CRUISE SHORE EXCURSIONS - ARE THEY WORTH IT?

Cruise Shore Excursions – Are They Worth It?

At Travel Routes we love cruise holidays, and many of our Travel Specialists even enjoy their own cruise holidays as well. One of the things we are asked about most is the cruise-line organised excursions, and whether they are worth doing. So, we have gathered together 5 reasons why we think they make a great addition to your cruise holiday, and 4 things to watch out for:

The Positives

The following 5 points are reasons we think cruise shore excursions will make a great addition to your cruise holiday;

+ Great Choice of Things to Do

Cruise lines take their selection of cruise excursions very seriously, as they know that what you do off the ship is just as important as what you do on it, and great shore excursions can make or break a cruise. This means that they have teams of people working with all the local companies, operators and suppliers in all their destinations in order to make sure their selection of cruise excursions is the very best it can be. At every port of call in your cruise, you will normally find multiple different options of things to do, which will cater for almost everyone. From easy-going local walking tours to heading off for full-day excursions into the mountains or jungle, there is almost certainly going to be something to cater to your needs or preferences.

+ Tried and Tested

Because most of the cruise lines will have been serving the ports you visit for a number of years, they have had plenty of time to refine their excursions and programmes so as to ensure that their excursions are as good as they can possibly be, and that they make a worthwhile addition to your holiday. This means you can usually be assured that the excursion will be delivered exactly as described, you'll have good-quality vehicles and guides assigned to you, and that you have the cruise line's quality assurance. 

+ Variety of Budgets

All cruise lines will offer a shore-excursions programme to cover a range of different budgets at every port of call. This means you don’t have to spend a fortune on shore excursions if you don’t want to. In general, we find that shore excursions will start from around US$40 per person for a light half-day tour, and will go up to as much as you want to spend! At the top end of the market you will find some super special experiences, such as an Alaskan float plane flight followed by a salmon bake in a lodge, or a private dinner at a viewpoint over the Acropolis! Many of the more luxury cruise lines will also be able to offer completely tailor-made experiences, so you can do exactly what you want.

+ Ease

Without a doubt, taking a cruise-line organised shore excursion is the easiest option. You will be looked after from the minute you leave the ship until the minute you return. You won't have to work out how to navigate local transport, haggle with local guides or tour companies without knowing if the excursion will be any good, queue for hours for popular tourist attractions, or risk missing out on things you want to do. The cruise lines make their shore excursions nice and easy!

+ You Won’t Miss the Ship!

All cruise-line shore excursions are guaranteed to make it back to the ship in time for its departure from port. So you will never need to worry about time or getting lost when you are on a cruise-line shore excursion. If the excursion is late back to the ship, the ship has to wait for you!

Things to Watch Out For

The following 4 points are things to look out for when considering cruise shore excursions;

- You Can Always Do Your Own Thing

Of course, it's worth mentioning that you don’t have to take any cruise line shore excursions. You are always welcome to step off the ship and explore any of the destinations yourself. You can simply walk off the ship for a wander around the local area, jump in a taxi to explore further afield, or often negotiate with a local tour company at the port to go and see whatever you want! However, as mentioned above – if you do your own thing, you need to make sure you are back in time for departure, as the ship won't wait for late passengers who are not taking the cruise-line organised shore excursions! If you miss the ship, then you will also be responsible for the cost of travelling on to the next place where you can re-join the ship! 

- Value

It is fair to say that while cruise-line shore excursions do cater for a variety of budgets, cruise lines do generally charge a bit of a premium for the excursions they offer. It is normally possible to do the same activities they offer by yourself, and save a little bit of money. However, as mentioned, by doing the cruise-organised excursions you are also paying for their quality assurance, the ease, and the guarantee of being looked after throughout, including being returned to the ship on time. Personally, we think this makes the extra premium worth it most of the time!

- Book in Advance

The best shore excursions do sell out, so make sure that you book those you want to do in advance so as to not miss them! Most cruise lines will offer their shore excursions in advance of the cruise via some sort of online portal. At Travel Routes we think it’s well worth taking some time to look through the shore excursions as early as you can. This way, you can at least get booked on to the ones you'll definitely want to do, and make sure you won't miss out! Shore excursions can of course also be booked once you are on-board too, but generally we think you'll want to spend your time on-board enjoying your holiday rather than standing in line waiting to book shore excursions!

- Numbers of People

The number of people you will share a shore excursion with does vary by cruise line, and also by excursion. As you would expect, the numbers on the smaller and more boutique cruise lines will be less and as a general rule the more expensive tours will also attract less people too. However, if you are taking a cheaper shore excursion with a large cruise line, then do expect to be sharing your excursion with plenty of people. It normally makes for a nice sociable atmosphere and is a great chance to meet your fellow passengers, but it's not ideal if you were looking to spend some romantic time just the two of you!

Please note some of the information contained within our cruise guide may differ once cruising resumes in the wake of Covid-19.

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