When you start looking at what to do in a cruise port, it is easy to fall into the idea that you must book an excursion. The cruise line offers dozens of cruise excursions, including snorkeling trips, beach days, city tours, sightseeing buses, zip lines, boat rides, food tours, and historical sites. It can get overwhelming. It no longer feels like, “Should I book an excursion?” but becomes, “OMG, what excursion should I book? If I don’t pick the right one, am I somehow missing out?”
But you don’t need an excursion in every port. In fact, sometimes the best choice is not booking one at all. You need to be honest with yourself about why you booked the cruise to begin with, because this can help guide your excursion decisions. For example, a Mediterranean itinerary may be your bucket-list cruise, where the ship is a way to get from one bucket-list item to another. Here, excursions should be a priority. However, if you booked a Caribbean cruise for rest and relaxation, as my wife and I often do, booking an excursion in every port may add stress by putting you on a schedule every day and taking away spontaneous moments of relaxation.
While some of the best cruise memories can come from excursions, particularly when you find an experience that genuinely interests you, others can come from a port day on the ship or exploring the port on foot without a plan. Cruising offers so much value, and the number of options can seem like too much. The trick is knowing when an excursion adds something to your day and when you’re simply booking one because you feel like you should.
The Port Makes a Big Difference
As mentioned before, not every cruise port or itinerary is the same, and that should play a big role in deciding whether you should book an excursion or not. So let’s dig into that a little deeper.
Many Caribbean ports offer similar types of cruise excursions. You’ll often see options for beaches, snorkeling, catamaran trips, zip lines, island tours, and other outdoor activities. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but if you’ve cruised to several Caribbean destinations, you may find yourself looking at another list of excursions that looks surprisingly familiar.
Another common theme of many Caribbean ports is that they have plenty to see and do right around the port, especially with the heavy investments the major cruise lines have poured into many of these ports of call. The port itself may feel like a full-service resort with pools, restaurants, bars, and activities. You may be able to walk right into the town center, explore shops, visit local attractions, grab something to eat or drink, or simply wander around and get a feel for the destination without spending hundreds of dollars on an organized excursion.
That’s very different from some Mediterranean cruise ports. A Mediterranean itinerary might take you to a port that is primarily a gateway to a major city or historic attraction. The place you really want to visit may be a significant distance from the ship. Getting to Rome, Florence, Athens, or another major destination can require transportation and careful planning. In that situation, an excursion can make much more sense. The transportation alone may be a major part of the experience, and an organized tour can simplify the logistics of getting there and back to the ship on time.
So before asking, “What excursion should I book?” it is worth asking a more basic question, “What is there to do in this port?” The answer may tell you whether you need an excursion at all.
You Don’t Have to See Everything
One of the easiest traps to fall into on a cruise is trying to maximize every port. You have limited time, so you feel like you need to make the most of it. That can lead to booking a six-hour excursion, getting up early, spending hours on a bus, and returning to the ship exhausted because you didn’t want to “waste” your time in port.
But a port day doesn’t have to be an all-day adventure. Sometimes you might only want to spend a few hours exploring.
That’s generally how my wife and I approach many ports. We’re not big on excursions. We normally do about one excursion per cruise and spend the rest of our port days doing something on our own. We’ll get off the ship, walk around the port, look at the shops, find something to eat or drink, and see some of the area. We aren’t trying to see every attraction or check every box.
We’re just experiencing a little of the destination. And after a few hours, we’re usually ready to head back to the ship and enjoy some rest and relaxation with the smaller crowds of a port day. This really gives us the ability to recharge and be ready for the evening on board, which we really enjoy.
But that is our cruising style. Others enjoy their trips in very different ways, which showcases how amazing cruise vacations are. Two people can be on the same ship and have wildly different experiences, and both can walk off thinking, “That was the best vacation ever!”
You Don’t Have to Turn Every Port Into a Full-Blown Adventure
There is also nothing wrong with having a relaxing port day. Cruises can be busy and even stressful if you are trying to do everything. Between sea-day activities, meals, entertainment, getting ready for dinner, and everything else happening on the ship, you can easily find yourself racing from one thing to the next without any downtime.
My wife and I often use a port day as an opportunity to slow things down, rest, and enjoy the moment. You don’t have to do everything on a cruise, and sometimes doing less is exactly what makes the vacation more enjoyable. It could be as simple as having breakfast, spending a couple of hours exploring the port on foot, and then heading back to the ship. Then you return, grab lunch, and spend the afternoon sitting by the pool, on your balcony, or in one of the many quiet spots there will be on a port day.
Or maybe you sleep in, have a late breakfast, and stay on the ship all day. That’s a perfectly reasonable way to spend a port day. As some people will say, you paid to be on the ship. You don’t have to leave it simply because the ship is docked.
One of the Best Times to Enjoy the Ship Is While Everyone Else Is Ashore
I’ve made several hints about this so far, and it is something my wife and I have come to appreciate more over time. When a large portion of the passengers are off the ship in port, the ship can feel completely different. The pool deck will be quieter. Loungers can be easier to find. Elevators may be less crowded. You can walk around without dealing with the normal flow of passengers. Not to mention, many loud and busy locations become cozy and quiet spots to relax.
