Cruise Shore Excursions and When They Have a Purpose

Believe it or not, there is a time and place for cruise-run shore excursions. The ones where you line up with 50 other passengers, board large buses, and experience tasteful, cleaned up versions of the local culture-du-jour, often accompanied by several alcoholic beverages and a meal you will definitely overpay for, and overeat at. 

But yes. There are times when a ships shore excursions are the way to go. Places like:

• The Amalfi Coast: definitely a strange one on this list. The Amalfi coast is a stunning area in the south of Italy. It is frequented by travelers and is well established with its tourism offerings. It is easy to explore on your own and easy to book your own separate excursions. But the area is notoriously expensive, even for locals. And even worse, its narrow mountain roads frequently become snarled with traffic. No matter how safe and experienced your driver is, nothing can help get you back to your ship in time if there’s an accident, or even just heavy traffic. And you will get the award for ’embarrassing trip photo’ of your cruise ship leaving while you remain on land. 

But if you shell out for a ship-run excursion, the ship will guarantee you that it will wait for you and your groups tour. They will actually hold the boat if it is one of their tours. 

Granted, a new wave of travelers who want this safety net, and who also don’t want to be shuttled around in a 50person bus has started a range of companies who also make this guarantee. That if a delay, even a delay beyond their control (like traffic or accidents) means that you miss the boat, they will get you to your next destination to meet the ship. Not perfect, as depending on the ship itinerary, you could be out several nights of accomodation and ship life. But at least you’re not on the hook for a last-minute flight. 

• Take into consideration the port to the city you are seeing. For example, if your ship goes to Paris or Rome, the cities are located over an hours drive from the port. This is a long distance to travel by public transport. It might be worth booking with the ship to ensure you are both back in time and have a ride to and from the city. 

• Visa and custom/entry requirements:

Some countries, like Russia, have very strict visa requirements. Cruise ships have the benefit of entry into these countries without a visa, but often you will only he allowed off the ship if you are booked into a shore-run excursion and stay with the excursion the whole time. 

Think carefully about this, as some countries are so strict that even if an accident/illness occurs, you won’t be able to make your own way back to the ship until the tour takes you back. 

• Any country whose political instability might be questionable and volatile:

If the situation is bad enough, chances are that your ship won’t even dock and an alternate port of call will be visited. But suffice it to say that cruise lines keep careful track of their operators and will over go to almost any measure to get their passengers back safely.

• Any port of call with something you must see that might be difficult/sold out/have you waiting in a line for ever. If you’ve gone to Dover and you need to have a tour of the Tower of London, better book yourself on a ship run excursion to make sure you get to see it. 

• Finally: if your ships ports are at ports where many cruises venture; where cruise tourism is ingrained into the local economy, where US dollars are accepted for payments (even more obvious when the local currency isn’t the USD), and where everyone speaks English, you don’t need a shore excursion. Do a little research and you likely won’t need an excursion at all. Wander around and see the sights by yourself. 

But if your ship is smaller and is heading to parts of the world less familiar with cruise tourism, if you are concerned about language barriers, if it’s your first time traveling abroad, if you’re traveling solo and being with a large group of your cruise friends would make your time comfortable, these are all good reasons to book a shore excursion. 

On the other side of the question. A few things that you should not worry about, and should be aware of:

• If the tour you want on the boat is sold out, check with the tour company online. There are likely spots available through the company, on the exact same tour as the cruise offering (once the cruise lines seats are sold out, that just means they’ve filled their quota)
• In some cases, the tour you book on the ship is the exact same tour, bus, excursion, as one you book online. All that changes is the cost (the money the company has to pay to the cruise to do some of the work for them comes from somewhere…)
• The shore excursion desk won’t give you an unbiased opinion. If you’re determined to take a short excursion, know what you want before you go to book, and then you won’t be tempted by the 500$ upselling tour 
• Be wary of ‘exclusive to us’ ship tours. Often this will be something as small as an included drink on board, and will be otherwise identical to the tours offered on land. 
• Be aware of what the ‘typical activites’ are at your port of call. If it’s another island visit that’s famous for its sea turtle snorkling, thinks about whether that’s something you can do on your own. You may not need the ship-run ‘snorkel tour and lunch on a catamaran’. Go with Joe’s Turtle Tours (obviously after some tripadvisor research…) and you’ll get more time in better spots with the turtles, and less time paying for a lunch (that you’ve technically paid for on the ship as well)
• Likewise, if you have your heart set on seeing the Sisteen Chapel in Rome, better book a shore excursion. You’ll skip the line and be guaranteed a view. 

Don’t be afraid to do your own research on a port of call prior to arriving. Many ships might advise against it, but think about why they encourage you to do their own excursions. (Hint: ships don’t make their profits on your accommodation…) 

Make sure you join up with cruise critic’s online forums to find like-minded travelers and book online tours together. By putting together your own group, you’ll save even more money on a semi-private tour, and you’ll start your holiday with friendships already in place. 

No matter how you choose to have your cruise adventures, as long as you make lasting memories, and make it back to the ship on time, your trip will be one to remember, for all the right reasons!