DCL private tour in Europe

[cgdmom]

Does anyone have any experience doing the 8 hour private tour in any port in Europe? Thinking about trying one in Naples but would love some reviews. Thanks!

 

[DahliaRW]

I don't remember how many hours each day our tours were, but they were a lot. We booked with SPB tours in St. Petersburg and they were fantastic. We did a private tour for just our family because it wasn't much more than a group tour and we could personalize. For smaller groups, their group tours are a good value and are a lot smaller than the DCL tours. SPB tours does offer tours in Naples. https://www.spb-mediterranean.com/index.php?plugin=home

 

[mmmears]

We tend to book private port tours in Europe but not through DCL. I read tons of reviews online and selected a different guide in every port and booked them long before our booking window opened with DCL. When it did open, those private tours were not available (plus they were double what I was paying and I didn't pick the cheapest guides). I'm not sure if they were available and then someone else booked them, or if they just weren't offered even though they were on the list.

We did private port excursions in Reykjavik, Invergordon, and Dover, but not Naples so I can't recommend anyone there. I read a ton of Trip Advisor reviews and went with people who had lots of recommendations (I realize they can be fake, though) and we weren't disappointed in any of our guides.

I will add that we saw more, waited less, and got to do exactly what we wanted to do since they were private tours. I've booked mostly private tours for our next cruise as well.

Hope this helps!

 

[JaimeInParker]

Here is my tripadvisor review of 'RomeLimosTours '

we were on the Disney Magic and arranged for their services on two of our port days - Rome and Amalfi Coast/Serrento. They could not have been more professional if they tried; they were waiting for us as we came off of the ship and had great/clean vehicles.

Our sightseeing of Sorrento was very casual and not alot of hussle/bussle - Salvatore knew all sorts of facts about the towns we visited. They arranged for a 2hr private tour of Pompeii by a wonderful young lady who was an archaeologist on some of the digs at the ruins.

There was alot to see on the Rome sightseeing day and Danielle was able to get everything covered - we started with a great shot of espresso to get our authentic day started. Before he dropped us off anywhere we discussed what to look for at that attraction. He arranged for a private tour guide at the Vatican for us and she knew everything there was to know. At one point we asked Danielle for a lunch recommendation and he took us to a restaurant near his house that he frequents ( he took care of all the ordering including appetizers, pasta entrees, dessert and wine - it was very reasonable at 40Euros for both of us).

I cannot say enough of the great time we had and would GUARANTEE a great time using their services - THANK YOU DANIELLE FOR MAKING IT A MEMORABLE TRIP RomeLimosTours

 

[lilsonicfan]

We did a private tour not through our cruiseline with Rome In Limo, in Rome (though they do offer other ports as well). It was amazing, a full 9 hour day. We paid something like 600 Euros for 5 of us.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We did a private tour not through our cruiseline with Rome In Limo, in Rome (though they do offer other ports as well). It was amazing, a full 9 hour day. We paid something like 600 Euros for 5 of us.

This is who we used also. For our family of 4 and sharing the cost with my parents, it was so much cheaper & better than the big bus tour groups through DCL. (We did book Nice/Monaco tour through DCL so it's easy to compare.) They offered a multi tour discount so we booked them for Florence/Pisa, Rome and Naples/Positano. After we were booked, we were offered an additional discount if we paid in cash and wired the money to a bank in Miami. I was very hesitant and it just screamed SCAM to me but several recent Med cruisers here assured me they had done it, and it was all legit.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attract...Rome_in_Limo_Tours_Excursions-Rome_Lazio.html

 

[aggiedog]

We've done private tours in every overseas port but 2 (our first cruise and we were being cautious.) That first time, we decided the private tours were better hands down and never looked back. I look at TripAdvisor and contact several companies, then go with the one that seems to communicate promptly, well, and is willing to tailor the tour for us if needed. We try to do at least one food tour on each trip, which is frequently one of our favorites. We usually travel as a large-fish family group and can get a fully private tour for significantly less cost than what the cruise line is offering. If you are a small group, you can also add on to one of the group tours that many companies offer, or you can try to organize one thru your roll call.

One thing to realize in Italy is there is a difference between a guide and a driver. Drivers will not go into locations with you, and may or may not have much interesting information for you along the way. If you want someone who will walk with you, impart knowledge, etc, make sure you get a guide.

 

[clten]

We did a private tour through DCL in Estonia. Working with DCL was frustrating. We had booked a 4 hour car w/guide. They sent us this form to fill out to "notify our guide" of what we wanted to see. Tried to speak with them to understand the form. (It had each individual site you could visit listed with a time estimate. So it listed Church X 4 hours; Castle Y 4 hours; etc.) So tried to understand what I was to fill out because we didn't really want to spend 4 hours just to visit one church. DCL responded basically if we wanted to see both Church X and Castle Y, we would have to extend our reservation to 8 hour. Even when I tried to explain that the two locations were within 15 minutes of one another and while I would like to see the church, I suspected if I spent more than 1/2 hour there with a guide describing it I would surely be sleeping, they told me I had to extend. So I skipped their form, responded to their e-mail outlining the things we wanted to see and that if it would exceed the 4 hours, we would just skip the sites we didn't get to and head back to the ship. Once onboard the ship, they left us a letter in our cabin that there was a mandatory meeting on the first day at 5pm for those that booked a private vehicle. We changed our normal sail-away plans to go to this meeting. The Port Adventures staff gave a useless general discussion about private vehicle tours and arranging the itinerary using that same form. Then spoke specifically to those that were doing private vehicles in St Petersburg so we basically wasted our time.

But I will tell you the day of, the driver and the tour guide were both excellent. It was worth the money we paid and even the aggravation we went through. The guide explained that she didn't even get anything from the cruiseline except # of guests and how long the tour was for. She spoke to us about what we wanted to see - if there was anything specific so she made sure we didn't miss it and then did what she did so well - showed us her city. It was a very comprehensive tour, we saw all we expected and more and got back to the ship in less than the 4 hours! (Now I'm sure in Naples, we could easily fill 8 hours with touring but I'm sure DCL's form still shows you can only do two or three things!)

 

[remlap]

Does anyone have any experience doing the 8 hour private tour in any port in Europe? Thinking about trying one in Naples but would love some reviews. Thanks!

What are you looking to do in Naples? I'm sure there are lots and lots of options, but if it is go to Pompeii, that is ridiculously easy to do on your own on the train. Perhaps arrange a guide to meet you there?
The only other thing we did was L'Antica Pizzeria da Michelle and Google maps directed us there from the train station. Seriously we had an amazing day and spent like $25 each. Only expenses were train, Pompeii and pizza.