Shore excursion RED FLAGS to look out for!

The places your cruise ship visits are among the top reasons people choose a cruise vacation, but there are mistakes and red flags to avoid when in port.

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[metalmilitia]

The thing with RC shore excursions is the fact that they’re overpriced.

[Honolulu-Blue]

Some quickie notes on beach trips: 1) Some cruise ports have decent or better beaches within walking distance of the pier. 2) Some private destinations have more luxurious/private beach options for a price. 3) At many stops, beaches are a reasonably priced taxi ride away. 4) Research on each destination is a really good idea to know which beach is best

[dawnpowers]

My dad and I took a bus tour of Paris in the early 2000s. We got out of the bus for one hour at the Eiffel Tower and THAT WAS IT. On the way home, passed a larger structure that resembled a large screw coming out of the ground. One of the other passengers commented, "Yep, we got the Eiffel Screw."

[YouTubeReminds]

We got so lucky with a driver for the whole day. We got off the ship in St Thomas and negotiated a full day rate and Jamal drove us all around - Coki Beach for some snorkeling, Sapphire Beach to hang and grab lunch, Mountain Top to see magens bay from above and experience the drinks. It was the perfect day.

[sarahgilbert]

Going on First Cruise in Jan 2025 to Caribbean, Cozumel and places like that. Thank you for all the info. I am Super Excited for my First cruise. Our Ship is Brilliance of the Seas. ❤

[marczahn]

I’ve done excursions where the exact same one is being offered by RCCL a a slightly higher rate. But, I did a lot of online research to predetermine this. It’s just a note that you can find them if you’re willing to work for it. Otherwise, taking the ship’s excursions might be better for a first timer.
Good advice with the rest of your points.

[JessicaRobins]

I booked a beach break excursion because I have a toddler and feel more comfortable safety-wise with him not using a carseat if we are in a big tour bus vs a taxi. Just one point in favor of doing it that way!

[joanroberson]

Once we 😮book a catamaran cruise all drinks included through RC on a thanksgiving cruise. Unfortunately we didn’t get to pick the time and it turned out be early morning. Not only did I not want to be on the water when it was cool but I don’t drink alcohol in the morning! RC was very nice about it. I went down to the front desk the day before and they refunded me the money.

[ariellawells]

Please make sure your physical abilities match that needed for the tour!! Went on one where 8 of the folks obviously had not read what was needed and it was just bad experience for the rest of us because of it

[AndyRichards-bn]

I mostly 100% agree (well, maybe 95% :-) ). But in 2023, we cruised on Celebrity (RC is the parent company) in the Caribbean and hit 6 ports. In 4 of the 6 of them, we had not made any excursion plans and in every case we were able to find a local driver and after some discussion, had very nice tours of the island with some interesting stops. We weren't looking for a day at the beach, ziplining, or anything like that. We just wanted to see the island and maybe get a little local knowledge and history. We did the same thing in Tortola, BVI in January of this past year. Sometimes you can just tell by the conversation.

[sf]

We learned that in AK, somehow Carnival owns the primary outfitter at all of the ports of call we made. We also learned that if you're a bit flexible, it's WAY less expensive to just book the excursion right there with the outfitter. For the Caribbean, we get bored just sitting on a beach, so we try to pick out a restaurant and town to explore.

[davee]

Sometimes a beach tour is cheaper because a taxi ride is so expensive plus the resort cost, Roatan example

[larrywhite]

Awesome information thank you for the video, great one too.

[JaniceM]

Horseshoe Bay in Bermuda, Royal tour is super expensive, buses at the pier take you for $7 per person each way. And you get dropped off closer to the beach.

[klassykay]

Depending on the port and what I’m interested in doing and the risk level of the activity I book with Royal for a peace of mind. For example when we stopped in Honduras my daughter wanted to do the sloth and monkeys excursion for something like that I booked with royal. Now when we stopped in Cozumel I just took a taxi to a resort that I purchased a day pass for online myself. I just had to watch the time not miss the ship. Because if you book an outside excursion and run late Royal will not wait for you !

[KlingonPrincess]

Great tips, saved this one for future planning. 🌻🍄

[laughremixsquad]

Good advice RCB!

The top thing we look out for is social proof from several sources: forums, Reddit, socials, reviews on excursion aggregator sites. We also look for day passes at resorts if the location has all-inclusive hotel/resorts.

[dianehill]

Matt, thanks for these great excursion tips!!

[Hen]

Accessible tours are not great. Majority of them are just bus rides, a few hours on board taking in the sites thru a window. And the pricing is absurd. Easily $300 pp for a few hours on a bus. Just underwhelming as a day onshore and totally not worth the money.

[murrethmedia]

I planned a 2 day trip to go see the Total Eclipse in April and I did tons of research.