Comments on: Take A Shore Excursion or Arrange Your Own?

By: Nejat incedogan

Nejat incedogan — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:48:57 +0000

Some excursions booked as private are not really private
if you join to someclients without same interest of yours.
Also Beware Cheap excursions especially will try to recover the lheir lost from your shoppings.
Sometimes the excursion for 2 persons cheaper than the
cost of the guides fee or transportation een not covering the admissions specially offered by some Turkish Tour operators is the trick to change your judgement for shopping without being affected by tye others in the tour.

By: Donna Hamilton

Donna Hamilton — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 10:02:03 +0000

Review sites (like Tripadvisor.com) can be a good indication of a private tour company’s record, because these comments are current!
If you are investigating non-cruiseline tours, the rapport within your correspondences with private companies should give an indication of their services. But, if all else fails…ASK what their return-to-port policies are.
Re cost: If two tours are priced the same (in $), but one gives more information, unique experiences, better service, etc, etc…then which of these two tours is the dearest??
WHY do people always assume on the $-price!?

By: Ira Lieberman

Ira Lieberman — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:22:38 +0000

Please advise which specific tour company is best to use in Europe. We will be traveling on the NCL Jade in April of this year. The ship excursions appear very pricey.

By: Anne Campbell

Anne Campbell — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 21:13:28 +0000

Yes, I do love to arrange my own excursions. I found a terrific private guide with car for a stop in Naples. He made the experience so much better.

By: Harry Martin

Harry Martin — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 21:08:34 +0000

Great example from your trip to Hawaii on the rental cars. I booked ours before we even left on the cruise, and we did each port for only $35 and the cost of a couple gallons of gas (and a borrowed “Hawaii Revealed” travel book).

The cruise forums on Cruisemates.com gave me the name of a great private tour guide in Acapulco whom I have used twice. $30 pp for a tour the ship sells for $50+ (and is half as long).

What surprises me is that people *so* seldom do any research before they leave. Our first time in Puerto Vallarta, I got a great walking tour straight out of a Fodors guide. The money we saved we used for lunch, instead (at $12 pp).

The only time I am tempted to use the ship’s excursions is when the tour will go far, far from the port. In that case, I want to know for sure that we will be back in time.

By: Anne Campbell

Anne Campbell — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:43:29 +0000

When I worked at Cunard Line we were sued all the time, frequently for insane reasons. Once, a woman sailing transatlantic with her dog sued because her cabin steward stepped on the dog’s toy and caused it the runs. Another, a man picked up a lovely woman at a bar and later, in his cabin, discovered “she” was a man. So he sued.

Yea, lawyers put out press releases saying how dangerous it is to cruise.

By: Wolfiewolf

Wolfiewolf — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 07:09:48 +0000

Ann,

I’m afraid you are right about the ambulance-chasing lawyers – though I wouldn’t call them maritime lawyers as it upsets the genuine ones – but unfortunately they are aided and abetted by a fair number of the cruising public. One of the cruise lines told me recently that around 50% of the claims they receive in America are fake or fraudulent in some way. This is quite different to their experience in other parts of the world.

By: Anne Campbell

Anne Campbell — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 01:49:26 +0000

Yikes! I can’t imagine how horrible it would be to miss a ship and try to catch up with it. But to have a tour cancelled but not informed is pretty dreadful as well.

By: smokinbruce

smokinbruce — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:48:57 +0000

We have done it both ways we have booked snorkling tours only thro the ship because of the insurance reasons and the ship will not leave you behind.
We had a tour cancle on a ship but were not told. when we confrounted the ships tour people we were told go and do it on your own. we did not do it. got out mony refunded but we were still beat out of the last port of the trip planed fun.
On this last cruise we seen people miss the ship! they had to take the Pilot boat out to the ship at their own expence bummer not for me!! the only “self booked tour” we wil take are limited to small tours around an Iland or local shopping where we can controll our time we have fun and do not worry about missing the boat or hear our names called just before the ship leaves

By: Anne Campbell

Anne Campbell — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 18:22:41 +0000

Ahhhhh…..thanks for pointing that out, Herry. There are dozens of maritime lawyers solicitating passengers who are unhappy with their cruise. I can’t imagine how often people do sue! If the weather is bad, the cruise line gets blamed.

Yes, even though you sign a form saying the cruise line isn’t responsible for anything that happens on a shore excursion, it doesn’t keep people for suing.