Excursions, are they worth the extortionate cost?

[NinjaNic]

We are booked on the 7 night Canada and New England round trip on NCL Getaway sailing from NYC September 2025. Looking at the cost of any of the excursions and the costs are ridiculous for what appears to be offered. £250 for two of us for what is a glorified bus trip to take some selfies. Really? Don’t get me wrong , I’m not a tight fisted Brit but those costs are daylight robbery. Has anyone done this cruise that can recommend any of the shore excursions? 
TIA

[NancyW12]

to me, the only thing to consider is if the excursion is distant enough from the boat that you could be in jeopardy of being left behind. Could you book the same excursion off of V i a t or or similar? Is it an enclosed space like Santorini, where all you have to do is be in the tender line in front of one person with a ship sticker? Or is it a situation like seeing the Mayan pyramids in Cozumel where it involves a boat, a jeep, a government checkpoint for tickets, limited people at one time access, and then reverse all that?

 

I'd make my judgement based on that.

[Heytootsktz]

I think the pieces have gotten ridiculous.  

[Travelling2Some]

Check out some guidebooks for your ports.  Decide what you want to see and how you can best see those things.  The only reason we would ever buy a ship-sponsored tour is if the things we want to see are very distant from the port with difficult transportation options.  We have taken a few of the "on your own" excursions in Europe, which are generally decently priced.  If you are English speaking there is little need to pay for excursions in a country where you can speak the language and read the signage.

[AKR2011]

Look for private tour operators, or see if you can take a taxi and do it on your own. We did a lot on our own on that itinerary in particular, and I have no regrets on those. Local tours are cheaper and the money goes directly to the people running them without NCL taking a cut. They also tend to have less people booked, so they're more personable. The one tour I booked with NCL was a hop on hop off in Halifax, and that's the one I regret paying for. I would have enjoyed the city on my own and walked to the maritime museum where we spent most of our time. If you click in my profile you can see my review of that trip if it helps. It was B2B and included Bermuda as well

[debenson0723]

I typically book my own excursions via a 3rd party or DIY. Have been doing this for years with no issues. Just use common sense.  On my upcoming cruise, I do have 3 excursions booked thru the ship but using my $50 credit, all 3 were only $137 total. 

[Lono Akeakamai]

I did a similar cruise on the Joy last month. The prices were a lot more expensive than similar excursions in Mexico or the Caribbean, likely because they have to pay their employees US/Canadian wages, maintain their buses to US standards etc. Here are my personal opinions of the tours I took.

 

Scenic Boston: This one was definitely way too expensive for a 2h30m tour! We drove around the city, the guide was entertaining and knowledgeable (for the first half). We had one stop at Copley Square for 15 minutes (really 10 by the time the people in the back of the bus got off). We then drove back the same route, and the guide told a lot of the same stories and jokes again!

 

Portland: Kennebunkport and Lobster Cruise. Relatively expensive, but worth it. We had a nice scenic drive, Port cruise, the captain pulled up some traps filled with lobsters. We then had free time for shopping, ice cream, clams, and then drove back a different route.

 

Halifax: I met up with a friend. There lots to do in the harbour area, A friend of mine took the Peggy's Cove and Titanic Cemetery excursion and really enjoyed it.

 

Sydney: Heart of the Island. Totally worth the money. Great guide, Scenic Drive. We went to a Celtic VIlage on top of a hill and got to explore houses and buildings from the 1770's to the 1930s

Spirit of the Fiddle: Cape Breton Music concert upstairs in the building right at the cruise port. It was almost 'free' with the $50 off and my Lats discount, I ended up square dancing 

 

Charlottetown: Anne of Green Gables and Scenic Drive. It was a nice enough drive. In my opinion the Green Gables house is overhyped as "something you have to do, if you are in PEI". Unless you have read the books, it's just another 1910s style farmhouse that they have outside a lot of cities.

[graphicguy]

Agree that the ship excursions can be expensive.  But, I’ve found using the Free/More at SeA credits and Latitudes Rewards discounts, they become relatively reasonable!

 

Cat help with what you may or may not like!

