Venture AshoreReviews of ventureashore.com

When we turned up for the excursion from Kotor to Risan, Perast and Our Lady of the Rocks, we found that the two of us were the only ones booked for this tour. We were impressed, considering the very reasonable price, that the tour wasn’t cancelled, which sometimes happens with other companies. Our guide Vesna was friendly and very informative, with her local knowledge of the area we visited. In spite of a bad crash, causing lengthy tailbacks, Vesna made sure we got back to the cruise ship on time. My wife and I had a wonderful day, and would highly recommend the company based on our experience.

Daniel Simoes, my driver and guide was outstanding. He was extremely knowledgeable, friendly and professional. I highly recommend not only Daniel but this tour. The only criticism is it is too short. The ship only is in port for so long

We left the ship and where we would normally expect the buses to be your company was not there. We asked someone as to where we might find you and as in the information given to us she said walk about 100 meters and they should be there. We went to the gates expecting to see meeting point sign as advised by you or a least someone with a board ie your representative - to direct us to the coach - no one was there so we set off to see if we could find any one, after 3rd of a mile we saw a hop on hop off bus we spoke to the driver to see if he could help but he was not sure, we then spoke to a taxi driver who pointed us to the direction of 2 representatives who were standing about - We approached them and one of them then waved an A4 sign at us - not very clear - we asked why did we have to walk all this way when you said in your information walk 100 meters - they said they were not allowed in the port - we asked why not be visible so that we would know where to go instead of walking around hoping to find you. We then got on the bus and was horrified by the conditions, hand rails to support entrance & exit hanging off, stain on the seats, grab rail missing, the bus was in an awful state. We then set off and the guide was vey informative about how many children she has, about her husband her qualifications, and what was growing in the fields. It sems she had nothing else to talk about except fields & family. When we have been on tours previously the guide would normally with us on the bus to be thanked and to hope that we all enjoyed the tour - she did not return in the bus. The tour was not good and the guide & her colleague did not help matters.

We had an amazing stress free trip to the Pyramids and Sphinx thanks to Venture Ashore and particular thanks to Dina, our very knowledgable guide and her driver. They ensured we saw everything in our own time and in our preferred way and a generous local lunch was included. Nothing was too much trouble and they returned us to our ship in plenty of time. I would recommend Venture Ashore here, rather than the Cruise excursion. Thanks so much Dina.

Pompeii and Naples City tour: the tour should have started at 8.30am and we didn't see the Tour Guide until 9.20am. No apology whatsoever for keeping us all hanging around waiting. Rushed half hearted tour round Naples, the Guide tried to shout information to us at the side of a busy road and almost got us run over. She told us to be careful crossing! I emailed whilst I was there waiting and also had to follow up several times to Customer Services. They are not interested in giving out an apology. They have just emailed today, trying to tell me the Tour Guide was only 15 minutes late which is an absolute lie. I have photos to prove the time that she turned up. It ruined my day completely and I saw very little of Naples. Don't use this company, book your excursions with the ship.

Forgot to book a tour today in Tenerife so we went shore and asked venture sure if he could join their tour. There was room in Van. The company said we couldn’t join even if we agreed to give them credit card information over the phone we’ve used this company on previous cruises. No more. They lost a lot more money than just this tour we would’ve paid for

Small group tour of Rome with guide, Suzi. She met us at the port with a huge smile and a clearly marked sign. When your guide begins by telling you about crossing the road safely and how to interpret local gestures in Rome, you know you are in good hands. Suzi ensures that individual needs are met, but keeps a brisk pace so that the tour is complete. She is passionate about Rome and she relates history in a way that makes it come to life. She adds current anecdotes and you can tell that she loves her job. Her “unfiltered” comments and sense of humour are delightful. We were there on an exceptionally busy day and Suzi made sure that we saw all the main sights and stayed safe.

3 of the 4 excursions we booked didn't happen. The first one was cancelled well before the cruise and we were refunded for it. No problem. For the second one we went to the meeting point and no one showed up. We asked and had someone get ahold of Sonny Liston Tours. They sent a guy out and he informed us that the tour had been cancelled weeks ago and that he refused to do business with Venture Ashore because he said they didn't pay. He had an extra van so we paid him cash and he gave us a private tour. That too was refunded by Venture Ashore. The third one was a catamaran ride and it was great. The operators were kind, informative and attentive. They said they were new to Venture Ashore and we look at each other and hoped they were going to get paid. The fourth one was a kayak trip through a mangrove forest. Again no one showed up. We asked the information station to contact the operator. When I talked to him he said the mangroves had been full of seaweed for weeks and all tours had been cancelled, but no one told us. Again, Venture Ashore refunded our purchase, but that did not compensate for the wasted time waiting for an operator that never showed up. We were the only ones left at the pier when everyone else from our ship was off having fun. I know things happen, but the communication from Venture Ashore was horrible. They did refund us, but it was a great disappointment and we weren't given the time to book something else. Next time I book through the ship!