4 Reasons I Don’t Often Book Excursions Through the Cruise Line

Cruiseline excursions can be great in some situations.

If you are a first-time cruiser, a nervous traveller, or are a long way from home in an unfamiliar country, they can be the perfect solution.

Most of the time, I either do my own thing in port or book with an independent company.

After years of cruising, I am quite confident about exploring ports on my own, or making my own private arrangements.

Here’s Why I Mostly Avoid Organised Cruise Line Excursions

#1. They’re Almost Always More Expensive

Cruiselines have a captive audience in many ways and use that to make big profits on excursions.

Cruiselines arrange the trips from the port with local private companies anyway, taking a large cut for booking their passengers on the trips.

You will often see fleets of coaches/buses from local companies at the port when you arrive. The cruiseline works with local companies to provide tours and tour guides.

Cruiseline excursions can cost twice as much as those offered by an independent company. Prices will vary of course, across the many ports you might visit.

#2. Groups Are Usually Much Larger

On a cruise line excursion, you will find yourself on a large coach/bus with lots of other guests.

It may be hard to hear what is being said when you are visiting sites, if you find yourself at the back of the tour group.

I get a little irritated when guests are asked to be back at the bus at a certain time – and then you always seem to be hanging around for one couple who think that timings don’t apply to them.

They stroll back nonchalantly, without a care in the world, after keeping other guests waiting for 15 minutes.

I am one of those people who is always on time – in fact, I am usually early. I think it is incredibly rude to keep others waiting. They are lucky I am not the coach driver, as I would leave them behind!

Independent groups often have smaller, more personal tours, and that suits me far better.

#3. Less Freedom and More Structure

With cruiseline excursions, you’re on their timetable.

You will often be dropped off in the centre of town to enjoy “free time”, often for a couple of hours later in the day.

That is great in good weather, but in winter, or if it is cold or raining, you might want to go back to the ship and warm up, rather than hanging about outside.

My parents remember organising a fantastic independent tour in St. Petersburg, Russia, on one of my first cruises to the Baltic countries. We sailed onboard Norwegian Jewel.

Everyone had to take a tour, you couldn’t “go it alone” in Russia. There were certain things that they wanted to see, and we were travelling as quite a large family group, so we had a minibus to ourselves.

The guide spoke perfect English, and as well as visiting all the touristy hotspots like State Hermitage Museum (where the guide was with us to translate a lot of the signs that were only in Russian) we were able to ask to go and see unusual things.

We asked to see an underground/Metro station, as stations in St. Petersburg are known for their ornate and grand architecture. Many are built in the “Stalinist” – style, with marble, mosaics, and chandeliers all around. They are very impressive.

We got to ride one stop on the Metro/underground with our guide, and were picked up by the minibus at the next station.

We even went to a traditional Russian cafe and tried a local delicacy – cabbage pie. I wasn’t impressed.

We were so lucky to experience this. I wish I remembered more about it.

#4. Visiting Places That Suit The Cruise Company

Carpet factories, Aloe Vera Farms, Lace Workshops – most of us have been dragged around places we wouldn’t choose to visit on an organised tour.

Tour companies get a commission or cut from taking tourists to carpet factories, etc, which is why these stops are sometimes included in tours.

They are hoping you might buy something there. Many do, but I don’t go on holiday to shop. I rarely bring gifts or souvenirs back, so it is a waste of time for me.

I would rather visit interesting sights, take in the scenery, visit historical monuments – anything but shop!

Why People Book With The Cruise Line

• Cruiselines are very keen to sell you the idea that the ship will wait for their excursion if it is delayed but and if you are on an independent excursion, you will be left behind.
  • They are playing on your worst fears in order to make a big profit.

• If you are booked on a cruise line excursion, the passengers on those tours get to disembark first.
  • If you are in a port where tendering is necessary, cruise ship tour passengers are guaranteed an early disembarkation to join their tour bus.
  • If you are disembarking independently, you will have to join the queue with all the other guests, and that makes it harder to agree on a set time for your tour.
  • Don’t book a tour first thing, would be my advice.

Booking Independently Is Easier Now

Most ports have well-reviewed operators, simple online booking, and clear instructions.

Apps, websites, and reviews make planning your own days out easier and safer.

When I first began cruising, booking independent excursions was far trickier.

Many companies have a money-back guarantee if your ship doesn’t make it into port for some reason and you can’t take your tour. “Hop on – hop off” bus trips often have the same guarantees.

Many independent excursion companies offer guarantees to get you back to the ship in plenty of time – and offer big financial payouts if you don’t.

This would cover the cost of meeting the cruise ship at the next port if the worst were to happen.

Even if you only take the safe option of booking a “hop on hop off” bus independently, you will save a fortune – especially if you are travelling as a family and buying a lot of tickets.

Hop on, hop off buses often pick up from the port gates anyway, so it is just a case of checking where the bus stop is beforehand and then wandering out.

If you have something you are particularly interested in – local food or wine tours, or other cultural options, you might find something that suits you far more than the bog standard cruiseline excursion.

If you download the app or go to the website of my company, thecruiseglobe.com, you can track cruise ships, log your cruises and now enter future cruises.

If you enter a future cruise on cruiseglobe.com, you can click on the button on the bottom that says “Find deals on Future excursions”. It will highlight the independent excursions available.

There are a wide range of interesting tours available, bookable through Shore Excursions Group. They have a “guaranteed return to the ship policy”.

Guaranteed Return to Ship
In the extremely unlikely event that you miss your ship due to the late arrival of one of our tours, we will arrange and pay for your accommodations, meals, and transportation to the next port of call, and we will pay you an additional $1,000 USD per customer for the inconvenience.

Shore Excursions Group

What Is Best For You?

I like to take a mix of independent and cruiseline excursions – or explore alone on foot. Which one I choose depends on the port, the timings, how confident I feel, about the port stop – and how far from home I am.

I am confident to travel independently in European destinations, but if I were travelling to Asia, for example, I might decide to take a cruiseline excursion instead.

Don’t be scared to look outside the cruise lines’ offered excursions – sometimes the best days ashore come from doing your own thing.

This is particularly true in European/Mediterranean ports, where you can just get off and walk. There are often hidden gems around every corner…

When I did a British Isles cruise with Princess, I decided to go it alone in all the ports – apart from a visit to Loch Ness, as that is in the middle of nowhere. (No, I didn’t see the monster!)

Find out how I got on here:

Before You Go

Find out why people get left behind at the cruise port below – it’s normally nothing to do with excursions!

3 Reasons Why People Get Left Behind By Cruise Ships At The Port (It’s Not To Do With Not Buying Cruise Line Excursions)

Find out what the top cruise ship destinations are here:

Top 10 Cruise Destinations Revealed (Panama Canal Down on Last Year!)