How to choose between Xiamen independent travel and group travel? Analysis of Ticket Schedule and Budget for Gulangyu JAL Terminal

Someone went to Xiamen with friends and promised to save money on independent travel before departure. When I came back to settle the accounts, it was 4500 per person. It's twice as expensive as similar products from travel agencies, but the key is that it's hard to pinpoint where it's expensive. I thought it was OK to book the hotel 298 for one night, but the hotel didn't include breakfast, so I went downstairs for two bowls of noodles and 70 pieces of soybean milk; Living in a remote area, taking a taxi back and forth every day is around 80-90; On the day of Gulangyu, three people queued up to buy tickets for a boat, a sightseeing bus, and a ticket. It took them almost three hours, and the drink ice cream they bought while queuing alone was only forty yuan. These fragmented expenses are not even included when booking a room.

Today, I won't tell you how artistic Xiamen is. Let's do three things: clarify the ticket logic for the Gulangyu JAL terminal, calculate the expenses for individual travel and group tours, and then tell you what a reliable pure play group can save you on the Xiamen route.

Gulangyu JAL Terminal: Distance between 35 yuan and 'not available for purchase'

The daytime routes for tourists on Gulangyu mainly depart from the cruise center Xiagu Pier and arrive at Sanqiu Tian Pier or Neicuoao Pier. Sanqiu Tian is the closest to the core scenic area and commercial district, making it the preferred choice; Neicuoao is relatively far from the scenic spots, so it's a second choice. A regular round-trip ticket costs 35 yuan and the journey takes about 20 minutes.

Sounds simple, right? The question is whether you can buy it or not.

The official channel is the small program "See Xiamen from the Island" or the official account of "Xiamen Ferry Co., Ltd.", which is three or five days ahead of schedule in peak season. The 35 yuan ticket is basically empty. Someone has tested that it is difficult to buy tickets for the day on site and it is necessary to grab them in advance. At this moment, the roadside driver and the scalper appeared: 'There are no tickets left, I have an internal passage.' It was all a scam. Either it's high priced scalping tickets, or it's taking you on a private boat that can't even get into a regular dock.

The operational logic of regular and group tours is completely different. The travel agency will lock the ticket into the contract in advance, and the ticket will already be there when you register. You don't need to know when to release the ticket, which ID to use to grab it, or which pier is closer to the scenic spot between Sanqiu Tian and Neicuoao. You just need to finish breakfast at the hotel and follow the leader. For those who are going to Xiamen for the first time, this ticket itself is one of the hardest reasons to join the group.

Calculating a Real Account of Self Service Travel: How Money Secretly Disappeared

Some people have calculated the expenses for individual travel very finely: accommodation costs 600 yuan, dining costs 900 yuan, transportation costs 600 yuan, admission fees of 285 yuan, and snacks and specialties costs 300 yuan, totaling approximately 2285 yuan for five days. Does it sound acceptable?

But this is the version of 'saving flowers'. The real situation is: the hotel does not include breakfast, and spends tens of dollars more on breakfast every day; Living in a remote area, the taxi fare is even more expensive than living near the scenic area; When we arrived at the seafood stall, the menu was filled with "current prices", with four dishes priced at over 800 yuan per person, which is 400 yuan per person, enough to eat with a group for four days. I bought the ticket temporarily without even offering any discounts. After buying the joint ticket, I realized that there were two points where I didn't have time to go at all. I threw away 100 yuan for nothing.

What about the accounts with the group? The price range for pure play small groups in Xiamen for 4 days and 3 nights on the market is approximately 12000 to 2000 yuan. Including accommodation, partial catering, tour bus, core tickets, and pick-up and drop off stations. Someone has made a comparison: booking at least 2000 yuan for the same accommodation, catering, transportation, and tickets can lower the hotel price by 30% and the ticket price by 20-30% with the group price.

The price difference may only be a few hundred yuan. But these few hundred yuan were bought for: no need to snatch tickets, no need to compare prices at hotels, no need to drag and transfer luggage, and the tour guide had already exchanged the tickets when queuing.

Someone wrote it very truthfully: On the afternoon of the independent trip, I got lost on the island. I wandered around with my phone navigation for two hours, and my feet got soaked. Finally, I found a random shop and ordered a cup of coconut water for thirty yuan. The five words' the price of freedom 'are particularly real on the cobblestone road of Gulangyu Island.

Gulangyu Island is not big, but the streets and alleys are complex. People who go there for the first time are likely to repeatedly circle between Longtou Road Commercial Street and residential areas. Tell the team leader which alley leads to where, which time slot in Sunshine Rock has a shorter queue, and which gate to enter Shuzhuang Garden without having to turn back. You don't need to open the navigation, you just need to follow along and take the photos before the meeting time.

