Explorations Ashore: Ship Excursion or Independently?

Cruise lovers face the dilemma of how to get the most out of brief visits to exotic ports of call. With six to twelve hours (occasionally overnight) in port, is it best to take an organized ship excursion or tour independently?

In part, the answer depends on your personal travel interests, your experience and your comfort level in distant and unfamiliar surroundings. In some ports it is relatively easy to hire a private guide or trek around solo. In other ports, a ship excursion is the most economical, practical and safest way to see the city or countryside.

For instance, Russia is very strict about how visitors enter and leave the country. Independent forays are discouraged. If you want to go independently, you must get a Russian visa. Russian visas are costly and you will not be allowed off the ship on your own unless you have one. However, if you take a cruise ship excursion, no visa is required.Gotcha! Although ship excursions are expensive, touring independently is also expensive, complicated and challenging.

On the contrary, in the Caribbean, Bermuda, the Mexican Riviera and most U.S. ports including Hawaii, it is relatively easy to tour on your own. Taxi drivers are accustomed to acting as guides. Private tour company representatives hang out just outside the ship's secure area offering their services. In some ports there are local trolley tours or harbor cruises that are inexpensive, informative and fun.

Use these guidelines to decide whether to book cruise ship excursions or go independently:

One: Are the attractions you want to see located nearby? If what you want to see is hours away, it pays to book a ship excursion. If you book a ship tour and are delayed by traffic or a breakdown, the ship will wait for you. (It happened to us on a coastal jeep tour in Venezuela. Our jeep broke down along a deserted highway. We did not arrive at the dock until 30 minutes past sailaway. Fortunately, it was a ship excursion and our ship looked glorious waiting at the dock.) If you roam on your own and are delayed, the ship may sail without you. It will be your responsibility and expense to "catch up with it" at the next port.

Two: There are wonderful private guides and woe-some private guides. Do your homework rather than taking "potluck" by grabbing any guide in port. Research your ports of call in advance. Use the Internet to search for tours that have a track record and offer references. Book tours that don't require advance payment. Cruise itineraries may change or a port of call may cancel and you must change or cancel your private tour. Ship-to-shore telephone calls are expensive! Get the tour company email address so you can confirm, change, or cancel a tour via onboard email. On a Hawaiian cruise, we booked an independent tour for Maui. We were unable to dock in Kauai due to port authority problems and our arrival in Maui was moved up one day. We emailed the guide to change our tour.

Three: Consider safety and security in your ports of call. Research local laws and customs. A good web site for destination safety and security information is http://www.state.gov/travel/.

Four: Attend ship seminars and port talks that highlight attractions and shopping for each port. Don't hesitate to ask questions. Crew members and fellow passengers who have visited the port are good sources for recommendations for shopping, sightseeing, and safety.

Over-all, if I travel to a port I've have visited in the past, I often rerturn to favorite attractions, restaurants, or shopping areas on my own. When I visit a port for the first time in a developing country or if the port is several hours from the city, I book a ship excursion.

One final tip: in any port, be sure you have the name, address, and telephone number of the cruise "port agent" before you disembark. If you encounter a problem ashore, the port agent is your lifeline for assistance.