VACAY DREAMS • CRUISE PLANNING
By Jim Hoover, Cruise Planners Travel Advisor
Why the best days in port sometimes happen away from the big tour bus.
Back in 2019, I wrote about shore excursions and encouraged travelers to think outside the box when deciding what to do in port.
A lot of cruises—and a lot of ports—later, I still believe that. In fact, probably more than ever.
We’ve had some incredible experiences on cruise-line excursions, but many of our most memorable days ashore have come from stepping away from the big tour bus and experiencing a destination with a local guide.
One of my favorite examples started with something pretty simple:
We arrived at Pisa before the tour buses.
There were four of us traveling together, and rather than booking one of the cruise ship’s large organized excursions, we hired a private car and local guide to take us to Pisa and Florence.
Getting to Pisa early meant we could experience it before the biggest crowds arrived. From there, our driver took us directly into the heart of Florence, where we could spend our time seeing the things that interested us instead of following a large group on a fixed schedule.
But one of my favorite memories from that day wasn’t the Leaning Tower or one of Florence’s famous landmarks.
It was olive oil.
On the drive back to the ship, our guide stopped at a local store so we could buy olive oil to take home. It was a simple stop, but it’s exactly the kind of experience that can happen when you’re traveling with someone who actually lives there.
That’s one of the reasons I usually prefer booking shore excursions independently.
But does that mean you should always skip the cruise line’s excursions? Absolutely not.
There are times when I would gladly trade some flexibility for the convenience and added protection of a cruise-line excursion. So let’s look at both options.
Why I Usually Prefer Independent Excursions
When I visit a new destination, I don’t just want to see its most famous attractions. I want to experience a little bit of what it’s actually like to be there.
A good local guide can completely change that experience.
Instead of traveling on a bus with 40 or 50 other passengers, you may be traveling with just your family or a few friends. You can ask questions. You can spend longer somewhere you love and sometimes skip something that doesn’t interest you.
And you aren’t constantly waiting for the rest of the group. That’s a bigger deal than it sounds.
On a large excursion, every stop involves getting everyone off the bus, gathering everyone back together and waiting for the inevitable person who didn’t hear what time they were supposed to return.
With a private guide, four people get out of the car and four people get back in. You’re moving again.
That can mean seeing considerably more during a relatively short day in port.
Private Doesn't Always Mean More Expensive
It’s easy to hear ‘private tour’ and immediately think ‘expensive.’ That isn’t necessarily the case.
If you’re traveling with another couple or a small group, compare the total cost of a private guide or vehicle with the per-person price of the cruise-line excursion.
If four people are each paying for a cruise excursion, the total can add up quickly.
In our Florence and Pisa example, our private experience was actually less expensive than booking comparable excursions through the cruise ship. And we got a private car, a local guide and an itinerary designed around us.
Price shouldn’t be the only factor, though. Compare group size, length of the excursion, transportation, entrance fees, meals, cancellation policies, actual sightseeing time, flexibility, distance from the ship, and how much time remains before all-aboard.
Sometimes the less expensive excursion is the better experience. Sometimes it isn’t.
Another Favorite: Exploring Havana With a Local Guide
We had another memorable independent experience when our cruise visited Havana.
After getting off the ship, we were able to hire a private local guide who took us around the city for about four hours.
Instead of following a predetermined itinerary, we could talk with our guide, ask questions and concentrate on the things that interested us.
That’s what I love about a good local guide. You’re not just looking at buildings through a bus window while someone reads a prepared description over a microphone. You’re spending time with someone who knows the destination.
Again, the experience cost us less than a comparable cruise-line excursion and gave us a much more personal look at the city.
So Why Would You Book Through the Cruise Line?
There’s one very important reason: Peace of mind.
When you purchase a cruise-line-sponsored excursion, the tour is coordinated with the ship’s schedule.
Policies vary by cruise line, but many major cruise lines provide additional protection when one of their sponsored excursions is delayed. Depending on the cruise line and circumstances, that may mean waiting for the excursion to return or arranging transportation for affected guests to rejoin the ship.
That’s a significant advantage. If you’re exploring independently, getting back to the ship on time is your responsibility.
And yes, ships really can leave without passengers who are late.
When I Would Seriously Consider the Cruise-Line Excursion
Even though I usually prefer independent excursions, there are situations where I’d lean toward booking through the ship.
The attraction is a long distance from the port. If an excursion requires several hours of transportation, the consequences of a traffic problem or breakdown become much greater.
The port call is short. A six-hour port visit doesn’t leave much room for error.
Transportation is complicated or unreliable. If getting back requires multiple trains, ferries or connections, I want to understand exactly what happens if one of them doesn’t cooperate.
The excursion uses special transportation. Helicopters, boats, trains and similar experiences can introduce variables that aren’t completely under the tour operator’s control.
I’m uncomfortable with the timing. If an independent tour’s scheduled return makes me nervous before I’ve even booked it, I’ll find another tour.
