Taking an excursion with the cruise ship isn’t always necessary. It all depends on what you want to do and how easy it is to venture out on your own. Much of this is port specific, as some ports are within walking distance of activities and sites while others are further away and might require self-organized transportation or a guided tour. In this post we compare whether taking a ship shore excursion is worth it, or if venturing out on your own is best.
Buying from the ship
If there is something that is a must-see for you, the peace of mind of knowing that you are booked is worth the premium of booking ahead with the ship. Note that it’s possible, and it has happened to us, that if there is not enough interest on the cruise ship for a particular tour, it may be cancelled. This may even happen at the last minute! Should that happen, many of the other popular tours may already be full and your choices will be limited. Of course, the fine print says that the cruise ship is never responsible.
One thing they always remind you of when selling the ship excursions is that if you are late, the ship will sail away like planned unless you are on an excursion purchased from the cruise ship. In this case, they promise to wait for all their tours to return and to delay the departure accordingly.
Recently, some of the cruise lines have started collecting payment for excursions when you book them, even if it’s months in advance. It used to be that you only paid once you were on the ship, when services were rendered. Consider this practice when deciding whether to book now or later.
A note of caution: If the area you want to visit is far away from the port, taking a ship shore excursion may be advisable. For example, in places like Rome or Stockholm, large cruise ships dock more than an hour away from the city-center, so taking an excursion, or at the very least a transfer, is a good idea.
We always prefer to get to the attractions as quickly as possible and have more time to explore while in port. So, in these cases, we book ahead instead of scrambling at the last-minute to make arrangements and wasting precious time in port.
Taking a shore excursion from the ship can add a sense of security since all tour operators are licensed and should be vetted as reputable by the cruise operator. Of course, if you read the fine print, the ship is in no way responsible if things don’t go as planned!
For excursions like scuba diving, submarines, helicopter tours and other special excursions, reserving ahead is highly recommended. These demand more logistics than simply roaming around town. You could book directly with the operators, but in some cases the ship may pre-buy all the seats, so make sure to check well in advance if you have your heart set on a particular activity.
In some locations taking a shore excursion may be the only choice unless you’ve arranged for a tourist visa ahead of time. For example, in St. Petersburg, Russia we didn’t need visas if going on a tour with the ship, but visas were required for those who wanted to explore on their own.
Checking if you need a visa to disembark before leaving on a cruise is a good idea as sometimes the process can be a lengthy one. Also, it is your responsibility, not the ship’s! If you do not have the proper documents, passports and visas, disembarkation will be denied. See the fine print, the ship is not responsible.
See our post: Know Your Entry, Visa, Health, and Transit Requirements
Venturing out on your own
You can be sure that when the ship comes ashore with thousands of people (sometime there may be two or three ships or more at once), the whole town and every tour operator and everyone willing to call themselves a tour operator are available and waiting for you at the port.
Of course, multiple cruise ships may just overwhelm the local population, and you could be stuck with very few options. Make sure you are among the first ones out (if you haven’t booked ahead) so as to have the most choices available.
Many of the Caribbean cruise ports are so small that you can literally walk off the ship and get to the attractions or to the tour operators lined up at the dock without a problem. With some planning, you can book ahead and rent a car or reserve a spot directly on a tour.
Research and check traveler reviews about your ports of call and you should have a good idea of the activities available. If you are willing to do that on your own, you may save as much as half the cost. Once again, you may miss out if tours are full however, so remain flexible. Picture thousands (literally) of tourists converging on a small cruise port looking to be entertained.
If you are not particular about what you want to do and are just looking for an island tour or a beach visit, it would rarely be a problem. Venturing out on your own is a bit more adventurous than having the ship’s crew put a sticker on you and parading you around town. Of course, it allows one not to have to think or worry, letting you just follow along. To each his or her own!
Ultimately, it depends on you
Whichever you choose, do your research by reading many of the reviews available on social media sites and on the cruise ship booking area of their website about the tours available. See what other travelers have said about the ports of call and ease of access and even the individual tours and tour operators. There is always plenty of pertinent and useful information on Travel blogs, TripAdvisor or Yelp. Be sure to look at recent dates and find reviews that have numerous contributors.
If it’s easy to get around without a tour guide by all means skip the shore excursion and the oversized group. Join a few other passengers and take a tour with a local taxi driver or better yet, rent a car and split the cost. If you can do it, take a walking tour and if you see something you like stop and enjoy it without having to rush back to the bus to join the tour. Enjoy the freedom of exploring on your own and stop when and where you want. We have often missed-out on a picture-perfect stop because we were stuck on a tour bus! Or waited for 45 minutes at a bathroom for a long line of tourists.
For more information about some of the cruise ports we visited and to get an overview of things to do, have a look at the Caribbean Ports of Call and European Ports of Call.