I'm going on a cruise down the boot of Italy, Greek Isles, Turkey, ending in Venice. Everyone says the shore excursions provided by the ship are way to expensive. How can I find realistically priced shore excursions?
Posted by
Dreaming of my next trip to Europe
273 posts
You will have better luck getting answers on www.cruisecritic.com
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23626 posts
It isn't that you find them. You do it yourself. You research each port, id local transportation options, the things you want to see, etc. and then you just walk off the ship and do it. The local TI will often have great walking tours for very reasonable prices. And cannot point you in other directions. The Rick Steves guidebooks can be very useful also. Rick does not care if you arrive by train or boat. Remember the ship is selling super convenience, they do everything, and for that you pay a price.
Posted by
Edmonton, AB, Canada
668 posts
Just like Frank says - you do it yourself. Have been on 7 cruises - 4 in Europe. Have researched what we wanted to do, then did it on our own. Do not assume where your ship is docking. Make sure you know in advance and research transportation options. Many ports have HOHO buses that meet the ship and are convenient for getting to the popular places. Have also organized tours with private companies who meet you at the dock and take you on your tour. It is really quite easy, but as someone said, go to teh cruise critic site and check you ports, also sign up on teh roll call and you may meet some people on the same cruise with the same interests and you can orgnize a tour together. We did this and made good friends.
PM me if I can help, we may have been to some of the same ports you are visiting.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23626 posts
I am sorry, Michael, but it is going to be very difficult especially with the limited response space to plan your trip for you. You also didn't mention when the cruise is.
You have do the homework -- take half you port calls, go to public library, and pull all the DVDs, guidebooks, etc. related to those ports. Go home, review the material, see what you think you would like to see, make notes and then return with specific questions that we can respond to directly. If undecided about a couple different options at that port, then we can offer better suggestions. With a couple of exceptions, you cannot cover each port in one day so you will have to pick and choice what is important for you.
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12313 posts
Each port has it's own sites to see and best way to see them. The cruise ship will offer excursions to the most popular choices but they are usually the most expensive option and you travel in large crowded buses.
Some places you may not need a tour. The best choice for the day may be to debark and enjoy the local area by foot.
Cruisecritic.com is definitely the place to start. You can see what other people did at each location to decide what you are most interested in. Many, if not most, on cruise critic take excursions offered by the cruise line. Once you know what you would like to see, you may have to do some internet searches to see what options are available to you.
We have contracted for our own scuba diving trip, planned a private guided tour to a Mayan ruin, hired a taxi for the day to take us to local sites/beaches. We have also hooked up with new friends on the boat and shared a van for a day of touring. Each option cost half or less than a similar excursion offered by the cruise line.
A money belt is a good item at ship ports. Crowds of tourists getting off the boats attract theives.
Posted by
OP
Reseda, CA, US
3 posts
Here is our itinerary for the Mediterranean cruise. One of the responses suggested I post it for shore excursion suggestions. (Can't seem to get the formatting to remain when I post. Therefore, the itinerary may look a little weird)
Aug. 30 Arrive Barcelona,
Sept. 2.Embark Ruby Princess Afternoon
Sept 3. Monte Carlo Half day
Sept 4. Florence/Pisa/Livorno Full day
Sept 5. Rome-Civitavecchia Full day
Sept 6. Naples/Capri/Pompeii Full day
Sept 7. Mykonos Half day
Sept 8. Istanbul Full day
Sept 9. Kusadasi – Ephesus Half day
Sept 10 Athens – Piraeus Full day
Sept 11.Venice End of cruise
Posted by
Orlando, Florida
676 posts
For the Florence, Pisa, Livorno day, I'm assuming you'll arrive in Livorno, which isn't too far from Pisa. I'm not sure how far the port is from the train station, but you can train from Livorno to Pisa OR Florence. You probably would not have time to do both, it depends on how much time you have. Pisa of course has the Leaning Tower, Baptistry etc. Google "Field of Miracles". It would be the closest and easiest to do. Not much to do in Livorno itself. Depending on time, you might be able to catch a train to Lucca, which is a nice town with a medieval wall around the town. PM me for more info.