HELP!

[fundrazor]

Husband and I are going on the NCL Jewel on July 29th from Barcelona to the western Med. Italy! Looking for reliable and fun private tour companies because the ships shore trips are so out of line with their prices. I am overwhelmed with trying to find info. Also if anyone is going on this cruise and would be interested in joining us on this daily port trips we might be interested-safety in numbers! I usually hate the ship trips and was hoping for something more personal and fun! Thanks.

[fundrazor]

Husband and I are going on the NCL Jewel on July 29th from Barcelona to the western Med. Italy! Looking for reliable and fun private tour companies because the ships shore trips are so out of line with their prices. I am overwhelmed with trying to find info. Also if anyone is going on this cruise and would be interested in joining us on this daily port trips we might be interested-safety in numbers! I usually hate the ship trips and was hoping for something more personal and fun! Thanks.

[TrvlPro]

I think you'll find everything is a little pricey in Europe. Be very careful about time frames for outside excursions. Be back to the ship early. Have a back-up plan for if your transportation back to the ship doesn't arrive or is late. Plan well, prepare for issues. Hopefully you won't have any but if you're on an outside excursion, you're esentially on your own. There is some security in using the cruiselines services.

Happy sailing, Neil

[drlivingston]

Fundrazor,
First off, Neil is correct in saying that everything in Europe is "pricey." Thankfully, your cruise does not go to Venice or you would really understand European inflation. Now, about the excursions, I would highly recommend that you plan your shore excursions through Norwegian. To begin with, you are guaranteed to get back to the ship before departure. That is very important when booking privately through a third party. I have seen people left and it is never a good thing. The ship typically gets a little better rate on excursions than you would be able to obtain privately. Go to shoretrips.com and compair the cost. Good luck in hunting. Messina, Naples, Rome, Florence, and Pisa are great ports and I hope that you enjoy each of them.