Once you have your cruise booked, you're going to want to figure out what you want to do when your ship stops at various ports of call. There's a multitude of options available with different costs.
Types of Excursions
There are many type of excursions. Some are simple, such as transportation to and from a local beach. Others are complex and can last many hours. It's hard to generalize the various types of excursions that all ports can encompass but here are the most common types of excursions.
- Beach trip
- Animal interactions
- Guided tour
- Snorkeling/Scuba
Length of Excursion
Each excursion requires a set amount of time. Some are short, others allow you to be flexible and some will consume the entire time you are in port. It's important to figure out what your priority is. If you'd like to do multiple things in port, like go to the beach, do some shopping and visit a local point of interest, you're best not picking an excursion that takes up multiple hours. On the other hand, if the port doesn't interest you much, you could do fine with an excursion that last much of the day.
Cost
You can flip through a list of excursions easily enough and highlight a dozen or so that sound interesting but money isn't an unlimited resource for most of us, so you have to be picky. The cost of an excursion can range from less than $20 per person to well over $100 per person.
While not always the case, sometimes it can be cheaper to book an excursion by yourself rather than use the cruise line.
Booking on your own vs. cruise line
The cruise you're on will provide a lengthy list of excursions to buy at all of the ports you are stopping at. There are some advantages to booking with the cruise line...
- Convenience: By booking with the cruise line, you can book it quite easily without much hassle.
- No-dock refund: If for some reason your ship doesn't dock at a port, you aren't on the hook to pay for the excursion still.
- Safety: Generally, excursions booked through the cruise ship are done with reputable third parties. These operators are screened ahead of time by the cruise line and should be safe to use.
Booking an excursion on your own has its own set of benefits...
- Price: Often, you can save money by booking an excursion on your own since you are cutting out the cruise line as the middle man.
- Wider selection: By booking on your own, you can find many more options of things to do at port.
Ultimately, the decision may come down to individual excursions and comparing your options. What works for one person in one port may not work for another.
Researching excursions
At first glance, all the excursions look like great options but you're smart to do your homework on them. It's not to say you won't have a good time on them, but there could be a pitfall you aren't seeing or perhaps there are better options out there for you.
The best places to find information on excursions is from other people. Popular sites like CruiseCritic have forums on ports of call where you can search through reports of other people's past experiences on excursions or post your own question. Also, a Google search for the excursion can reveal more helpful information.
How to book
On Royal Caribbean, you can start booking shore excursions online up to 4 days before your sail date. Alaska Cruisetour land excursions can be reserved online up to 10 days prior to the start date of your Alaska Cruisetour. After those time periods, you will have to book the excursion on the ship.
Once you know what excursion you want to take, you should book it as soon as possible to ensure it does not sell out.
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