Should you book cruise excursions with the cruise line or on your own? — featuring Life Well Cruised
In this video: CRUISE EXCURSIONS: Pros & Cons of Cruise VS Private Excursions (my exact planning process)
Life Well Cruised · 5 years ago
Why would I book a shore excursion with the cruise line instead of saving money with a private tour?
The cruise line guarantees the ship will wait for you if you're running late, and they vet all vendors for insurance and reputation. This peace of mind matters most when an attraction is far from port or your port time is short.
What this video answers
Why would I book a shore excursion with the cruise line instead of saving money with a private tour?
How do I find trustworthy private tour operators?
What should I do if the weather looks bad on the day of my excursion?
What happens if my cruise ship doesn't arrive at the port?
Should I take a tour guide or port information from the ship with me?
Planning Cruise Shore Excursions: Cruise Line vs. Private Tours
This video walks you through the complete decision-making process for booking shore excursions on a cruise, comparing three main options: booking through the cruise line itself, hiring a private tour operator, or exploring on your own. Host Elana from Life Well Cruised shares her personal framework for evaluating each choice, including research strategies, cost considerations, and safety factors that apply to any cruise destination—from Caribbean beaches to European ports.
The guide suits anyone planning a cruise who wants to avoid costly mistakes or regrets at port. Whether you're a first-time cruiser unsure about how much freedom to take, or an experienced traveler looking to book more selectively, the video breaks down when booking with your cruise line makes sense (insurance, ship waits for you) and when a smaller private group is worth the extra planning.
Key Moments
Key Points About Cruise Excursion Booking
Cruise lines offer easier logistics—you meet on or near the ship, can ask the shore excursion desk questions, and the ship will wait if you're delayed on their tour
Private vendors often run smaller groups (12–15 people versus 30–50 on a coach bus) and may cost less money
The presenter had a safety incident on a private stingray tour in Grand Cayman when the operator continued during stormy weather while cruise line excursions were cancelled that day
Researching your port on the cruise line website, CruiseCritic forums, YouTube vlogs, TripAdvisor, and cruise blogs helps you identify reputable vendors and popular activities
Specific questions to ask private operators include cancellation policy, meeting location, time zone (ship's time vs. island time), and what happens if the ship doesn't arrive at port
Taking a port guide from the ship and screenshotting the port agent's contact number protects you if something goes wrong
What to Know Before Booking Your Shore Excursion
Research first: Browse the cruise line's excursion offerings and port overview to understand what's available and typical activity levels (strenuous, moderate, etc.)
Distance and time: Consider how far the attraction is from port and how long the ship will stay; book with the cruise line if a ferry, train, or long transfer is required
Deposit vs. full payment: Prefer booking private excursions with only a small deposit rather than paying in full upfront, in case your ship doesn't dock
Meeting details: Confirm the exact meeting location (at the port or across the street?), time, and whether times are listed in ship's time or island time—time zones can differ by one or two hours
Contact information: Get a phone number and screenshot meeting details and the port agent's number from your cruise ship guide in case you lose internet access when you disembark
Easy-to-do-yourself options: Some Caribbean or European ports allow you to simply take a cab to a beach or hop-on hop-off bus without booking an organized tour
Frequently Asked Questions About Cruise Shore Excursions
Why would I book a shore excursion with the cruise line instead of saving money with a private tour?
The cruise line guarantees the ship will wait for you if you're running late, and they vet all vendors for insurance and reputation. This peace of mind matters most when an attraction is far from port or your port time is short. If the ship doesn't dock, cruise line cancellations are automatic; private operators may not offer the same protection.
How do I find trustworthy private tour operators?
Start on CruiseCritic forums where real cruisers share reviews and answer questions about specific ports. Search YouTube for vlogs of people who cruised your destination and used private vendors. Check pages two and three of Google and TripAdvisor (rather than just page one) to find smaller, independent tour companies with direct listings and customer reviews.
What should I do if the weather looks bad on the day of my excursion?
Ask your private tour operator in advance how they handle weather cancellations and storms, and get their cancellation policy in writing. The video's cautionary tale involved a private stingray tour that proceeded during lightning and rough seas while cruise line excursions were cancelled—a sign that some private operators prioritize payment over passenger safety. Trust your instincts and ask about their safety protocols upfront.
