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Best Alternatives To Cruise Line Excursions?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 มิ.ย. 2022
- Donald asked me what the best alternatives are to cruise line port excursions as they had none that appealed to him.
#cruisetips #cruisetour #cruising
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We cancelled two ship excursions because they start at 7:30 am. We keep looking to see if they’ll add excursions at a later time, but so far, nothing. I’ll keep this in mind. Thank you for the info! 😎🇨🇦😎
When ports are fairly close to town Hop on/Hop off tour buses are the best deals.
For typically in the $25 (+/-) range they will take you to all the highlights and bring you back to the ship.
Just make sure you keep track of where you are in the route/loop the bus drives and when you need to get back.
We had a great experience in Porto with a bus driver. We got caught up site seeing, had not gauged our time properly, and were afraid we would not get back to the ship in time.
Our bus driver was aware of this and when he felt he might not get us to the pier in time (due to his route) he pulled over at a taxi stand and secured us a cab (10 euro) to take us directly to there.
Always found someone great with a van at a port. Saved all huge $ and learned what real locals know.
I always take cruise line excursions because I want to make sure I will get back to the ship on time, or that the ship will wait for me. I was on an excursion once that went late, and the tour guide said not to worry, they were in contact with the ship, and it would wait for us, which it did.
That’s the biggest plus for line excursions I agree
That happened to us in Cairo. It was during eid ul adha and while we were so happy to be there at that time, the celebrations made getting around Cairo and Giza very slow going. Because it was a cruise line excursion the ship had to wait for 4+ buses for at least 1.5 hours if memory serves. I'll remember that visit forever, it was amazing.
Hi Gary!🙋 I love these shorts! They're so full of little nuggets of information!💜 from Ottawa.
Fab.! Great to hear. I’m doing them to share answers to questions I get asked quite frequently so hoping people find them useful !
Great tips for all Cruisers , either First time or Veteran ....
I have used Hop on Hop Off in Europe, and tours by locals in South America. Both are excellent. I have also just grabbed a cab at the pier. Never have I been late for the ship.
These shorts are great! You should ask us regular viewers for questions for these. Here's mine: How do cruiselines accommodate those of us with food allergies?
By the way, Carnival just came out with "Menu Mate" which might be something you'd want to mention in answer the question above.
Yes definitely on the questions! My idea is these shorts are all based on questions I get emailed, left in comments etc that I get asked frequently or think many more would like to hear answer to - and work in under 60 seconds !!
Very useful. Thank you, Gary😊
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you 🙏🏻
Brilliant thanks Gary, just researching for our VV cruise in a couple of weeks, I will check the sites you mention
great tips
Very helpful … I’m at that point in my Alaska cruise prep to choose some excursions. Thx Gary. Cheers!
Glad it was helpful!
Hi Gary, just back from Hawaii and French Polynesia, and we used Shore Excursions; Viator and booking direct for helicopter tours. We also booked some cruise excursions, as NCL offered a discount, but you may want to book privately if you want small group experiences.
We did a hop off hop off in Cuba, Havana, even though we been to Havana twice before, whilst holidaying in Varadero, saw things which did not see on the day trip to Havana. Most the time in the Caribbean we just look round the port shops, some ports we have looked around the place and supported local bars
Excellent
Good one Gary.
I will never do business Expedia again. I believe they may also own viator. Expedia does not vett the companies they do business with thoroughly enough. When they are made aware of illegal practices and/or shady dealings, they refuse to help their customers. Years ago when I started using Expedia, they were great with customer service. However, the bigger they got, the more they didn’t care. I would rather find a local tour guide, especially one recommended by someone you know.
We just finished a 5 cruise back to back in Europe and we could not afford excursions in 35 ports. So what we did was guruwalks. They offer FREE walks by locals and all but one was amazing. What you do is just give a tip at the end. We still gave a good tip, but it was so much more affordable than if we paid. Especially Arthur in Berlin with Rude tours.
Thanks ! Great tip. Much appreciated
In Fairbanks you could pay $300 through the Cruise to go to Chena Hot Springs. Or just rent a car for $100 and drive yourself
Are there activities on board the ship if one chooses not to take an excursion?
The ships have a TON of activities all day, every day. We love seeing the ports, but we love at-sea days as well.
Yes there will be. It’s also a good time to book things like spa as usually big discounts on port days
Not to mention the sales on board. We try to take morning or early afternoon short excursions, because that still leaves time to enjoy the discounts on board. My daughter got some awesome shirts for 2 for $25 on board.
Are there any restrictions on talking non-cruise line excursions nowadays, due to COVID? I am in the process of booking tours for our 45 day South Pacific cruise with Holland America in October and November. Can I just go to the end of the dock and hire a private guide for my wife and myself?
I did this pre-COVID and we got personalized tours at a great price by a local, in private vehicle. That way there was no waiting for 40 people on a bus, no being taken to a store where the cruise line gets a percentage of sales, no limited choice on restaurants, and no tourist traps. I could often get a day tour for two of us for the same price as the cruise line charged for one person's shore excursion ticket. I often found these guides on TripAdvisor and booked them in advance. There were reviews by past customers there too. Even selecting a few points of interest you want to visit and hiring a taxi or Uber between them is cheaper.
Hi Gary. Where did you get those Cunard queens ship models in the background?
Years ago on eBay. I have not been able to find any since then as many people ask where and how to get them!
Yo where you get those models? Hook a girl up lol
“Cruises for people who don’t normally take cruises”…..one of the most frightening advertising strap lines I ever heard. It immediately told me everything about the ghastly demographic involved.
I'm intrigued. I'll be on my very first cruise next year (YVR-HNL). I like to think I'll not be doing the typical American tourist faux pas' but what irks you about us virgins?