WorldofLauraJane

For some people when doing a cruise, shore excursions are a no for any port but then some others choose to do one at every port. In this post I’m going to give my opinions on shore excursions as well as some insights on some that I’ve done on previous cruises.

One of the main reasons that I will always give for booking a shore excursion is that if you are going to be going somewhere for a full day which is a distance from the port and you are delayed for some reason the ship will wait for you as long as you are on one of the cruise lines shore excursions. I’ve previously had experience of this as we docked at La Spezia on a previous cruise where I did an excursion that was Pisa & Florence on your own. Due to bad weather we left Florence late to get back to the ship, the ship was due to be setting sail but we hadn’t made it back to the ship but because we were on an organised shore excursion the ship waited till we were back. 

I’ve heard of some people who have booked an excursion for every port on a cruise, this isn’t something that I would recommend doing as this will make the cruise a lot more expensive as some of the excursions are not cheap to pay for. Also if you are doing an excursion every day then it can become tiring for you as you are being so active and fast paced on the cruise which means as you come to the end of the cruise you may not enjoy it as much due to tiredness. Shore excursions can last anything from 3 hours to 12 hours, if you are docking at ports such as La Spezia, Livorno, Civitavecchia or Warnemunde and you do choose an excursion they will be a full day. 

Often cruise lines can offer shore excursions which include experiences that you potentially wouldn’t be able to book or do alone.  Some excursions that are a full day will often include a traditional lunch where you get to sample the local cuisine. Also choosing to do an excursion means that you get a guide who is able to tell you a lot of information about the destination that you potentially wouldn’t have got but they can also answer any questions that you may have.

Some destinations can offer shore excursions which is the destination on your own these are a good option as it means that you have transport to the destination with a guide giving you some information. It also means you have got the chance to explore the destination at your own pace but before setting off to explore you can ask the guide any questions that you may have. The on your own excursions are also useful for those who are not always confident in getting to a destination from the ship as it gives you the transport to the destination but allows you to explore at your pleasure.

One reason for not booking a shore excursion as well is that you can often be restricted through the day as there is a chance that you will not get as long at an attraction as you would ideally like. They can often be fast paced as the guide can be walking at a faster pace than what you walk so its important to take that in to account when looking at shore excursions. 

There are some ports of call which I don’t believe require an excursion as they dock close enough that you are able to explore the destination on your own. These ports include:

Palma

Barcelona

Cadiz 

Marseille 

Lisbon 

Copenhagen

Skagen 

Tallinn

Overall I think there are often a lot more positives to booking a shore excursion but you do have to be mindful of the costings for yourself as well as making sure that it isn’t going to be too much for you. 

If you are unsure whether you should or shouldn’t do a shore excursion for a port visit www.whatsinport.com as this website give information about the port and whether its easy accessible. 

What are your thoughts on shore excursions when doing a cruise?