Cruise Line Excursions: 6 You Should Take And 6 To Avoid
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 มิ.ย. 2024
- Which cruise line excursions should you take, and which not? I suggest 6 excursions that I would usually take with the cruise line, rather than with an independent tour company or self tour. I also recommend 6 that I would suggest you consider not doing with the cruise line, and how to do them yourself. The big advantage of going on a cruise line excursion is the ship will always wait for all their tours to return before leaving. They do not guarantee to wait fro late passengers on their own arrangements. However, consider my list of ones to do and not do when planning excursions on your cruise vacation.
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Gary Bembridge's Tips For Travellers aims to help you make more of your precious travel time and money on land and when cruising the oceans or rivers of the world. To help you, in every video I draw on my first-hand tips and advice from travelling every month for over 20 years and 77 cruises at time of making this video.
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Any destination that is a long distance from ship by taxi or bus should always be taken through cruise line because if for whatever reason you don't make it back on time they will leave you behind. If you book a tour through the ship they will wait for you no matter how late you get back. I know this for a fact because I took a tour in Costa Rica to the rainforest, on the way back we got a flat tire on the bus, the bus didn't have a spare they had to send someone to town to get the tire and bring it back and then change the tire on the bus. The ship waited for us only because we were on a tour booked through them.
Some cruise lines guarantee this, some others don’t specify, even though they will probably wait anyway
I'll do the beach/resort excursions is when they're competitively priced with a taxi + daypass. A Roatan taxi can run $30 one way, but Carnival offers a $23/person resort excursion provides roundtrip transportation and basic resort facilities (public shower, restrooms, changing rooms, etc.).
I booked the Maui downhill bike tour on haleakala crater through NCL, and it was the best excursion I've ever been on.
In Alaska the cruise line wanted $120 for a trip to the glacier. I took the local bus to the same place for $2, plus I got to meet and talk to some locals.
Good point that does happen if you look!
The local tourist bureau clued me in. They had no affiliation to any tour company so they weren’t looking to sell me anything.
Thanks George. I'll look into doing that when we visit later this year.
I hope that was not Mendenhall Glacier as it is only 20 minutes away. You can get a tour for two cheaper than that.
Thanks Gary! This was a particularly good video. I learned several tips I hadn't previously considered when exploring shore excursion options. What makes your videos so valuable to me is that your detailed analysis and information allows me to be more confident and effective when planning shore activities.. Very helpful and much appreciated!
Great to hear. Thanks! Really appreciate you watching my videos!
I love the Hop on Hop off bus! Good tips!
Me too. They are my real go-to option !
@@tipsfortravellers Are there hop on hop off that work with cruise lines making sure you don't miss your boat?
I use them all the time!
We tend to do ship excursions more when tendering is involved. Getting the priority and guaranteed tendering time vice the space available loading process is worth the cost difference.
Mr. Gary, this was truly helpful. I’m going on my first cruise in a few weeks and needed this. Thank you!
True about Iceland! Many sites are inland and quite a hike. No worries about being back in time if on a cruise tour.
Absolutely! It’s stressful doing that not on the line excursions
Once I went through a third party on a Caribbean cruise and paid very little to get picked up, put on a semi-private beach near a restaurant where I had some of the best food ever. Sometimes the cruise line excursions aren't worth the money.
More often than not, they're not worth the money,
In addition, Gary, when I lived in Bermuda, renting a scooter often meant injury or death of a tourist with their narrow roads and driving on the “wrong” side.
Good to know !
Just walk in Bermuda, no scooter.
Now we have 2 seater cars that are available.. much safer for tourists
DebbieDebs P. yes I see that, they are electric.
@@Wellch you can’t walk the whole length of the island.
So right about not doing museums and historical sites on a group excursion. I’ve visited the mansions in Newport, RI a couple of times on my own. I arrived at a mansion once at the same time an excursion bus from a Silversea tour arrived. The guests were herded like cattle. I stepped aside to let them chase their fast-moving guide, then resumed my leisurely tour. If I ever do Silversea through Newport, I’ll get off and rent a car to do the mansions solo!
Very valuable advice Gary. Even those of us who have cruised a few times should revisit how we do shore excursions every so often to see if we could do anything better or different to make it a more meaningful and memorable experience. Thank you for your ideas and reasons.
Great video. Thanks for providing an alternative for each excursion to avoid!
