Canadian Tammy Cecco is not a cruise fan.
“The thought of being on a ship with thousands of other people and not being able to get off,” he said, “is something I want to avoid.”
This did not 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?'” he said. “I’m not the type of person who likes to be watched.”
He said he envisioned “a tiny little cabin and no windows.” But he found some cruise ships there are spacious suites with floor-to-ceiling windows. Additionally, floors with smaller cabins give the feeling of a “boutique” travel experience, he said.
Travel professional Tammy Cecco names the Celebrity Edge cruise ship, shown here, as one with spacious suites and great window views.
Eva Marie Uzcategui | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Once he “relaxed into it,” Cecco says, he began to enjoy the cruise ship trip.
“Cruise has really evolved,” he said. “There’s something for everyone today.”
A beach strategy
Cecco also found a way to enjoy “private, personalized” beach experiences. he said.
He booked private excursions, rather than one organized by the cruise, on his last two cruise vacations — one to Russia and Scandinavia and one to Southern Europe, he said.
Tammy Cecco and her family, including her guide, Josep, in front of La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. “If you go with a bus full of people, it’s hard to dig deep into the city,” he said.
Courtesy of Tammy Cecco
Cecco, who travels regularly with his family of five and his mother-in-law, said the private tours fit everyone’s needs — and interests.
“There were six of us, and we wanted a private tour because usually kids aren’t interested in these big, long tours,” she said. “When you book an excursion with a cruise line or have an organized tour, you’re usually going with a bunch of other people, and you have to go along with their itinerary.”
More people are returning to sailing in 2023, but more than that, more people are looking for private experiences.
Luciano Bullorsky
President and Co-owner of ToursByLocals
Cecco said he booked a private tour of “almost every stop” on their last cruise, Rome added.
“We have one day where we want to do the Colosseum as well as the Vatican, and each can be a full-day tour on their own,” he said. “I asked the tour guide if he could give us the best of both in one day, and he managed to combine them both expertly.”
Private beach excursions are on the rise
Cecco books the guides through ToursByLocals, a Canada-based travel company that operates in 188 countries, according to its website.
The company says private shore excursions will account for almost a third of all trips booked in 2023 – up from 12% of 2022 bookings.
“Many people are returning to sailing in 2023, but more than that, many people are looking for private experiences when they return to the sea,” said Luciano Bullorsky, the company’s president and co-owner.
He said people want the ability to use private transportation, engage with a local guide and reach sites “before the busloads of tourists arrive.” Plus, they can go places buses can’t, like small restaurants, boutique wineries, even a “family-run sled dog ranch,” he said.
Giuseppe D’Angelo (center) is shown here with travelers in front of the Victor Emmanuel II National Monument in Rome.
Courtesy of Giuseppe D’Angelo
Bullorsky said most of the private excursion bookings are in Europe, especially along the Mediterranean. But, he said, Alaska and Puerto Rico are also popular.
Top bookings include the “Best of Ephesus” in Turkey, full-day tours of Santorini and Athens, an island tour of Bermuda and a coastal trip to Peggy’s Cove in Nova Scotia with a guide with a Ph.D. . in Canadian history.
Giuseppe D’Angelo runs 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 site” in Italy, he said.
“I can create itineraries and routes, including sites and attractions, that are unique, and not followed by the crowds of large cruise excursions,” he said. “Sometimes, cruisers send me a list of very famous places including Pompeii, Mount Vesuvius or the Sistine Chapel… In those cases, I arrange for them the best sequence of visits to can see every place if they are not too crowded.”
He said many clients ask for restaurant recommendations “with the best food and no tourists,” he said.
On top of that, ToursByLocals CEO and co-founder Paul Melhus said the company guarantees travelers will be back on the ship on time — or the company pays for overnight hotel costs and transportation fees in the next destination of the ship.
How much do private excursions cost?
Cruisers can expect to pay around $100 per person for a cruise-organized excursion, according to the financial website Money We Have.
Cecco charges about $600 for each of his privately organized full-day tours, which includes entrance fees and private transportation for six people.
He said for what they did, he “definitely” saved money as well as time, because private tours move more easily between locations. Plus, he says he gets an insider’s perspective and that often elusive “authentic” experience that many travelers seek.
He said in Sicily, he ate in bakeries hidden in small villages. In Santorini, he took photos without many tourists in the background.
As for whether private beach excursions will make him more likely to cruise in the future: “Most definitely,” he says.
