Smart Cruisers NEVER Go It Alone In These Ports. Here's Why
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 มิ.ย. 2024
- I look at the four times I recommend cruise passengers take a cruise line excursion rather than any other alternative for exploring a cruise port like self-touring or independent tour guide or company
For bonus & exclusive content (including videos, articles, eBooks and more) become a channel member or patron:
---------------------------------------------------
* Patreon Patron: / tipsfortravellers
* TH-cam Channel Member: / @tipsfortravellers
Check out my cruise-themed T-shirts and products:
---------------------------------------------------
* T-Shirts: bit.ly/TFTStore
* Mugs, notebooks, hoodies etc: www.teepublic.com/stores/tips...
My social media:
---------------------------------------------------
* Blog: www.tipsfortravellers.com
* Twitter: / garybembridge
* Facebook: / tipsfortravellers
* Instagram: www.instgram.com/garybembridge
* LinkedIn: / bembridge
ABOUT TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS: If you want to get cruising right, Tips For Travellers makes it easy to plan and have the incredible cruise experiences you dream of every time. All my Tips For Travellers advice, tips and tricks tips draw on everything that I have learnt on the 101 cruises I have done to date.
#cruisetips #CruisingTips #cruisetipsandtricks
00:00 Start
00:45 The Risks?
04:46 How Far?
06:29 How Quick?
08:29 How Essential?
Listen to what Gary says. My brother was one of the 5 Holland America passengers killed in the Misty Fjords float plane crash. During the investigation of this crash many problems with the company were revealed.
My condolensces! I'm sorry he had to lose his life in order for the evil to out itself so that hopefully, things were fixed for the better for all.
I’m so very sorry.
sorry about your loss, did you win your lawsuit against HaL?
@@Medsas How was HaL liable when they booked with a third party entirely unconnected with the cruise company?
@@gerardmackay8909 dont ask me, ask the families of the victims who filed the lawsuit last year…
I've always seen risk in ports like:
Low - self-exploring
Medium - 3rd party excursions
High - cruise ship excursions
Very High - stay aboard
Extremely High - stay home
I must say-this content is THE MOST IMPORTANT information for cruisers.
The number of things that can go wrong is uncountable. If only one occurs your cruise (or life) can be ruined in seconds.
The world is a beautiful place, and cruise companies are the best at making you think it’s heavenly to visit foreign lands. Yeah, these places are beautiful, but all of them come with risk.
My advice, a random internet dude who’s taken 15-20 cruises: Watch every video on this channel and heed the warnings.
Happy cruising!
Another benefit to booking excursions with the cruise line is when there is a strong possibility of a change in itinerary. We're booked on a 17-night South America cruise and two weeks before we are due to set sail they have already cancelled one port, changed another, and moved around the arrival dates for ports included in the first half of the trip. Not unexpected for South America. Since we booked all our excursions with the cruise line everything is being moved around and cancelled for us.
Your video about your South American cruise experience is what convinced us to book all our excursions through the cruise line. Thank you! This is only our second cruise and we are still learning.
I've cruised in the Caribbean at least half a dozen times. The only place I ever felt unsafe was Jamaica. Elsewhere, my preference as I've got older, is for cruise-line excursions. However, my favourite ever was a self organised trip to Rome from Carrera by train. You just need to check a place out first. Your advice, as always, is second-to-none.
I’ve spent several weeks at a time in Jamaica and never felt unsafe once. I’ve lived in Los Angeles my whole life and it’s much less safe than any feeling Jamaica has ever given me.
I was on the Nieuw Amsterdam when we lost those passengers. It was a surreal and somber last 48 hours to that cruise. At that point, no names had been released, so we were all wandering around trying to find the people we’d met over the week, hoping not to find some of them missing.
It was horrible for everyone (most of course for the victims and their families, I don’t mean to minimize that).
I was also on that cruise. Yes it was a somber 48 hours. Very terrible for the victims and their families.
@@Francine-gc2re I’ve not run into anyone on TH-cam before that was there! Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you too. I remember there being a comedian that night and thinking how is anyone going to laugh.
@@Francine-gc2re Yeah, it was not an easy night for him. But it was the adult night, right? So at least he got to take the PG13 filter off and use his best stuff.
@@willj24 I actually don't remember too much of the comedian as I couldn't stop thinking about those passengers. Still do often.
