Cruise Line Excursions - Are They Worth The Price?

 

The decision whether one should take a shore excursion sold by a cruise line often depends on one's answers to the following questions:

1. How comfortable are you with planning a trip from a cruise port, and being able to return to your ship before it leaves for the next port? 
2. How comfortable are you with navigating around an unfamiliar city, walking, or using their mass transit systems?  
3. How comfortable are you with communicating with people who may not speak your language? 
4. How comfortable are you with wandering through areas which may have high crime?
5. How comfortable are you with people trying to sell you goods in foreign markets?

The answers to these questions and more all help to determine whether you should buy a shore excursion offered by a cruise line, whether you should buy one from another company, or whether you should explore what the port has to offer on your own.

There are many advantages to buying a shore excursion through a cruise line:

1. The vendors have all been vetted for both reliability.
2. The activity level for each excursion meets standards set by the cruise line.
3. In some cases, the excursion(s) may be the only safe options available at the port. 
4. The cruise line will issue refunds if a change in the ship's schedule (usually weather related) prevents a cruiser from taking an excursion.
5. The cruise ship will always wait for its excursions to return before leaving port.

Additionally, in the latter days of the pandemic, cruise line excursions were the only ones available, as cruisers were kept in a "bubble" meant to protect them from unvaccinated locals at each port. However, there is one major disadvantage: Cruise lines always add their own markups to the price of excursions, and this can make each excursion needlessly expensive.  

A good example that there is a choice between cruise line offered excursions and do-it-yourself shore excursions exists in Bermuda. One can get to any point in the Bermuda archipelago via its bus and ferry system.  Both the Crystal Caves and Cooper's Island Preserve can be reached via Bermuda's transit system.  Additionally, NCL offers the following 6 hour excursion to these places from the Dockyards area for $139: 

Caves and Waves

Explore the geological wonders and eerie formations in Crystal Caves and then spend hours relaxing at a series of beaches linked by footpaths and surrounded by a nature reserve. 

After departing from the pier, you will enjoy a leisurely tender ride to St. George’s Island, the northernmost point of hook-shaped Bermuda. A short scenic drive will bring you to Crystal Caves, which were discovered in 1907 when a teenager tried to retrieve his cricket ball from a hole and found it led to a huge series of caverns.

You will have the opportunity to explore the wonders underground, which include a crystal-clear lake and a profusion of white stalactites eerily illuminated for added drama. Parts of the caves are accessed along a pontoon boardwalk that floats atop the lake, allowing a closer look at the geological formations underwater. As an alternative, you may remain above ground and meander the gardens and browse the gift shop.

Continuing, you will soon arrive at the Clearwater Beach & Cooper’s Island Reserve, a secluded wedge of undeveloped land on Bermuda’s eastern end. The area contains six interconnected beaches, an idyllic setting to enjoy hours relaxing in the sun, doing whatever you please.

Yet, one could buy a Bermuda 1-day bus/ferry pass and reach both the Crystal caves and Cooper's Island Reserve for $19, then spend another $30 to see the Crystal Caves.  As long as one is sure to be able to make it back to the ship on time, one can save $90/pp by doing this excursion one one's own. But one has to feel safe using public transit in Bermuda to achieve these savings.

Sometimes, one wants the safety of taking a cruise line vetted shore excursion.  NCL offers the following excursion when their ships port in Maui:

Road to Hana Deluxe

Sit back and appreciate all of the sights along the famed Hana Highway without having to navigate the curves yourself. Travel over bridges and along the twisting road in the air-conditioned comfort of an exclusive 8-passenger luxury limo-van.

Although $459 was a steep price to pay for this excursion, I can say from personal experience that I was very glad to know that the cruise ship would wait for my group to return.  Although we made it to Hana without incident, the van that took us to Hana had engine problems on the return trip.  There is no cell phone service along this road, and it would take some time for the tour guide to get us help and get us back to the ship.

Not all people want to do the leg work needed to design their own shore excursions, nor do they want to pay the high markup for excursions sold by a cruise line.   Contrast the following two excursions.  The first is offered  by Shore Excursions Group for $99 (with a guaranteed return to the ship on time), and the other by NCLfor $129:

Nova Scotia's Peggy's Cove

Visit iconic Peggy's Cove Lighthouse and see the South Shore, from Halifax to Peggy's Point, on a comfortable bus tour.

Peggy’s Cove & Acadian Maple

When people think of Canada, they think of maple syrup. When people think of Nova Scotia, they think of Peggy’s Cove. On this tour you’ll get a chance to experience both! Board your coach for the scenic drive to Peggy’s Cove – one of the most popular and visited lighthouses in Atlantic Canada. Enjoy some free time here to take some breathtaking pictures and explore the village with its galleries and souvenir shops.

Continue your journey to Acadian Maple Products, started as a family hobby over 30 year ago, today they are the largest purchaser and processor of maple syrup produced in Nova Scotia. Their high quality products are now enjoyed worldwide and their shop welcomes over 30,000 visitors a year. Browse the shop and get your taste of Canada!.

Of the two above cruises, which one would you choose?  No doubt, NCL is making money by both selling tickets with a $30 markup and by getting a possible kickback from Acadian Maple Products.  Given that Peggy's Cove is a popular destination with cruise passengers, one might find the Shore Excursions Group trip a cost effective alternative to the excursion offered by NCL.  In my case, I ended up taking the NCL excursion, as the discount offered by their "Free at Sea" deal reduced the price for the excursion to be within a couple of dollars of the excursion offered by Shore Excursions Group.


There are times where I would only consider the cruise line offered shore excursions.  For example, the following excursion costs $155 and lasts 2.5 hours:

Falklands Battlegrounds

Designed for the history and military buff, you will get a first-hand look at the battlefields of the Falklands War on this 2.5-hour tour. You'll board your transportation at the pier and travel outside of Stanley to Estancia Farm where a battlefield expert will lead you on a tour of some of the major battle sites. From this panoramic spot, you can see Sapper Hill, Wireless Ridge and Mount William. After days of heavy artillery fire, the Argentine forces surrendered on June 14. At the end of this moving and memorable tour, you'll board your motor coach for the return trip to the harbor.

Given the remoteness of the Falklands, I wouldn't take the risk of not returning to the ship on time.  If I wanted to do anything more than walk around Stanley, I'd go with the cruise line offered excursion to shift the risks to the cruise line. The cruise line handles all of the logistics and takes all of the risks.  What more can you ask when in a remote port with few opportunities to rejoin the cruise, if one is not able to return to the ship on time?

During this year's Alaska cruise season, a mudslide covered the tracks of the White Pass & Yukon Railroad, stranding cruise passengers.  A separate mudslide prevented buses from returning the cruisers to their ships.  The cruise lines responsible for these cruisers had the (also stranded) buses take them on a 200+ mile drive to the nearest port accessible from the Alaskan highway: Haines, AK, where their ships would be waiting for the cruisers.  Yes, this is an extreme example of what a cruise line will do for passengers on shore excursions it sells.  But it shows the value of a cruise line's guarantee to get these passengers back on the ship.

For the most part, the decision to take a shore excursion sold by the cruise line, to take a shore excursion sold by vendors such as Viator and Shore Excursions Group, or to do an excursion on one's own depends on risk tolerance, personal finances, and comfort when dealing with both the unfamiliar and the unknown.  It pays to learn as much as possible about a port before making this type of decision, as there are many factors to be considered when choosing shore excursions.  When in doubt, play it safe and go with the cruise line's shore excursions.  Peace of mind can be priceless.