When planning a cruise vacation there are many things to consider to create the perfect on-board and in-port experiences. Do you need a drink package? What stateroom type should you select? How should you spend your time on the ship for sea days? Should you book shore excursions, and if so, how? So many options, and so little time!
There are many different opinions and preferences for the best way to book shore excursions when you’re on a cruise. Typically, there are 3 camps of people:
- Cruisers who book shore excursions through a local tour group – separate from the ship
- Those who book shore excursions through the ship
- Travelers who don’t book shore excursions and prefer to stay around the port
OK, so there are actually 4 camps of people if you count people who don’t leave the ship when they are in port… I just don’t consider those who stay on the ship “relevant” when it comes to booking shore excursions. I mean, to each their own! Personally, I feel that if I’m travelling all that way, I need to leave the ship for it to actually count as a visit. So here are some tips to book shore excursions through the ship or via local tour groups.
Tips to Book Shore Excursions through Local Tour Groups
Know where you’re going: Make sure you research your ports and know exactly where you’ll be docked before booking any shore excursions through local tour groups.
Confirm how long you’ll be docked and allow time for any delays getting off/on the ship: There are some great shore excursions out there, but sometimes the timing doesn’t work with how long you’re docked in port. Sometimes they start too early, are located far away from the port, or run too long. You’ll want to ensure before you book anything you make sure the timing works with your cruise itinerary. Don’t get left behind because you planned your time poorly!
Compare prices: Ensure you shop around to make sure you’re getting a good deal when you book shore excursions through local tour groups. Sometimes the prices are slightly cheaper, but the tours come with a few potential hazards… like getting left behind. Booking through the ship may cost a little more, but you’re guaranteed to get back to the ship if there are any delays – and the ship will wait for you.
Bring proper documentation & payment: Ensure if you’ve paid for your excursion online that you have the receipt on your phone or printed. If you need to pay when you arrive or after your tour, ensure you know what currency payment is expected in.
Where to Book Excursions through Local Tour Groups
Head to Google: Or your preferred internet browser… to search for local tour companies in the port you’ll be headed. You can find reviews, tips and ideas to help you narrow down your in-port experience.
Visit TripAdvisor: This site is a general travel site, and has a “things to do” search feature where you can type in your destination. The site has top things to see and do by destination that can help you when booking your shore excursions. The benefit of this site is that you can also read reviews from other travelers on their tours and various attractions.
Visit Cruise Critic: This site is cruise specific – meaning they focus entirely on providing information, reviews and content for people who are planning to cruise. There is a “shore excursion” option to research popular tours in your destination and get more information.
Tips to Book Shore Excursions through the Ship
Know where you’re going: Similar to booking off-ship excursions, make sure you research the port destination so you know what highlights you should see.
Be selective: You don’t need to book shore excursions in every port through the ship. Some ports you don’t need an excursion at all. Make sure you know what you’re getting for your money to determine if it is worth it.
Research the cruise excursions: Look up the shore excursions online to see if you can find any YouTube videos, blogs, articles etc. on the specific cruise excursion. We did this for all of the shore excursions we booked through the ship to help us select the best ones for us.
Reasons to Book Excursions through the Ship
Delays: if there are any delays on your tour and you’ve booked through the ship they will wait for you. If you’re on a private tour or exploring on your own and miss all aboard – you’re on your own!
Convenience: It’s so easy to pay for and book shore excursions through the ship. Your reservations will be tracked in your cruise account and when you arrive the tickets/details will be in your cabin waiting for you!
Reputation: Typically cruise ships work to ensure all of the cruise operators are reputable, insured, and provide a fantastic experience.
Safety: If you’re visiting a port that may be “less safe” – or somewhere you should exercise extra caution – it’s a good idea to book through the ship. This goes back to the convenience and reputation reasons… you don’t need to do the extra due diligence to check up on your tour.
Distance: Some ports are located a long distance from the main cities and attractions. If we have a long distance from a port to the city I would book through the ship to ensure we are back on time. There are usually public transportation options, but going back to the delay reason and for convenience sometimes it’s just easier to book with the ship.
Summary – Tips to Book Shore Excursions
Well there you have some tips to help you book shore excursions through the ship or through local tour companies. If you have any additional tips, please leave them in the comment section below. Also, refer to my “Cruise Category” for tips, reviews, itineraries and packing information to help with your upcoming cruise vacation!
6 comments
You highlight the steps that you should take when considering booking a cruise port excursion. My biggest beef is how much the cruise ship charges for excursions. You learn this quickly once you start researching going to a private company at the port.
Yeah there are definitely some that are more expensive, but some are similar in price as well. Just depends on what you’re looking for and whether you want to pay for the “safety” of booking through the ship. Both options work!
It sounds like we are both cruise lovers! You have so many good tips in this post. While it is appealing to book excursions directly through the cruise line, we have stopped doing this recently. Not only do you end up paying more, but it is more beneficial to the local providers to book through them instead of through the cruise line.
Thank you! Also good tips, local tour operators are often less expensive and they can offer personalized itineraries sometimes too.
On my last cruise, I was considering whether to book a shore excursion through the ship or externally. You’re right in saying that the biggest advantage of doing it onboard is that in case of any delays, the cruise ship will wait for you. So you don’t need to worry about making it back in time. However, I did not quite like the itineraries they offered, I wanted to see other places instead. So I finally chose to just rent a taxi and roam around, visit the places of my choice, making sure to be back in time, keeping buffer in case of traffic jams or unforeseen circumstances!
We also explore on our own sometimes as well. It really depends on the tours that are offered and what we feel like seeing when we make our plans. Either option can work!