Thank you so much for these suggestions, I always find your videos very helpful!
Thanks! Really appreciate you watching
Great suggestions and totally in line with our experience as seasoned cruisers! Thanks 👌
I think that probably the best reason for buying an excursion at all is to have the piece of mind that they are guaranteed to have you back on the ship before it leaves.
That is a key reason so many prefer to stick with the lines
Spot on for everything. Well done.
Wonderful tips! Thank you!
This was really helpful! Thank you!
Thank you for the tips! Great video! So glad I found you! 😊
Thanks! Great to hear. Really appreciate you watching my videos :-)
Good tips. I agree with you.
Though it will be a while until I can go on a cruise (still in postgraduate study), I look foward to the day I can. Keep up the videos I enjoy them! :)
Thanks! Appreciate you watching 😀
Good points about cost and size, some excursions are best done independently.
Thanks! Really appreciate you watching my videos!
Having done a couple of the "don't"s I knew some of what would be on your list ie, the beaches and shopping. There are now some ports where I'll just enjoy being on board with very few people during port days.
Great video!
Thanks! Great to hear. Really appreciate you watching my videos :-)
Great list, have to remember this when going to excursions.
Thanks!!! Appreciate you watching !
good tips, thanks
Excellent advice, thanks.
Thanks!!! Appreciate you watching !
Great suggestions! Thank you.
Thanks!! Much appreciated. Thanks for watching :-)
Very good solid advice Gary. I don’t think I would have ever considered these excursions to avoid or to take; on my own. I think I would just assume that an ‘excursion is an excursion’, however; as you point out, this is not always the case. Excellent video! Thanks so much for sharing...Ed
Thanks! Really appreciate you watching my videos!
This was very helpful, thankyou
Thanks! Great to hear. Really appreciate you watching my videos :-)
We did our first Hop On Hop Off in Halifax last year and loved it! Went to a park, an art gallery, a war memorial and had our choice of many great places for lunch. Thanks for another great video, Gary!
Thanks!! Much appreciated. I'm a big Hop On Hop Off fan and good to hear it worked for you too!
good info thanks for posting
Thanks!!! Appreciate you watching !
Vatican Excursions is a must to bypass the long heavy lines.
I booked the Skagway Train with the Cruise Line. It was because I wanted to do it as it was Bucket List Item, and I did not want to miss out on it.
Good one! We did same as we wanted to go in the premium carriage and knew they would have allocation in there
Great advice Gary. Been on a few 'don't do excursions, and with one exception (Kukunuku Bus on Aruba, which included a meal), regretted each that we've done. Another thing I'd encourage the consideration of, is to think about why cruise lines are not offering what seem to be awesome excursions, even though you can book them independently. We booked an ATV tour on St. Martin in January outside of Royal Caribbean. Not only was it harrowing (exciting in a somewhat scary way), but we nearly missed the ship because our guide didn't get us back in time. Thought, there's a reason RC didn't offer this.
I listen & take on board your advice, it is very helpful. Thank you so much for your expertise.
Thanks! Really appreciate you watching my videos!
Tips For Travellers I really do think your
tips for travellers are so helpful & invaluable. Well done.
I have being watching your videos for a few weeks. I loved all your tips. And how you don’t sugarcoat or downplay the bad experiences or things to avoid. When it comes to cruises there’s no doubt that you know what are you talking about. 😊😊. I have cruise a lot in the USA to the Caribbean. This upcoming November I will take my first Mediterranean cruise on the prima. I need the best advice I can get. To make my cruise more memorable any suggestions are all welcome. For all the season cruisers in that area. It will be a 10 day from Barcelona to Civitavecchia. Thank you
Great advice, as usual. Two quibbles:
2:53 Guest services may steer you in the exact same direction as their colleagues at the shore excursion desk. Better to ask the random crew members you will get to know (waiter, steward, maitre d, entertainment staff, etc). Experienced cruisers know that crew members are a valuable source of information on ports.
6:07 Done the same tour (amazing), but booked directly with the local operator. If a mainstream line offers such a tour, it's likely the same tour is offered and if so, you could save 50-100%+ by eliminating the middleman. With luxury lines it's possible it's an exclusive, usually exclusive in terms of the time/day its offered, to correspond to the port call
(edited: grammar)
Thanks! Good tips. Really appreciate you watching
Good to know, I wondered about that
If the weather is good fly around the top of Denali. Marvelous 🗻
I'm not a shopper, so I never take shopping excursions. I also avoid excursions that have shopping time built in if I can. Much like you said with the meals, those stops always take too much time. I would rather spend more time at sites or even get me back to the ship earlier so I can relax a bit.