What happens if my cruise ship doesn't arrive at the port?
Cruise line excursions are automatically cancelled and refunded if the itinerary changes. With private tours, it depends entirely on their cancellation terms. Booking a deposit-only arrangement (rather than paying in full) gives you better protection if your ship misses the port due to weather or other delays.
Should I take a tour guide or port information from the ship with me?
Yes. The cruise ship provides a port guide with maps, shopping information, and critically, the port agent's phone number. Screenshot this before you leave the ship, especially if you're on a private excursion, so you have emergency contact information even without internet access.
An organized activity or tour that passengers book before or during a cruise to explore a port city or nearby attractions during the ship's time in port.
Private vendor
An independent tour company or operator not affiliated with the cruise line that offers excursions directly to cruisers at a specific port.
Port agent
A representative of the cruise line stationed at the port who handles emergencies and can help passengers reach their ship if something goes wrong ashore.
Itinerary change
When a cruise ship's planned schedule is altered, such as skipping a port due to weather or mechanical issues, which cancels all shore excursions for that day.
This video is essential for anyone who feels paralyzed by the choice between booking safely with the cruise line and booking adventurously on their own. Elana doesn't just give a pros-and-cons list; she walks through her actual research process, naming the specific websites she uses (CruiseCritic, TripAdvisor, YouTube) and explaining which ones reveal the most honest information. For travelers who worry about being ripped off or abandoned at port, this methodical approach builds real confidence.
What makes it stand out is the personal safety story from Grand Cayman. Instead of lecturing you, Elana shares a moment when her motherly instinct kicked in during a risky excursion—rough water, no life jackets properly addressed, a party atmosphere when lightning threatened. That honest account, combined with her list of protective questions to ask vendors, shifts this from a generic guide into something genuinely useful. If you're torn between the comfort of a cruise-line booking and the savings and intimacy of a private tour, this video deserves your time.
Years on the front lines of helicopter tour coordination — not as a travel blogger, but as the person responsible for making every guest experience go right. Managed 2,000+ cruise guests weekly as Shore Excursions staff aboard the Pride of America in Hawaii
Personally coordinated with helicopter tour operators to confirm age, weight, and safety requirements.
Going on a cruise and planning your shore excursions? Avoid these mistakes when booking excursions with the cruise line, private excursions or even going on your own! In this video you'll find out how and when to book private tours, and how to do this safely. I will also tell you about my WORST Excursion ever!!
Many new cruisers have questions about how to book cruise shore excursions. As well, many of you have asked me how to find good and reputable private tour companies. In this video I share my exact process for how I plan and book my excursions.
You'll find out the pros and cons of booking shore excursions with the cruise line or booking with a private excursion, learn how to save money, use the best resources and make the best decision for you on your cruise vacation.
VIDEOS I mentioned - Shore Excursions & Tours We Have Done
St. Lucia Island Tour Excursion
https://youtu.be/34uLNPPkUq0
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Video transcript for “CRUISE EXCURSIONS: Pros & Cons of Cruise VS Private Excursions (my exact planning process)” Accessibility
A full written transcript of this video, provided for accessibility. Select any timestamp to jump the video to that moment.
