Weighing Ships Shore Excursions Against Going It Alone
Many people like the convenience of a ship sponsored tour, but we are just not “guided tour” enthusiasts, even as we’ve taken on a fair number of them. To begin with, there are some land tours that just make sense under some circumstances. First is where there is someplace you really want to see and even the ship sponsored bus tour is on a very tight schedule based on the time in port. The one thing you can be sure of, if you are on a ship sponsored tour, the ship isn’t going to sail without you, which is not the case if you are out on your own. And yes, we have seen people left behind by not being back on board when required. We have also taken a number of tours because the cost was just too good to ignore. Sometimes that is because we have onboard credits that we just need to spend and others have been provided by our travel agency as a perk.
From our point of view the biggest problem with guided tours is that you become a prisoner of the tour. It isn’t uncommon to get stuck visiting some place that you just aren’t interested in. It just doesn’t seem right spending forty-five minutes at a chocolate factory or a nut packer or souvenir outlet on a tour you paid to join? Usually the tour operator is being paid to deliver people to that particular business. The other case is visiting a location where you could spend hours and are informed you have to be back on the bus in a half hour. Going it on your own eliminates those problems.
There is also the issue of cost. If you understand your options, often you will see that the ships shore excursion will cost you significantly more money than if you went off on your own. Consider a few examples to illustrate:
Cozumel Chankanaab National Park – When you get down to it, this is a day at the beach. The park is equipped with bars, restaurant, along with beach and snorkel rental options. A taxi ride will cost between US$10 and US$20 each way (make sure you have plenty of singles as drivers don’t offer change) and park admission is about US$21. A recent tour booked through the cruise ship cost $69 per person. That’s $138 for what would have cost $62 for two people going on their own.
Mendenhall Glacier Alaska – This is a national park outside of Juneau Alaska. The park is serviced by a public bus route from the historic downtown area near the ship docks with round-trip fare being $31. Add to that the admission to the park (NPS standard fees) $20 which totals $51 ($31 if you have a NPS Golden Eagle Senior Park Pass). The basic cruise tours usually start around $75 and if they add in a salmon bake it can cost an extra $20 to $30. For more on Mendenhall CLICK HERE.
Rome from the Port of Civitavecchia – If your cruise has Rome as a port of call there usually is a tour called something like “Rome On Your Own” for around $100 per person which includes a bus ride from Civitavecchia in to Vatican City and back to the ship. Six blocks from the Civitavecchia seaport is the towns train station and for as little as US$12 you can get a round-trip ticket to the St. Peters station and usually trains run about every half hour. For two that’s a savings of $172 and the trip in and back on the train is actually much faster than the tour bus.
For more on visiting Rome from Civitavecchia CLICK HERE and for our eight hour tour of Rome on your own CLICK HERE.
Monte Carlo From Villefranche-sur-Mer
Another interesting tour comparison is a trip into Monte Carlo from the popular cruise port of call Villefranche-sur-Mer. Most cruise sponsored tours start at $75 per person. Monte Carlo is a beautiful but compact city and going on your own simply requires walking seven or eight blocks from the cruise tender dock to the train station and buying a US$12 round trip ticket. It’s only a short twenty minute train trip to Monte Carlo and once there buy a Hop-On-Hop-Off Monte Carlo bus tour for under US$30.
In order to head off on your own and save money you do have to be a bit adventurous. We are pretty independent and are usually comfortable using local buses and trains as we travel. With our biggest fear being missing the ships departure we always build in a good time allowance as we make our plasn. We are also good at doing research on our destinations and have a good idea of what we want to see and how to do it before we even leave on a trip.
A Few Ship Sponsored Tours That Are A Must
On the other side of the equation are a examples of ship excursions that are well worth the cost:
The Golden Triangle Iceland – This tour is a bit pricy but so are the local tour companies. Often the reason this tour is better is often ships dock in the afternoon and sailed shortly after noon the next day disqualifying local tours as an option. While you can consider renting a car there is the issue of time. The tour itself probably travels over a hundred miles and takes you to geo-thermal fields, waterfalls(!!) and Icelands rift valley where the earths crust is pulling apart. No shopping stops or misspent time. If you are going to Iceland don’t miss the Golden Triangle.
Ephesus Turkey – The ancient city of Ephesus, located near the Aegean Sea in modern day Turkey, was one of the great cities of the Greeks and later the Romans in Asia Minor and home to the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Today, the ruins of Ephesus are a major attraction located some distance from the port. Again not inexpensive but a great experience (it usually does include a stop at a rug showroom). You might be adventurous but think hard about renting a car for half a day in Turkey.
