While many travelers book a cruise simply to spend time on a ship, for most people ports are a big part of the vacation experience. And with limited time ashore, shore excursions can be a great way to maximize sightseeing time.
For cruisers who simply want to head to a beach or do a little shopping, there’s probably no need to pre-book anything. Even for those who want a local tour, there are usually drivers and guides waiting outside the pier area. But, sometimes, you want something more, a longer tour or activity, or something unique — that’s where shore excursions come in.
For those thinking of booking through the cruise line, it’s certainly convenient. Passengers can pay in advance or charge the tour to a shipboard account and should the ship miss a port due to weather or other issues, the cruise line will issue refunds.
If the tour turns out to be awful, or simply doesn’t deliver as promised, cruisers can try for a refund (although, in my experience a partial refund is the best most cruise lines will offer). Plus, since ship personnel hate dealing with unhappy guests, companies with really negative reviews tend to be dropped from the list.
On the negative side, the cruise lines normally include a significant markup on their tours. Just for an example, a “Jungle Cruise” in Mazatlan, Mexico, which turned out to be a fun day and good value with lunch included, was $47 purchased directly from the tour company. Purchased onboard, the excursion was priced at $89.
And while we were taken to the little boat in a separate minibus, the local company actually put our small group of seven back on the same bus back to the ship as the “official” tour.
Other tours, including ziplines, seemed to have at least a 30 to 40 percent higher price on board. In fact, a cruise line sales representative told us her company had dropped most Mexico cruises because the shore excursions were so inexpensive, they couldn’t be marked up enough to earn a significant profit.
Now, in defense of the ship’s offerings, there are at least a couple additional advantages, which can be trivial or important depending on the tour, the amount of time you have and the tour location.
First, the ship’s tours will take you from and return you to the ship. This could save you time and taxi fares. Some independent excursions will pick you up, others ask that you meet at a designated spot.
From my point of view, however, the most important question is “How close to the ship’s total time in port is your chosen tour’s length?”
Because if you book a tour through the cruise line, and the tour is late, they will wait. (Although maybe not indefinitely — If you have stories to the contrary please feel free to add them in comments.) And particularly in countries where the concept of time is a little fluid, this can be a life or at least a sanity saver.
In Panama a couple years ago, a problem with docking our small tour boat and then a father’s insistence on several bathroom breaks for his daughter meant a Gatun Lake trip arrived back at the pier 15 minutes after passengers were supposed to be on board. And that was with the driver speeding as much as possible.
The tour guide, however, was in contact with the ship, and was able to mostly assuage our fears as we raced back. Had we been independent, who knows? Ships try not to leave guests, but they have schedules. And missing the ship when you are on your own means you are on your own to the next port.
So it’s hard to say there’s a hard and fast answer to the question of whether to book your excursions directly or through the ship. Certain excursions may only be offered through the ship. In some cases the cruise line has an exclusive contract with places ranging from cooking schools to museums for special tours.
On the other hand, in Naples, no ship tour just included Pompeii and Positano, which were tops on our list. A car and driver booked for the day turned out to be a lot less than the pre-programmed tours we didn’t like as much anyway. And some trips may not make the list for liability reasons, the now nearly ubiquitous zip-line tours were almost impossible to book onboard some years ago.
In most cases, a little research or discussion with your travel agent should give you the answers you need in advance. Finally, don’t forget the last “excursion,” which is getting from the ship to the airport for a flight home. In some ports, the ship bus can save a lot of time and hassle. In other ports, well, for example, our cruise line wanted $19 a person for a shared transfer from the port to San Diego Airport. While the taxi line was almost non-existent, and a five-minute ride was $12, including a $4 tip. Buyer beware.
Photo of Holland America’s Oosterdam in San Diego Harbor by Jill Clardy, flickr.com/creative commons.
Janice Hough is a California-based travel agent a travel blogger and a part-time comedy writer. A frequent flier herself, she’s been doing battle with airlines, hotels, and other travel companies for over three decades. Besides writing for Travelers United, Janice has a humor blog at Leftcoastsportsbabe.com (Warning, the political and sports humor therein does not represent the views of anyone but herself.)
