5 Cruise Excursion Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Cruise

I look at 5 biggest mistakes that cruise passengers make with cruise excursions, often ruining not only their time in port but putting a huge dampener on their total cruise.

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ABOUT TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS: If you want to get cruising right, Tips For Travellers makes it easy to plan and have the incredible cruise experiences you dream of every time. All my Tips For Travellers advice, tips and tricks tips draw on everything that I have learnt on the 101 cruises I have done to date.

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00:00 Start
00:29 Know Before You Go
02:21 Check These Details
06:16 Check These Options
07:53 Early Bird Wins
09:18 On Tour Mistakes

[RhymesWithSpark]

I agree about the fitness aspect — and being prepared for the weather! On an excursion to Cinque Terre, several folks boarded the bus that morning in high heels and very light clothing. The forecast that autumn day was cold, windy, and chances of rain, and most of us onboard had apparently read the memo. These people were shocked at the weather when we arrived, upset over having to walk down a steep cliff to access the first town, and were more livid that it was raining when we got down there. Completely unprepared, they began making the excursion uncomfortable for everyone with the constant complaints. They demanded that the excursion be cancelled and that everyone should go back to the ship. They were told they could head back themselves if they wanted, at their expense, which caused more shouting. Several of us thought there was going to be a physical fight, these people were that angry! Eventually, the group split off and went elsewhere for the better part of the day. If people want to ruin an excursion for themselves, fine. But to not fully read the fitness requirements or look at the weather for the destination that day -- and expect the rest of us to cancel because of their lack of preparedness — is completely foolish and narcissistic.

[roscoedacat]

I second checking the required fitness level. We had an excursion cut short because most of the people were not capable of the excursion. I did get a credit back and apologies but it was incredibly frustrating for everyone.

[pw-szds]

I just don’t understand why “meet up” times are so hard for people to adhere to. Why would anyone want to hold up their group by being late? This kind of inconsiderate behavior would deter me from doing any group excursions. I’d rather explore on my own if this kind of behavior is common.

[danielintheantipodes]

The ‘always running late’ people would enrage me! Thank you for the video!

[dawnpowers]

My daughter and I took a 5-hour tour of Bermuda through Norwegian. Our driver was fantastic! He had an itinerary, but we were the 5th of 5 buses. He reversed the order of the attractions we visited so we wouldn't run into crowds at every attraction. He added in little extra areas, like his own neighborhood so he could explain specific instances of life on Bermuda. Lastly, because we were all prompt in getting back to the bus on time (I say bus, it was more the size of an airport shuttle), we got an unscheduled stop at a small beach area to step in the water for a few minutes. Easily the best tour I've ever taken. We wouldn't have had him if we'd booked on our own, because his company contract with Norwegian only on cruise visit days. No private tours. It worked out beautifully for us.

[neutronjack]

Gary, have you ever read "Innocents Abroad" by Mark Twain? It was about his "cruise" on the USS Quaker City to Europe, the Mediterranean, Holy Land and the Black Sea. Although Twain wrote it 150 years ago, you will notice a lot of similarities to today.

[janiekcarney]

I appreciate when they say how hard the excursions are. Many are strenuous. I can’t do those anymore.

[CatherineGates-pr]

Thank you, thank you for asking people to look at the activity level and read the description of the tour!! We have been on two different excursions where people were barely able to walk or climb stairs and yet insisted on doing a demanding tour, even when the guide suggested to them otherwise. Needless to say, they held up the entire group and we missed seeing several sites that were on my list. Very disappointing for us, our group and very inconsiderate of them! Wasted our money and ruined our day!

[knownothing]

1st Tip: so true, what the cruise lines themselves offer heavily relies on the availability of local guides and sights and how many people at once can be taken there. And definitely make sure it is accessible to all your needs, be they physical or merely interest-focused. You can have an amazing time on land with just a bit of research.

2nd Tip: I cannot stress this point enough. Check the info given for the excursion. The cruise line can't do more than right out tell you. Can lead a horse to water, can't make it drink. And generally read everything they send you. It solves so many problems and answers so many questions before they even come up. Especially if you check before you pack your bags, you can decide about things like whether to pack sturdy shoes based on the excursion offerings.

3rd: True lol

4th: Yes yes yes yes yes! By the time you get on board, a lot of stuff might be completely booked.

[ajs]

At 10:30, I totally agree with you about respecting meet-up times, especially if the tour/excursion has multiple stops. Each delay waiting for tardy passengers only eats away from the time allocated to upcoming stops, and it's extremely disrespectful to all those other passengers who somehow managed to get to the bus on time. I confess that I smiled a little inside when you said this particular family had to bear the additional expense to get back to the ship, though I suppose they were only annoyed and didn't have the decency to be embarrassed or shamed.

[davidellis]

When you are disabled, using the cruse line excursions can be the best options because you start and end on the ship and have a guide who is going to be making sure you get back.

[marycarla]

Gary, you never disappoint with your fantastic cruising tips!

[crimlarksSteve]

Great tips as always Gary. It seems like every excursion we go on has some people on it that cannot keep up or are not in good enough physical shape for the excursion.

[julieDJTFP]

This video is perfect. Our last cruise was a simple Pacific Coastal cruise. It seemed like my husband and I were the only ones that packed for fifties and rain. We saw a lot of people who were dressed for 70-80s and sun. It can get cold, sometimes very cold in even California.

[PaulCashman]

One exception to booking excursions outside the cruise line is when timing is very tight. You really WANT to book through the cruise line since they WILL wait for you to return.
Best example of this I can think of is visiting the ruins of Tulum if making port in Cozumel. It's a long ride over on a ferry to the mainland, then a long bus ride to the ruins, then reverse it all. The cruise line won't even offer it on shorter port-stops, and with good reason.
Even with a long stop, say 8 hours, the timing is tricky and I've seen the returning ferry pull up directly at our ship and return the passengers back onboard through the tender gangway, on the other side from the dock, to save time.

[sarahsup]

The distance tip is a very good one. I will only do a long bus ride for something that is a MUST SEE.

[robertk]

We are still planning both our first Princess Cruise and our First Alaskan Cruise in June 2024. None of the offered excursions appeal to us yet but we still have time. Most are way overpriced for the value but, in general, gems can be found. I think one of the largest mistakes people make is believing they have to take an excursion to begin with. Cruise ships are rarely in port long enough to really appreciate the port destination. You can still have an unforgettable cruise without adding on excursions.

[janiekcarney]

I’ve purchased a rain poncho. And an umbrella to travel with always.

[classyfiftynine]

The reason I don't like to book a tour BEFORE boarding ship
is the cruise line IMMEDIATELY charges my Credit-Card.
We usually receive generous amount of OBC and would like to use our OBC to pay for the tours.
Conversely... most private tour operators don't require pre-payment.

[barbaralazier]

I agree with all you have said. I am off to Iceland next June. Before I booked the Puffin island tour which was very expensive I researched which months the Puffins were there. The cost is worth it as I know I will see them