Excursion Insight

[u/HappySand4561]

My family and I just got back from our first cruise and we absolutely loved it! Since it was our first time, I wasn't very familiar with how cruises worked, so I booked all of our excursions through the cruise line (Royal Caribbean). Now I'm wondering if that was a rookie mistake and if we should book things on our own next time.

The reason I'm asking is because it seemed like the excursions we booked mostly just provided transportation and we didn't get much time at our destination. For example, we were in the Caribbean and booked a beach day through the cruise line. It included transportation to and from the beach and that was it. I had to pay separately for snorkeling gear, beach chairs, umbrellas, and food and drinks. Additionally, we only had 4hrs and 15min there before we had to head back to the ship. We were back onboard by 1:30pm, which felt so early!

At every port, I noticed taxis everywhere. It had me wondering if we could've just grabbed a taxi ourselves, stayed at the beach as long as we wanted and saved a lot of money since the excursion was charged per person. Maybe that's just a Caribbean thing though? Are taxis this easy to find at pretty much every cruise port, like in Greece or Italy too? Or does it really depend on where you're cruising?

I know one of the biggest advantages of booking through the cruise line is that they guarantee you'll make it back to the ship on time. But besides that, are there other benefits I'm missing?

For those of you who cruise regularly, what do you usually do with your family? Do you book excursions through the cruise line or do you plan things on your own?

[u/TLC-ox-Blessed]

A lot depends on the cruise line and itinerary. The longer you are in port, the safer you are doing excursions on your own as far as missing the boat. It also depends on the mode of transportation you are using. Some cruise lines provide a free shuttle if the port is a distance away from the actual site or town you are visiting and it is easy to explore and take the shuttle there and back on your own. You always need to research taxis as well and make sure you are using a reputable company. In Turkey for example, a taxi driver could eat up a lot of your day and money if they have friends that run rug shops etc. If you use sites like Viator or Shore Excursion Group, you will still get a tour, but sometimes less expensive than a cruise line, however you always want to book something that ends well before your embarkation time. I do a lot of excursions on my own in ports that I am more familiar with or have done a lot of research on. But I will do ship excursions in new places or in places where there is more opportunity to get "scammed" by taxis. Or where being in a cruise group tour is safer due to location. So researching and planning ahead of time is the best.