Canadian Tammy Cecco was not a fan of sailing.
“The thought of being on a ship with thousands of other people and not being able to get off,” she said, “was something I wanted to avoid.”
That didn’t change when Cecco, a travel magazine publisher, boarded a surprise cruise booked by her husband to renew their vows in front of family and friends.
“When I got on … I thought ‘Oh my god, what am I doing here?'” she said. “I’m not the type of person who likes to be a pack at all.”
She said she envisioned “a small, windowless cabin.” However she discovered that some cruise ships have spacious suites with floor-to-ceiling windows. Plus, floors with fewer cabins give the feel of a “boutique” travel experience, she said.
Travel professional Tammy Cecco called the Celebrity Edge cruise ship, shown here, one that has spacious suites and great views from the windows.
Eva Marie Uzcategui | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Once she “settled into it,” Cecco said, she began to enjoy the cruise ship ride.
“Cruise travel has really evolved,” she said. “There’s something for everyone now.”
A shore strategy
Cecco also found a way to enjoy “private, personalized” shore experiences. she said.
She booked private excursions, rather than one organized by the cruise, on two recent cruise vacations — one to Russia and Scandinavia and another to southern Europe, she said.
Tammy Cecco and her family, plus her guide, Josep, in front of Barcelona’s La Sagrada Familia. “When you’re going with a big busload of people, it’s hard to dig too deep into the city,” she said.
Courtesy of Tammy Cecco
Cecco, who often travels with her family of five and her mother-in-law, said private tours are tailored to everyone’s needs and interests.
“There were six of us and we wanted a private tour because often kids aren’t interested in these big, long tours,” she said. “When you book an excursion with a cruise line or an organized tour, you’re usually going with a bunch of other people and you have to follow their itinerary.”
More people are returning to cruising in 2023, but even more than that, more people are looking for private experiences.
Luciano Bullorsky
President and co-owner of ToursByLocals
Cecco said she booked a private tour of “almost every stop” on their last cruise, plus Rome.
“We had one day we wanted to do the Colosseum as well as the Vatican, and each of those could be a full-day tour on its own,” she said. “I asked the guide if he could give us the best of both in a single day and he managed to combine the two expertly.”
Private shore excursions on the rise
Cecco booked guides through ToursByLocals, a Canada-based travel company that operates in 188 countries, according to its website.
The company said private shore tours account for nearly a third of all tours booked in 2023 – up from 12% in 2022 bookings.
“More people are returning to sailing in 2023, but even more than that, more people are looking for private experiences when they return to sea,” said Luciano Bullorsky, the company’s president and co-owner.
He said people want the ability to use private transport, interact with a local guide and get to places “before the tourist buses arrive”. Plus, they can go places buses can’t go, like smaller restaurants, boutique wineries, even a “family-run sled dog farm,” he said.
Giuseppe D’Angelo (center) pictured here with travelers in front of the Victor Emmanuel II National Monument in Rome.
Courtesy of Giuseppe D’Angelo
Bullorsky said most bookings for private excursions are in Europe, particularly along the Mediterranean. But, he said, Alaska and Puerto Rico are also popular.
Top bookings include Turkey’s Best of Ephesus, day tours to Santorini and Athens, an island tour to Bermuda, and a shore excursion to Peggy’s Cove in Nova Scotia with a guide who has a Ph.D. in Canadian history.
Giuseppe D’Angelo leads a popular tour of Rome, but he also takes travelers to explore Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast and other parts of Italy’s Campania region, including “11 of the 53 UNESCO sites” in Italy, he said.
“I am able to create itineraries and itineraries, including sites and attractions, that are unique and not followed by the big cruise excursion crowd,” he said. “Sometimes, cruisers will send me a list of very popular spots, including Pompeii, Mount Vesuvius or the Sistine Chapel… In those cases, I will arrange for them the best sequence of visits so that they can see each place when it’s less congested.”
Many customers ask for restaurant recommendations “with the best food and no tourists,” he said.
Additionally, ToursByLocals CEO and co-founder Paul Melhus said the company guarantees travelers will get back to the ship on time — or the company pays overnight hotel costs plus transportation fees to the ship’s next destination.
How much do private excursions cost?
Cruisers can expect to pay about $100 per person for cruise-organized excursions, according to the financial website Money We Have.
Cecco paid about $600 for each of her privately organized full-day tours, which included entrance fees and private transportation for six people.
She said that for what they did, she “definitely” saved money and time because private tours move faster between locations. Plus, she said she had an insider’s perspective and that often elusive “authentic” experience that many travelers seek.
She said that in Sicily, she ate in hidden bakeries in small villages. In Santorini, she took pictures without a crowd of tourists in the background.
As for whether private shore excursions would make her more inclined to sail in the future: “For sure,” she said.