[herbanrenewal]

I use a source like https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/results/?line=14&shipId=2639&arrival=2025-09-14&nights=7 that have smaller groups, cheaper prices, and guarantee return to ship. 

[casofilia]

We now just do ship tours when there is something we really want to do at a price we are willing to pay.   Few and far apart these days, we tend to cruise to enjoy walking when, and if, we go ashore.

 

£250 for two of you; cheap!!!   I have one here in New Zealand I would like to do and it would be almost more than that with the Latitudes and Free at Sea already taken off; and that would be each!!

[Turtles06]

3 hours ago, NinjaNic said:

We are booked on the 7 night Canada and New England round trip on NCL Getaway sailing from NYC September 2025. Looking at the cost of any of the excursions and the costs are ridiculous for what appears to be offered. £250 for two of us for what is a glorified bus trip to take some selfies. Really? Don’t get me wrong , I’m not a tight fisted Brit but those costs are daylight robbery. Has anyone done this cruise that can recommend any of the shore excursions? 
TIA

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic! 

 

We are also booked on the Getaway in Sept. 2025 on one of the 7-night NE/Canada cruises. I was looking at NCL's shorex the other day and astonished by the prices. Here are some alternatives: 

 

Some of the ports are very do-able on your own, like Halifax and Portland.  And in some, you can find reputable private tour operators.  Join the Roll Call for your cruise, and see if folks are putting together any private tours, or put some together yourself.  (If you need help finding the Roll Call, just tell us the departure date of your cruise.)

 

And do some research on your ports over in the Ports of Call forum, to help you decide what you might like to do, and also get recommendations for private tour operators. 

[BirdTravels]

3 hours ago, NinjaNic said:

We are booked on the 7 night Canada and New England round trip on NCL Getaway sailing from NYC September 2025. Looking at the cost of any of the excursions and the costs are ridiculous for what appears to be offered. £250 for two of us for what is a glorified bus trip to take some selfies. Really? Don’t get me wrong , I’m not a tight fisted Brit but those costs are daylight robbery. Has anyone done this cruise that can recommend any of the shore excursions? 
TIA

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

Yeah, you can take a 3rd party price and add the cruise line “fee” for booking and managing the excursion.
 

You can avoid that “fee” by booking it yourself with a 3rd party. You assume the responsibility of getting to the tour departure point, getting back to the ship after the tour. And any risk of missing the ship. The risk is very very very small. 
 

We cruise a lot. We have had tour vehicles break down. We have had tour vehicles involved in accidents. We have had tours drop us off after all aboard time. 

Edited Sunday at 11:22 PM by BirdTravels

[dhanakorn]

With $50 shore excursion credit, some ship excursions are reasonably priced.

 

On my last cruise, I did the Marseille+Notre-Dame de la Garde tour in the afternoon. The guide was super nice. She also allowed extra time in the Old Port. So we ended up getting back to the ship half an hour AFTER all aboard time. I wasn't worried about arriving late because it's the ship excursion. The ship sailed an hour later. This is Mediterranean cruise, we were not on the tight schedule to get to the next port.

[One More for the Road]

4 hours ago, NinjaNic said:

£250 for two of us for what is a glorified bus trip to take some selfies.

 

I guess you've never been to Alaska.

 

Yes, you can get any tour cheaper by doing it yourself. But really, you're spending 1000's on a cruise and airfare. Is a hundred or so Euros really going to matter?

 

[Turtles06]

49 minutes ago, One More for the Road said:

Yes, you can get any tour cheaper by doing it yourself. But really, you're spending 1000's on a cruise and airfare. Is a hundred or so Euros really going to matter?

It’s not just about the absolute numbers. It’s also about value and quality. Many ship tours will be with 50 of your new best friends. Private tours will typically be much smaller. There’s a big difference in the quality of that experience. 

[2bc cruisers]

They have gotten high priced for sure.  As others have said we price check other tour operators, if the next port is difficult to get to on our own, we lean towards ship tours.  We do a lot of diy when we just want to see the immediate area.  When somewhere we don’t expect to return to, we spend a little more to see what we can.  Good luck!  