Agree 👍🏻
I do 99% on my own, but will take certain ones with cruise. In Belize went to ruins at the Guatemalan border decided better with cruise line. It was a small group got alone time and we were the very last back on the ship
On a recent NZ cruise, got off at Mount Maunganui and caught a local bus to Tauranga for the huge cost of $NZ 7.80 for an all day pass while other paid $38 for a hop on off bus. You could do the same on the local bus with that pass.
My favorite excursion so far is Helmet Diving in Grand Cayman Islands. My cheeks hurt from grinning so much.
Two of my favorite shore excursions included featured meals: One was in Alaska (while in Ketchikan) that was tied in with a nature tour. We went to a lodge afterwards for a great all-you-can-eat crab lunch. It was FANTASTIC. Another was in Pisa, Italy: We spent good, relaxed time in Pisa and then went to a winery for a short informative lecture ... followed by a tremendous pasta meal. (The Pisa excursion was especially enjoyable because we had just come off two wonderful, but exhausting days in Rome and Naples (Amalfi & Pompeii). Our relaxed day in Pisa was very much needed. {All of that said, I certainly agree with your other 5 types of excursions to avoid....just have to disagree on the meal-featured excursions. Just use good judgment when selecting the ones to do}.
I have only ever taken a cruise tour once and that was to a spot on the Great Barrier Reef. We travelled for an hour in a smaller vessel to reach the site . It could not have been done any other way. I only went ashore in one other place, Darwin, because it was the only capital I had not seen in Australia and has an interesting history. But I just went by myself not on a guided tour.
We did the outer Great Barrier Reef tour through the cruise line to make sure we were back on time and the price was pretty comparable to booking on our own. In Darwin and Geraldton for our first visits we just walked from the ship to the city/town centre and wandered at our leisure. The distances were very small and we stopped where we wanted to look, had a relaxing lunch or a drink and wandered back in plenty of time. No schedule to meet. In Broome we wandered a bit on our own on foot and then did a short bus tour around the outskirts to broaden our experience.
We did the dog-sledding back in 2008. Helicopter flight over the glaciers, landed on one of the glaciers at "Doggie World" and then went dog-sledding on the glacier. Worth every penny. We still talk about it.
totally amazing !!
Hop on hop of buses are great
We did both hop on hop off bus and harbor boat in Sydney.
I love Ho Ho busses :-)
I agree with the Museums comment. Use the web. State Museum in Juneau Alaska, is brilliant and cheap. Walking distance from the port.
Agree, that is a great tip!
Yes, in Skagway the only excursion to do is the White Pass Rail trip, in Juneau- the Mendenhall Glacier and just walk around in Ketchikan.
This was very helpful! Some cruise ship tours are sooo boring, I'm like, why bother. Ha
Thanks!!! Appreciate you watching ! I agree with your point....
We just had two excursions in Vietnam that had lunch included (not that I would eat anything) it only took 50 minutes out of a 7 hour tour, and as most of us are over 60, we needed that break, plus on a day long tour, you need lunch.
I'm guilty for the excursions with meals included in them. In fact those are the ones I look at first lol 😂! But like you said if the excursion is gonna be HOURS LONG you need a break to eat and recoup your strength hence why meals are included 🍝🍛🍲💪!
Question. Hi Gary, we always enjoy watching your channel. Thank you for the time and effort. We are doing NCL Jade 12 Day Greece in March, 2022. First time in Greece and of course we want to see historical sites. (We also have the $50 excursion discount). What is your recommendations for seeing Greece- NCL excursions? Or another way?
It is pretty easy in most ports to self explore, but would recommend some port like Katakolon going to Olympia to do the line excursion as far from the port and fiddly to get their and back without worrying about being delayed
Though not a very experienced cruiser (yet!), I prefer to research and purchase excursions on my own. Honestly, the main reason is usually a little cheaper.
Just got back from Regal Princess. Took an ATV tour of St Maarten which was an excellent experience (except for getting soaked and face-pelted by rain for four of the six hours!)