The pit of low-priced groups is deeper than that of scalpers

One must add: Xiamen's low-priced group is another species.

There are several hundred yuan "Xiamen 4-day 3-night pure play" on the market. Calculate the bill: Even if you stay at a fast hotel for three nights, it still costs three to four hundred one nights during peak season, and the room fee alone is over a thousand yuan. Where does the profit of this group come from? Shopping store rebates, self funded projects, or "car tours" instead of "tours".

Typical operation: Write the itinerary as "Gulangyu", and you will be given 40 minutes to freely move around in the commercial street of Longtou Road. Take a photo at the entrance of Shiguangyan and Shuzhuang Garden before leaving. Write 'Huandao Road' and drive over for you to take a look without stopping. The tour guide recommended a self paid package of 200 yuan, with the saying 'if you don't participate, just wait on the roadside'.

So if you choose to join a group, cross out any 4-day 3-night Xiamen group that is less than 1000 directly. Where is the bottom line for the price of a legitimate pure play group. A reliable pure play group, the contract clearly states in black and white that there is no shopping. You can walk as slowly as you want in the alleys of Gulangyu, without worrying about whether the tour guide will lose face because you don't buy anything.

If you think joining a group is just about rushing to attractions, it depends on how you choose. Xiamen is worth slowing down the pace.

Gulangyu does not require all clocking in. Choose between Shuzhuang Garden and Riguang Rock to enter, and spend the rest of the time wandering around the alley, which is much more comfortable than following the navigation to find the "most beautiful corner". Riding a shared bike on the roundabout road is more interesting than taking a taxi, but don't rent a private electric bike on the roadside - a fine of 200 yuan will be imposed on the prohibited section, and the vendor won't pay for you. In terms of food, you can skip the popular snacks in Zengcuo An and Zhongshan Road Main Street. You can go to the Ba Shi Market, where you can eat more than ten yuan of sand tea noodles, eight yuan of fried oysters, and whatever the locals eat.

Accommodation is located near mountain roads or ferries, with convenient transportation. Zengcuo An is too noisy and inconvenient for travel. A reliable group product, the hotel location will help you choose, you don't need to distinguish which ones are labeled as "Zhongshan Road is actually in the suburbs" among a bunch of homestays in a word game.

① Gulangyu boat tickets are only recognized by the official authorities. Yu Jian Xiamen "mini program, grab in advance, 35 yuan round-trip. There is no good person on the roadside who says' come with me when there are no tickets'.

② Cross out any 4-day groups below 1000 directly. The price difference will definitely be earned back after you get on the bus, and you will earn more than the normal tour fee.

③ Seafood stalls first check the menu prices. It is common for seaside food stalls to have a shortage of food and drinks. If you want to eat seafood, go to Ba Shi and find a processing shop. First, ask for the processing fee.

④ Scan shared bikes on the roundabout road, don't rent private electric bikes. A fine of 200 yuan will be imposed on the prohibited road section, and the vendor will pat their chest and say they can ride freely. If you turn around, the traffic police will fine you to pay it yourself.

⑤ Both Xiamen University and Nanputuo require appointments. Xiamen University rushed to "U Xiamen University" three days in advance, and the quota was immediately vacant. Nanputuo is free, don't buy incense at the doorstep.

⑥ Please don't eat at Zengcuoan. Nationwide unified grilled squid and milk tea, with a doubled premium. Just take a stroll and take photos, go to Ba Shi for food.

So,In the end, you will find that you saved on the tour fee, but paid the cost of fighting for tickets, queuing time, getting lost, and only discovering the word "current price" at the seafood stall.

The prerequisite for joining a group is that you have chosen the right group. A legitimate pure play group in Xiamen, with a range of 12000 to 2000 yuan, including boat tickets, hotels, some tickets, and transportation, and the contract clearly states that there is no shopping. You can walk as slowly as you want in the alleys of Gulangyu, without worrying about where the bus to the dock tomorrow is, whether the ticket is still available, or which dead end the navigation will take you to.

Xiamen is a place where you should spend your brain cells on finding a good sand tea noodle restaurant, rather than arguing with scalpers and queuing up to buy tickets.

📌 Tip at the end of the article

To determine the reliability of a Xiamen tour, three factors should be considered: whether the price is below one thousand (cross out any below), whether the Gulangyu ferry ticket in the contract includes and specifies the dock (priority for Sanqiu Tian), and whether the hotel is located near Zhongshan Road or ferry. All three are needed, you just need to bring sunscreen and a pair of easy to walk shoes - Gulangyu and Huandao Road have a huge amount of walking, and uncomfortable shoes are equivalent to going for nothing. Leave the rest to the local tour guide.