Our group of four will be taking a cruise around in British Isles in July. We want to take tours on our own instead of those offered by cruise ship. Can anyone recommend a tour company, specially in Scotland, that will pick us up, take us on a tour and then bring us back to the ship?
Thank you,
Gladys
Posted by
585 posts
It would help to provide ports of call where you want a tour. Rabbie’s offer one day tours from Edinburgh and Glasgow. These are small group tours, not sure if they do individual toursNote that cruise ships do not moor in the cities themselves. Leith is the port for Edinburgh and Greenock for Glasgow.
Posted by
Lynnwood, Washington
8364 posts
If you google "shore excursions Glasgow" or "shore excursions Edinburgh", you will find many links to possible tours. As usual, the one thing to remember for excursions that are not cruise sponsored is that the cruise is under no obligation to wait for you if something goes wrong with your excursion. I honestly don't know how often this happens or if it ever happens, but that is the warning they always give.
Posted by
OP
Miami
161 posts
Tabbies does not do shore tours. I checked them first since we were very happy the last time we took them. We are not going to Glasgow.
Thanks
Posted by
Columbus, OH, USA
2026 posts
We had a very good experience on a cruise to St Petersburg a few years ago when we arranged with toursbylocals.com. We emailed our chosen guide to discuss our needs and tailor the itinerary to our interests. It was all good.
EDIT: We’ve taken many cruises, and yes, we have witnessed people running down the pier to a departing ship and left standing there several times over the years. It pays to know the ship’s agent in each port (usually provided in the daily news letter) as well as the next stop. Safe travels.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7286 posts
I think it's unlikely in the U.K., but some cruises elsewhere prohibit self-booked tours. Of course they want the income, but they want to control Covid-19 exposure and protection while off the ship. Just check on that.
You need to be ready to get to the next port overnight, if your tour is late enough to miss the ship's departure. They will only wait for official tours booked by the ship.