Cruise Excursions.

One of the questions we get asked more than almost anything else is how we book shore excursions — and whether it’s better to book with the cruise line or go independent.

The honest answer? There isn’t one “right” way. It depends on the port, how long you’re in, how confident you feel getting around, and how close you’re willing to cut it getting back to the ship.

Over the years, we’ve booked shore excursions in every possible way: cruise line tours, independent companies, and completely DIY. This page explains the main options, what we personally use, and how we decide what makes sense for each port.

Cruise Line Shore Excursions

Booking directly with the cruise line is the easiest and safest option, especially if you’re new to cruising. Because you booked through the cruise line, you will be collected form the ship - or within the port. If your tour runs late, the ship will wait for you. Plus, if you have issues with your tour you can complain through the cruise line. Also, if you have any onboard credit you can use this towards an ecusion.

The downside is that cruise line tours are always more expensive than third party operators. Groups can also be large and the tours are rigid.

When to use a cruise excursion?

We opt for a cruise run excursion when we have limited time in port. Especially when we are tendering, or when the main attraction is a significant distance from the cruise port.

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Independent Cruise-Friendly Excursions

An alternatice to the overpriced Cruise excursions is to use a independent agent like Shore Excursions Group.

They offer the kind of traditional shore excursions most cruisers are looking for — sightseeing, cultural tours, scenic drives, boat trips — but usually with smaller groups and cheaper than the cruise line.

We have used Shore Excursions Group many times over the years, including on recent cruises in the Caribbean and Europe. This is often our go-to when we want something guided and well-organised, but without the crowds.

Shore Excursions Group also align the tours to the ships arrival and departure times.

The obvious downside is that you are not on a ship-sponsored excursion meaning if you are late, the ship will depart without you. However they have a Guaranteed Return to Ship where, in the unlikeley event you are late, they will arrange and pay for your accommodations, meals, and transportation to the next port of call, and we will pay you an additional $1,000 USD per customer for the inconvenience.

The second downisde is you wont be meeting on the ship. However, they provide you detailed information on how to easily find our local representative including where they will be standing, what they will be wearing, what sign they will be holding and their local telephone number.

PLus, any issues they are on hand to help.

Booking Attractions and Transport Yourself

If you’re happy planning your own shore day, Klook can be incredibly useful, particularly in Asia and the USA.

We’ve used Klook for trains, transfers, theme park tickets, museums, city attractions and even hotels. It’s especially handy in places like Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia, where public transport is easy and attractions can sell out in advance.

This option works best when you’re confident getting around independently and leave plenty of buffer time to get back to the ship.

The cons are you

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How We Decide What to Book

In simple terms, we lean towards independent excursions when we want something guided but relaxed, DIY bookings when we’re visiting a big city or somewhere familiar, and cruise line tours when timing or logistics feel risky.

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, and we mix and match all three approaches depending on the port.

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Looking for Port-Specific Advice?

We’ve also created detailed port guides and shore day vlogs where we show exactly what we did in each destination, how we got around, and whether we’d do it the same way again.

If you’re unsure what makes sense for a particular port, those guides are the best place to start.

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A Quick Note on Links

We’re partnered with Shore Excursions Group and Klook. If you book through our links, it supports the channel at no extra cost to you and helps us keep making honest, independent cruise content.

As always, we only recommend platforms we’ve personally used and would happily book with again.