Cruising tips and advice: How to choose a shore excursion

Venice at night is a wonderful way to see the city without the crowds.Credit: Alamy

An after-hours visit to St Mark's Basilica in Venice during a cruise ranks as one of my most memorable shore excursions. It was a rare chance to see the venerable monument at its most evocative, and without the crowds.

We crept inside in semi-darkness. Then a guard flicked a switch, and the basilica's glorious mosaics erupted out of the shadows in scintillating gold. It was as if we'd stumbled, Alice in Wonderland style, into a pop-up illuminated manuscript.

Having the elbow room and quiet atmosphere to enjoy the mosaics, study fusty tombs and see dim corners of the basilica the way they might have been seen centuries ago was a rare privilege.

By day, St Mark's leaves you little chance to study power, death and the divine. This is what the best shore excursions offer you: something special you just can't do yourself.

Of course, some shore excursions give you queues, crowds, red ropes, forests of upturned selfie-sticks and dispiriting shuffles. Many provide tour-guide patter and sights of wearisome predictability, and can involve long coach transfers and too many cloakroom visits. The key is to know what you want, and choose wisely.

The good news is that shore excursions have evolved enormously over the last decade, leaving you with more opportunities for hits rather than misses.

Part of the reason is that cruise lines are responding to greater competition with each other, and with passengers increasingly organising their own tours or activities online. But cruise lines are also following the trends, with travellers looking for more immersive, active, small-group and meaningful experiences.

Quick historical hobbles across cobbles don't cut it any more. Savvy travellers want cultural detail, learning opportunities and insights that throw new light on destinations they may be revisiting. They're also looking for more personalised experience such as the "captain-curated" tours in Greek ports with Celebrity (celebritycruises.com), or "private" tours by car or van with Azamara (azamara.com).

As a result, shore-excursion quality and choice has proliferated. The Royal Caribbean Group, for example, runs some 6000 tours in over 450 destinations, or an average 13 excursions to choose from in any one port. Cunard (cunard.com) operates 120 shore excursions in Alaska, and Celebrity 21 just in Tallinn, Estonia.

The variety is immense: beer tasting, hiking, bird-watching, cooking classes, heli-fishing, husky sledding. You can still visit the usual museums and palaces, but also old Soviet nuclear bases in the Baltic states, or parts of the ruins of Ephesus, Turkey still being excavated, in the company of an expert archaeologist. And many cruise lines are lingering longer in ports (Azamara was a pioneer) with excursions now taking in concerts, nightlife and after-dark experiences.

WHY DO SHORE EXCURSIONS?

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Throw a party streamer and you're sure to aim it at someone whining about excursions: too costly, too mainstream, too superficial, too fast or slow. You could say the same about sex, but that wouldn't put you off for life.

Shore excursions are subject to constant passenger feedback and have been tested over years, so they suit many people. The remainder have simply chosen the wrong excursion for them.

The advantages of well-chosen excursions include guides who bring destinations to life, queue jumping at busy monuments and museums, privileged access to special events, and the chance for behind-the-scenes tours.

Ports in places such as Alaska, Hawaii and the South Pacific don't always have on-the-spot alternatives, while some big sights such as Knossos or Ephesus aren't close to ports and difficult to reach independently.

In some destinations, shore excursions are a welcome antidote to sweltering weather, language barriers, safety concerns, hassles and haggling. Why pressure yourself? Nothing wrong with wanting a stress-free holiday.

HOW DO I MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICES?

Shore excursions are hugely varied in length, pace and luxury levels, provide pleasant overviews or a particular focus, and can be sedentary or highly active. Your choice, but mix it up and keep some days free to avoid fatigue.

Tour descriptions can be minimal, with transit times seldom given (beware the "scenic drive") or not as active as you'd like ("strenuous" is usually an overestimate). Study the itinerary and its ratio of activity versus transfer times. Ask the excursion manager for details if need be.

Do your homework on port location and public transport. Popular destinations such as Rome, Florence or Bangkok are far from ports that have little other interest, so shore excursions are wise. In Valletta, Vancouver or Nagasaki, however, you can easily go it alone.

