Independent excursions

[LHT28]

On 7/4/2023 at 11:25 AM, KameaB said:

Its frustrating... Princess ship holds 3,500. The best excursions go fast. How many are actually offered? Not enough, booking on you own thru Viator, Tripadvisor, Get your guide, takes hours and days of research. To coordinate the ships time in port, where the tour starts and how to get there and back in enough time has been a major pain for us the last few months when almost all excursions were not avsailable. 

Maybe cruising is not the best way for you to explore the world

 Think about flying to  the Country &  having   a base  city  then tour from there

 

[Hlitner]

The thread makes me smile.  We just booked (on Tuesday) a 32 day cruise (from Lisbon to Montreal) that has 25 ports (counting both the embarkation and debarkation cities)  We booked this cruise only 3 weeks prior to embarkation and have absolutely no concern about any of those 25 ports, many of which we will visit for the first time.  We might consider booking 1 cruise ship excursion, but otherwise will simply deal with things DIY as has been our practice for about 50 years :).

 

We will get around to looking at some of these ports (many are quite unusual) a few days before we get to those places, and will likely come up with some kind of DIY plan.  Then again, we have been known to simply walk off a ship in a strange place and play it by ear.  Our cruise line is a luxury line and if we were to book their excursions in each port it would likely cost us over $10,000 (just for excursions).  Using our usual DIY practice (taking advantage of walking, public transit, trains, and perhaps a rental car) our cost will likely be less than $2000 (much of that for lunches off the ship).  

 

Over decades of extensive cruising we have found that some folks always need the assurance of cruise ship excursions, some folks go through a lot of work arranging private tours in many ports (we do this in a few ports) and there are plenty of others who simply deal with each port as it comes.  In fact, many times we will alter our plans at the last minute because of weather.  So an unexpected hot day might have us find a way to get to a beach.  A rainy day might cause us to spend more time in museums.  If we are hungry and read about a decent restaurant, we might spend a few hours with a long lunch.  And there are some ports (especially in the Caribbean) where we do not even bother getting off the ship!

 

It all comes down to different strokes for different folks and one's level of confidence in doing their own thing and having a spirit of adventure.

 

Hank

[clackey]

The only time that we book through the cruiseline is when we want a tour that is a long distance from the ship or go to a port that is not one of our favorites.  I won't mention names, but the initials are Jamaica.

[lynncarol]

If booking a private tour, I will never again use Viator.  Once, on our own in Italy, I booked a private tour of the Ravenna mosaics through Viator by mistake.  I later learned from the Vendor himself that the tour would be in Italian and since I was well before the 48 hour deadline, I cancelled.  The vendor then told me it had been booked through Viator and they would be refunding the money.  Hah!  I eventually disputed it with my credit card and Viator responded by sending my card company a 7 page statement of why it was my fault, not theirs. Obviously a pre-printed ready-made excuse which caused my appeal to the credit card to be denied. Avoid Viator!

[57redbird]

We prefer private tours over ship ones for a couple of reasons - cost being one of them. Another is when you're on a Greyhound size bus, there always seems to be a few slowpokes or last minute shoppers so the majority of people are already on the bus waiting for the stragglers & it seems like it's the same folks at every stop....+ factor in the illness issue---don't really want to be sitting near someone who's coughing for practically the whole tour....I know it could be something not contagious (like the emphysema I have - but don't cough) but I really don't want to get sick.

[cruisemom42]

I do not recommend using Viators due to several bad (and several more indifferent) experiences with them. It is MUCH BETTER to deal directly with the tour provider, as several of the issues I encountered were the effect of dealing with a middle-man rather than directly with the provider.

 

Right now, especially in some areas, there is still a shortage of qualified guides for English-speaking tours. This is due to Covid; many experienced guides (possibly also others such as drivers) had to find new employment. On my Japan cruise in April, English-speaking guides were in high demand. Many fellow passengers who'd booked private tours had their tours canceled at fairly short notice (e.g., onboard ship) and were very disappointed. The cruise line also did not offer as many tour options as they have in the past.

 

Where good, qualified tours ARE available, they are often very expensive:  I just finished booking a private tour for a day when I'll be in Gythion, Greece. A private driver plus a guide for the 6-hour tour would have been $900!  (Shared among only 3-4 people as it was for a sedan, not a van or bus.) I found out after additional conversation that it was the guide driving up the price so much due to limited availability. I opted to book just the driver for $300; I can provide my own research for this particular port which I already know quite a bit about. (Tour goes to Sparta and Mystras.)

 

As I said in my earlier post, I try to do things on my own. It can indeed require a fair amount of research to determine whether the guide actually has (and can impart) the kind of knowledge I expect, rather than working from a canned script. Also whether they will abide by requests such as not stopping for any mandatory "shopping" experiences....

 

Good luck with your planning. 

[Mum2Mercury]

On 7/6/2023 at 9:56 AM, edinburgher said:

You are creating a research and logistical nightmare for yourselves by "trying to fit a square peg into a round hole" !

When you sit down to research for your upcoming trip, don't just google "What should I do in Cozumel?"  Instead, google "Cruise shore excursions in Cozumel".  You'll find plenty of things that will fit into a cruise ship day.  

On 7/6/2023 at 7:25 PM, KameaB said:

Researching tours on the net for approx 10 ports does take up much time, especiallly if you are thorough. Much easier to book a small group then it is booking 2 people. Just a much different experience than the last Grand European and Homeland cruises on Viking.

