Shore Excursions - Never Have Done it Before.

We have used Viatours a number of times and have never been disappointed.

Thanks to all of you for your excellent input. What a great community!

After studying it more closely for our ports of call, the Viatours seem to be very comparable to the cruise sponsored shore excursions in both duration and things to see. They seem to move in much smaller groups and would imagine that they will navigate around the coach caravans coming from the ship.

And....the best part, they seem to be half the price with guaranteed return to the ship on time. Viatours also has a flawless reputation on a worldwide basis.

We will also probably do our own things in some ports.

Thanks again for all your guidance!

Thanks so much!!

Some tour providers such as Viator will guarantee that you will be back to the ship by departure. If you miss the departure they will get you to the next port to meet the ship. Cannot say for certain that they make this guarantee for all tours but we have seen this on many of their tours.

We almost always book shore excursions provided by the cruise line. I realize from time to time folks get a better tour by going with an independent or just doing it on their own, Alaska is a good example. They also get a better price.

We find though, that the cruise line's we frequent anymore, Regent and Princess, stay on top of the reviews concerning their excursions and if there is a blemish, such as a poor guide not very historically knowledgeable about the area or one that can't articulate very well in English, or a poorly maintained coach and PA system, adjustments are made. I know from experience that the cruise lines require their excursion providers to maintain insurance over and above what they normally carry for regular operations. Then, there is always the possibility of looking at your vessel "hull down on the horizon" with the next port a weeks sailing away as a result of your independent guide and/or company getting you back to the pier after sail away. The ship will delay sailing if guests don't show due to a late pier arrival by a cruise line shore excursion provider.

If we are new to the port, and the cruise line has a reasonable excursion package, we will take it. If we have been before, we will tour on our own. Always set your watches to ship time, You do not want to miss the boat....

We have done that before and it works great! Much better service than the ships tour which has a lot more people. Get on your roll call and promote it. If you are on another roll call for your cruise ask about it there too. See if you have a FB page for your cruise. If not, maybe you want to start one.

I have noticed on the Ship Mate app that in some ports they have private tours where you can get private tours n a car or a van if you get others to go with you.

Thanks so much for your advice. What to you mean by "provide guarantees" from the private tour operators? Appreciate your clarification!

Bob

Start by researching the ports you want to do excursions in. Look for private tours. That will give you an idea of cost. Check out reviews on Trip Advisor.