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If you’ve ever taken a cruise before, you know that a big part of the planning comes down to what are you going to do in each port. Shore excursions can ensure that you make the most of your time in a new place. But where do you start?
Your choices tend to be:
- A Cruise Ship-Organized Shore Excursion
- An Independently-Booked Shore Excursion
- A Stroll Around the Port and Town (if Close)
- Hiring Someone Right in Port
We’ve taken a lot of cruises over the years – currently 45 and counting. So that translates to hundreds of shore excursions.
I will give you my best advice on picking what’s best to do in port for your trip, including where I look, how to book, and how to save some money.
Let’s take it step-by-step.
Step 1: Port Calendar
First thing I suggest? Pull up your itinerary and then look up each port at this website:
I know, I know. This website looks like it hasn’t been updated since Y2K and dial-up internet. However, what we’re after is easily accessible for over 1,200 ports.
Find your port, and look first for the Cruise Calendar link:
You want to learn whether you are one of 8 ships in port – or the only one on that day.
If a number of other ships join you, it might feel like a Black Friday sale at Walmart. Just be aware that you will be competing for resources; lines and crowds will exist. Better to know that in advance.
On your own in port? Congratulations. That town is yours!
Step 2: Port Recon
Next, read the overview of the port. What you are looking for is how walkable it is to the central town/city from the port. Are there typically cruise ship shuttles? Taxis? Whatsinport should tell you.
This way, you can decide if a specific port can be enjoyed just by exploring on your own.
You do not always need to do paid shore excursions.
Some of our best times were spent roaming and exploring on our own.
Sometimes we look at the list of shore excursions and start yawning by the time we are halfway through. If that happens, seriously, consider just getting into the town and seeing it alone.
However, many times it’s the type of stop where you might be a long way from the center or a stop where there isn’t much to do in the port or town, and you need to get out on an organized tour to explore. Sometimes the best attractions lie outside of town.
Step 3: Cruise Ship Shore Excursions
Take a look at the excursions offered by the ship and see if anything looks compelling. We’ve done many of these over the years.
Do you want the pros?
- Easy. You meet onboard, they attach a sticker to you, and just like elementary school, you follow the leader off the ship, perhaps onto a bus and out to your destination for the day.
- You are guaranteed to return on time, and the ship won’t leave without you.
- The tours and guides can be excellent. We’ve had many that we enjoyed.
- If you are somewhere where you are concerned about complicated logistics or even safety, then consider a cruise ship tour.
Do you want the cons?
- Cruise Ship shore excursions are always overpriced. They are 25% – 75% more than booking on your own.
- They sometimes drag you through places for an upsell—the rug demonstration. The souvenir stand. The cultural demonstration actually oddly situated in a store 🙂
- Some passengers do not read the tour disclaimer. No matter how often the cruise ship will explain the uneven cobblestones, the long distances in the heat, and that it’s not for people who would struggle with that, you’ll get people who don’t care and go anyways.
- We’ve had to leave a few tours midway because this can be annoying and selfish on their part. It could still happen on an independent tour, but it happens less often.
- Also, there are rarely any reviews. When you book independently, you can read reviews and hear about authentic experiences. You won’t see that virtually ever with cruise ship tours.
- Oh, and it might be you and 50 of your closest friends packed into a coach.
Step 4: Independent Shore Excursions
I always recommend at least considering adding this to your mix. You can do some ship-based, but I’d suggest you also book your own.
Start with These Two Websites
I use two websites primarily for this purpose.
The first is Viator (which is also identical in tours to what you find on Tripadvisor).
If you travel a lot and do many tours during the year, consider the Tripadvisor Plus membership since you’ll save 10% on every tour you book through them (which matches Viator offerings).
I suggest you type in the port and add “shore excursion” and the date you’ll be there, such as:
Pay Attention to the Schedule
Next, know the time you are getting into the port and leaving. Only in port for 5 hours?
You’re not doing the 9 hour tour they have available.
Make sure the times will line up, and feel free to contact the operator if you are unsure.
Consider the Logistics
Look for the meeting point. Many will meet you at the port, but some will not. Use Google Maps to find the meeting point and determine how far it is from the cruise port.
Remember Whatsinport above? That can help you determine how easy it is to get a shuttle, Uber, or taxi to the starting spot.
