Maximize Your Cruise Experience: Shore Excursion Tips

The excitement lies in the exploration of the world around us. 

Jim Peebles

A cruise ship vacation is a wonderful way to travel offering delicious food, entertainment of all kinds, and a comfortable floating hotel to take you where you want to go. Of course, all of that is just an accompaniment to the beautiful destinations you can visit on a cruise. Shore excursions can offer the opportunity for spectacular experiences but they can be unforgettable for all the wrong reasons too. So what should you know about shore excursions before you go?

Shore Excursion Rule #1

When a cruise ship docks at a port of call, the clock is ticking, not just for your day of exploration, but for your ship as well. Factors such as distance to the next port and port authority requirements influence how long a ship can stay in port and what time passengers need to be back on board.   

So, for any shore excursion on any cruise line, there is only one very important rule, rule #1, regla número uno.  

DON’T. BE. LATE!

As you get off your ship, it is important to know when you need to be back on the ship.  Being late from an excursion offers a very real likelihood that your ship will leave you, providing a costly and unplanned extension of the day’s excursion.  If time in port is growing short and you are cutting your return close, you need to RUN if you hear the ship’s horn!

Where do you want to go?  Choosing a cruise and the shore excursions for you

As veteran cruisers, my husband and I have been on many cruises and we choose our cruises using one of two methods.  One method we use is to choose our cruise based on the actual ship with perhaps the opportunity to experience a ship that is new to our favorite cruise line or a ship we would like to experience.  The other method we use is to choose based on the trip itinerary, picking a favorite cruise itinerary or a new destination to experience.  Of course, the ultimate is to have a great itinerary and a great ship but that is more rare for us!

You can use our methods or just ask yourself where you want to go and start from there.   

While shopping for cruises, consider how long your ship will be in port and what excursions are available to you.  Don’t give up if you don’t see an excursion that you were hoping for.  There are various ways to get off the ship and explore.          

Take a cruise line sponsored excursion

Cruise lines contract with local port vendors and tour companies to provide passengers with excursions that meet set parameters. When agreeing to work with the cruise line, excursion vendors need to be able to deliver agreed-upon specific activities within a set time to get everything in, so some excursions can move quickly, hitting the high spots.  These excursions appear on your cruise website under the specific listing for your cruise and you can review them when booking.   To make sure that you get the excursion you want most, book on line prior to your cruise especially if you will be sailing on a larger ship.  It is possible to wait until your cruise has departed to book an excursion but some can sell out quickly.

Pros:

-Taking an excursion that is sponsored by the cruise line trumps rule #1.  If the excursion company that is contracted through the cruise line returns to the ship late, the ship will wait for you.

-Some excursions are great experiences.

-The excursion vendor picks you up and brings you back.   No muss, no fuss.

-Cruise line excursions will note activity levels required for their tours.  This is helpful for passengers with children or anyone with a disability or physical impairment.  

Cons: 

-Cruise line shore excursions can sometimes have less than accurate/detailed descriptions.  

-Depending on your cruise or port, there could be limited excursions to choose from or that appeal to you.  

-Cruise line excursions have set agendas, are tightly timed to get everything in, and are not spontaneous.  

-Cruise line excursions can be expensive.

-The best cruise line excursions can fill quickly and have limited seats which leads to the next con…

-To get a ticket for the excursions you want, you may need to book in advance which can make your cruise feel less spontaneous.

Hire a private guide or take a private tour

It is possible to leave your ship and tour with local guides.  The more sketchy of these options is to hire someone when you reach the port but consider working with your travel professional who might be able to  arrange a tour with a local private guide.  Your cruise line may also offer private tours so be sure to check.

Pros: 

-Taking a private tour can provide much more spontaneity, allowing you to have a less structured experience not provided by the cruise line. 

-A private tour is yours so fighting for a seat is not a factor.

-A private tour can be the experience you want to have. 

