Millenium tours (Med.)

[silver03]

My husband and I are about to book the Millienium for next May (from Barcelona) and I was wondering what everyone's opinions are on the Celebrity run excursions vs. private ones. More specifically, is one more affordable that the other, more organized, more comprehensive, etc. Also, if we wanted to book private tours, do we do this ahead of time, are just when we get to each port? Any insight would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!

Jane

[MSBYRDY]

We did this trip last May and researched quite a bit ahead of time and booked all private drivers. It was much more comprehensive than anything the cruiseline offered. Some were a bit more expensive, some were less expensive, but compared to what people saw who were on ships tours, we feel we did the right thing and would do it again that way. Go the the Ports of Call boards for Europe and you will be amazed at the information you will acquire.

 

If I can be of any assistance with the drivers we used, feel free to email me at: Msbyrdy@aol.com Just put Cruise Critic in the heading so I don't delete you.

 

It's a wonderful trip that you will just love.

Marilyn

[lisilver1]

:) :) My wife and I took the mill last July. This was our 6th cruise and we feel that this was the best. The tours were long but well worth the money. Rome was one of my favorite place as well as the Greek Island. Food was great.We met wounderful people from around the world. Have a gret time and bring LOTS of Euro's

[Host Anne]

We did this cruise a couple of summer's ago and like msbrydy, we researched and booked all of our tours on our own ahead of time. They are much more personal, cost far less and were all wonderful.

 

Here's a link to the review I wrote (we sailed on Golden Princess) of the cruise and the tours we took. Let me know if you have questions. http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=447

 

This is a fabulous cruise. ENJOY!

[JNLROSE]

We're actually booked on the 9/19 Millie & are thinking of canceling it due to the high cost of the Euro! All the trips that I have booked privately are going to cost us about $100+ more! It is getting a little steep for 4 people for $700 a day! I don't mind spending the money, but I expect a fair service in return! NOT a 30% on the dollar markup! :mad:

[Andym]

Jane,

We did the Millennium last August and did't take any private tours.

 

Barcelona is easy to do, there is so much to see in the city and all within easy walking distance. There is also a very good hop on hop off tourist bus for about 12 euros.

 

Villefranche sur Mer, we took the train to Monte Carlo and did the Casino, gardens and then up to Monaco to the palace, aquarium and the church. The train was only about 4 euros return. You can also get down into Nice on the train. The trains are very very easy and cheap and reliable.

 

In Florence we have taken the ships bus into Florence and looked around ourselves. If you want to do the Museums seriously you will need more time than the tours offer and you can pre book over the internet.

 

In Rome we took the ships bus and walked the sights ourselves. We saw as much if not morre than doing a private tour, and had no problem with lines gor either the Colloseum or St Peters. (I can give you info on how to avoid the lines if you want it)

 

Naples, we took the train to Pompeii and Sorento and had about 4 hours in Pompeii. Most tours will only give you a couple of hours. The train is cheap, about 8 euros and you can get a private guide in Pompeii for about 10 euros.

 

In Santorini we were dropped off right on the town and took the cable car to the top. You can get busses to other parts of the island if you so wish but there is plenty so see as it is.

 

Dubrovnik, again there is a bus to take you in and it is a city made for walking. The walls are a must

 

Venice, the ship provides a water shuttle and you can do everything on foot.

 

I do advise you to look at the Europe board and especially read info posted by BruinSteve.

 

By making your own way, you will see more than enough on your first trip, and it will save you an absolute fortune, what with the dollar/euro rate (and I think it will get a lot worse before it gets better)

 

Andy

[JNLROSE]

Andy, I would be VERY interested in more detailed info as to how you did the tours on your own. We're somewhat adventurous, but don't want to get lost, mugged, hurt, etc. One of our party is pretty scared to do too much on their own, so that was the reason we were trying the private tours. And, none of us has ever been to Europe before!

We were only using tours in Ville Franche, Florence, Rome, Naples & Athens.

 

 

Appreciate any info!

[Andym]

Rosie,

 

We have guests coming today, but I'll start mailing you info on the ports you have mentioned a bit later.

You'll just love Europe!

 

Andy

[JNLROSE]

Thanks Andy--take your time---I really appreciate it, DH wants to cancel the trip, but I am trying to avoid doing that!!!

