Day trips

[Irelandlady]

We are booked on our first cruise. Going on the 2nd September  2025 for 9 night to italy  and france.

I am looking  at the day trips and the price are really expensive most of the are working  out at about  250 dollers per person. 

Would anyone  recommend  a company  to book.with

I suppose my main worry is that we would get back late and miss the ship.

Or should we wait and see will.prices come down

I am sure I will be back with a lot more questions 

[upwarduk]

1 minute ago, Irelandlady said:

I am looking  at the day trips and the price are really expensive.

My advice is to book now if there is availability, as they do get sold out.

If there is a ‘Sale’ you can always go into your booking via Manage my Reservation, then History and cancel and rebook at the reduced price.

I’ve done it frequently.

[zeberdee]

We use Viator to book most of our day/half day trips.

We've been on 12 cruises (so far 😉) and have had no problems booking tours.

They have all been very accommodating when we've had changes of itinerary/docking time, a simple email has been enough to amend the booking.

[the penguins]

45 minutes ago, Irelandlady said:

We are booked on our first cruise. Going on the 2nd September  2025 for 9 night to italy  and france.

I am looking  at the day trips and the price are really expensive most of the are working  out at about  250 dollers per person. 

Would anyone  recommend  a company  to book.with

I suppose my main worry is that we would get back late and miss the ship.

Or should we wait and see will.prices come down

I am sure I will be back with a lot more questions 

best bet is to go to the Roll Call connected to your specific cruise where you will see if any of your fellow passengers are organising private tours which usually offer much better value.

Much is made of X's guarantee that you won't be left behind but in reality the offer is that if you do miss the ship X will get you to the next port and most other reputable operators offer the same.

Another alternative which is our preferred choice, is to book a private guide yourself and then get another couple to share the costs. Lots of companies offer this service and we tend to use Toursbylocals as you can tailor the tour to meet your exact requirements (we take out lunch and most shopping and add coffee/cake breaks. We look for a guide with a vehicle that holds 6 to 8 and then share with one other couple as we like the space.

[hcat]

57 minutes ago, upwarduk said:

My advice is to book now if there is availability, as they do get sold out.

If there is a ‘Sale’ you can always go into your booking via Manage my Reservation, then History and cancel and rebook at the reduced price.

I’ve done it frequently.

that's what we would do..

The ship's tours have always worked well for us..esp if the places visited  are distant from the pier.  Good equipment and guides.

[TMLAalum]

@Irelandlady

I head to the Ports of Call forum when looking for options for what to do in ports other than taking a ship's tour. Here is the link to the specific forum that covers your cruise area:

Mediterranean - Eastern & Western - Cruise Critic Community

Lately, roll calls have not been as active as pre-covid. However, another source of tips on what to do in ports would be Celebrity roll calls for the similar itinerary as yours. When we were looking into an Iceland/Greenland itinerary I found a wealth of links to private tours on the roll call for last year's cruise.

Although not cruise focused, Rick Steves' forums are another great resource: Italy - Rick Steves Travel Forum

Happy Planning!

[Essiesmom]

Rick Steves’ Mediterranean Cruise Ports is a good reference when planning excursions.  He tells you what there is to do in port, how much you can do in the time available, and how to do it on your own.   Very occasionally he will recommend doing a ships tour.  On his website there are free podcasts for some tours and sites, and free maps to print.  EM

[Rick&Jeannie]

3 hours ago, upwarduk said:

If there is a ‘Sale’ you can always go into your booking via Manage my Reservation, then History and cancel and rebook at the reduced price.

This is what we did for a recent itinerary where almost every excursion was marked *way* down. I saved several hundred dollars. Sadly however, we ended up having to cancel the whole cruise. (Israel/Egypt)

[Arizona Wildcat]

Haven't cruised your area in a while.  Suggest besides examining your Roll Call - post you are interested in private tours - do an internet search for Cruise Ship port tours.  Am going to Spain this fall and Spain Day tours has lots of offerings that are excellent as an example.

Last, want a company where you either pay when the tour begins or have a history of refunds if port stop is canceled AND more than 1.5hours from the port would probably opt for a ship's tour.

As one that organizes tours in the US - not for cruises- really simple that costs are up some 40% since 2020 and a booking company adds about 20-40%.

[Jim_Iain]

I often use Tours-by-Locals, Expedia under "Things to do" and Viatour.    Never had a problem getting back to the ship on time.   The tours know their reputation and survival depend on never missing a ship.    I also purposefully book tours with plenty of time to get back to the ship.

 

Another good source is to join your Roll Call.    Other guests setup private tours and seek others to fill the tour.

 

 

[Irelandlady]

Thanks for all your help will look at the suggestions. 

We are lookingbat doing 4 day trips and clebraity  are looking for 950 dollers per person  which is too much  for us to afford

[TMLAalum]

33 minutes ago, Irelandlady said:

Thanks for all your help will look at the suggestions. 

We are lookingbat doing 4 day trips and clebraity  are looking for 950 dollers per person  which is too much  for us to afford

It would help if you posted the ports you are interested in on the Cruise Critic forum I linked in my post #6 above. I am sure you will get specific answers as to how to DIY those ports for far less than $950 per person.

[Irelandlady]

Tml thanks for that will do that sorry just getting used off posting  here and noe yo gind things

Edited March 5 by Irelandlady

[Travelling2Some]

We have used Italytours.eu several times for shore excursions and were very happy with their service.  We only take the ship sponsored excursions if the destination is very far away or sometimes if an "on your own" (transportation only) is offered at a reasonable price.  The suggestion to join the Roll Call for your specific sailing is very good advice as people will likely be arranging small group tours. 

[Irelandlady]

Thanks for that  we have joined the roll call

[scrapcreator]

We used Italytours.eu and were very happy with our small group independent tours. 
 

Also, now that you’ve joined your roll call, check out the https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/472-mediterranean-eastern-western/ forum. Lots of great ideas here.

 

 

[suech1970]

Assuming your doing Equinox, if so most of your ports of call are pretty easy, with a bit of research, to do under your own steam. Unless your looking at doing very specific trips ie wine tasting etc.

You have a good length of time in every port so using the local trains or the tourist hop on/off buses would be a massive saving.

Having watched hundreds of ports of call videos on You Tube, I can’t tell you how helpful they are, feel like I’ve already been by the time I get there😆. There’s very little you can’t find on the Ports of Call, especially on the European destinations here on CC.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Check out this section on CC , 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/472-mediterranean-eastern-western/