Cons:

-Taking a private excursion that is not contracted through the cruise line exposes you to the risks of not following rule #1.  If your tour is late returning you back to the port, the ship will leave you.

-The price of a private tour can vary or even require some negotiation with local guides, which we don’t enjoy.     

-Hiring a private tour at the port is an unknown experience.  Is it safe, what do you know about the vendor, and how much is the tour?  

Go out on your own

Depending on the port, venturing off on your own could be an option.  Exploring on your own can be a true traveler’s experience without any set parameters or expectations.  You can consider just walking off the ship to explore on your own and to make the day what you want.  

Pros:

-Venturing off on your own means that you can leave the ship and return to the ship when you want and make your experience your own. BUT, be mindful of rule #1!

-There is no cost to making your own excursion unless you grab a meal, shop for souvenirs, or need transportation.

Cons: 

-Following rule #1 is on you and you alone!  Don’t be late!

-Venturing off the ship to see the sites can be limited to what is within walking distance.  Depending on the port there can be a lot to do just off the pier while other berths are long distances from any sites. This can require a long distance walk or a local taxi.  Some ports offer alternative transportation in the form of motor bikes, golf carts, or other for hire options.

-As you wonder off on your own, if a situation seems sketchy, skip it.  

-In some cruise ports, specifically in the Caribbean, once you’ve stepped out of the cruise terminal, you must run the gauntlet of locals selling tours, hoping to braid your hair, and selling just about anything.  If you enjoy this challenge, this isn’t a con for you.  However, these sales pitches can be aggressive and sometimes forceful, making many travelers uncomfortable and leaving an unsafe atmosphere.  Use caution.

River Cruises and Small Ocean Cruises

For one of our anniversaries, we planned a European river cruise with Viking River Cruises.  Because they are a smaller luxury cruise line, their river and ocean cruises are famously known for being nearly all-inclusive.  For the price of a cruise, passengers have one tour in each port with additional excursions offered for additional costs in some ports.  In addition, the timelines for these cruises can be a bit slower and depending on the one you choose, your ship could spend a couple days in a specific port, allowing for lots of exploration.

We took advantage of each excursion offered by the cruise line and at least twice, we ventured off on our own to experience local restaurant experiences.

We loved traveling this way because the ships are small and they offer food and experiences specific to the country or port of call for the day.  We would love to go again but these cruises can book quickly and because of their cost, we reserve considering them for special occasions.

My husband and I are avid cruisers and over time, we have taken some great excursions like a stellar whale watching excursion in Canada where we saw humpback whales breaching yards away and swimming under our boat.  On the flip side, we chose an excursion billed by the cruise line as a Jamaican “plantation” tour that sounded great but ultimately put us on a school bus in the middle of a sugar cane field with a man who had a handgun on his hip for our “safety.”

 Speaking from experience, shore excursions can make your cruise a trip of a lifetime or they can cause you to swear off certain ports of call for future trips.  

The best advice I can give is, this: 

-Do your research.  

-If you will be visiting a port for the first time, find out what other cruisers are saying about it and make sure to understand if the port is safe to explore.  

-Consider joining a Facebook group for your specific cruise and connect with fellow cruisers for advice.  

-Talk to fellow cruisers or friends who have traveled to your destination.

-Review the cruise line’s scheduled excursions.  What must-see sites and must-do excursions in each port appeal to you?  

-Is it safe to venture off the ship on your own?   

-Of course, a great source to help you is a good travel professional.  

As with any vacation, you will make your cruise what you want it to be.  It is what you make it.  If an excursion fails to meet expectations, consider it a learned lesson and a reason to return to this port of call on another cruise.  If it was a cruise line sponsored excursion, discuss your experience in guest services.  Alerting the cruise line to a bad experience can improve the excursions they choose to offer in the future.  There will also be a survey at the end of your cruise and you will be offered the opportunity to give feedback then as well.   

Overall, most excursions are well planned and can offer great experiences.  No matter how you choose to explore, just keep rule #1 in mind!