Depending on the ship and the port, it can feel like you have a completely different vacation experience for a few hours. For us, getting back to the ship while everyone else is still exploring can be one of the best parts of the day. We’re not sitting there thinking about everything we’re missing. We’re enjoying what we came on the cruise to enjoy.
My wife loves to find a quiet spot and write. I love to walk around the ship and explore. We can visit that always-busy bar that is now quiet, with empty seats at the bar and a bartender with time to talk and make drink suggestions that aren’t on any menu.
Independent Exploring Gives You More Control
Another advantage of skipping an organized excursion on a port day is the flexibility. When you’re on an excursion, you’re following someone else’s schedule. Last year in San Juan, Puerto Rico, my wife and I did an excursion that visited a couple of key sites and a hacienda. We enjoyed the sights, but our scheduled 2.5-hour excursion took nearly five hours with no lunch. We were on their timeline, and we were hungry.
Other times, the excursion doesn’t pan out like you thought it would. One hour in, you are bored, but there’s nowhere to go, and you feel stuck. Or your tour guide just isn’t very good. It can happen, and it has happened to us.
But when you explore independently, you decide when you’re done. If you find a shop you like, you can spend more time there. If you want to stop for a drink or lunch, you can. If you’ve seen enough after an hour and a half, you can head back to the ship. There is no itinerary telling you that you need to be somewhere else. Maybe you’ll see something unique that you love that isn’t popular enough to be on the city tour. Exploring can open you up to things you didn’t know about but end up loving.
Of course, you may walk too far and your feet hurt. Or it’s just too hot without an air-conditioned bus. Or you find nothing. These things can happen too. So a little pre-planning can help minimize this. It is also important to understand how to get back to the ship once your feet hurt or the heat gets to be too much. So understanding the local taxi options is an important backup plan.
You also have to consider that independent exploration isn’t appropriate for every port. You need to understand the area, allow enough time to get back to the ship, and make sure you’re comfortable navigating on your own. But when the port is easy to explore independently, that flexibility can be a major advantage.
Book the Cruise Excursions That Matter Most to You
You don’t need to book an excursion in every port. Instead, look for the experiences that genuinely interest you and make those the ones you prioritize. If an excursion takes you somewhere that’s difficult to reach on your own, gives you the chance to experience something that’s been on your bucket list, or simply makes you think, “I really want to do that,” it may be worth booking.
But if you’re scrolling through the excursion list and nothing really stands out, don’t book something just because you feel like you should. You can explore the port on your own, spend a few hours ashore, or head back to the ship and enjoy the day there.
For us, that’s the approach that works best. We aren’t interested in booking an excursion just for the sake of saying we did one. We’d rather find the one or two experiences that really matter to us and make those the excursions we remember.
An Excursion We Say Yes To
One example for us was a horseback riding excursion that included riding the horses into the ocean. That wasn’t something we booked because we felt like we needed an activity that day. It was something my wife had always wanted to do. It was a wish-list experience for her, which made the decision easy. This would be a core memory for my wife.
That’s exactly the kind of excursion I think is worth considering. When you see it and immediately think, “I really want to do that,” you’re probably looking at something different from simply filling a spot on your cruise itinerary.
We also chose an early excursion time. When you book an excursion through the cruise line, an early start can often give you priority disembarkation, helping you get off the ship and on your way sooner. For us, that meant we could enjoy the excursion and still be back on the ship early enough to relax and enjoy the rest of the day.
Don’t Forget the Cost of Excursions
Let’s face it, excursions are not cheap. An excursion at every port will put a dent in your wallet. It’s one of the costs that can be easy to overlook when planning a cruise. So you also have to consider, “If I buy that excursion I’m not really that excited about, will I have to miss out on something else I enjoy due to budget?”
Maybe it’s more time in the casino or that special gift. It could be a fancy night at one of the specialty restaurants. Or a relaxing massage in the spa, which is often cheaper on a port day. Or maybe the savings will go toward the next cruise! It is important to consider the cost when choosing excursions.
Takeaway: Sometimes the Best Excursion Can Be No Excursion at All
An excursion should be something you want to do, not something you feel obligated to do. If there’s a destination you’ve always wanted to see, an experience that’s been on your bucket list, or an activity that genuinely excites you, book it. But if you’re scrolling through the excursion list thinking, “None of these really interest me,” don’t force it. Look at the port instead.
There may be plenty to explore within walking distance or a quick taxi ride away. There may be a restaurant or local attraction you’ve read about that you want to experience. Or you may decide that what you really want is a quiet afternoon back on the ship.
And sometimes, after you’ve looked at all the options, you may realize that the best plan for the day is to forgo the excursion and wing it on your own. And there is nothing wrong with that.
Want to explore this idea further? Check out You Don’t Have to Do Everything on a Cruise for more on why sometimes doing less can make your cruise even more enjoyable.
Pingback: Why Is Ship Time So Important on a Cruise?