Shore Excursions or On Your Own

Ship sponsored shore excursions are usually expensive, but might, at times, be the best way to see something at a port stop. If you aren’t the adventurous type, then best to use them. They’ll get you into places and you won’t have to THINK at all.

There are private companies that offer the same itineraries at a lower price that can be found by checking online. We did that when we were the Alaska cruise in Skagway. Wanted to see the Mendenhall Glacier. Ship excursion included the bus to Mendenhall, admission to the visitor center, and about 45 minutes to spend there for more than twice what we spent using a local company. We also had more time to spend at the glacier area.

For this trip, I checked with NCL about the locations where the ship would dock so I’d know if we could visit places “on our own.” Only the stop for Stockholm made it necessary to use the ship’s bus to get into the city. We could have taken a local train but that could be problematic if there was any trouble with the schedule for the return ride to where our ship was anchored.

Another consideration is if a visa might be needed at a port stop. Without it, you can go on a ship-sponsored shore excursion or sometimes one sponsored by a local company. (Always check in advance if that is possible because you can save money.) For St. Petersburg, we decided to get visas because we were there two years ago. I checked about private guides but even those were costly and we didn’t know were we wanted to go. Worked out well for us because we like taking the Metro (subway) and walking around on our own. I wouldn’t have been very happy having to stay on the ship for the two days in port. People who did not get visas could leave the ship only with guides.

The Hop On Hop Off buses are a good means of transportation and information about a place never visited. Often they pick up right at the dock and return there in plenty of time to meet the deadline for reboarding. Included are narrated tours in multiple languages. They provide headsets, but we use our own. It amazes me that everyone is so concerned with hand sanitization, but not with germs that can be spread by using those headsets. Important when using those buses is to find out the time the full tour takes and then figure out where you want to stop to see. Buses arrive at stops about every 30-45 minutes (some cities with more buses may run more often)  so you have to figure that into your time. Most important is the stop where you will get on for the return to the dock. Don’t want to be late or the ship WILL LEAVE without you.

There often are local trains, trolley, buses that can be used for getting around. That works ok if you have the time to figure it out in advance of the trip so you don’t waste time when you are visiting a place. Problem with that is that they aren’t always easy to deal with if in a language you don’t know, or you have to use an unfamiliar currency.