have you been wondering what's better to book a shore excursion with the cruise line or to book on your own we're gonna go through what you need to know before your cruise including how to avoid big potential mistakes hi there i'm elana from the website lifewallproof.com welcome or welcome
back to my channel now if you're going on a cruise chances are you are looking into your shore excursions you're doing some planning that is a lot of fun but you are probably wondering if it is worth it for you to book with a cruise line or should you go off and do it on your own and if you do do that
how do you even go about it so i'm gonna go through all of that information in this video including some potential pitfalls well things well to avoid so we will go through that as well and i'm going to take you through what i do when i actually book my own excursions now in my case what i do is
sometimes i book excursions with the cruise line i do think there are benefits to do that in some cases i'll tell you when and as well i book excursions on my own and sometimes i even go it on my own completely tour on my own so i'll tell you how i make those decisions what to do and you can do that too now
before i get started i did want to mention that if you like this video if you find it helpful informative or enjoyable in any way then please do give this video a big thumbs up i really do appreciate it and of course please consider subscribing to the channel if you haven't done so already
alright let's get started so before you even make a decision as to whether or not you're going to book with the cruise line or you're going to go off on your own or you're going to book with a private vendor the first thing that you're going to want to do is to actually research your
cruise port now it is not as complicated as it sounds because i have an easy tip for you and that is to simply go on the cruise line website and to look at the shore excursions that they offer as well they're going to give you a bit of a port overview so they're going to tell you
the few most popular excursions or things to see the tourist attractions that's going to give you a good guide a good overview to start with after that you can look at the excursions if you're in a caribbean cruise port you might have a lot of beaches or a lot of excursions that have to do
with water if you're in a european cruise port you'll probably have a lot of sightseeing type of excursions um maybe some different options with food included that kind of thing so definitely take a look at what is available and see what peaks your interest now likely you're going to see some prices and at
least it's going to give you a good idea now also in the description of the cruise line excursion it is going to tell you how strenuous or how active that excursion is and that also is good information to know now i am going to tell you what to do if you want a book with a private
vendor there are definitely cases where this can be something really good but i'm also going to give you some tips some questions to ask and some things to avoid because i have to tell you i had a problem a few years ago on a private excursion and i definitely want to let you know so that
you don't have that same thing so now that you've looked at the cruise line website you have a good overview of the cruise port and of the different excursions that they offer then take a look we'll continue your research especially if you are thinking about going with a private vendor so
what i usually do is i go over to cruisecritic.com i read the reviews because they're written by real people i really like to get those details and at the same time i'll take a look in the forums of the cruise ports themselves you have to register i believe to see certain parts of the website so consider doing that
where you can actually ask questions and you can even search for the questions and answers as well now of course you can also google so just google the cruise port and you will find lists of things to do you can also look at blogs where you'll find real reviews of well of destinations and excursions that
people have done i know when i go on an excursion oftentimes on my website lifewallcruise.com i do include a detailed review with the pricing with some of the food um with the drinks with the the different information those things the facilities and i think a lot of other vloggers and bloggers do that too so
that's really handy and of course you can take a look on youtube many vloggers or even people that are just doing regular cruise vacations will actually vlog their cruise and what they did in their cruise port and their excursion they'll oftentimes mention the tour company that they've dealt with
you'll be able to see firsthand how things went and that is a really good way to find out what tour company to deal with and actually i did that on a recent cruise well before the shutdown i did this in st lucia i had found some really good reviews of the tour company that we ended up using if you are interested
to take a look in the description i'll leave that video all about st lucia and well our mix of the different cruise ports that we did and then i included the information whenever we did use a private vendor and that is helpful if you like the way that tour went then you might want to
contact them as well now another place that you can find vendors and other excursions is on tripadvisor that is a very good place and also google but i have a little suggestion going to page two and three because unfortunately on google page one is usually those bigger websites there's nothing wrong with that
but you might just get those lists of things to do whereas when you go to page two and page three you'll actually find vendors that have their companies there and then you can even move backwards and you can do a search for that on tripadvisor as well now let's talk about the pros and cons of booking with
cruise line or a private excursion so the pro of booking with cruise line is that it is easier generally to plan you'll be able to meet up usually on the ship or right at the cruise port that does make it a little bit easier as well if you have questions while you're on the cruise
ship you can go over to the shore excursion desk and you can ask those questions now another pro is that if that excursion is late well the cruise ship will actually wait for you as long as you're on a cruise line excursion which is probably one of the biggest reasons when people do book with the
