Is it worth paying for cruise ship port excursions?
My favorite vacation type is a cruise vacation. Put me on a ship that has little to do other than decide which drink to have poolside, and whether you’d like to spend the evening doing trivia or watching a live show. If I want to relax, it will be a cruise vacation. What about those amazing ports that you can visit while cruising! It’s always been my preference to wing it, forgoing cruise excursions and exploring locales like the Cayman Islands or Cozumel at my own leisure — until now.
In the span of a 10-day Caribbean cruise, my family visited six ports. With so many stops on the itinerary, we decided to do something new and book several excursions — an organized group tour or activity designed to showcase a destination — through our cruise line. Do we prefer to simply show up and have our guide manage our day at port? Our love for adventure would win out and we could “rent a Car and Go It Alone” as a team.
My family will continue to travel for many more days, even though we have returned to dry land several weeks ago. Although we have made some memories while exploring different destinations on our own, such as the time I held my kids white-knuckled onto the dashboard while my husband tried to figure out Grand Cayman’s driving rules, the ease of just showing up and letting a tour agent show us around allowed us to enjoy the tranquility of a cruise liner. The few memories that we had of the trip were all made while we were on excursions.
What can you do during cruise excursions?
On the island of Curaçao, we spent just over $20 per person to walk through caves and go on a guided tour of the downtown area. To interact with spider monkeys in a lush jungle setting, we spent $65 each in Dominican Republic. We took the bus to Bonaire, stopping at stunning salt flats as well as visiting a beachfront cafe for lunch and swimming. We took a glass bottom boat to the Bahamas and learned about the plants and fish living beneath the surface.
Every step was accompanied by knowledgeable guides who shared their country’s details. The transportation was easy and we were able to board the ship each night knowing that we had gotten a good taste of each port.
Gretchen Williams manages shore excursions aboard the most recent ship. Holland America Line‘s Nieuw Statendam. She said that it is the purpose of excursions to visit each port. “Why do people travel? Williams tells Yahoo Life that travelers travel to discover the differences between their home country and other countries. Booking an excursion gives guests the opportunity to discover about other cultures.
She adds that you don’t want to just go on a cruise vacation, but be onboard the entire time. “You go on vacation so that you can explore.”
How do I book a cruise excursion?
Some of the Holland America Line excursions were booked on the Holland America Line website, but I was able to book others at the shore excursions desk. One of the excursions, a Bahamian glass-bottomboat trip, was booked on board as a last-minute booking. We booked our Bonaire bus tour a few days before our cruise began because the original excursion that we had chosen was cancelled. This can sometimes happen, but staff at cruise lines are trained to help you select the best excursion for you.
You can book excursions outside of the cruise line through independent tour companies, or sign up at the port once your ship has left. However, we prefer to book through our cruise company for one reason: peace-of-mind.
Williams explained that booking an excursion on a cruise line gives you security. Holland America Line requires that all tour operators with whom we contract must have insurance. If anything happens to our guests while on a tour, we will cover it.
She adds, “We also guarantee that, even if the excursion is late or returns late, the ship will still wait for you if you take an excursion with our company.”
It’s possible that things might not go according to plan if you jump on a spur of the moment tour in a port. Williams claims she has experienced this firsthand: Williams was on a cruise to Greece and agreed to a rate with a taxi driver. However, they demanded more when she and her guest arrived at the destination.
Williams states, “If your cruise line book you can be sure that you will not be charged any extra.”
What is it like to discover a port on your feet?
Aruba was a great place to visit, and we spent almost as much on our excursions to rent a vehicle. Although we had asked for a Jeep to help us navigate the bumpy roads, the rental agency ran out. We were forced to use a smaller car to get around the island, which made it difficult to reach the places we wanted. Although we enjoyed our day on the island, we agreed that we could have avoided stress and prioritized what we wanted to see.
Grand Cayman: I searched for a beach bar that was within walking distance from the dock. We ate conch fritters under umbrellas and jerk-chicken at the beach bar. Although it was a beautiful way to spend the afternoon, we felt we had not seen enough of the island. We spent twice as much on umbrellas and chairs, as well as drinks and lunches, than we would have on an organized tour.
Williams said that you have the option of booking an excursion or not depending on your goals. She added that the shore excursion team aboard each ship should help you decide which ports offer a must-do activity for you family and which are more optional.
She says, “That’s why they’re here.” “We are able to recommend the best options because we have all the information available.” [guests]. Some people enjoy panoramic tours. You can sit in a bus and not have to get off. Others are drawn to adventure. We are able to select the most appropriate experience for each guest.
Team “book this excursion”
Excursions will be a part of future cruises. Comparing the numbers, we spent equally at ports where we took an organized tour as we did in places where we went it alone. Even though we are still talking about the time my husband spent trying to drive a small car across Aruba’s rugged terrains and giant potholes, traveling with our family can be stressful.
There was always plenty of time to be adventurous, even in the excursion ports. After touring for a while, we explored each port’s downtown, where we ate delicious lunches, shopped for souvenirs, and spotted as many Starbucks as possible.
My family loves cruises. It is the perfect place to create memories and I will use my newfound knowledge on the value of an excursion for future sailings.
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