We were on an Oceania cruise in the Mediterranean. Because Pisa was so far away, we skipped going, stayed on board and had a glorious 8 hours to ourselves. When several folks we met said they wished they had stayed on board because it was too long, too crowded, and not that great.
Great advice as always Gary!
This video is SO important. After experiencing some ports this year that felt ‘dodgy’, I can’t advocate this video enough - I visited a few ports that I absolutely wouldn’t go out alone without a cruise line tour.
For example, when we docked in Colombia, our cruise line did an announcement re safety ashore the day before, which made me very glad I’d booked an excursion. Additionally, we weren’t able to visit Panama on my last HAL cruise due to protest activity in Panama.
Always listen to the cruise lines!
I have never been on a cruise liner holiday, never will, seem all too regimental.
Gaz UK
@@Gazr965good for you 🙄
Gary's points are very important to consider, but everyone needs to weigh their own personal risk level.
Me ... I'm a small, slight older woman, and probably traveling solo. I'm also more than a bit shy and introverted. The fact that I know martial arts does not show ... I can defend myself, but that doesn't stop people from hassling me. And for me, getting hassled would ruin the excursion. So being part of a group excursion, with the guides taking charge, is worth a lot to me.
Other people will definitely decide differently - as would I, if I knew a port city very well or had companions who did.
One thing I didn’t hear about was dogs. I was on two Caribbean islands last month and I had grand plans to do some solo hikes. My hikes were cut short because the dogs I encountered seemed VERY aggressive. So I turned around because I just didn’t want to risk it, especially being so far from the cruise terminal. In those two cases, maybe an excursion with Princess Cruises would have been better.
Unfortunately, some people let their dogs roam, and then the stray dogs have babies and grow up and entirely without contact to people or friendly contact to people
Great advice! I had an excursion booked to Blue Lagoon in the Bahamas, which was canceled because the ferry boat sank. Worse, passenger video reveals almost gross negligence on the part of the crew for not being proactive to ensure passenger safety.
Pretty sure the 38 were passengers on a shore excursion from the cruise ship Ovation of the Seas, on the active volcano that exploded in NZ, would not be saying the RCI do any checking of the safety of the activity.
When I was in the med last year on Princess and stopped in Livorno. My excursion to Florence was 2 hours late getting back but Regal Princess waited for us!
All great info. Thank you. On my Med cruise last summer I saw another reason when booking with the cruise line is extremely helpful. Avoiding long ques to see and do popular attractions like climbing the Leaning Tower of Pisa or entering the well known museums in Rome and Florance. You would not have time to visit these sites without prearranged group tickets. We walked past many people who have been waiting in line for hours.
So true. On our second cruise I took a ship excursion to Xunantunich in Belize. It was a long way from port. We were almost an hour late--the ship waited. Also, in Jamaica we were not allowed to go ashore except on a ship excusion. Thanks, you are a wonderful source of information. We've done 21 so far and still learn new stuff from you.
Shame on your for being so late and making the ship wait.
@@corner559They traveled via ship excursion, not on their own - so the lateness wasn't their responsibility, but that of the cruise line's vendor. If it hadn't been a ship excursion, I'm sure the ship would have been long gone.
I agree that in many places it is best to book with the cruise line. You are paying a premium price tho. You would hope that means they would do their homework.
However, ultimately when you book a tour especially one where the activities may be risky. The people who died when White Island Erupted were on a Royal Carribean shore excursion. It should have been cancelled but it wasnt. But the people did decide to go.
Always do your homework on the shore excursions so you know what risks are involved.
Merry Christmas and thanks for all the top advice.
Excellwnt example and advice - that is why I watch ALL your videos ! Thanks
I was willing to chance it in Rome, because what I really wanted to do was an "Angels and Demons" tour, which was not offered by the cruise line. It was one of the best excursions I've ever been on, but having my own driver and car (then a separate private tour guide for the Vatican) minimized the risk. It was just me, so it was a bit expensive, but they knocked 50 Euros off because some other driver / car was a no-show. All I had to do was share the car with them until they were dropped off in Rome (where, I assume, a substituted car and driver were provided).
On my upcoming cruise to Oceania, I'm also third party booked to go to Hobbiton. I had booked with the ship, but then the excursion was dropped by the line... though they didn't cancel my excursion. After investigating, I booked third party, and canceled my ship excursion. I had a bad feeling that I'd get there with a notice of no tour, and no way to book it (it's sold out now).
