Viator cycling tour, Rome.
Having just returned from an action-packed week's cruise in the Mediterranean on NCL's Norwegian Epic, I was reminded of how many options we have for cruise excursions these days – and how important it is to do some advance planning. If you're new to cruising, or it's been a while between ships, there are basically three options: book a shore excursion with the cruise line; book a private tour; or just get off at the port and do your own thing.
When you're booking your next cruise, have a good look at the itinerary and the tours on offer. Then decide how much of your time you want to spend exploring, particularly if you're travelling as a family; if it's a port-heavy itinerary, you may want to relax on the ship for a day or two rather than go ashore every day – and enjoy all the ship's facilities without the crowds.
Another thing to consider is how long a tour takes, and how much time is spent travelling to the attraction; it may be more enjoyable to take a half-day tour to somewhere close to the port rather than one that involves eight hours, three of which might be in a bus getting there and back.
Meet the crew: Mirela Varga.
If you take a ship's shore excursion, it's worth booking in advance, online, because they can fill up quickly. The main advantage of taking a ship-organised tour is that if any disruption makes you late back to the port, the ship will wait for you – when you're on your own, it won't. It's also a lot less hassle than planning it yourself and many tours conveniently combine two or three attractions in one trip, saving potentially nerve-wracking transport links.
The downside is the cost. You can organise tours yourself for a lot less than cruise lines charge for a similar itinerary; Viator, for example, offers a wide range of tours that work with cruise schedules in major ports. Another alternative is to hire a car or taxi for the day, but make sure you do your homework about routes and timing.
The cheapest, and often most rewarding, option is to talk to the tourism representatives who come on board in most ports about local attractions and public transport, arm yourself with maps and set off to explore on your own. I had lots of fun mixing up different tour options in Barcelona, Rome, Naples, Livorno and Cannes – but somehow there just wasn't enough time to spend a day on board doing nothing. Next time …
Budapest, Hungary.
Sally Macmillan travelled as a guest of NCL's Norwegian Epic.
MEET THE CREW
NAME Mirela Varga, from Romania
Onboard the Emerald Princess.
POSITION Cruise Manager, Uniworld's SS Maria Theresa
MY JOB I am a representative of Uniworld both onboard and onshore. I always strive towards enhancing the guests' overall cruise experience and ensuring they are comfortable, well-informed and, above all, enjoying themselves!
A TYPICAL DAY While there is no "typical" day for a cruise manager some things remain consistent. For example, talking to my colleagues about the day's activities and any special requests from guests, and introducing the evening's entertainment. Every day I always escort at least one shore excursion and this gives me the chance to interact with our guests.
The patio area of the three-bedroom garden villa on the Norwegian Jewel.Credit: Michel Verdure
FAVOURITE CRUISE MOMENT Spending a late afternoon on the top deck, chatting with guests as the sun sets over the river and watching the world go by.
FAVOURITE CRUISE PORTS I adore Budapest! It's such a captivating and enchanting city. I love discovering new coffee houses or strolling through the different neighbourhoods, soaking up the medieval charm.
INSIDER TIP Bring a good camera. One of the highlights of cruising the River Rhine or Danube is seeing the amazing castles and fortresses along the Rhine Gorge or Wachau Valley.
TIP
Planning a family cruise with toddlers? Check with your agent or cruise line before you book what the guidelines are for using swimming pools – eg, kids who aren't fully toilet-trained, regardless of their age, aren't usually allowed in pools.
NEWS
Emerald Princess' maiden Oz season
The countdown is now on for the maiden arrival of the biggest Princess Cruises' ship to be based Down Under this summer – the spectacular 3082-guest Emerald Princess, which will sail into Sydney Harbour on November 15. Emerald Princess will introduce a range of exciting new dining, shopping and entertainment offerings to Australian cruisers; it has eight showrooms and lounges, two nightclubs, four pools and the child-free Sanctuary. Highlights of the entertainment program include the musical Magic to Do from Oscar and Tony award-winning Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz, as well as the new Voice of the Ocean competition, which brings the spectacle of TV's wildly popular international singing competition to the high seas. See princess.com.
Australian travellers can get a taste of cruising on Emerald ahead of her arrival following the release of a new video from Princess as part of its #EmeraldCountdown campaign.
Norwegian Jewel Down Under
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is the latest global company to send a ship to sail Australasian waters – Norwegian Jewel will arrive in Sydney on November 12, 2017 for the summer season and bookings are now well and truly open. The 2376-passenger ship will sail 15 itineraries ranging from five to 16 days around Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. "NCL is already a popular choice for Australians cruising Hawaii and Europe, and we expect Norwegian Jewel's inaugural local sailings will be well-received among Australian cruise passengers," said NCL's vice president of sales, Nicole Costantin. If you're looking for a longer cruise, check out Jewel's combination cruises – discounts and Free at Sea packages are on offer until August 31. See ncl.com.au.
Whale watching guaranteed
Fantasea Cruising Sydney has added whale watching to its Seven Wonders itineraries during the whale migration season. The six-hour cruise departs Darling Harbour on Thursdays and Sundays at 10.30am, providing spectacular views of the Harbour Bridge, Opera House, Sydney Heads and Bondi Beach, before heading to Botany Bay and Captain Cook's first landing place. After lunch ashore in Port Hacking, time is spent at Bundeena in the Royal National Park viewing ancient rock carvings, before the ship heads back to Darling Harbour via Manly and Middle Head. Fantasea Cruising Sydney reports it has already had plenty of recent humpback and southern right whale sightings and anticipates this will be a full-on season until early November. If you don't spot a whale, Fantasea will provide a free ticket on one of its whale-watching cruises. See fantasea.com.au.
DEAL OF THE WEEK
Cruise Traveller's exciting new 18-night fly/cruise/train/stay package starts with a flight from Sydney to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia and includes an 11-night cruise through Indonesian islands to Darwin onboard Ponant's L'Austral, a three-night gold-class Expedition Train Journey on the Ghan to Adelaide, the flight back to Sydney and four nights' accommodation in Kota Kinabalu, Darwin and Adelaide. Departing June 22, 2017. From $11,295 when booked by September 15; phone 1800 507 777, see cruisetraveller.com.au.
MORE DEALS
CRUISE FIRST Sail from Sydney to Hawaii, visiting Fiji and Tahiti en route, with this bargain cruise/fly/stay package. The 18-night cruise on Carnival Legend departs April 1, 2017, followed by one night's post-cruise accommodation in Honolulu and a one-way flight from Honolulu to Australia. From $2599; phone 1300 596 345, see cruise1st.com.au.
AZAMARA CLUB CRUISES is offering a Buy One, Get One Half Price deal on a range of Europe, Australia and Asia cruises when booked before August 31, 2016. The offer is applicable for Azamara Journey's inaugural Australasian season starting in February 2017, which is sure to book out quickly. Phone 1800 754 500, see azamaraclubcruises.com.
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