What are the options when you arrive at a port visited by your cruise?
Usually your cruise ship arrives in port around 7 or 8am. The bigger the ship, the more likely you are to be in a large port, from where there is a shuttle bus (perhaps chargeable) to the port gates or the town. At the large commercial ports it may not be possible to walk through the port. At the smaller ports you may be close to town and can walk there.
So what can you do in port?
Stay on board
Some people like to stay on the ship, and prefer the relative emptiness in the pools, eating and leisure facilities.
Go on an organised excursion
Every ship has a daily newspaper, usually delivered to your cabin, which lists the excursions available at upcoming ports. These will need to be booked in advance, perhaps even before you go on the cruise. It is a good idea to research the details of these excursions since value for money can vary enormously – for example, in the Caribbean many involve tours to very similar rainforest destinations. Also consider the reasons why people may be going on the trip – if you like peace and quiet do not go on a pirate ship excursion with free drinks included!
Most excursions involve a coach trip, usually with a local guide. Some are geared to sightseeing from the coach, with minimal walking required, others will go to a destination for a guided walk around the sights, perhaps with some free time for exploring on your own, others may take you to a shopping venue. Sometimes a lunch is included.
Some cruise lines such as Ocean Village include more energetic activity options such as mountain biking and water sports.
Do-it-yourself
On a cruise you have complete flexibility to do your own thing. You could go to the nearby town or city on your own and experience the atmosphere at your pace. Others may take a taxi or minibus and make their own excursion to the major local sights.
A train journey may be possible – for example from Villefranche to Monaco or Nice, or perhaps the one hour journey from Rome’s port of Civitavecchia to the centre of Rome. The possibilities can be researched on the web – but be aware that if you return late from your trip the ship may have gone!
The growth of do-it-yourself excursions has led some cruise lines to offer just the coach to a destination, where you can discover on your own, and then return on the coach back to the ship.
OUR TIP: use the web to research the cruise ports and cruise destinations to help decide on the best excursion options – one essential is to find out how far from town the ship will dock.
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