When choosing your activity in the port, this has to be your first decision. Cruise organised tours are safe, well organised, friendly, experienced....and if the trip is delayed the ship will wait for you.
They are also expensive, have a tendency to 'herd' you, and are often impersonal. If you know the port, speak the language,are fit and well and have loads of energy then it's a no-brainer, do it yourself, don't book a ship's tour. For the rest of us, decisions must be made.
In order to make a decision, you really need to investigate the alternatives. If you don't book a ship's tour, what will you do?? Keep logging on for a considersation of all the options.
Claire
I'll add my 'decision points' for ship vs private tours:
ReplyDelete1. Is what you want to see 90 minutes or more from the port - consider a ship's tour.
2. Does the port have a known reputation for unreliable transportation or really bad traffic congestion - consider a ship's tour.
3. Are you doing an 'adventure' activity - ie windsurfing, rock climbing, zip lining, white water rafting, etc. - either make sure that the private provider is reputable and has good insurance coverage or book through the ship.
4. Is it a tender port? - if so, make sure you plan your activity to arrive back at least 30 to 45 minutes BEFORE the last tender is scheduled or take a ship's tour.
In general, though, if the answer to all of these is 'no' - you will probably have a better time, see more, and have a better experience going on your own, or working out a shared private tour with some shipmates - try and keep your private tours to no more than 15 people - it will be easier to get agreement on the itinerary and you will be able to move through the day more easily. If the group gets much bigger, you will just be replicated the 'sheep tour' follow the leader experience of the ship's big bus trips.