Shore Excursions & Cruise Guided Tours

Table Of Content

• If you're on a budget, balance tour and non-tour days.
• Assess both cost and value.
• Be realistic about activity level.
• Will my ship set up sightseeing tours or activities in the ports we visit?
• Will lunch be provided for me on my shore excursion?
• Already have your cruise booked?
• If I book a shore excursion and then change my mind, can I get a refund?

Active tours can include water sports, ziplining, hiking, biking, dog-sledding and more. Activity-based trips might feature a day at the spa or beach, a pleasure cruise on a sailboat, wine or food tasting, a cultural performance or a visit to a museum. Sightseeing excursions are typically bus tours that take passengers to the highlights and shopping areas of the port city or nearby destinations.

If you're on a budget, balance tour and non-tour days.

In addition to the highlights tour, the roster for a given port could include culinary tours, historical tours, walking tours and active tours. The key is to diversify options for passengers, who might be a mix of first timers and repeat visitors with varying interests and abilities. Some third-party operators will customize a tour for you or your group, so you can spend more time at the places you most want to see. Sometimes these tour groups are also smaller than the large cruise ship tours — which can carry 30 to 60 people in a bus — so you will spend less time waiting for everyone.

Assess both cost and value.

The Strangest Cruise Ship Shore Excursions We've Taken - Cruise Critic

The Strangest Cruise Ship Shore Excursions We've Taken.

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Decide how much you want to spend and then portion it out among full-day and half-day tours and independent sightseeing. Prioritize your tour dollars for places where you're docked far from a city or if the excursion you're interested in is harder (or more expensive) to recreate on your own. An organized shore excursion can maximize your time ashore and eliminate the need for making time-consuming arrangements while in port. Cruise lines have tremendous experience in selecting those tours and attractions that they believe will best satisfy their passengers interests, whether its fun, enrichment, high adventure, sight-seeing or relaxation. The tours they select for you will highlight the most popular sites and activities in a particular port of call, so that you can get the most from your visit there. Shore excursions are optional, guided tours in a cruise ship's port of call.

Be realistic about activity level.

Generally, you can recover some or all your money if you cancel within a certain window. If you wait too long, though, you'll forfeit the entirety of what you paid. Be sure to check with your particular line or independent tour provider for its refund policy before booking. Some — like St. Tropez or Mykonos — are truly lovely places to wander, get lost in the shop-lined streets and end up at an alfresco restaurant for a long, wine-soaked lunch.

Custom tours may have different cancellation deadlines which will be stated in the proposal. In the rare instance that tours are cancelled by Holland America Line or the tour operator, the full amount will be refunded within four to six weeks after the voyage ends. A shore excursion could be a sightseeing bus tour, a guided visit to a museum or historic site, an athletic activity (like a hike, bike ride or snorkel outing), a day at the beach or a cooking or dance class. Shore excursions typically highlight the marquee attractions or culture of the destination you're visiting.

This is the best route if there's a ship's tour you absolutely want to take and you don't want to risk its selling out. When my parents traveled on a luxury Regent Seven Seas cruise, they said that waiting until the next morning to book tours meant that some of their choices were sold out. However, in some destinations, a shore excursion, or independently operated guided tour, is highly encouraged. This could be in places where it's difficult to navigate as a foreigner who can't speak the language or understand street signs or where the tourism infrastructure is not yet fully developed. Most tours allow you to bring both a camera and binoculars; after all, you are there to see the sights and attractions of your cruise destinations. Some tours, however, may have special directions regarding safety and use of these items during the more physically demanding activities and excursions.

Advice How to find a cruise excursion you'll actually enjoy - The Washington Post

Advice How to find a cruise excursion you'll actually enjoy.

Posted: Sat, 24 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Shore excursions are offered in most cruise ports and highlight the best local attractions, sight-seeing opportunities and high adventure activities. Waiting might be a good idea if you're not inspired by the shore excursions you're seeing on your cruise. Some cruise lines charge penalty fees for canceling shore excursions onboard or within 24 to 48 hours of the port call, so you might want to wait to see how the weather is before booking. You may also get some good word-of-mouth tips on board the ship that change your mind about what tour you'd like to do. Don't forget to come up with a Plan B, in case your desired tour gets canceled or is sold out. Shore excursions are designed for all activitiy levels in almost any mainstream cruise destination.

Others feature guided components, followed by an hour or two of free time. It depends on the tipping habits of the country you are in, but in most cases, tipping the bus driver, tour guides, and/or local experts or wait staff on your shore excursions is acceptable and appreciated. There is no need to tip any cruise ship staff who are along for the excursion (which sometimes happens on river cruises). You are free to come and go at will from most cruise ships while they are in ports of call. Shore excursions are simply one means to explore the areas visited by the ship and to participate in available activities off the ship. Many tours will include some sort of meal or snack, particularly ones that last for longer periods of time.

Perhaps, there are operational or weather issues that are beyond the cruise line's control, or maybe the ship is not full and doesn't have enough passengers to meet the minimum participants for certain shore excursions. If you're booking tours, know that they're never guaranteed -- especially if they're more niche tours in smaller ports -- and be prepared with a good attitude and a Plan B. For cruisers deciding whether to spend their vacation dollars on a cruise-sponsored shore tour, the key is to assess the value of the tour and not just its cost. Sure, you could perhaps arrange your own transportation or guide, but could you put together the same compelling package for less money? And, is the time you spend creating your own tour worth it, when you have a tour that was carefully put together by a cruise line's professionals? The answers will help you decide if a ship's excursion is worth booking.

You will also be able to request tours on the ship at the shore excursion Office. Booking your shore excursion with the cruise line has a number of benefits including variety and convenience. Cruise lines typically offer a number of different shore tours to choose from - for any budget and physical activity level.

Also, if your independent tour is late returning to the pier, the ship is not required to wait for you. If you came all this way on a cruise to see the local sights, don't let the cost of exploring limit that experience. Staying on the ship — or wandering the sometimes-sad area right by a port — is no way to get good value from your cruise vacation.

Cruise line tours are convenient, but they're not always the most customizable or economical options. If you're traveling as a family or with a group of friends, you might be better off hiring your own guide for the day. Not only could it be less expensive than five or six shore excursion tickets, but you'll also be able to create a tour based on your interests.

If you have your heart set on a particular tour, don't assume it will have space available if you wait to book until you board your cruise ship. Look over the shore excursion options in advance, and be ready to reserve your spot online as soon as they open for booking. If not, you risk losing out on the opportunity to have that cool once-in-a-lifetime experience, such as salmon fishing in Alaska or wagyu sampling in Japan. "We monitor tours for lack of interest, and do everything we can -- including not making money -- to make sure a tour goes because we know that's disappointing for the guest," says Witsoe. Even though a cruise line will do all it can to keep scheduled tours running, sometimes a cancellation is necessary.

If it's important to you, be sure to read the description of your tour thoroughly to see what's included or ask someone at the shore excursions desk on your ship. If you're unsure, bring some snacks and/or bottled water to hold you over. The types of shore excursions offered usually depend on the cruise itinerary. For example, you are likely to find more choices of water sports in warm destinations like the Caribbean, and more tours to historic sites in European cruise ports. Cruise lines provide a lot of details about a shore excursion, from how long it lasts to how much physical activity is involved and how you'll be exploring. Yet so many cruisers don't bother to read the full description or the fine print.