Plan Your Own Cruise Excursions: 5 Top Tips for Success

Cruise vacations offer a wonderful way to explore the world, but shore excursions can be a mixed bag! Sometimes those pre-packaged tours feel rushed or overly crowded. Sometimes, even the descriptions of shore excursions are decidedly vague.

Want to break free, see a port city at your own pace, and tailor the adventure to your specific interests? Independent shore excursions let you call the shots, promising greater flexibility and often significant cost savings!

As an avid cruiser, I’ve found a mix of independent exploring and organized tours offers the best of both worlds. Some ports lend themselves perfectly to going solo; you can take your time at must-see attractions without feeling like you’re on a schedule. In this blog post, I’ll share the tips and strategies I use for planning successful and stress-free independent shore excursions.

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1. Know Your Destination

The treasure hunt begins the second I book a cruise! Diving into blogs and destination guides to uncover hidden gems and must-see experiences – that’s half the fun. Do some research on each port. Don’t just rely on the cruise line’s brief overviews!

Dig into travel blogs, destination websites, and even social media to get a true sense of what the port city has to offer. I find that surfing travel blogs gives me an authentic view of the city, and it’s often how I decide whether or not to book that cruise itinerary to begin with!

If you’ve read one of my DIY port guides, I give each port a DIY shore excursion rating, which rates how hard or easy it is to explore that port independently without joining a group tour.

Accessibility is Everything: Once I know what excites me about a destination, I map it out. Can must-see sights be reached on foot? Is public transport a breeze? If logistics look complicated, that’s a good indicator that a structured tour might be the most efficient way to make the most of my time ashore. I try to do all these in every port guide I write. Not only do I tell you what there is to see, I also tell you how you can get there on your own if that’s possible.

Understanding Difficulty: Experienced travellers know every destination has its quirks. Some ports are compact and walkable, allowing for relaxed exploration. Others require more planning to avoid wasting precious time figuring out where to go. That’s why I try to be specific about how far each attraction is, with opening times and ticket prices where applicable.

2. Time Management is Crucial

Independent shore excursions mean you’re in charge – but … with freedom comes responsibility! Shore time is precious, so make your time count with smart planning.

• Know Your Limits: Don’t try to pack too much into the day. Prioritize your “must-sees”, and leave time for enjoying the atmosphere without feeling rushed. I always plan a shore excursion with the assumption that I can’t see everything! But that gives me an excuse to go back.
• Build in Buffers: Unexpected delays happen – traffic, misreading a map, or simply falling in love with a spot and enjoying it longer than planned. Leave wiggle room in your itinerary to safeguard against missing the ship. Also, factor in queuing times for popular attractions. Pre-booking entry tickets with timed slots can save you hours, just be aware that missed ports do happen, and that could complicate your ticket situation.
• The Port Agent is Your Ally: Your daily cruise newsletter holds a gem: the port agent’s contact info. Snap a photo or tear out that section to carry with you. While you’ll likely never need it, having their number provides peace of mind should you encounter unexpected delays.

3. Embrace Tech-Savvy Navigation

In today’s digital world, your smartphone is your most powerful navigation tool. But to be a savvy explorer, a little preparation goes a long way:

• Power Up: Make sure your phone is fully charged before leaving the ship, and carry a backup battery. Nothing ruins a day like a dead phone when you need directions the most.
• App-y Exploring: Research the best local transport apps beforehand. It’s one reason I mention this in those “port essentials” sections in my DIY guides! Knowing which app locals rely on makes getting around a breeze, especially for working out transport times & connections.
• Offline is Golden: Download offline maps (Google Maps offers this feature) for seamless navigation even with spotty data coverage. Having the area available offline avoids any surprise roaming charges too!
• Have a Rough Plan: Jot down a loose itinerary of your must-see sights on your phone’s notes app. This keeps you focused and helps you make quick navigation decisions on the go.

4. Get Around Like a Local

Stepping off the ship, you have options—and choosing wisely can make or break your shore excursion. Public transport isn’t just about saving money; in bustling cities, it’s often the fastest way to reach your sights, bypassing potential traffic jams. That’s why my DIY guides always focus on local transport options!

• Public Transport Pros: Authentic experiences, cost-effective, and time-saving in urban areas. Do some research beforehand to know which bus, train, or metro lines to use.
• Taxi Tips: Pre-negotiate rates where there’s no meter, have your destination written down for clarity, and invest some time in learning about taxi scams common in the port you’re visiting. Stick to reputable taxi companies or well-known ride-sharing apps for safety and reliability.

5. A Little Culture Goes a Long Way

Even a few basic phrases in the local language can go a long way. “Hello”, “please”, “thank you”, and knowing how to ask for directions open doors and often leave locals charmed. Translation apps like Google Translate are your lifeline in moments of confusion.

Additional Tips

• Embrace Serendipity: Leave room in your itinerary for those unexpected discoveries! Wander down a side street, try a local cafe, or strike up a conversation with a friendly shop owner. Often, these unplanned moments become the highlights of a trip.
• Stay Safe: Trust your instincts about situations or areas that feel unsafe. Be mindful of your belongings in crowded areas and research common scams in the port city beforehand.
• Blend In: Dress respectfully, considering local customs, and avoid flashy displays of valuables. This helps you get off the tourist radar, and experience the port like a visitor, not just a target.

How “Risky” are DIY Shore Excursions?

I get emailed a lot from readers concerned about missing the “all aboard time” and getting left behind at port. Many say they would never consider going ashore, other than on a cruise line sponsored excursion for this reason. Others are more adventurous and say that my port guides have given them useful information to plan their own excursions. So just how “risky” are DIY shore excursions?

From my experience of planning my own DIY shore excursions, it depends on the port and what you’ve got planned. If you’re visiting a port of call where one can easily walk to the city centre, or it’s just a short metro/bus ride away, I’d say that the risk of missing the “all aboard time” is fairly low. Provided of course that you keep an eye on the time and don’t wait till the last minute before heading back to port. When I do a DIY excursion, I always try to disembark as early as possible and then aim to be back on the ship no later than 30 minutes to an hour before “all aboard time”. That’s my “buffer time”, just in case I’m delayed somehow en route.

If I were planning a day-trip and let’s say, planning to see something an hour away, then I definitely check whether there are multiple ways of getting back to port. For example, is the train the only way to get back? That’s why if there’s multiple transport options, I always write about them in my port guides. I don’t like long travel distances when I do a DIY shore excursion, so I generally cap my DIY travel to about an hour. If what I’d like to do a day-trip that’s more than an hour away each way, then I’d consider taking a tour.

Ultimately, I think whether DIY shore excursions are suitable for you depends on your travel style. Some cruisers simply feel more comfortable being guided in every port, because they can relax without worrying about the details. Others (like me) find a lot of fun in exploring on my own and have the flexibility to spend time seeing what I’d like to see. There’s no “wrong” travel style!

Tip: Are DIY shore excursions too risky for you? Then read my DIY port guides for an idea for what there is to see and do in each port. I generally find descriptions for cruise line excursions to be deliberately vague. Hopefully my port guides help you pick the right excursion!

Planning a successful independent shore excursion takes a bit of preparation, but the freedom and adventure make it all worthwhile! If this blog post has helped make your DIY excursions easier, please share it with fellow cruisers. Let’s build a community of confident, independent explorers!

Featured Image by Fernando Jorge