I'm no stranger to having either the cruise line or third party tours canceling on me. I have a very strong suspicion that I was cut from a tour in Scotland because I was a single traveler and they could book an extra couple if they had a single empty seat. They rebooked me on a cheaper competitor (with a partial refund) where the vehicle broke down. They claimed their vehicle windows were damaged and it was out of service, but I saw them at locations. Heck, I saw the guy who wrote the email at one of those locations.
Thanks for the tips. I think that you have several good points here.
Merry Christmas to you and your Gary. Thanks for the informative videos.
Good and practical advice. Thanks much. 👍
Thank you for the video. That really does make sense!
Your videos are so useful. In the old days when I travelled to Russia, China and other exotic places I always took the cruise line excursions, and I listened very carefully to the crew about leaving the ship or hotel on my own. In other places like Osaka, Japan I felt entirely safe going three days early and wandering on my own, including trains, tours and restaurants which were always friendly and helpful. Bangkok was another safe place to wander from the hotel during the day, but not so much at night. And those who did not heed the warnings about not eating uncooked food from the street vendors paid the price by becoming very sick.
100% agree your points are one the money. Only one you missed boats those if it goes wrong you are stuck. Our friends took a half price Catamran. No wind and motor caught fire and of course skipper had no way to contact anyone they let skipper use their phone to call his friend lucky they made it back to Cabo and fit them on crew boat to ship.
So true! Wise words! As a regular cruiser I totally agree with what you’ve said!
I would never go to Jamaica again! We had a very scary experience there. We really thought we may be robbed, killed & God knows what else, by a gang that had us surrounded.
This place in my opinion is a pit, Not worth it. Just don’t do it!
If you want to see beautiful Water Falls, go the Niagara Falls and see a true wonder of the world. Stay away from these dangerous countries. I can’t believe we pay to go to these awful places. My opinion of course. Stay safe everyone!
As always thank you for keeping everyone informed 🥰
yep, only every had one stop in Jamaica, will never get off the boat there again
The biggest scare we ever had was in Skagway, on an excursion to see sled dogs. The young woman who drove the passenger van to the site was, quite possibly, The Worst Driver in the World. And it was an official excursion through the cruise line ...
All very good advice Gary. Thank you
Cruise excursions are ridiculously expensive. We were on Cunard QV earlier this month and one of their Lisbon ‘excursions’ was a ‘self explore’ which essentially meant being dropped off and picked up in town for $45 when you could walk it yourself in 30 mins. Going to Norway in March with Fred Olsen and again ‘self explore’ of Tromso is £55 and a two hour trip, to include a 10 min sleigh ride with huskies, is £260. Needless to say we will be exploring ourselves.
I think you've missed the points Gary was trying to make. I have no hesitation in exploring Lisbon or Tromsø by ourselves. We did our own exploration when we went to Spain and Scandinavia. I speak the languages, so it was a doddle, and they were cities/towns near the port. We saved a lot of money and had great fun.
But other times it would be prudent to join cruise excursions. All the reasons listed in the video. On a recent cruise to Norway, we paid for independent ferry tickets to Geirgangefjord and had a fabulous time - far cheaper than the excurson. And we joined a P&O excursion to the Viking Village and Church. It was much simpler and quicker than going with public transport, finding the bus stops and working out the connections and timetable.
I am all for exploring by ourselves, but price alone should not, and will not, be the deciding factor whether we join cruise excursion or not.
@@Onbehaard I understood all of Gary’s points very well thanks. Caribbean destinations (Jamaica as an example) I would think twice about DIY excursions, Norway I won’t hesitate (as I didn’t in Portugal and Spain)
@@Onbehaard I think they've taken his points exactly as they are meant
In Asia we had no choice for some cruise excursions , middle of nowhere in some ports no where need the main sites, we had lunch included but this was self service buffet style and had a drink included, some ports in the Caribbean very interesting, Dominican Republic we were turned back a few times to not go down certain roads in towns, and we had a police escort on the tourist train to port
Good video, Gary. We've done 'our own thing' in Rome a couple of times, albeit some years ago (10+ years), and everything worked out - train both ways. But the last time we did it we noticed that the trains back were very full, mainly with cruise passengers, so on our next couple of visits to 'Rome' we booked cruise line excursions, but not up to Rome! - we did excursions out into the surrounding countryside, and had very relaxing days. Is it possible that with the growth of the number of people cruising, do-it-yourself excursions that were sensible in the past are no longer so?