Read the Reviews
What you’ll find, however, are reviews and value. You’ll know with, I’d say, 90% certainty, that your tour will be a good one if it is well-reviewed. I would avoid ones with no reviews or one or two. Why take a chance? It could be great, but I’d rather not risk it.
Note the Group Size
And take note of how many people are in the group maximum. You can even book private tours if you prefer. But even the group tours tend to average 8 to 12 people, so much more manageable than the huge ship tour groups, and you’ll see more with a small group as well.
Next?
Step 5: Airbnb Experiences
Head on over to Airbnb.com. They offer terrific tours, known as “Airbnb Experiences.”
But you have to dig for their hidden Airbnb Experiences. You do this this way:
Then click Experiences, the location (your port stop), and the date you are there.
Same advice as above. Look for plenty of reviews and read them.
I can tell you many of these are world-class and way more personalized than what a large tour company would provide. You’ll meet truly passionate guides who care about you, the tour, the experience and their town/city/country. We’ve done loads of these and they are always great.
Again, Pay Attention to the Schedule
Check the start time and length. Ensure the end time gets you back to the port or you are close enough to return to the ship without pushing it to the limits.
It would be best if you weren’t starring in one of those funny videos I see on YouTube where late guests are sprinting back to a ship pulling away. That’s a jump you don’t want to take.
I appreciate you entertaining me but don’t be that person.
By the way, we must have taken over a hundred independent shore excursions, and not once did we NOT make it back on time or even come close to missing our ship. Ever. Don’t let that threat from the cruise lines convince you to pay double for a lousy-sounding tour.
A little thoughtful planning, and you’ll be fine. Most local guides are very sensitive to cruise schedules and want to make sure you’re back well in time.
I’ve found incredible experiences for us to enjoy on these two websites alone (Viator/Tripadvisor and Airbnb Experiences).
Step 6: Google
After all your research, sometimes you want more choices or cannot find what you are looking for on these websites.
My next suggestion is that you pull up Google.com and enter:
YOUR PORT shore excursions
For example: Barcelona Shore Excursions
First? Scroll down. Google will slam you with ads first. Dig down a bit.
You will often find companies that offer tours in your port that do not book through these other platforms.
However, I always suggest looking up that company on Google Reviews and Tripadvisor. Please make sure they get plenty of positive reviews.
Step 7: Join Forces
There are several ways to communicate with others on your sailing to organize tours and share the costs.
CruiseCritic
Start by going to Cruise Critic.
Join the Roll Call for your ship. You can find these here:
People on your ship’s specific sailing often organize small group tours and share the cost, so you might be able to join a tour that way.
You can also use CruiseCritic to look at their boards with port destinations. It can get repetitive and sometimes hard to wade through all the posts, but there are usually gems to be found.
You’ll find that certain tour companies get brought up time and time again. There’s a reason for that.
A few times in the past, I actually booked a small group tour and told the operator I’d post inside of CruiseCritic to see if I could get the required 8 or 10 or 12 people. I never had a problem doing this, and some of the groups I put together were awesome.
Another great way to join forces in advance of a cruise is to find a private Facebook group for your specific sailing. It’s becoming common practice for a fellow passenger to set one up, then other passengers can join – especially for longer cruises. (It’s also fun for communicating during the cruise). For example, we are currently on a Royal Caribbean cruise and there is a Facebook group called “Odyssey of the Seas 21st April 2024 Transatlantic Crossing.” You can search Facebook for your ship and departure date to see if there is one.
Conclusion: Ship Shore Excursions vs. DIY
There’s a time and place for cruise ship shore excursions. To this day, we still do some when we want it to be easy, when we aren’t too stressed about having the perfect outing, and especially when we have some onboard credits to spend or some included tours. Why not, right?
However, I will always look at my other options, including just exploring on our own (the most affordable way and more than good enough in many stops) or going through independent shore excursion companies. Keep in mind the ships do the same thing. They are hiring companies on the ground in that port and marking it up—a lot.
Check Viator/TripAdvisor and Airbnb Experiences. Need more options? Then go to Google and CruiseCritic.
You’ll save 50% on average and increase the odds of a more enjoyable experience just by following these simple tips and strategies.
Enjoy!
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