Question - NCL Med. Excursions Vs. Independent Tours?

[thelonious85]

We're 2 newbies sailing on our first cruise in the Western Mediterranean in less than a month and would very much appreciate any advice you could give on excursions.

 

We've done lots of research and it seems like most posters on here say that booking independent tours are cheaper and better. Obviously it would be nice to have a private guide/driver, but we don't see how these tours are cheaper. (At least for our itinerary - NCL Jewel 8/5/07 Barcelona round-trip.)

 

For example, a driving tour of the Amalfi coast and Pompeii is about $320 for 2 of us, while booking a private sedan driver would be about 500 euros = $675.

 

Am I missing something here? Any suggestions?

 

As of now, we're just paying for the ship's "Rome on Your Own" and "Florence On Your Own" package - a bus that just gets you into town and back. We're not sure about what to do in Messina/Taormina, Naples, and Villefance.

 

Any insight would be very mucho appreciated! Thanks!

[davejohn]

We booked private tours for both Rome and Naples. The cost was high compared to the ship's excursions. But then I went to the Roll Call forum for our cruise and asked if anyone wanted to share a tour. We now have 7 people on the Rome tour and 5 on the Naples tour. The price went up slightly (about €50) to move up to a minivan, but the cost per person is now less than the ship's tours. The tour companies charge per vehicle, not per person. We still have all the benefits of a private tour.

 

Go to the Roll Call for your cruise and see if anyone is looking to share a tour. If not, you can start your own thread and see if you get any takers.

 

Dave

[jefarl]

We're 2 newbies sailing on our first cruise in the Western Mediterranean in less than a month and would very much appreciate any advice you could give on excursions.

 

We've done lots of research and it seems like most posters on here say that booking independent tours are cheaper and better. Obviously it would be nice to have a private guide/driver, but we don't see how these tours are cheaper. (At least for our itinerary - NCL Jewel 8/5/07 Barcelona round-trip.)

 

For example, a driving tour of the Amalfi coast and Pompeii is about $320 for 2 of us, while booking a private sedan driver would be about 500 euros = $675.

 

Am I missing something here? Any suggestions?

 

As of now, we're just paying for the ship's "Rome on Your Own" and "Florence On Your Own" package - a bus that just gets you into town and back. We're not sure about what to do in Messina/Taormina, Naples, and Villefance.

 

Any insight would be very mucho appreciated! Thanks!

 

 

Definately check the "Roll-Call" for your ship.

You may find others who have room for you to join theri private tours or at least meet new people to travel with...

[Hlitner]

I will answer your inquiry with my usual bias towards doing things on our own (not for everyone). Rome is a sprawling city that is more than an hour from the port. Although I do not generally like tours, if its your first visit to Rome than a tour is a good idea. The full-day cruise line tour or a full-day private tour is going to be worth the money, expecially if they can get you into the Vatican without waiting in the long lines (many tours can bypass the lines). The Florence on your own package is fine, but if you are on a budget you could take the train and save over about $50 per person (you still need a taxi from the pier to the train station in Livorno). From Messina you want to go to Taormina, and since you are not seasoned European travelers I would recommend you simply use the bus tour (you only need transportation) and than Taormina is easy to do on your own (you can walk everywhere). Both Naples and Villefranche each have many many options, both for tours or on your own. Doing a search on this board will show you just about every option. Once you know what you want to see and do there are quite a few here who can help with the details.

 

Hank

[thelonious85]

Thanks for all your replies! We have checked the roll call and even though our cruise is only 3 weeks away, not many have joined. I did post some excursion questions, but not much response yet.

 

I've been to Rome and Florence before and after more research, I think we'll do the Rome and Florence tours on our own and just do our own preliminary planning. We're honeymooners and don't necessarily want to do all tours with 50+ people.

 

As far as Naples goes, we'd like to see the Amalfi coast and Capri and are only slightly interested in doing Pompeii...I've been there before and thought Herculaneum was more interesting. Anyway, is there a way to see Sorrento, Amalfi, Ravello, Positano on one's own or should we go with the NCL tour?

 

I keep thinking we could take a boat to Sorrento and then cab it from town to town during the day so we could stop at lunch/browse for how long we want.

 

If anyone has any more thoughts, that'd be great! Thanks so much for all the wealth of info on CC!!!! :):)

[Keith1010]

I just wanted to note that in many cased the private tours are more costly than the tours with the ship. Many people want to do private tours so that it is just them on the tour and so they can customize what they will see and not waste time seeing things that don't interest them plus the focus they get from the tour guide. You have far less distractions on a private tour and do not waste valuable time with the loading and unloading of the buses.

 

At the same time there are benefits from the ship tours from the fact that the ship uses only tour guides that meet their standards. In addition, if the tour gets back to the ship late the ship will not leave and should you be upset with your tour and not think it delivered on what was promised many times you can discuss your point and something will be done. And finally, with some tours (I know just some) if you book it on your own you will not be able to get your money back whereas with the ship tours you can get your money back if you cancel by a certain time. Also, with the ship tours it provides and opportunity to meet other people from the cruise.

 

I am not saying which is better because to me this varies by preference and by port of call. Just saying there are different pluses with each.

 

You can easily do Capri on your own without any type of tour and easily reach it by Naples. You can make it a fun day and have lunch there.

 

So, I would just do this on your own. If instead you decide to do the Almafi Coast you need some type of tour; either private or group.

 

Keith

[Hlitner]

I have a few thoughts (so what else is new) about the Amalfi Coast. Regarding private tours vs cruise line tours, if you want a tour than I would pay the extra money for a decent private tour. Why? The cruise lines do it in a large bus, rush you through places where you might want to spend some real time (such as Positano), etc. As to doing the Amalfi Coast "on your own" there are two ways this can be done. You could simply rent a car and drive yourself (we have spent quite a few days staying and driving on the Amalfi Coast) which is fine for those who like driving in Italy. Of course parking can be a challenge although there are a few parking garages in Positano (expensive) and a large pay parking lot in Amalfi right on the water. We have also never had a problem finding a parking space up in Ravello. The other way is to take the train (or boat) to Sorrento and get on the SITA bus that runs from Sorrento to Amalfi. The only problem with the SITA bus is that its very popular in the summer and can be very crowded (sometimes to a point where there is no more room) and the bus only runs about every 45 min to an hour. Using boats along the coast do not work well for most cruise passengers as they just do not run them often enough to fit most schedules. There is a jetboat that goes from Sorrento to Positano and Amalfi, but they used to only run a few times per day. And, from a boat you do not get to experience the views of the famous Amalfi Drive. If you can find a ferry schedule that works, you might want to use the bus to get to Amalfi and than use the SITA bus to get back to Sorrento (or vice versa). Once you are in Amalfi you can take a local bus (or taxi) up to Ravello.

 

Hank

[CEV426]

Thanks for all your replies! We have checked the roll call and even though our cruise is only 3 weeks away, not many have joined. I did post some excursion questions, but not much response yet.

 

I

 

If there are no takers on your roll call board, try emailing a tour guide that piques your interest. Ask them if they have another small group booked for the same day and ask if you may join an already formed group. You may get lucky.

[thelonious85]

If there are no takers on your roll call board, try emailing a tour guide that piques your interest. Ask them if they have another small group booked for the same day and ask if you may join an already formed group. You may get lucky.

 

That's a great idea, Cindy! Thanks!