Thank you for the videos, finnaly cruising on diamond pricess, for xmas with my darling, loving everyminute, your tips made it more enjoyable and using all what a cruise can offer and safely
I've been to jamaica a couple of times, it was rough and aggressive at times in montego bay. I did well chipping in with another solo traveler and hiring a private car to go explore treasure beach
100% agree. Also, any times when you have tight times trying to squeeze in excursions or excursions with med-high time variability elements like coming back via water (weather) or by something like sled dogs.
Thanks! Merry Christmas!
my suggestions: always book excursions when 1. museums require timed entries reservations , 2. cities are more than one hour one way drive from port, 3. visas can be skipped, ;. 4. language barriers; Dont book excursions when 1. your port is a destination, 2. you only plan to shop or sight see outside , 3. there are no amazing sights worth paying for;
Excellent tips because as an experienced solo traveler you are a confident cruiser Thanks so much ❤
Wise advice. I can recommend some smaller vessels where tours are organised without additional charge with dedicated indigenous staff e.g. Pandaw.
Great advice Gary!
Thanks so much Gary. I just made some changes on our June Iceland cruise with NCL because of your port advice. Keep up the awesome videos.🎉
Great to hear they helped! Have a great time. Such an amazing place
I went to Egypt with family earlier this year, spent most of our days in Hurghada but hired a car and roamed about, including driving up to Cairo for a few days and Luxor and had no issues whatsoever!
Another point to keep an eye on -- how many options actually exist for self-touring? Depending on the actual conditions at the port, it may be impossible (especially in smaller communities) to get any kind of cultural experience or any transport to other areas round about because the cruise line has effectively cornered them all in order to provide their tours. I once sailed on a cruise stopping at Huahine in French Polynesia, and some people complained at dinner that they'd had to wait for several hours to get a taxi because the cruise line had chartered the only working bus on the island and had then had to charter almost all the taxis to provide their offered tours. Another good example, again some years back, was when a Princess train excursion in Alaska stopped overnight at Denali. Princess and Holland America, between them, had nailed down almost all the flightseeing tours that could be found (since the aircraft at the time held only 8-9 passengers each) and the people who tried to go it alone ended up paying almost 3x as much for a turn at the one remaining available aircraft, or missing out altogether.
Excellent and sage advice
Gary's third party sites, I did check this out to compare for my Florida-Bahamas cruise, the price was almost the same. I stuck with the cruise line to avoid any issues of getting to and from the cruise terminal. Paid off as our time in Florida was cut short due to storms.
Wishing you and your mate the happiest Christmas.
Just back from a Barcelona to Cape Town on Regent.........Most of the ports had an element of danger so Regents included excursions were a definite must
Great point about being the only option. We recently sailed to Moreton Island, a popular short cruise destination here in Australia. As the ship tenders into a resort, the activities, and shops etc, are only open to cruise ship passengers and resort guests. As such, the only way to do any activity on the island is to book via the cruise line, as there is no way to book once on shore.
Loved the sand sledding there.
Great advise!
Hey Gary, great videos great advice. I wanted to add a comment though that I’m not sure I totally agree with you. Having been on 20 cruises, I agree when I took a cruise to Russia. For example, that was definitely without a doubt a tour with the ship because you had to be sponsored, When I did tours in the Caribbean, I always did them on my own. No matter what the ships tell you it’s always cheaper on your own. There are plenty of opportunities with reliable tour companies in the Caribbean, which I’ve done every time to save money, and have the same experience cheaper. Everywhere I’ve gone to eastern Canada
, Thailand, the Baltics, the Mediterranean. I’ve always bought short excursions on my own and saved thousands. Tours in Norway for example, we did Norway for 16 nights all the way up to the Arctic Circle and back, and I never once use the ship because it was always a rip off.
Good to know about Celebrity Edge! I will board them here in the US this year and plan on taking many excursions! Cruise line excursions are only good when they're free...and even then, I have hated going with all of the passengers!
Your advice is rational and logical. Visa requirements for cruise ship passengers who dock at St. Petersburg, Russia, may have changed, since we took a Scandinavian Royal Caribbean itinerary in April 2017.
