I Thought I Hated Cruise Excursions — Until I Finally Tried Them

On her first-ever trip to Greece, one writer stops worrying about being a “tourist” and starts enjoying every moment.

Are you the only one? Are you one of the many who have looked at the flag-towing guides at cruise ports as if they were a guide? “That’ll never be me,” I used to swear, presuming the group to be en route to some nearby tourist trap — one that could easily be found with a quick Google search and visited for a lower price, to boot. However, last summer I went on a 10-day sailing adventure from Oceania CruisesI was one of those passengers. Willingly. You know what? It was a wonderful experience.

Let me explain. This was my first European cruise, despite having been on 25 other cruises. I was heading on a cruise on the Oceania Riviera This ship left Trieste, Italy for ports of call at Croatia, Montenegro and Andorra. Greece After visiting three of its islands, we arrived in Istanbul. Thousands of miles from my usual Caribbean beat, each destination was virgin territory to me — Split as unfamiliar as Santorini, Kotor as much of a mystery as Kuşadasi. This was my moment to finally try guided tours.

My decision was not wrong. Booking excursions with your cruise ticket has its advantages. One, major cruise lines have a strict policy regarding tour operators and will often take responsibility for any problems, such as late returns. (The ship will always accept approved excursions. And if the itinerary diverges — as it did on my trip, when our Montenegro and Mykonos stops were nixed because of bad weather — you’ll be fully refunded.

Cruising to new countries also made me realize that some destinations are less suited to independent exploration — places with attractions that are far from port, or activities where the intimidation level is high (looking at you, rug shopping in Turkey). I gained a new appreciation of the cultural context and guidance offered by local experts. And with more than 70 excursions available on our sailing, from canoeing Croatia’s Cetina River to cooking classes in Athens, I was spoiled for choice.

Oceania’s vast catalogue of outings is part of Go Local, an initiative launched in 2019 whose goal is “to learn about and experience generations-old traditions and get a glimpse into the day-to-day lives of a destination’s residents,” according to Christine Manjencic, the line’s vice president of destination services operations, who spoke with me pre-cruise. With the pandemic still fresh in many people’s minds, Oceania also reported an increase in interest for its Oceania Exclusive tour, which is limited to 16 participants.

If left to my own devices, I would have dined at restaurants in port, and I’d definitely have spent hours browsing boutiques and markets for locally made souvenirs. But would I have plucked white mulberries fresh from the tree, and sipped my first Turkish tea at a hillside farm 30 minutes’ drive from the port in Kuşadasi? Would I ever have found my way to the Croatian hamlet of Škopljanci (population: 9), where a local farmer welcomed me with homemade cherry schnapps? Would I have enjoyed being serenaded by ballads expertly played on his piano? gusla, A traditional instrument made from wood, horsehair and donkey leather. Without the patience of Nektarios Danielides, a chef at his Athens restaurant BarBQ, I would never have learned how to make a traditional stringed instrument. melitzanosalata, Make a Greek eggplant dip from scratch. Even now, weeks after returning to my downtown Miami neighborhood and its cityscape of high-rise buildings, I keep thinking about the afternoon I spent in Škopljanci, a Croatian village that seemed straight out of the Shire in The Lord of the Rings.

Shore excursions also offer a way to visit a place more than once while having a completely different experience each time — an important factor for frequent cruisers. A first-timer might take a bus tour around Santorini to see the sights, such as the maze of sugar-cube-shaped homes in Oia that overlook the submerged caldera.

On a second visit, you can take a meditative class in yoga followed by a tasting at Venetsanos Winery, a family operation founded in 1947, could have the power to transform a “been there, done that” moment into an opportunity to gain a deeper, richer understanding of the land and its people. Oceania has a high repeat-guest ratio of around 50 percent. These tours make sense. For people like Brian and Penelope Webb — a couple I met who were on their 67th voyage — that’s reason enough to keep on sailing.

A version of this story appeared first in the December 2022/January 2019 issue of Travel + Leisure under the headline “Follow the Leader.”

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