cruise line that they do and the cruise line is also using reputable vendors that are also insured so that's definitely a plus as well so what are the pros to private excursions well oftentimes those private excursions are going to have smaller groups that in my opinion is one of the best things
rather than being on an excursion where you might have 30 to 50 people on a coach tour bus you might have 12 to 15 people in a van so that smaller group is oftentimes a really good reason to book a private excursion at the same time oftentimes it is a money saver now if you're thinking of
booking with a private vendor these are some questions to ask and some things that you are going to want to consider so firstly you're going to want to know is the excursion or the attraction very far from port and how long is your ship at the cruise port personally if the attraction is very far
from the port or if it requires taking a train or a ferry over most of the time i will simply book with the cruise line now you also want to know is it sometimes easy to do it on your own in some cases if you're in the caribbean it is as easy as taking a cab over to a local beach
or if you are in europe at one of the different cruise ports sometimes you can take a hop-on hop-off bus or you can take public transport and it is very easy to get around of course you're going to find all this out when you have done your research but there are some things that you're going to want to ask and
some things you're going to want to know before you book your private excursion so you're going to want to know what happens if your cruise ship doesn't make it into the cruise port that happens sometimes there are itinerary changes there are bad weather situations and the cruise ship doesn't make it into the
cruise port so firstly how do you pay have you paid in advance do you book with a deposit only i would suggest booking an excursion where you're only booking with a small deposit rather than paying in advance you'll also want to know where you're meeting your tour guide or your excursion leader
sometimes it's right at the cruise port but other times it might be across the street so you want to have that information and it's a good idea to have a contact number like a phone number now what i usually do if i get that information in an email or if it's on the website is i screenshot it so if i
don't have wi-fi if i don't have internet that is available when i get off the cruise ship at least i have that picture so that's just a little tip for you you'll also want to know what time you need to be at your meeting place and what i mean by this is are they on ship's time or island
time most of the time they'll actually be using their own time so the island time but on your cruise ship you may use ship time and that might actually be an hour or two hours difference from the time in the island so you'll want to find out that information before your time to meet up now another tip is
to actually take a poor guide off the cruise ship with you even if you're private or with the cruise line excursion it is always something good now the cruise ship will have these available in the past they had them printed out on paper now i don't know if you'll have this available on your app as well if you do
i would screenshot it as well you'll have the information like for instance some shopping information some an overview about the cruise port um a map things like that but what you'll also have which potentially could be very important and i will maybe screenshot it after is you'll have
the port agent for the cruise line so just in case if you have a problem getting back if you are in any situation where you need to get in touch with the cruise ship that is the phone number so make sure to have that with you now i mentioned that a few years ago i had a problem on a private excursion now
we did get back to the cruise ship in time so that was not the issue but after that i did know that there are some questions to ask and sometimes maybe not to book a private excursion in this case it was in grand cayman and what happened was well it was a stingray excursion we were
four people i was with my children and there was a very difference in price it was much cheaper to book with this private excursion so we did that but that morning it was looking gray and looking like it might get stormy and we met up with the excursion and we actually went out on the water soon after we were
out on the water it started to get extremely gray and we saw lightning from far away and some thunder and when i had asked about that if we were gonna head back they kind of laughed and i had asked about where the life jackets were and they were kind of laughing it was sort of a party atmosphere and i was
really uncomfortable i had my children with me it was not the kind of excursion that i would have wanted to be on um honestly we ended up two of us didn't even get off the boat because it really was the water was getting rough and i was just so thankful to be back on land after this excursion
well when we came back to the cruise ship we ended up finding out that all of the excursions that were booked with the cruise line were actually cancelled that day but ours we were on a shore excursion that was private and i guess they wanted to make sure that they did have the money from that excursion
so they kept going and i felt that at that point i realized that sometimes maybe when you're booking with a private excursion sometimes maybe safety is sometimes a little bit cut and that really just didn't make me feel good now that's just a little cautionary tale i've actually booked several private excursions since
then but i am pretty careful when i'm on the water when there is a ferry involved when there's a train involved and when something is far away and i always do my research as well and i ask a few questions before i booked now i'd love to know your tips do you book private excursions do you book with the
cruise line do you go off on your own please let me know your tips in the comments below i know it helps cruisers so much now i'm going to leave a video right after this one and it's all about what to pack for a cruise so if you are going on a cruise make sure to watch that next now i hope that
you did enjoy this video if you did please do give it a big thumbs up i really appreciate it and of course please subscribe to our channel if you haven't done so already thanks so much for watching bye for now happy cruising
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