Seeing Bangkok
Bangkok’s port is Laem Chabang and it’s well over an hour drive from the city. Attempting to use public buses is a serious challenge, especially on a tight time schedule. If this is a first visit to Thailand do not pass up a day or two in Bangkok it is an experience not to be missed.
Wine & Food Tours
Wine and food tours are a staple of ship sponsored excursions and often are often some of the more reasonably priced tours. Taking advantage of these at times provides a good way to see a city or the countryside and sample local fare.
A Wine & Tapas Tour in Palma – This one usually isn’t very expensive and includes stops at several different tapas bars and free time in town for shopping on your own. The drive back to the pier can include brief stops at the castle overlook above town and a nice drive along the coast. A good answer to filling an afternoon in Mallorca. For more information CLICK HERE.
Jerusalem – Regardless of where your ship docks, Jerusalem is at least an hours trip away. The city is also huge with streets and alleys that present as a never ending maze. To really see Jerusalem in a short time, a guide is almost a must. The convenience and the time you save makes a ships shore excursion worth the cost.
Ports With Great Public Transportation For Exploring On Your Own
Singapore – While there are several cruise docks in Singapore, the nearest Metro Station is only a few blocks walk from each. The Singapore Metro system is clean, well marked and best of all the signage is in English. CLICK HERE for specific information.
Amsterdam – The center of Amsterdam is focused on the Central Train Station that can be reached in a short seven to ten block walk from the ships pier. A series of tram routes fan out from the train station and The Amsterdam City Card allows you to travel on Amsterdam’s GVB-trams, buses, and metros. This popular one-, two-, three or four day pass also provides free or discounted access to many of the city’s museums and attractions. A one-hour canal cruise by boat is also included with the pass.
Sydney – Cruise ships dock at a pier next to Sydney’s historic Rocks area with only a short walk to Circular Quay where you can catch ferries around the harbour, pick up a bus or a light rail. Ask about the Opal Card which gives you easy system access for a very reasonable price. MORE HERE.
Hong Kong – Like Singapore, Hong Kong has a very modern and inexpensive metro system with easy to use ticket vending machines and route information in English. It is also common for there to be free bus service that will take you from the cruise pier to a number of destinations in downtown. MORE HERE.
Athens – Piraeus is the seaport for the city of Athens and while a bit out of the city, the cruise ships dock less than a mile from a metro station. Easy to get to by just following the water front. Fare is only a couple of Euros and the Thissio stop on the green line from Piraeus is only a short walk to the Temple of Hephaestus and the Acropolis is less than a half mile away. An easy trip on your own representing a major saving. Complete instructions and map HERE.
Attractions
Approaching The Netherlands from the North Sea cruise ships navigate the North Sea Canal. The canal runs from the IJmuiden locks to the Coenhaven. East of the Coenhaven, the waterway is called the River IJ (both letters are capitalized) and continues up to the Oranjesluizen locks located in the eastern part of Amsterdam. Than from the Oranjesluizen up to the Passenger Terminal in Amsterdam. Unfortunately ships that are 
transiting into Amsterdam often come in before dawn so as to be tied up early in the day. Passengers that are sailing out of Amsterdam late in the day get a much better appreciation of the systems that protect Holland from the North Sea.
Amsterdam is the largest city in the Netherlands famous for tulips, cheese, marijuana, red light districts and canals,. Many people call the country Holland but the true name is the Netherlands with Holland being the name of two of its states. The people are Dutch as is the name of their language.
Your ship will dock at the Cruise Terminal on the river IJ. The cruise facilities are modern with good access to public facilities. From the terminal it is just a 10-minute walk to the central train station. With the cruise ship at your back walk off to your right along the waterfront to reach the station and central Amsterdam.
Transportation
The cruise terminal is only a 20 minute ride from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport and just a ten minute walk to Amsterdam Central Train station. There is also frequent train service from the station to Schiphol Airport. Amsterdam has an excellent and inexpensive bus system
Traveling within Amsterdam by public transportion is easy to understand and very convenient. The network is operated by GVB throughout the central city and connects its neighborhoods with trains, trams, metro, bus and ferry. The least expensive and most convenient way to see the city is with GVB day passes. Available from 1 to 7 days, with prices starting from €8.50 per person, per day and valid on trams, buses and metros operated throughout Amsterdam. You can buy your tickets in advance from the GVB website 
Currency
The Netherlands, like other members of the EU uses the euro as its official currency. You will often discover that to avoid the use of the 1 and 2 cent coins, many cash transactions are rounded to the nearest five cents in the Netherlands. Credit and debit cards a commonly accepted but U.S. Dollars need to be changed into Euros.
Attractions
Van Gogh Museum – A must-visit for art fans and historians, the spectacular Van Gogh Museum has been one of Amsterdam’s top attractions since it opened in 1972.
The Intentional Travelers 