We did St. Petersburg and Moscow by ourselves in August 2009, so was very comfortable booking with Viator tour operator for a 2-day visit in St. Petersburg. In April 2017, no visa was required for a 48-hour visit, since the Viator tour guide was responsible for chaperoning visitors coming off the cruise ships. We could not be "out of her sight" even at the excessively crowded Hermitage Museum.
The entire ship was emptied, literally, as soon as passengers were allowed to disembark for their ship-organized or self-booked tours. Passengers with ship-organized tours had priority disembarkation. I counted more than 12 mini-buses, or more, at the dock, waiting for passengers who had made their own bookings. We were more than pleased with our Viator tour across the 2 days.
You are amazing!! So much great information!
Thank you so much!
Everyone has to do what’s right for them? For me, I agree with Gary’s last three, but not the first two. I don’t feel I’m safer of a cruise sponsored excursion. And I think with proper planning getting back to the ship is very low risk.
pays to do your research before you go on any trip. w==We went on a cruise earlier in the year with a group of 20 people. The cruise line wanted $40 (USD)each for the tram ride to the top of Paradise Point in St Thomas USVI. upon checking the map it was within easy walking distance of the dock and we purchased tickets on site for $25 USD...saved a bundle. If you have never been there - restaurant is great, good food, good pricing, friendly staff.... i suggest only one Bailey's Bushwacker if you want to walk afterward LOL Thanks for all the great tips Gary !!
This fellow is a world of information~~Thank you ~Kate
We did a full transit Panama Canal voyage Feb 2023 on HAL from Fl to San Diego. I pulled State Dept reports for all ports we visited and only book excursions via HAL in hopes of being a little safer. Will not do any flying excursions. Pilot friend said these companies hire pilots looking to get their hours. Not good. Thanks for sharing.
in civittavechia a few yrs ago we were just about to leave when a taxi came hurtling down the dock. 2 people jumped out and just made it onboard with seconds to go.They had gone into Rome by train and the railwaymen had thrown a lightning strike. they got back by taxi,,cost them over 100 euros.
about 4 years ago my dad (84 at the time) decided that he didn't want to go on an excursion in ( i think) Caracas or Cartagena. He has travelled all his life, served in the military and lived in places from Nairobi to Guam and Malaysia. He got conned by a taxi driver that wouldn't let him out of the vehicle, fortunately dad speaks spanish and managed to shout on a police officer that helped him( for a fee). Dad has since been on several Cruises and likes to tell people to be careful what they do in dodgy ports LOL. He was lucky.
i am going on a west africa cruise with norwegian in March...only booked with locals for excursions the cruise excurisons are soooooo expensive, pretty sure will be fine
I rarely book through the cruise line, unless it is an exotic attraction that is not close to the port. Included excursions on Viking are usually coach tours. Not worth it.
I saw a TH-cam video where cruisers took a $2 bus to the Mendenhall Glacier, from Juneau, but were let off a mile from the visitor's center. from there, it is another mile to the Falls, plus a $5 charge to enter the visitor's center. Sometimes it's not worth the money saved, when you are pressed for time. I'm doing that cruise mid June, 2024. I'm also doing a three week cruise, the following October, from East coast to West Coast, through Panama. (Sounds like I'll be doing mostly NCL excursions on that cruise)
The following year, there is an European cruise that busses you from the port to Paris. That would be a good one not to go cheap on.
Wow -- that's quite a story from Juneau. Here's another from Roatan in Honduras. All tour providers who were not contracted by the cruise line had to wait on the main road, a good solid mile from the boarding area for the cruise line's tours. Taxis, etc., were not allowed down to the docks except with the cruise line's say-so!
When on a cruise years ago a number of passengers were injured when tour gyuide took a hairpin turn to quickly and ended up sliding down the hill
Gary, I always appreciate this important information. But, I often wonder why we don’t see the pole of your selfie stick in the videos? How do you edit that out?
I was curious about that after seeing invisible selfie sticks in many videos and Googled it. Basically it’s a 360 degree camera and under the camera where the selfie sticks attaches is a blind spot.
We stay in the bubble every cruise now. The world is just different.
Good to see you are doing your bit to save the planet!!!
Great video . We are on Princess cruise arriving in Manta Ecuador , March 2024. Whilst there is advice by UK Gov regarding the situation there, I cannot find anything from larger Cruise lines regarding whether they are still visit g Manta……Gary do you or any other folk have any idea what cruise lines are doing whilst visiting Manta or are they simply missing it out.