Next cruise is on HAL Veendam. Key West is an old happy memory so will do a self-tour with my fiancée who has never been there. I’m researching Jamaica to see what kind of mischief to get into.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experiences.
Thanks for watching and adding your tips and thoughts 👍🏻👍🏻
brad hyman Just beware that if you book a non cruise-line tour and it is late back, the ship will not always wait for you.
Great video . A resort pass is a good deal and you can use all the amenities of a deluxe resort for a very low cost. For $50 I have spent the day at a 5 star resort with food and drinks included. Beaches are usually private and uncrowded at resorts. Buy them online before you go.
Thanks!!! Appreciate you watching !
Good to know!
Just be sure if you take an excursion not through the cruise line you are back at least a hour before departure as they are will not wait long for you to return.
absolutely!
And they do not have to wait at all.
Thanks again.
Always the best advice.
One of my favorite cruise ship routes is Old Faithful Yellowstone to Rome
Love hop on hop off
I priced some excursions in Alaska online, they were the same cost as if I booked them through the cruise line, but without the advantages of booking through the cruise line.
Yup. I’m cruising to Alaska in May, and the excursions were the same price both on and off the ship.
Yes that can happen so good to double check as you say!
Pete Guard I found this too for my upcoming trip in July 2020. So it made sense to book with the cruise line. There are only a few where the actual activity was better through private vendors but not the cost - Misty Fjords give you more time / landings for the same price and some of the helicopter dog sled companies were more time on the glacier. But on the whole there isn't really a price difference and most excursions are exactly the same without the benefit of the ship waiting.
Yes I have found that too. Best to book with the cruise line then. So the ship will wait if the bus is late. One takes a risk booking with no name companies on the internet.
concerts, plays, operas, sports, ballet, dance performances maybe worth the trouble. guide for ancient ruins is worth thinking about. how about plitvice lakes national park or krka from zadar cruise port? public transport or excursion or transfer only?
never need excursion for scandinavia, baltic, amsterdam, venice, naples, ravenna,, athens , barcelona. definitely need seville cadiz, cordoba or granada from malaga or motril or almeria.
be sure to set your time to the ship time no matter what port you're in.
My first cruise I did a beach excursion. I found out later I could have gone on the same beach for free (in a different area).
yes that catches many people... me included....
Hi gary,
Your video footage of people going around in bike has been taken in tahiti when you cruised with gauguin cruise line or....
Yes it was
Another reason not to do an excursion is because there is something substantial to do right off the dock, and then there is no need for a paid excursion. An example is the fort museum in Bermuda.
@@Carolmaizy Funny. You did the same thing as us! Glad you enjoyed.
Gary: When I used to live in LA there was the ship Azure of the Seas which did 3 day mini cruises Fri-Mon and 4 day cruises Mon-Thu. Does Britain have similar cruises going let's say Southhampton to France?
There certainly are - try Royal Caribbean, P and O or Princess
Which dog sledding excursion would you recommend in Alaska
The White Pass and Yukon scenic railway trip is much cheaper if you buy a ticket on your own at the train depot in Skagway. A trip to Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau was $50 on a cruise shore excursion. A kiosk in Juneau offered the same trip to the glacier for $5 PP round-trip. However, this was over 15 years ago when the glacier was much bigger. A whale watching cruise in Juneau was 70 % cheaper than the shore excursion, when booked at a kiosk in Juneau . I never do shore excursions on a cruise anymore...........they are a complete rip-off..........just like the cocktails on board as well as spa treatments........
Good tips thanks
How risky is it to book your own excursion? My fear would be that it gets back late and I’ll miss the ship. Is there a way to book an excursion w/o going through the cruise line and still be reassured I’ll get back in time all while saving money?
Exactly. I see the premium prices as “insurance”
took a Segway excursion on Blue Laggon Island in Nassau. Almost non-existant education for a first timer managed to dump the Segway going from sidewalk to sand, threw me off and broke my knee! NOT RECOMMENDED.
I have a question. Do cruise lines provide guided tours of the ships themselves - especially of the bridge and the engineering spaces?
Yea, some do, you might get the info on your daily programme, but ask about it at front desk on arrival. There is a cost.
@@chriswilliams6568
Thanks for responding.
Is it safe to just hail a cab to go someplace? Going with the cruise makes sure we don't have issues.
