The cost of cruise excursions can make or break your budget. Most cruise lines charge anywhere from $50 up to even $1,000 per person per excursion. The trick is that not all stops need a planned excursion and if you would like an excursion, third-party companies tend to be more cost conscious. To decide whether cruise excursions are right for your trip, see below. If you have yet to book your cruise, hop over to my Ultimate Guide to Booking a Cruise.
What is an Excursion?
Excursions are trips taken when you disembark at your destination port. This can be anything from a bus ride into the main city, a wine tour through Tuscany, or even a shared catamaran ride to some of the bluest waters you will ever see.
Excursions can be tour guide led or self-guided. Booked through a third party, or your cruise line, or even not at all. Truly the options are limitless.
Should I Book an Excursion for Each Port Stop?
Not necessarily. This depends wholly on the port accessibility to you goal destination and what activities are available once you are there.
If you are looking to stroll through the nearby city and stop in somewhere for lunch, then an excursion is not needed. You can simply book car service, buy a train or bus ticket, snag a taxi at the port, or walk if it is close and safe enough.
Now, if you are looking to learn about the city while you stroll and would like to be guided around, it would be best to book a guided tour excursion. This can be done through Expedia, Viator (one of my personal favorites), your cruise ship, or other third part services.
Cruise excursions are best if you would like to be guided around the city or taken on a fun adventure such as a catamaran tour to secluded beaches in Croatia.
What if I Don’t Book an Excursion?
If you don’t book an excursion, there are still many things you can do at port.
Bus Tour
Essentially all historical cities have a hop-on-hop-off but tour that starts at the cruise port. These usually run about $15 to $50 per person and drop you back off at the port once done. These are a great option because they drive you to the main attractions of the city while providing an engaging conversation about the local history without any time constraints for when you need to return.
Stroll the City
For cities that are walkable from the port, strolling through the city and stopping at small family restaurants to try the local cuisine is a great way to meet some local and immerse yourself in the culture. This saves you the cost of transportation while seeing the city through the perspective of a local. A great option is to create your own walking food tour of the city. Research the local cuisine and find places to stop in as your walk through the city.
Pro tip: Find restaurants that are full of locals. This will have the best food and reasonable prices.
Relax at the Beach
A great thing about traveling via cruises is that most cruise ports are nearby public beaches, so you can pack a towel and spend your day floating in the water or relaxing on the shore.
What Reputable Third Parties Can I Book With?
There are a handful of third-party booking companies I use and would recommend booking tours through, as they are reputable and have a wide variety of trips among a range of prices. My top three are Expedia, Viator, and Get Your Guide.
Tips to Booking Excursions with a Third Party
- Know what your boat arrival and departure times are.
- Have a buffer from departure and arrival to ensure you have enough time to get back to the boat if your tour is late or stuck in traffic.
- For excursions booked through the cruise line, the boat will wait for their own excursions if they are delayed.
- Make sure the excursions are refundable in case the port itinerary changes. Sometimes boats have to change the schedule due to capacity.
- Last time I was in Venice, due to how crowded the ports were, the stop in Venice was move to the next day and the port was changed to Trieste which is around an hour bus ride away.
- This means that the day and start time of the excursion had to be changed, and this is where refundable excursions are beneficial.
- If you book through the cruise line, they will adjust the excursion for you.
- Book “Skip the Line” tours for historical sights.
- You can spend less time waiting for tickets and waiting in line to enter, and more time exploring and learning.
- These tickets are typically a few dollars more per person, but they are well worth the price difference.
My Favorite Third Party Cruise Excursions
- Coliseum tour in Rome, Italy
- Pompei Tour in Naples, Italy
- Vatican Tour in the Vatican City
Tips for Choosing an Excursion
- Have a budget.
- Excursions can vary greatly in price. By having a budget, you can narrow down your options to those that fit your price point.
- Decide on how much exercise you are willing and able to do. Be mindful of physical capabilities.
- Excursions can entail anything from hours of walking on uneven terrain, to ziplining, horseback riding, or just riding a bus to and from your destination. Knowing what you are able and willing to do will narrow down your options further. Most cruise lines and third-party excursion companies will list the expected physical activity for the excursion to give you a good idea of what to expect.
- Be mindful of the language listed on the excursion.
- Excursions can be found listed in many languages from the same company, so ensure you are booking in your preferred language.