I still recommend getting your own visas well ahead of time - even for countries that don't require them - because laws can change at any time, and even the cruise line isn't infallible, for any country you might go to, even if you don't go there in the end. Plus, with the storms, I'd even get visas for countries that I might end up being realistically rerouted too, if the cost isn't ridiculous, but I'd look at history and choose the 1 country or 2 countries most likely to be the reroute port, based on history, if findable.
What is the average cost per visa at a guess? Where do you start with visas outside of your own country?
I haven't come across a tourist visa that cost more than $50. And depending on your own passport, there are a lot of countries that don't require a visa.
It is usually safer to go with an excursion with a cruise line.
Hi Gary - love your videos, they are helping me prepare for my first cruise in July 2024. (Yes, I know you don't recommend a Greek Islands cruise in July, but we are going as a group of 14, and I lost that battle.) Do you have any advice for our stop in Santorini? I have heard so many horror stories of the lines for the cable car. I would prefer a private tour, but wondering if the cruise excursion would ease the queuing at all. It doesn't seem the the cruise excursion helps with returning to the ship - says they give you a ticket for the cable car - so we still have to stand in line. Will the ship wait for you if you are late?
We did an organised excursion that took us by boat to a small port then coach to the east coast at a small beach resort for over an hour then coach to Fira for more time, then we didn't have to wait too long for cable back down to harbour and transfer to Celebrity Equinox.
My experience with the cruises I have been on is the the Cruise Ship will wait if it’s a Cruise organised tour, if it’s not they may not wait.
You don't mention the option of booking a tour with a local company. They are often specialists who know more about the place than the cruise line or the big companies they hire. I took a river cruise in the Danube delta, organised by local specialists at 1/4 the cost of an internationally sold Danube cruise. And it Kenya there was a big difference between prices for locals and short term visitors. I lived in Belfast for 18 years, so I am never scared of places.
Agreed, with the obvious proviso to check out reviews of the independent companies you choose. I've done many small group tours like this, most of which have been excellent. Overload Tours to the Normandy beaches, for example.
We had two ports cancelled on two cruises due to security issues - St Petersburg start of the Ukraine war and last year Jerusalem on Easter Sunday due to protests and rockets getting launched. Egypt we used a well known tour guide (ex Egyptian national footballer) who stayed with for us on the whole Nile river trip. There were moments that were a bit higher risk but it matters a lot the tour guides you are using so the cruise companies will keep the tour as safe as possible.
nice 👍 good videos •• 😅😊
helsinki tallinn riga no; edinburgh glasgow maybe, dublin depends on your port
We were told not to leave the group. There was a shopping area across the street. We were told not to go. Also don’t take anything from anyone. They hand you a piece of jewelry and you think it’s free. Then they demand money. You can’t just give it back. I wanted a Diet Coke. One of the people there went and got it for me and then for my roommate. If I remember right I tipped the person. I was at another port where we thought we could just walk. It was very much a port and didn’t look touristy at all. We went back onboard.
What about Cartagena in Colombia - how un/safe is that for self-exploration? I understand that the port is quite close to the city.
I was there recently. Not so much crime, but unless you have an excellent sense of direction, I found the historic areas confusing to negotiate. Advise taking a tour if possible.
I had a very bad and scary experience on a cruise line port tour. None of the phone numbers on cruise card answered. Told carrying passport not necessary. But i was left in a small town alone. I was helped to find alternate transportation back to the ship. Two hundred dollars and almost 2 hrs by taxi back to the ship. I made it before the ship left for spain.
Hi. This is what concern me. Being left behind without a passport. Why did the Shore excursion leave you behind?
Re: Egypt, I've walked alone around the back streets of Cairo, Luxor and Aswan, and only the kids come up and ask for money. Go explore on your own.
hi gary hello from canada we have never been on a cruise i enjoy your videos evrerytime i watch them i realize i NEVER want to go on one....but i do enjoy hearing about them.....cements in my mind i just dont like anything about it
Gary, just going in a helicopter ride is unsafe. We have been on two in Hawaii, (not while on cruises), but we would never go again. Yes they were enjoyable, but when one hears of many helicopter crashes, one is aware of this. They are so much more risky than a plane ride, which is quite safe, compared to road travel.
I'd say we have done the cruise line excursions 90% of the time.