Paying a little more isn’t necessarily a bad deal when what you’re buying is peace of mind.
Jim's Tip: Don't Cut It Close
When I book independently, I don’t plan my day around getting back to the ship five minutes before all-aboard. Build in a cushion. Make sure the tour operator knows your ship and its schedule. Even experienced cruise-port operators can’t eliminate every delay, and the responsibility for getting back belongs to you.
Sometimes the Best Excursion Is No Excursion at All
Here’s something that’s easy to forget when you’re planning a cruise: You don’t have to book an excursion in every port.
Some destinations are perfect for simply getting off the ship and exploring. Walk through town. Find a local restaurant. Visit a market. Have a drink somewhere with a great view. Take a taxi to a beach.
Some of our favorite travel days have been the ones where we weren’t trying to check twelve attractions off a list.
Before spending hundreds of dollars on an excursion, ask yourself: What do I actually want from this port?
If there’s a specific experience you’ve dreamed about—whale watching in Alaska, visiting ancient ruins in the Mediterranean, snorkeling in the Caribbean—build your day around it.
But if your goal is simply to experience the destination, sometimes wandering around with no tour-group sticker attached to your shirt is exactly what you need.
Cruise-Line Excursions Have Other Advantages Too
The return-to-ship protection gets most of the attention, but convenience matters too.
You can usually research and reserve the excursion through the cruise line before sailing. The meeting instructions are clearly provided, transportation is arranged and the excursion is designed around the ship’s time in port.
If the ship has an itinerary change that prevents the excursion from operating, cruise-line excursions also generally have established refund procedures, subject to the cruise line’s terms.
That simplicity can be worth paying for—particularly for someone taking their first cruise.
What About Travel Insurance?
I think good travel insurance is worth considering for the entire vacation, but it becomes especially important when you’re planning independent travel before, during or after your cruise.
Certain travel insurance policies include travel-delay, trip-interruption or missed-connection benefits that may help with the cost of reaching the ship at a later port after a covered delay.
The important word is covered.
Travel insurance isn’t a free pass to lose track of time at a beach bar and show up two hours after the ship leaves.
Read the policy and understand its covered reasons, exclusions and limits. If this type of protection matters to you, specifically ask about trip interruption, travel delay and missed-connection coverage before purchasing the policy.
Good to Know: Not Every Missed Ship Is Covered
Travel insurance policies can be very different from one another. Don’t assume a policy automatically pays to get you to the next port simply because you missed the ship. Coverage depends on why you missed it, the policy’s terms and any applicable exclusions. A travel advisor can help you identify the questions to ask before your trip.
Let Us Help You Find the Right Tour for You
Finding a good independent excursion isn’t just a matter of searching online and picking the company with the highest star rating.
When Christine and I help our clients look at shore excursions, we can help them think about the bigger picture.
What do you really want to experience in that destination? How much time is the ship actually in port? How far away is the attraction? Would you enjoy a private guide, a small-group tour or the convenience of a cruise-line excursion? Is there enough time built into the schedule to comfortably get back to the ship?
Sometimes the right answer will be an independent tour.
Sometimes I’ll tell you I’d feel much more comfortable booking the cruise line’s excursion.
And sometimes I’ll tell you to save your money, get off the ship and explore the destination on your own.
That’s part of what working with a travel advisor should be about. We’re not here just to help you choose a ship and cabin. We can help you think through the entire vacation.
Jim's Tip: Local Guides Can Show You Things You Didn't Know to Ask For
This takes me back to that bottle of olive oil in Italy. We didn’t book an ‘olive oil excursion.’ Our guide simply knew the area and knew of a place we might enjoy. The Leaning Tower of Pisa was incredible. Florence was beautiful. But years later, I still remember our guide stopping so we could buy olive oil. That’s travel.
So Which Should You Choose?
There isn’t one answer.
If convenience, simplicity and return-to-ship protection are your biggest priorities, a cruise-line excursion can be an excellent choice.
If you value smaller groups, flexibility, local interaction and the ability to customize your day, an independent excursion may give you a completely different experience.
And sometimes you don’t need either one.
What I wouldn’t recommend is automatically clicking the first excursion offered by the cruise line without looking at the alternatives.
Your ship is how you’re getting to the destination. The excursion is how you’re going to experience it. Make that part count.
Seven Years and Quite a Few Ports Later…
When I first wrote about shore excursions back in 2019, my advice was to think outside the box.
Seven years and quite a few ports later, I haven’t changed my mind. If anything, our travels have reinforced it.
Some of our best memories weren’t created because we chose the most popular excursion. They happened because we found an experience that fit the way we wanted to travel.
That’s what Christine and I want to help our clients do at Vacay Dreams.
Don’t just visit the port. Experience it.
Let's Find the Right Experience for You
At Vacay Dreams, Jim and Christine can help you think through the shore excursions as well as the ship, itinerary and cabin. Contact Jim and Christine to plan your cruise and shore experiences.
