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Among the many activities and entertainment offered during your holiday cruise are trips ashore for the passengers. These vary greatly in nature, from just gentle organised sightseeing through to exciting adventure activities. Cruise lines arrange these off the ship excursions for their passengers through independent onshore tour operators. The cruise lines receive a portion of the revenue generated through these onshore excursions. Partly for this reason the cruise lines advertise excursions and encourage their cruise passengers to purchase and sign up for pre-arranged organised visits off the cruise ship. Their interest isn’t all profit led of course as the cruising company will genuinely want you to experience the sights and culture of the countries that you visit, to enhance your holiday experience.
Excursions off the ship are not included in the cruise package price but are an addition to the cost of the cruise. Passengers select and sign up for the excursions they wish to take once they are aboard the cruise ship. You can sign up for some trips on the morning of the excursion, while at other times you must sign up a few days before the trip ashore depending on the nature of the visit. Signing up for an excursion whilst on the ship has the advantage of adding the cost of the excursion to your on-board charge account. Another advantage to purchasing these outings pre-arranged by the cruise line is that the company will only arrange excursions with providers that have provided proof of adequate insurance cover. Most passengers also appreciate the fact that transportation to and from the excursion start site is pre-arranged by the cruise line. Finding local transportation away from the cruise ship and back can be a daunting experience for some passengers.
Some onshore excursions are walking tours while others may be by various means of transportation. For instance you may be transported from the ship to a city centre by bus, then a local guide may lead your group on a walking tour of the most interesting attractions. During the tour you may visit several different sites, such as museums, churches, historical sites, a botanical garden or a shopping centre. The time onshore may include enjoying a wonderful lunch in a local café or restaurant, which gives you the chance to sample the local cuisine.
If you are adventurous of nature, and physically able of course, some excursions include taking scuba diving lessons, going deep sea fishing or taking a helicopter ride. A train ride to another city several miles away from the port city may also be part of an excursion. Cruise lines offer a wide variety of these activities on land and will have made all of the arrangements for you. Some onshore trips are in the evening and may consist of dinner, followed by attendance at a local opera, concert or film production. Cruise lines have established business connections with local tour operators and entertainment venues in towns and cities on their routes. This allows them to arrange easy access to the main events and attractions onshore for their passengers.
Excursions arranged by the cruise line are usually a bit more costly than an excursion that you might arrange yourself. However, since your transportation, entry tickets and a local guide are often part of the package the convenience is often worth the added cost. Depending upon taxi drivers or public transportation in an unfamiliar port city can be confusing and frustrating; it can also be dangerous in some parts of the world. The advantages of purchasing excursions arranged by your cruise line usually outweigh the disadvantages, especially if you are a first time cruiser and have young children travelling with you.
The more seasoned travellers who take regular cruises may be confident enough to arrange for their own onshore excursions rather than purchase them from the cruise operator. These are usually travellers already familiar with the port city who have some experience in dealing with local taxi drivers or have used the public transport before. With a little research before the cruise they can arrange for an excursion and acquire entry tickets and arrange their transportation in advance. Or, they can gather information online about public transportation availability, and the admission prices charged to visit the sites in the port city they wish to see. Making their own onshore visiting plans allows some passengers to save money by not using the excursion to the same site that has been pre-arranged by the cruise operators.
Some local excursion operators work as brokers online, and by telephone selling land excursions to cruise ship passengers. They are independent of the cruise lines and work purely as private brokers. They will provide you with vouchers, contact information for transportation and usually charge less than cruise ship lines for the same trip. Private brokers selling land excursions normally work only with fully insured transportation operators.
To sum up: some travellers with a sense of adventure will organize their own excursions off the cruise ship and will save some money. But be aware that if you do this you will definitely need to be confident about using the local public transport and have a good map of the port city. It is of course essential to know when and how to get back to the ship for departure. It is recommended that only experienced travellers who are already familiar with the port and the country should arrange their own excursions. Trying to arrange your own trips in remote or strange cities is definitely not a wise choice for most travellers. Relying on your cruise line to provide the essential ingredients for a safe, interesting and entertaining excursion on land is usually the best and safest choice.
Looking to decide on which excursions you should take on your next cruise see our Cruise Port Guides for inspiration.
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