Helpful video, thanks. However Gary, it's 'arctic'', NOT 'artic' (which is a lorry!)
Of all the places I have visited on cruises, the Dominican Republic was the worst to self explore. Even during 2021 when masking was still common in public places, locals would get right in my face and shout at me in Spanish hoping to sell me something. It was really unnerving. Jamaica was much friendlier and safer feeling.
Idk... Have planned for my first cruise a long time. But after watching a bunch of videos, I am pretty unsure, I don't really know anylonger if I want to go. So much hazzle about this and that... And most people have been on tons of cruises, 40 years or something. I don't feel I get the info a first cruise passenger would need. Maybe I cancel everything.
It is possible to find a non cruise ship tour in St Petersburg as they too can get you the invitation.
I don’t think you can cruise to St. Petersburg now.
@@ljacobs357 He said that in the video.
We booked with a registered guide in St Petersburg and he took care of the paperwork (sent pdfs to print). Excellent tour and guide. We skipped lines and did things that we wanted to do including riding the trams. When it is again possible to go there, we'll book with him again and I'd happily recommend him.
@@kathrynblack9152 Absolutely, we had a similar experience!
In Russia we were told never leave the group and absolutely don’t lose your passport. We needed it to get into our tour and get back.
I made a mistake when I booked the cruise line excursion in Madeira, , owned by Portugal.
I booked some kind of electric cart driven by a man and I was the only person on it and he took me to some garden and some other beautiful things but then he insisted on taking me to the shopping place and I said I didn’t want to go, but he kept insisting. If I had heard Gary’s advice earlier, I would’ve told the cruise ship about that because it didn’t say anything about stopping to shop. I feel like 15 to 20 minutes of my time was wasted. !!
I’m guessing he would make a commission if I bought something
Great video regarding excursions. 👍
Do cruise excursions have risk assessments available? Never would occur to me that polar bears need armed guards, as an example - no bears in my country.
I just completely disagree with the point about getting cruiseline tours to visit places far from the ports (i.e. Rome, Florence, Seville), this is such a clear sign that these are places you should not visit on a cruise, but on a regular holiday. Rome and Florence are whole holidays in themselves, and you could do a whole trip around Andalusia visiting Seville, Granada, Cordoba, Gibraltar, etc. Absolutely no reason to do it with a cruise, and then pay for expensive excusions.
The advice is for cruisers who are determined to visit these cities or destinations regardless of their distance from the port, not tourists who are considering whether they should visit places by land or while on a cruise.
Yes and no. Living in London, I can fly to these places in two hours, or take the train and get there in a couple of days. I can even take a ferry across the Channel and drive to the Costas. Exploring Andalusia for a fortnight is bliss. But there are lots and lots of people who live on the other side of the world for whom this is out of the question.
By the same token, I'm going on a cruise to the Carribean next year and I will be on excursions organise by the cruise company to places which would warrant a stay for at least a week if not two. But this might be the only chance I'll ever have of going there, so I am grabbing every opportunity and see as much as possible in a day.
Are there any ports that from experience you would opt to stay on board for rather than explore or do an excursion?
We’ve done both in the past, common sense rules!
In Egypt it used to be less safe to go in groups, because they were favourite targets of terrorist attacks. If you go solo in Cairo, you don't necessarily stand up as a tourist, it depends on one's looks, dress and body language. But it is true, solo western women and individuals who present as LGBTQ are at higher risk of harassment. But this is Cairo, in more obvious touristic spots locals have a much more refined ability to spot the tourist
Perform rigorous upfront risk identification and assessment and mitigate appropriately.
berlin
you are in error on st. petersburg. anyone going on a sanctioned tour does not need to get the visa. the tour company handles any needed paperwork. cruise lines are lying to get you to only book with them
One place we've felt very unsafe was Panama
I'd still NOT take the ships tours if theres a volcano around. Look at the New Zealand volcano that killed the cruise tourists a few years back.
Try different things and you’ll have your own experience.
We took a helicopter open door flight in Maui. We took our son and his family. We had the best time. Unfortunately, my daughter in law was really scared and ended up grabbing onto my thigh. When we were done, when i got back to the house we rented, I had a huge bruise on my thigh. It was ok as it did help her feel safer while in the copter. Two months after we were there was the big fire. It was so sad to see so many of the places we visited were now burned to a crisp.