I will be going on a cruise around Greece
Brindisi (Italy)
Katakolon
Santorini
Pireaus
Corfu
Kotor (Montenegro)
Venice (Itay)
Which tours would you suggest I take after I get off the ports different ports? Specific tour guide names? Or stick with the ones the cruise line suggests?
Is there a huge difference between tours offered by the cruise, and finding my own tour guide? ($ difference...)
Thx!
I would suggest you look at Rick Steves' guidebook on Mediterranean Cruise Ports. The book is available on this site's Shop Online link and, likely, at the local library, bookstores or Amazon. It includes sections on Greek ports and islands and, also, Venice. He has lots of suggestions about hiring your own guides vs. taking the excursions offered by the cruise ship. One difference I have seen noted is that hiring your own guide the group will usually be smaller compared to the cruise ship. This can make a big difference in how much you enjoy the experience.
There will be a difference mostly in price. If you google "things to do in thingamajig" some ideas will appear. Or "shore excursions in thingamajig". Katakalon has little to offer but we had a nice lunch, walked around and watched a wedding party, dressed to the nines, enter the local church. Such excitement. I think you can take a train from Katakalon to Olympia for very little, but that was of no interest to us.
In Venice why not just walk around on your own, following a guide book walking tour. For Santorini a cruise line tour might be best, also for Pireaus. In my opinion only, of course.
If you take a tour in Kotor there is a road that leads away from the bay inland. The views are spectacular. Unbelievably scenic, but, it goes up the side of a steep mountain and has 25 numbered 180 degree switchback turns and at least 75 other sharp turns. Rock wall on one side and nothing on the other. Can't remember the name or number of the road, but it went to the towns of Njegusi and Cetinje. Just letting you know so you don't get into a scary situation without any knowledge. If you or anyone in your party is prone to motion sickness or has a problem with heights you might want to avoid this road. You can go to bing.com, use the map feature, and see aerial views of the road from &*$$. You can also check it out on googlemaps.com. It is possible, however, to do other touring in Kotor without using that particular road.
On 12 Mar. 2017 there was a thread on this forum titled "Greece Montenegro Croatia". One person included a link to the map that shows the road. Another person had a link to a video made along parts of the road.
I hope you have also asked this question on Cruise Critic.com. There is a forum for ports of call. Your ship should also have a Roll Call where cruisers on your sailing may be organizing their own independant excursions.
We usually prefer to DIY or go with an independent tour operator. They are invariably less expensive and are smaller groups. The only time we pay the extortionate prices for a ship excursion is if it is going to a distant point of interest where returning late to the ship is a real possibility.
Choosing a local guide will help support the community, keeping your tourist dollars there instead of leaking back to the pockets of the cruise company. I would echo the others in saying the group potentially is smaller and perhaps more travel diverse as the other travellers joining a local tour will have their own arrival stories etc. Enjoy the experience, the destinations you will be visiting look fantastic.
For Santorini: Go on the tour that includes Akrotiri if you're interested in Archaeology and History. Go on the tour that includes Oia if you're interested in beautiful island architecture, spectacular views and photo opportunities.