Ten ports is going to take some time to plan -- but how exciting!  If you find ten ports "too much", attack them one day at a time.  Sit down to research ONLY port #1.  Put all your effort today into that port.  Make a list of the things that interest you.  The next day, work on port #2, etc.  

 

I've never found it hard to book for two people /don't understand that.  

On 7/7/2023 at 10:59 AM, KameaB said:

Yes, we are planning a few ports just going ashore but, there is so much to see it is hard to make a choice 😊

Choices are fun!  Don't let Fear of Missing Out get into your mind.  Pick one thing and do it, knowing you'll probably be back again.  

[Szt]

I totally agree with post saying you can go back again. It's better to fully enjoy one thing than stress trying to do it all. Also, there can be overlapping activities from port to port. You can swim with the dolphins at one port and go snorkeling at another. 
There was one port in Mexico, Cozumel or Cancun, that had swimming with the manatees. That was awesome! It also included entrance to this beach park that had awesome snorkeling and some beautiful strolls through the jungle. We heard about this area researching tours. We went directly to their website and booked through the park itself. Turned out WAY cheaper and more fun to be on our own schedule. 
I also recommend on any travel, leave space in your planning for the unexpected. Some of the most wonderful experiences I have had were sights or activities about which I had no idea until I was there. 
Lastly, have fun with the planning. Thinking about your trip can be one of the best parts of travel!

[Charles4515]

7 minutes ago, Szt said:

There was one port in Mexico, Cozumel or Cancun, that had swimming with the manatees. That was awesome! It also included entrance to this beach park that had awesome snorkeling and some beautiful strolls through the jungle. We heard about this area researching tours. We went directly to their website and booked through the park itself. Turned out WAY cheaper and more fun to be on our own schedule

That is Chankanaab Park in Cozumel. 

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, Szt said:

I totally agree with post saying you can go back again. It's better to fully enjoy one thing than stress trying to do it all. Also, there can be overlapping activities from port to port. You can swim with the dolphins at one port and go snorkeling at another. 
There was one port in Mexico, Cozumel or Cancun, that had swimming with the manatees. That was awesome! It also included entrance to this beach park that had awesome snorkeling and some beautiful strolls through the jungle. We heard about this area researching tours. We went directly to their website and booked through the park itself. Turned out WAY cheaper and more fun to be on our own schedule. 
I also recommend on any travel, leave space in your planning for the unexpected. Some of the most wonderful experiences I have had were sights or activities about which I had no idea until I was there. 
Lastly, have fun with the planning. Thinking about your trip can be one of the best parts of travel!

the unexpected---we once go lost in Santorini. We stumbled upon a museum in a cave. We took the tour in English for us and Greek for the other couple there. Afterwards, we showed the guide out map from HAL, and asked where we were on the map. He said we were off the map, and asked if we had a car. When we did not, he tried unsuccessfully to get us a cab. When that did not work, he show us  shortcut back to the area in the map.

 

You never know what you will stumble across no matter how much planning you do.

[cruisemom42]

On 7/10/2023 at 11:44 PM, Mum2Mercury said:

Choices are fun!  Don't let Fear of Missing Out get into your mind.  Pick one thing and do it, knowing you'll probably be back again.  

 

3 hours ago, Szt said:

I totally agree with post saying you can go back again. It's better to fully enjoy one thing than stress trying to do it all. Also, there can be overlapping activities from port to port. You can swim with the dolphins at one port and go snorkeling at another. 
 

 

It would appear you are both falling into the trap of thinking all cruises are to the Caribbean. But sometimes one won't necessarily be going back again, or at the least not for a while. I think the OP's cruise is to the British Isles, for example....

 

Some cruise ports I've visited in the past are not visitable now -- for instance, St. Petersburg, Russia; ports in Ukraine. Others were not considered safe for tourism during the Arab Spring and following years (Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt).

 

Less than 15 years ago, I took a cruise that visited two ports in Syria. When will that ever happen again?  One of the places I visited, Palmyra, has been completely destroyed by ISIS, and Aleppo is in ruins.

 

[ontheweb]

12 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

 

It would appear you are both falling into the trap of thinking all cruises are to the Caribbean. But sometimes one won't necessarily be going back again, or at the least not for a while. I think the OP's cruise is to the British Isles, for example....

 

Some cruise ports I've visited in the past are not visitable now -- for instance, St. Petersburg, Russia; ports in Ukraine. Others were not considered safe for tourism during the Arab Spring and following years (Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt).

 

Less than 15 years ago, I took a cruise that visited two ports in Syria. When will that ever happen again?  One of the places I visited, Palmyra, has been completely destroyed by ISIS, and Aleppo is in ruins.

 

Reading your last 2 paragraphs makes one sad. Not your fault of course, but the reality of it.

[AKJonesy]

I admit I have not read all of the posts.  So, sorry if my suggestion has already been mentioned.  Have you joined your Roll Call for your voyage?  I have a 31 day voyage in November and there are already 3 private excursions planned with fellow passenger in groups of 8.  Someone normally takes the lead on organizing then provides all of the information on the roll call.  It's nice when someone else has a lot of experience doing this and/or has taken the time to do the research.  I know when I have taken the lead on excursions I look for strong reviews from other cruise passengers.  In my near 200 cruise days, I think I've only joined a cruise ship excursion 2-3 times.