 

[JSar]

Totally personal preference. One person will say totally NOT worth it. The next will say totally IS worth it. Depends on your perspective. For me... the ease of signing up, paying, and getting taken to/from shore excursion by arrangements made by the ship is usually worth it for the convenience alone. Other advantages are that if the ship changes their schedule or is delayed... they will either try to reschedule the shore excursion if they are able to... otherwise you do get a full refund. Also - there is some comfort in knowing that the ship will not leave without one of their own tour groups - so if your tour group IS running late - then you can rest assured - you won't miss the boat. But then again... any good tour agency who works with cruise passengers knows the importance of getting you back to the ship on time.

 

That said... they may NOT be worth it in ports where you are easy walking distance to the tourist attractions; or can find easy independent activities/tours instead; and you are able to find transportation as needed. And if you can find alternate tours that are scheduled in a way that you have minimal risk of being late to the ship - then certainly they are often cheaper. 

 

 

 

And as someone else pointed out... if you are English speaking and visiting an English speaking country... it should be fairly easy to navigate on your own. 

[valleyvillage]

When I was young and mobile, I was fearless. I would get off the ship and look around the port and hop on a bus. I would be scared to do that now. My favorite excursion ever was some guy in Juneau had an old school bus and he taught us how to remember the different salmon using your hand. Still remember him fondly. Five bucks. These days I book through the ship to make sure they can accomodate my mobility equipment. Never have felt extorted nor robbed! 😀

[complawyer]

i would say that at least 80% of the time we hire a cab. i take the shore excursion description, show the driver what we want and voila! away we go. usually half the price of the ship shore excursion, and we can stop whenever, wherever we wish, and stay as long as we want. 

 

thankfully, never had a problem getting back to the ship in plenty of time.... knock on wood!

[AKR2011]

11 hours ago, complawyer said:

i would say that at least 80% of the time we hire a cab. i take the shore excursion description, show the driver what we want and voila! away we go. usually half the price of the ship shore excursion, and we can stop whenever, wherever we wish, and stay as long as we want. 

 

thankfully, never had a problem getting back to the ship in plenty of time.... knock on wood!

This is a great recommendation. Just research the reputable cab companies in the ports that you're visiting. I also like to leave as soon as the ship docks and give at least a two hour window coming back to port - just in case there is an accident, traffic, etc. It also gives time to explore the port a little before going back on board.

 

Another small tip, I've seen good deals at the end of the day in some ports. The stores want your money before you leave, and they're more willing to haggle later in the day. So save your shopping for the end of the day.

[Markanddonna]

My post comes with the warning that we are quite experienced travelers. First, I have forgotten 95% of what any tour guide was ever told me. I also research history as a writer, so I tend to be a bit more knowledgeable than the average person. Many pirts just aren't worth knowing much about. I know this is controversial but yesterday we were in Charlotte town yesterday and spent three hours walking around on our own. We met a man who paid $100 for a walking tour. The highlights he retold were what we read off the signs. Armed with a little research and Google maps, I can figure out much on my own for free 

 

Consider that if you spent $100 per day pp, that is $1400! Almost the price of another cruise!

[Spudd]

For Canada/New England you can do pretty much everything on your own. Most sights are walking distance from the ship, or take a taxi if you want to see something farther away. Grab a guidebook from the library and do some research into what you might want to do at each port so you're prepared with directions and ideas.

[complawyer]

akr2011.. just a small tidbit of potential information. most (if not all the ports) we've ever visited ,

there was no need whatsoever to research a cab company. they are lined up waiting.

 

in some ports yo may  have  to walk a ways, but  i n total $$$ savings, its well worth it.

[One More for the Road]

9 hours ago, Markanddonna said:

We met a man who paid $100 for a walking tour. The highlights he retold were what we read off the signs

 

So, you're saying that would be the same for a ship sponsored excursion? I think not. I think you just lost your point.

 

[complawyer]

it also depends on the port and the distance from it. we took an ncl excursion to paris as t was about a 2 hr ride, so i didnt want to chance a cab.  on the other hand, rome is about an hour away and i had no problems hiring a cab.