Tips to ensure a great day ashore!
Is it worth booking through your cruiseline, booking excursions with an independent company or just doing your own thing?
There are certainly advantages to booking an official excursion through the cruiseline, however there are also times when it may be worthwhile booking your excursion independently or doing your own thing…
Booking an excursion through the cruiseline has one huge advantage in that, if delays occur for any reason, the ship will not leave the port without you. Even if planning to be at the port with an hour or so to spare, unexpected things can happen and booking through the cruiseline gives travelers that extra security, especially when booking full day excursions or trips which take you far from the port. So, booking through the cruiseline means you can wave goodbye to any worry of ‘missing the boat’, if you’ll pardon the pun.
When looking at adventurous activities ashore, booking through a cruiseline or reputable shore excursion provider, gives you the confidence in knowing that the excursion and activities have undergone rigorous risk assessments to ensure safety requirements are met. This is vitally important when looking at adrenaline-fuelled activities where health and safety is key, and is especially relevant in ports of call where local rules on safety may not be as strict as those applied by a UK registered company.
The other benefit of booking through the cruiseline or trusted shore excursion company is simply convenience! For some people, planning a personal shore excursion is all part of the fun of holiday-planning, yet for others it is stressful and deemed unnecessary strain. The beauty of a pre-booked shore excursion is that it is 100% hassle-free and everything is taken care of to ensure you have a wonderful time ashore.
So when is it worth doing your own thing?
If you enjoy planning each and every part of your holiday in detail, you will likely already see the appeal and find great joy in creating your own excursions… yet even for those not so confident in planning their own adventures, there are certainly benefits to be had by mixing official excursions with a little of your own thunder during your cruise holiday.
If you have done your research and know exactly where you are headed to from the port, whether that be venturing into the town, a day to be spent at a local beach or a trip to a local point of interest nearby, it may be more prudent to take a taxi – paying the expense of an excursion, when you essentially just need the transport, is not particularly cost-effective as an option. However, in such cases, I would suggest then pre-arranging your return transport with your driver, to ensure that you will be back to the port in plenty of time prior to departure.
Also, when taking part in a pre-booked cruise excursion, typically these tours are carried out in large groups; doing your own thing gives you the opportunity to see sights more independently and the freedom to choose how much time to spend on each part of your day ashore.
A few more ‘shore’ tips…
It may be the holidays but be sure to do your homework – research your ports of call and the various excursions available, as well as places of interest, so you are well informed on the options available to you… this will ensure that you make the most of your day ashore and will save you time researching & deciding on what to do once in port.
Ensure that you factor in extra time for tenders to & from the ship and for souvenir shopping – we find that shopping for souvenirs near to the port at the end of your visit, is a great way to shop safe in the knowledge that you are close to the ship, with the added advantage of not having to carry your purchases around all day.
On the other hand, something you would be well advised to carry around whilst ashore is a ‘shore-day-backpack’ – ours typically includes a small towel, reusable water bottle and snacks, any necessary medicines, plasters, wet wipes, suntan lotion and various things we may need whilst ashore. Typically though we do tend to carry our passports, money and ship ID on our person, usually in a waistpack reserved especially for holidays – invisible travelpacks, worn around the waist underneath your shirt for example, have become quite popular as a way to ensure the security of personal items whilst on holiday.
Lastly, to make the most of your time in port, ensure that you set an alarm the night before and plan to be disembarking early to maximise your time, however be sure to not overextend the day ashore; make sure that you are back at the port with plenty of time to spare… in fact, we find that boarding the ship an hour or so prior to departure, gives you a nice opportunity to enjoy a late afternoon drink on deck with views of the port, and is a lovely time to share photographs & discuss memories of your visit.
Katrina And The Waves ?
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As an island-girl, originally from Guernsey, seeing the giant cruise ships alongside historic Castle Cornet sparked my passion for travel and fueled my hunger for exploring new destinations. Working in travel allows me to use my knowledge and experience to piece together the ideal holiday experience for you, and I…
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Another practical tip: sometimes you require a visa to visit another country. Russia is one. So if you’re doing “your own thing”, you’ll need a visa. We went on a Baltic cruise 2 years ago, the cruise line’s excursions were exorbitant, so we chose Viator to do a 2-day excursion. They not only picked us up at the port (St. Petersburg) but arranged the visa for us – saving a lot of time-consuming form filling out (I understand there are about 12 pages otherwise for their visa application!). You just have to do your homework.