Erika Bakker we feel pretty safe in Cozumel and Grand Turk. Grand Turk operates more like a bus (a min van really)where people are getting on and off and these rates are a lot less than having a cab to yourself as in Cozumel.
depends on the port. but remember if you ate late back to ship after doing your own thing, the ship will leave on time regardless. If the ship is late leaving, it would be due to one of their own excursions that they wait for.
at least transport only excursions are worth the assurance peace of mind: berlin, brussels, london except tillbury port, paris, mont st michel, giverny or bayeux, versailles, potsdam, figueres dali, florence if visiting uffizi or and accademia, vatican, siena, orvieto, assisi, milan last supper castllo sforzesco pinacoteca brera or teatro alla scala opera house, st petersburg russia, turkey, vietnam, cambodia, laos, burma, india skip visa...
5:23 where was this?
We discovered that any ship organised excursion (we are travelling Aida) visiting St Petersburg included a blanket visa for that excursion. Our 8 hour excursion ended up costing about half the price of what organising our own Russian visas would have set us back! (We are travelling from Australia.)
Jason Dale So true.
I'm on a cruise to Hawaii and I want to leave the ship in Honolulu, Hawaii and rejoin the ship in Kona, Hawaii, 4 days later. Holland America requires that you request a "Cruise Deviation" which must be approved before you can do that? My question is why do I need HAL 'approval'? On what grounds would they deny the request? And why? As a care -giver the only kind of mini I can get for myself is to leave my partner on the ship where, I know he will be cared for properly. I understand denying the request during COVID but why now for my Cruise Jan 7, 2023. This is baffling and non-sensical.
Blue hole cenote I don’t recommend it.
Why not
Gary: I'm in a wheelchair. Can the excursions desk know the limitations of each excursion to recommend you to a particular excursion knowing the degree of it?
Yes absolutely. Some lines run specific accessible-friendly tours and have seen that on lien including Holland America and Seabourn. But all will have ratings for excursions,
@@tipsfortravellers Gary: You and your channel are my favorite because, you absolutely answer and comment on our inquiries and this is very much appreciated. Please promise us that you will continue forever as there are endless items involving cruises that meets the eye. I also like how you present your topics.
If you call the cruise line they would have specific agents that you can talk to about excursions, I know Princess does. Always keep a record of a name, and date spoken to, if you take their advice.
DO NOT visit any volcanoes in New Zealand. Or any other country for that matter.
David O'Connor Why not?
@@HenryPaulThe3rd In case it erupts and kills you like in New Zealand recently
David O'Connor oh okay
I spent my cruise time at the bar drinking that’s it.
I'd avoid any excursion that involves a helicopter or small plane ride.
yes, because of the cost, and danger.
What cruise goes to Yellowstone?
Cruise line excursion to avoid: Asia.
Brian Pan which place, or are you talking in general due to coronavirus. That is a moot point as all the cruise ships have pulled out anyway.
@@chriswilliams6568 , To enhance each port visit (as well as to increase their profits), cruise lines offer organized shore excursions on all ships for additional fees. These land-based trips run the gamut from sightseeing city tours to cultural events and active pursuits. When I say ASIA, I'm obviously making a funny.
Avoid all cruise shore excursions. Never ever waste your money on a Cruise excursion that you can do for yourself at a much never price. Use this thing called the internet. Do some basic research. Easy squeezie. Don't be that terrified tourist who fears their first step off the ship without their hands being held. Go out and experience life!
Avoid those with animals as per Nat Geo 99% are using animals in captivity that are mistreated and failing to support them is the best way to stop them. People are often More worried about their fun than about what’s happening to these poor animals, sadly 😡
Do I sense a tiny bit of South African English in your accent?
YOU HIRE SOMEONE FOR A SERVICE YOU RENT SOMETHING (ITEM)
YOU COLLECT DIFFERENT PIECES YOU PICK ONE ITEM
Cruise - who is going on a cruise with the Coronavirus out there?
Anne Rawls Me. I live in NYC where people are packed ass to ass on the trains during morning and evening rush hour commutes and my job is next door to Chinatown where there are hundreds of Asians walking around with masks and they have been doing that before the coronavirus outbreak. I have a bigger chance of getting that virus just going to work so a cruise doesn’t scare me. I love being a NYer because nothing fazes us.
Given the effects of the virus, why do these guys continue to talk up travel?
just avoid cruises
Cruise line excursions: where you can pay extra to be herded like fancy cattle or save money by risking ATV adventures!