Table Of Content
Enlightening commentary will describe the significance of Halifax’s landmarks and later, as you walk from restaurant to restaurant, how the city’s culinary traditions have evolved over time. Halifax is especially known for Atlantic lobster, the king of crustaceans, which will be featured on at least one of the tasting menus. It may be steamed, the main ingredient in a lobster roll or served in a classic poutine of cheese curds, gravy and French fries. Delve into the history of Halifax through iconic attractions that reflect events that shaped the city since its founding in 1749. Camp Hill takes its name from the military troops that were camped there during the 1834 cholera epidemic.
Best of Olympia tour, from Katakolon, Greece
As you approach each attraction, you will hear enlightening commentary about it so you can decide if you want to visit or continue on to the next attraction. If there is an entrance fee, just show your Attraction Pass and you will get in free or at a reduced rate. You might hop off for a tour of the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site, to board the Royal Canadian Navy ship HMCS Sackville and to browse the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. If museums are of interest, the motor coaches stop at the Maritime Museum of The Atlantic and the Canadian Museum Of Immigration, among others. Tipping is a personal matter, and there are no hard and fast rules. I canvassed TPG's cruise team and we agreed that we give roughly $5 to $10 per person for half-day tours and $10 to $20 per person for full-day excursions, adjusted for service and quality.
Are shore excursions worth it?
Walk through Greece's enchanting, sun-bleached streets, or find your own paradise in a secret beach in The Caribbean. Our award-winning ships are designed for you to enjoy as you choose while cruising to the most beautiful destinations around the world. No matter where your dream vacation takes you, feel free to cruise your way.
First-Timers' Guide to Shore Excursions
Check out the ports of call boards and ask questions there. Do some research beyond Cruise Critic, such as the Rick Steves Guide to Mediterranean ports. He usually promotes making individual plans rather than ship excursions, but his guidebooks have useful information about the main attractions that can help you decide what looks most interesting to you. NCL likely offers excursions to the most popular sites in all the ports. General guidebooks, meaning not cruise related, can also provide good information.
If it's an activity, like snorkeling or a helicopter tour, read up on how much time is spent in transit and prep and how much time you will spend actually doing the activity. Finally, some ports are simply wonderful to walk around, popping into shops and local restaurants or bars, going where you will. I've skipped tours in places like Key West, Florida; Tallinn, Estonia; Monaco; Nassau, Bahamas; Skagway, Alaska; Geiranger, Norway; and San Juan, Puerto Rico. However, in some destinations, a shore excursion, or independently operated guided tour, is highly encouraged.
Other lines, such as Norwegian Cruise Line, offer discounted tours or shore excursion credit as booking promotions. While luxury lines, river cruises, small coastal ships, expedition ships and even some premium cruise lines include some shore excursions in their fares. Other tours on those lines and all excursions offered by mainstream cruise lines must be purchased. The fun of a cruise is equal parts what you do on board and what you do on shore. Cruise lines offer a full schedule of shore excursions to help you make the most of your time in port. However, the process of choosing and booking tours can be overwhelming for new cruisers.
I located a perfect osteria for some heavenly pasta and tiramisu. Naples- Italy Tours - Pompeii, Sorrento, and The Almalfi Coast. The small group tour allowed us to see all three and not feel rushed, impossible with a big bus cruise ship tour. Santorini can be challenging, due to the tendering and the potential overcrowding if several ships are in port.
Ship-Sponsored Shore Excursions vs. Private Independent Excursions:
When I booked the Joy out of Montego Bay, I was 121 days out, and nothing showed up... With all the frequently changing rules due to Covid, they may hold off on posting them until longer than usual. It's hard enough to juggle refunds for cruises, let alone excursions too. Normally you are able to see some excursions well in advance. Also you can check similar cruises leaving a year earlier for ideas.
Halifax Attraction Pass
Some tours also visit the university town of Pisa, famous for its Leaning Tower. Grab a window seat on the bus so you'll see the hilltop Acropolis dominating the skyline, as it has for thousands of years. On the tour, you will spend time exploring its sacred buildings including the Parthenon, the beautiful, columned temple dedicated to the goddess Athena. At the beginning of last month, 36 excursions were shown. Then it changed to 9 (fortunately I had already booked the ones I wanted and were still showing as available) now today, they show 13.
The best cruise booking perks – and which ones are actually free - The Points Guy
The best cruise booking perks – and which ones are actually free.
Posted: Fri, 05 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Tip non-guide drivers roughly $2 per person in your party. I use many factors to decide whether to take a ship's tour, book an independent excursion or explore on my own in port. However, if you're a novice traveler, you might want to book ship tours exclusively because they're the simplest, easiest and most convenient options. In most cases, you don't need to book a shore excursion to explore a port of call. You can simply walk off the ship and stroll into town or catch a cab to take you wherever you want to go. Walk through two modernistic buildings with an architectural historian that will describe their design challenges in vivid detail.
The expert guide will point out its bold technologies and use of materials of alternating textures and patterns. Be sure to ask why much of the building is lifted off the ground. As you continue, you'll be led to the magnificent Sagrada Familia, where you'll have some free time to admire and contemplate its intricate façade and the beautiful surroundings. Finally, the tour culminates with an exterior visit to Barcelona's Cathedral, a stunning example of Gothic architecture, as you stroll through the historic Gothic Quarter.
Sightseeing excursions are typically bus tours that take passengers to the highlights and shopping areas of the port city or nearby destinations. Most cruise lines either charge the same prices for shore excursions booked online and on board or offer a discount for tours purchased in advance. For example, Royal Caribbean often advertises up to 30% off select tours reserved ahead of the sailing.
You are then free to make your way back to the ship or to a meeting point for the return trip as a group. For first time cruisers, shore excursions are definitely worth it. Arriving in multiple ports you are unfamiliar with and expecting to find the best things to do would be challenging at best and disastrous at worst. In most cases, shore excursions give you access to something that might otherwise be hard to arrange on your own. For shore excursions that are not included in your cruise fare, budget a minimum of $50 per adult per excursion. There is no real upper limit as exclusive tours could cost thousands of dollars.
Its windows were blown out and in the entryway you will see a piece of a window frame that the blast embedded in the wall. You can take a shuttle from the pier and tour Old Town Dubrovnik on your own, but if you are a fan of "Game of Thrones," the must-do is a guided tour that highlights sights that appeared on the HBO TV show. As fans know, Dubrovnik doubled for King's Landing, the fictional capital of the Seven Kingdoms.
These usually are cases where local restrictions simply do not allow cruise passengers to freely wander the streets. Your cruise line will advise you in advance if this might be the case in any of your scheduled ports of call. Most ships have a shore excursion team through which you can get detailed information about the available tours and purchase excursions.
No comments:
Post a Comment