[Host Anne]

Rosie ~ read my review listed above. I should have said we did a combination of touring "on our own" and using private guides. Barcelona, Florence and Venice was mostly on our own. Yell if you have questions. We in the same "boat" as you. Heading to Scandinavia this summer for a cruise. We'll be watching tour costs closely. I hope you will be able to swing the trip. It's wonderful. Don't forget your "negotiating" skills with private guides. They may be willing to take a few extra dollars instead of losing customers. You can't negotiate with the ship excursions.

 

Good luck!

[Tatka]

My husband and I are about to book the Millienium for next May (from Barcelona) and I was wondering what everyone's opinions are on the Celebrity run excursions vs. private ones. More specifically, is one more affordable that the other, more organized, more comprehensive, etc. Also, if we wanted to book private tours, do we do this ahead of time, are just when we get to each port? Any insight would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!

Jane

If you are planning to have private tours in May try to contact agencies now. Popular ones (like www.driverinrome.com) are booked well in advance. We for example have been invited by the group of 4 for tours in Rome and Florence (May 2004) , they've booked Daniel in November 2003!!!

 

Private tours are expensive. Florence/Pisa was $270 and Rome around $240 for 2 with Museums fare, but big plus was that we were in the small van thus were able to access places were cruise bus couldn't and we saw tired tired people who had to walk long distances. Plus tour guides usually know good, non-touristy and cheaper places to eat.

 

We had our tours between cruise line and private guide:

 

Had 4-5 hours ship tours in Monaco/MonteCarlo, Barcelona (with airport delivery) and Marseilles. Private guide for Pisa/Florence and Rome. In Maples we just sailed to Capri by ourself and sailed around the island (with small stop for Grotto Azures (sp?) ) and had excursion on double-decker in Naples.

 

Big risk when booking ship tours is that you don't know who will book this tour with you. Not all people read instruction how difficult will be walk. On our Monaco excursion we had 80 years old lady with the walker and we had to walk some distances with uneven surface. We had to wait for her everywhere. Thankfully we didn't have to walk a lot there. I don't know what

would've happened if she booked ship tour in Rome or Florence!

[Petoonya]

We did Millennium Med 5/03 and it was the trip of our lives. Did one ships tour and the rest by private driver/on our own and the difference was remarkable. (We'll never do a ships tour again- too many people late for the bus, having their own agendas etc.) We are doing the same itinerary on Oceania this year but doing all ports on our own this time...I would never have been willing to do it on our own the first time. Just too uncomfortable not knowing the lay of the land so to speak.

 

So much more in depth coverage of each destination- so much more time in each locale for a more reasonable price by private driver- and you can hook up with other passengers right here on CC. :)

[Bruin Steve]

We did the Millennium in August of 2003...and decided on going with the cruise lines' excursions in EVERY port...

 

 

Obviously, some were better than others...We compared notes extensively with people on "private tours" and with some "do-it-yourselfers"...

 

On other cruises, I have done a mixture of private tours and ships' tours...

There is NO hard-and-fast rule as to one method being better than all others in all cases. Some private tours don't match the ships tours for a variety of reasons...A lot of folks look down their nose at the ships' offerings, but I would guess some of these folks have never taken them...or have created a mindset that their way is the ONLY way...They are wrong...

 

There are good points and bad points to the ships' tours...and also to private tours...

 

A few notes, good and bad on both:

 

Ships' tours: Bad: Some (yes, I said some...again, there is no rule) tend to be on larger buses, so some time is devoted for waiting for the buses to load and unload at each stop. You have no control over where you go or for how long you stay at any stop. Some tours include worthless stops at commercial venues that are only slightly veiled sales opportunities. Good: You can depend on the tour...they're guaranteed to be there, guaranteed to get you back to the ship on time. The price is generally in US dollars, unaffected by Euro/Dollar fluctuations. All entrance fees and, usually, meals are included. Guides usually speak good English.

 

Private guides. Bad: Some can be flaky, maybe even not show up. In some places (ie. Italy), most "guides" are really licensed only as "drivers"--they cannot give an actual tour--only drive you to a site and drop you off. Usually hidden costs--admission fees, meals not included--often have to buy lunch for guide as well...Good: You can adapt the itinerary to your own wants and desires, can squeeze more into the day.

