car in Mykonos is astronomically expensive and I'm sure unnecessary).

 

Any feedback or info is always appreciated! 

[CLOU]

Also, the OBC from travel agent may be refundable to you so if you don't spend it you get a credit on your credit card statement.  The promotional credit will not be refundable, and in our experience, OBCs from travel consortiums that the agents belong to have not been refundable, but credits from the travel agent themselves have been refundable if they are not spent.  When you get on board, before making any final decisions about how to spend your credits, you can check with Seabourn Square to see if any of the credits are refundable.  Of course, if there are things you would enjoy by using the credits, such as excursions, spa treatments, reserve wine or gift shop purchases, you might end up enjoying the use of the money that way, as I often do, rather than just looking for credit on my charge card.

[Vineyard View]

10 hours ago, lisa6191 said:

Thank you! I am really not 100% sure of any of the ports, to be honest. Our ports are Skiathos, Kavala, Istanbul overnight, Izmir, Kusadasi, Mykonos and Milos. I was considering using a private car in Kusadasi for Ephesus, although I have found other private tours of Ephesus that cost less than the private car with Seabourn. The only other choices for private car are Istanbul and Izmir (the private car in Mykonos is astronomically expensive and I'm sure unnecessary).

 

Any feedback or info is always appreciated! 

Several years back we used private tours in Istanbul, Ephesus and Kusadasi. All three  were so incredible that I would not have wanted to do it differently. That said I do not know what is available post C, but they sure were great options then. I found them on ports of call CC. I under that a lot of extremely talented and well educated tour guides in so many ports have had to find a different way to make a living. 
 

Mykonos - we had a fantastic day DIY on that same trip

[highplanesdrifters]

19 hours ago, lisa6191 said:

Thank you! I am really not 100% sure of any of the ports, to be honest. Our ports are Skiathos, Kavala, Istanbul overnight, Izmir, Kusadasi, Mykonos and Milos. I was considering using a private car in Kusadasi for Ephesus, although I have found other private tours of Ephesus that cost less than the private car with Seabourn. The only other choices for private car are Istanbul and Izmir (the private car in Mykonos is astronomically expensive and I'm sure unnecessary).

 

Any feedback or info is always appreciated! 

We booked a private car through Seabourn for Istanbul and Ephesus.  Istanbul I'm not taking any chances due to traffic.  Ephesus you should be fine with another vendor assuming the ship will be in port late because of the 'evening event at Ephesus'.   Felt the same way about the other ports we are going to. A wander on our own looks more appealing.

[lisa6191]

17 minutes ago, highplanesdrifters said:

We booked a private car through Seabourn for Istanbul and Ephesus.  Istanbul I'm not taking any chances due to traffic.  Ephesus you should be fine with another vendor assuming the ship will be in port late because of the 'evening event at Ephesus'.   Felt the same way about the other ports we are going to. A wander on our own looks more appealing.

What are you planning for Istanbul? We don't just want to run around looking at mosques so I am trying to find more unusual activities. Still deciding whether we are brave enough to try a traditional hamam. I'm not that worried about getting back to the ship - we are in port from 12 pm one day until 11 pm on the next day. The Dolmabahce palace and tea Seabourn excursion looks kind of interesting, and maybe the Bosphorus cruise (which I definitely want to do, just not sure if I want or need to do it with Seabourn). I definitely want to get to the Asian side at some point, looking at a food tour for that.

 

I'm still not sure about Kavala and Izmir. I can't find much info at all about Kavala, and Izmir seems like it's mainly for Ephesus, which we will do from Kusadasi. Skiathos and Mykonos we will most likely do on our own, and Milos I have booked the Seabourn geological excursion which says very limited participation so should be small.

[PaulMCO]

If you have Seabourn source on your phone you can see in advance how much OBC you have.

As noted generally OBC from your TA (not the TA group promotional) is refundable and will be returned to the credit card on file.

 

Istanbul -- recommend the Bosporus cruise.   The Souck/Grand Bazaar for the shopping and the experience.  Also a tour of the Cisterns.  You could try to book a tours by local guide for the day -- the guides in Turkey are quite reasonable.

 

We arrive in Istanbul  in 3 weeks (27th for the 30th April cruise).

[DTtravelers]

13 hours ago, highplanesdrifters said:

We booked a private car through Seabourn for Istanbul and Ephesus.  Istanbul I'm not taking any chances due to traffic.  Ephesus you should be fine with another vendor assuming the ship will be in port late because of the 'evening event at Ephesus'.   Felt the same way about the other ports we are going to. A wander on our own looks more appealing.

We also are more DIY/small group folks.  I started a Roll Call, Seabourn Encore Oct 22-Nov 19, 2023: Mediterranean & Greek Isles Collection, a long time ago, if anyone wants to jump in and organize or join such excursions.

 

I'm working on something for Corfu...  but my contacts tell me that the providers are not yet geared up for the 2023 season.

[Techno123]

😁

Edited April 8, 2023 by Techno123

[Techno123]

7 hours ago, DTtravelers said:

 

I'm working on something for Corfu...  

We did shopping with the Chef in Corfu - don't know if that will be offered on your cruise but was great fun and even better we got to eat what was purchased the following day 😁 

Edited April 8, 2023 by Techno123

[highplanesdrifters]

On 4/7/2023 at 8:50 AM, lisa6191 said:

What are you planning for Istanbul? We don't just want to run around looking at mosques so I am trying to find more unusual activities. Still deciding whether we are brave enough to try a traditional hamam. I'm not that worried about getting back to the ship - we are in port from 12 pm one day until 11 pm on the next day. The Dolmabahce palace and tea Seabourn excursion looks kind of interesting, and maybe the Bosphorus cruise (which I definitely want to do, just not sure if I want or need to do it with Seabourn). I definitely want to get to the Asian side at some point, looking at a food tour for that.

 

I'm still not sure about Kavala and Izmir. I can't find much info at all about Kavala, and Izmir seems like it's mainly for Ephesus, which we will do from Kusadasi. Skiathos and Mykonos we will most likely do on our own, and Milos I have booked the Seabourn geological excursion which says very limited participation so should be small.

So sorry I can't chime in yet for particular interest in Istanbul.  Your suggestions look marvelous. We only have one day there, otherwise I would get an independent car and guide.   We leave in two weeks for a six week trip on SS Explorer,  Fiji to Broome and just putting finishing touches on that. Will wrap my head around the minutiae of Istanbul when we return and keep you posted.  Ephesus, that's easy.  We will just get recommendations from our guide on  which sites we will have access to, and how many are reasonable to accomplish. So often things I want to see are closed for maintenance or staffing issues so we stay flexible now. 😃

 

As for the other ports, our itineraries do not overlap that much.  But in general for the less than dynamic ports I'm calling them land 'sea days'.  We have a 21 day trip with no real sea days. We will just see which way the wind takes us and get recommendations on board. Agree on Mykonos, very expensive. Will just explore on our own. Not going to Milos but wish we were. The geological tour sounds great.

[Sunviking]

Last year before I cruised on the Encore from Istanbul I spent a couple of days there. I did a Bosphorus cruise which was very interesting and which I just booked on my own.  I also used a driver and guide arranged through a company called Sea Song. Their website is at seasong.com.  My guide was excellent and I would highly recommend his services.  That company also does shore excursions from other ports in Turkey.