Celebrity shore excursions vs. private guide

[mattmike6972]

We are sailing on the Millie from Barcelona to Venice in June. What is your experience in using the Celebrity shore excursions vs. hiring a private tour guide. Can you recommend any and can the same company be used in Florence, Venice, and Rome?

[mathewsman]

We did this cruise last May and it was great.The ship is really nice. We did tours from the ship just because we were in Europe and did not want to miss the ship. A lot of people do private tours however. The tours we went on were really good. We did not go to Florence and Rome because we had been before. I heard was extremely crowded. When we went to Russia on another cruise,there was a couple who took a private tour and got back about two minutes before the ship left. They were still shaken up when I spoke with them that night. This year we are going to Alaska and I have booked three private tours. Hope this helps some.

[Flick]

After 26 cruises somewhere around the world I always advocate that first-timers to a destination go with the ship tour. Once you have been someplace, understand the local customs, etc. and feel comfortable at the destination then you can use private tours. Remember the ship will leave you if they don't know where you are. That charming 50 mile trip to visit Mama and Poppa can cause you to miss the boat besides using up valuable shore time being shown off to the neighbors.

[CelticEyes]

If you book private excursions make sure that they have a refund policy if you miss them due to late dockings and or skipped ports.

 

Happy Cruising

[the2006Junket]

MattMike,

 

We did the same itinerary last Aug on the Millie --- fabulous time! We did private tours in Athens, Naples, Rome, Barcelona and Livorno and never once had any issue with getting to the ship on time (remember that these drivers want your generous tips and do NOT want to deal with irate customers). We found the private tours to be the way to go for us (we were a group of 21 traveling families) so we arranged for van service in these ports. We loved being able to pick where we wanted to go and having the flexibility to stop when we wanted or linger when we wanted. We also were ahead of the busloads from the ships at many sites (Acropolis, Vatican, Uffizi, etc etc) and therefore got in and out before the throngs of slow moving ship people showed up : ) You do want to do some research on what you want to see in a port, although the drivers will just take you where most people want to go if you don't have any ideas. Plus, we saved alot of $$ compared to the per person costs of Celebrity's excursions.

 

For private tour recos, browse the European boards or even look at roll calls for similar cruises from last summer and you'll get more names than you can use. We contracted one guy (and his associates) for Naples, Rome and Livorno and negotiated a better rate per port. Venice, IMO, can be done easily independently, though you may want to reserve tickets in advance to tour the cathedral and for a Secret Itineraries tour of the Doges' Palace...all easily done on-line.

 

Happy planning,

 

Lynne

[naples queen]

We were on the same cruise last August as the previous poster. I must say I wholeheartedly agree with all she has said. We found private tours were definitely the way to go for us. All of the points she made are so true. The time and $$ saved was great as was the fact that we got to see and do much more than the ship's tour did. All of the guides that we had were great. Going this route eliminates long lines and can be customized so that you get to see the things that you personally wish to see. There are some destinations that you don't need to think about a private tour ie. Croatia ( use the $10 ship's transportation ), Venice ( use the ship's water taxi to take you to St Mark's square), and Santorini. These ports can be done on your own with a little research. Use the Europe Boards and the roll call for your cruise and you will find many of the best guides recommended. Don't wait too long to book them if this is the way you decide to go, as the good guides book up well in advance.