 

Non-ship tours: In many ports, you may be able to locate privately offered excursions--not private guides but group excursions offered by local tour agencies...Unless you are getting a hefty bargain off the ship's price and they come heavily recommended, I'd advise against this route...The tours are often similar to the ship's excursions...but the price difference is made up for in inconvenience...they'll usually pick up and drop off at their office in town whereas the sghip excursion includes transportation from the ship and back...Remember, in most Mediterranean ports, the port is actually quite a distance from the sights...

 

On your own: Bad: If you don't know the town well, you may get lost, spend a lot of time figuring out difficult logistics, in the end, not really see a lot. Good: Cheap. If you know the town and do a lot of research, it's an adventure.

 

As to "cost" between ships' tours and private tours, we have found that private tours usually cost more in the long run...UNLESS, you have a party of more than 4 and a driver with a van...For a party of two, that private tour is at a steep premium...You are paying for the guide and car, not by the person...One way to counter this is to pre-connect with tour partners over the net. One problem here is that you may find out, once on the cruise, that you are incompatable (I have heard horror stories)...or, your partners could flake out on you...Plus, those private tours, as mentioned above, seldom incklude extras such as admissions fees...

 

Another note: Certain Med ports CAN easily be done on one's own: Dubrovnik or Santorini, for example...Take the shuttle into town in Dubrovnik and wander on your own...In Santorini, rent a jeep...In others, a tour is pretty much indispensable...I highly recommend the ship's tours in Naples (If you want to visit BOTH Capri and Pompei, it's the only way to go) and Rome...Venice and Barcelona I'd do on my own (Buy the AAA Spiral Guides)...Nice is a good spot to hire a private guide...Athens might be, except the ship's tours are so reasonably priced there and the private guides all do the exact same tour the ship does at double the price...The ship tour we did in Tuscany was excellent, but I can see the advantage of a private guide there as well...a lot of far flung places worth seeing...and, if you want to go into Florence, the big buses can't get you too close to the center of town...

 

Another note in regard to ships' tours: Some folks love the camraderie and social aspects of seeing the ports with a group of shipmates...a lot of it depends on what you want out of your day in port...

 

Good luck...

[Bruin Steve]

My above post originally included a link to my review which contains some in-depth descriptions of the various shore excursions we took...Unfortuunately, the link provided was to a copy of that review posted on another site...I was unaware that this violated Cruise Critic Board rules...The link was deleted by Host Anne for this reason...

 

Below is a link to virtually the same review posted on THIS site at the same time I posted it on that other site...The reason I used the link to the other site is that it came out "clean", easy to read and without error...

 

Here on Cruise Critic, it is unfortunately printed with a good number of format errors...I apologize for this, but link it here anyway as it contains a good deal of practical information which might help you in understanding the various shore excursions...Again, I apologize for the formatting glitches...and, Host Anne, my apologies for having used the prior link...

 

Here is the link to the Cruise Critic Review page containing my Millennium review:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=1775

[CAPinBoynton]

When we cruised the Baltic, we used all ship tours. Then in '03 we used our first private guides and drivers on our Med cruise. We absolutely loved the private ones. The difference was amazing. Although we were not on Celebrity for the Mediterranean, the ports are the same and the guides and drivers are available to all cruise lines. During that cruise we used both guides and drivers, and it is important that the consumer know the difference. The guides are licensed to take you into the sites and explain in detail what you are seeing. The drivers can only take you to the site. However, I must say that the drivers we had were very well informed and told us everything we needed to know before we got to the site. Also, if you still want a guide, for example at Pompeii, the driver can arrange for one to meet you at that site. Just be sure you let him know ahead of time. If you want a detailed review of our trips, including contact information for the guides / drivers we used, go to www.thepreismans.com

 

By the way, speaking about "drivers", one of our favorite tours was in Naples. We had contracted a driver to take us along the Amalfi Coast. We told him that we wanted him to show us "his Italy". Boy, did he ever!! We went to places that were off the beaten path that had never seen a tour bus. It was a fantastic day as you will see from our review and pictures on our website.

 

Go, enjoy, but be sure you do your homework beforehand.

[Andym]

Rosie,

 

I just sent you an email and some photos on Villefranche. more to follow if you like what you see.

 

Andy