J-rap Posted September 8, 2018 Share Posted September 8, 2018 My dh and I have an opportunity to go on a cruise for the first time in our 30+ years of marriage. I'm pretty ignorant of how these work. We've been receiving options of various land tours via the cruise line, but I believe I've read that sometimes you can do these tours more cheaply if you arrange them on your own. Would that mean we'd wait until we are actually there? And then, how would we even know what's available until we get there, and by the time we figure it out, maybe the tour would have left! ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink and Green Mom Posted September 8, 2018 Share Posted September 8, 2018 We have been able to book tours with private companies ahead of time online in several different ports. We have had great luck with Shore Excursioneer (www.shoreexcursioneer.com). I would google the port name and an activity you are looking to do and you will probably find dozens of options. Definitely check ratings and make sure they have a very high "we get people back to their ship on time" record. ? One benefit of the cruise-backed excursions is that they will meet you right there on the dock and it is very easy to find them once you exit the ship. Sometimes private companies are able to get on the dock as well and it is easy to find them, but other times you have to leave the port in order to get to your excursion. Not that it is impossible or even hard, but if it is something you aren't comfortable with (getting in a taxi or bus in a foreign country), it may be worth it to pay more for the cruise excursion. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted September 8, 2018 Share Posted September 8, 2018 We have take a couple of cruises over the years. We have done the following things on land: * Paid for the cruise ship excursions * Paid nothing and just walk around the town by the docks. Usually (but not always), there are shops, etc., right near the docks. * Made an arrangement for the day ahead of time by contacting a private service provider who was recommended online. * Hired a driver standing on the docks to give us a tour. There are usually vendors standing there who will offer tours, and we have found that they can be as much as half of the price of the cruise-sponsored tours. There are benefits and drawbacks to each of these. I personally feel more comfortable paying for the cruise tours, because they have been vetted by the cruise ship company, and if for some reason there is a problem or delay, the ship will wait for that tour to return. If you take a private tour or just go off on your own, and you do not return by the "all aboard" time, the ship WILL NOT WAIT and will leave you behind. Knowing this always made me nervous, but I tend to be anxious about time. If that won't bother you, you can save a lot of money by going on your own tours. But do your homework. Once we expected to get off the ship and just walk around by ourselves, but we found that the dock was not in a place that made that possible. We wished we had paid for a ship tour that time. You should be able to find information about each of the stops online (in our case, this was the first time our cruise line had stopped there, so there was no information to be had, but that is unusual). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livetoread Posted September 8, 2018 Share Posted September 8, 2018 We’ve done a number of cruises, and I’ve almost always planned excursions myself. I build in lots of time to get back because you will get left if you aren’t with the ship’s tour. It’s been worth it to me though, because it is so much cheaper, especially with four people involved. I spend a lot of time on Cruise Critic when I’m looking for ideas and companies. Trip Advisor, for vetting activities, is good too, but I’ve found the reviews to sometimes be more complimentary than warranted. I also overheard some guides for an excursion we went on talking about how they needed to post more positive reviews (about themselves) before they got off work. Cruise Critic has been more accurate about good and bad, though if the reviews are just meh on Trip Advisor, I know to stay away, lol. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sk8ermaiden Posted September 8, 2018 Share Posted September 8, 2018 The only excursion I did through the cruise line was a set of ruins - the excursion had the reputation of getting you back HOURS late for sail away (it isn't actually logistically possible to do the excursion in a shorter time), but if you are on a ship-sponsored excursion, they will wait for you. Otherwise, the other ones will be a better value. Also, go through the cruise planner excursions and see what they offer. Anything they offer, almost certainly someone else does too, cheaper. It's a good place to start looking. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted September 8, 2018 Author Share Posted September 8, 2018 Thanks everyone! This is super helpful... I've got some work cut out for me it looks like, but then again I've never thought of vacation planning as too much work. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura in CA Posted September 8, 2018 Share Posted September 8, 2018 (edited) Rick Steves has done some research on making cruises, and land excursions, work for your budget and style. I think he has videos and now a book (?). Yes, there's a book but it's just about Mediterranean ports, I think. I'm pretty sure he's talked about ports in other parts of the world, too. I know I watched a video where he talked about "cruise ship survival for independent travelers" or something. I'll try to find it. Ah, here are 3 hour-long talks by Rick's sidekick Cameron Hewitt about cruising. You can really do your research now, haha. & yes, I wouldn't say that planning a trip is half the fun, but it is often very enjoyable! Edited September 9, 2018 by Laura in CA 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted September 11, 2018 Author Share Posted September 11, 2018 On 9/8/2018 at 6:06 PM, Laura in CA said: Rick Steves has done some research on making cruises, and land excursions, work for your budget and style. I think he has videos and now a book (?). Yes, there's a book but it's just about Mediterranean ports, I think. I'm pretty sure he's talked about ports in other parts of the world, too. I know I watched a video where he talked about "cruise ship survival for independent travelers" or something. I'll try to find it. Ah, here are 3 hour-long talks by Rick's sidekick Cameron Hewitt about cruising. You can really do your research now, haha. & yes, I wouldn't say that planning a trip is half the fun, but it is often very enjoyable! Thanks! All very helpful. ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acadie Posted September 11, 2018 Share Posted September 11, 2018 (edited) Cruisecritic is great. There's a difference between shore excursions and land tours. Shore excursions are outings you take when your cruise is docked in a particular port on a certain day. Land tours can be before or after a cruise, spending several days traveling inland from your port of embarkation or disembarkation. I love researching options in each port (starting with the tours the cruise has available, then looking at cruisecritic.com, tripadvisor.com or guidebooks from the library for ideas). We usually rent a car in each port and fit in much more than the cruise ship excursions, and it costs much less for our family of four. I do leave plenty of wiggle room to get back in time. You can see on your cruise ship itinerary what time you are scheduled to dock and set sail in each port, and plan accordingly. If you're DIYing the shore excursions, it's worth it to plan ahead. Otherwise you can spend the whole day just trying to get oriented, rather than adventuring. You aren't cruising Alaska's Inside Passage, are you? We just did that this summer and had a blast. Amy Edited September 11, 2018 by Acadie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted September 11, 2018 Author Share Posted September 11, 2018 1 hour ago, Acadie said: Cruisecritic is great. There's a difference between shore excursions and land tours. Shore excursions are outings you take when your cruise is docked in a particular port on a certain day. Land tours can be before or after a cruise, spending several days traveling inland from your port of embarkation or disembarkation. I love researching options in each port (starting with the tours the cruise has available, then looking at cruisecritic.com, tripadvisor.com or guidebooks from the library for ideas). We usually rent a car in each port and fit in much more than the cruise ship excursions, and it costs much less for our family of four. I do leave plenty of wiggle room to get back in time. You can see on your cruise ship itinerary what time you are scheduled to dock and set sail in each port, and plan accordingly. If you're DIYing the shore excursions, it's worth it to plan ahead. Otherwise you can spend the whole day just trying to get oriented, rather than adventuring. You aren't cruising Alaska's Inside Passage, are you? We just did that this summer and had a blast. Amy Great suggestions, thanks! TripAdvisor is a good idea. I'd love to go to Alaska someday! We're going from Sydney, Australia to Auckland, New Zealand. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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