There's nothing wrong with the staple highlight tour, but repeat port visitors should aim for something more in-depth. The best excursions offer special insight or access, or activities with limited capacity (such as scenic flights) that you'll otherwise miss out on.

WHAT EXCURSIONS SHOULD I AVOID?

Forget tours to beaches or luxury resorts, billed as a "chance to do absolutely nothing". Why pay for nothing? And since your ship is already a resort, why pay for another? If you're after a beach, hop in a taxi and find one unencumbered by 200 shipmates.

Don't pay for shopping excursions – or the hefty commissions paid to shop owners. Avoid museum tours unless guided by experts; your own entrance ticket and audio guide will be much cheaper, and you can wander at will. Unless you have limited mobility or terminal inertia, you don't need a coach highlight tour.

Asia in particular has big cities far from ports, but sometimes good alternatives are much closer. Why trek to Hanoi when you can see Halong Bay? And while Beijing is far from Tianjin port, Tianjin itself has striking sights, such concession-era architecture, the Confucius Temple and Shi Family Grand Courtyard.

ARE EXCURSIONS GOOD VALUE?

You might as well ask if travel is good value, or Istanbul, or a Santorini sunset. It all depends on your budget, enthusiasm and aim.

Shore excursions aren't cheap. Cruise lines book through local tour companies and add a surcharge that brings in considerable revenue. In theory, you could book the same tours yourself and save. In practice: too late, they're already booked out by the cruise company.

You can sally forth yourself, of course. The hop-on hop-off bus in Barcelona costs €26 ($38) but with one major cruise line it's a whopping $164. Bus X80 gets you close to the Acropolis from Piraeus port for €4.50 after which you can start walking around Athens compared to the coach tour fee by a cruise company of $56.

Still, certain shore excursions are worth doing for reasons already mentioned. Also, comparing excursions with DIY is unfair, since excursions cover the cost of things such as organisation, parking tickets, guides and pier access.

Factor in intangible value such as convenience, time saved, no need for currency exchange, and the reassurance of company in sometimes confronting places. If your excursion is delayed, the ship waits for you. If your port visit is cancelled (for example because of bad weather) your excursion is refunded.

ARE EXCURSIONS ECO-FRIENDLY?

Credit: Ariadne Van Zandbergen

Yes, no and maybe. There's too much shore-excursion variety to generalise, and doing your due diligence can be difficult. That's no different to any other travel product.

The good news? One of the biggest trends of recent years has been sustainable and socially responsible tour options, and cruise lines partnering with respected conservation organisations.

Royal Caribbean Group now has 1400 sustainable shore excursions developed with Sustainable Travel International. Oceania (www.oceaniacruises.com) offers "go green", Regent Seven Seas (www.rssc.com) "eco-connect" and Azamara's "people to planet" excursions in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund.

"cruise with purpose" activities from Holland America Line (www.hollandamerica.com) run from replanting forests to assisting in gathering scientific data. Expedition lines such as Aurora (www.auroraexpeditions.com.au) and Ponant (au.ponant.com) host scientists and invite participation in their research, which is often directed at climate change and its effect in polar regions.

You can choose excursions that take you to national parks, wildlife rehabilitation centres, biodynamic farms and sustainable businesses, and many excursions will allow for a carbon-free cycle, paddle or sail rather than a coach tour.

CAN I DO IT MYSELF?

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Cruise ships aren't remand centres, so off you go. Your only constraint is port location and sail-away time. Hire a car or taxi for the day. Get the tram or walk: many ports are a short distance into town, making independent exploration easy.

Whatever you do, get back to the ship well before it departs and factor in contingencies such as the potential for traffic delays or difficulties securing a taxi or ride-share.

Some cruise lines have apps with inbuilt GPS for self-guided tours. Fodor's (www.fodors.com), Lonely Planet (www.lonelyplanet.com) and Rick Steves (www.ricksteves.com) produce guidebooks to cruise ports. Online, just Google "cruise port guide" or head to the websites of local tourism offices.

You can book your own excursions through providers such as Venture Ashore (www.ventureashore.com), Port Promotions (www.portpromotions.com) or Viator (www.viator.com), or direct with local companies. It's also easy to book entrance tickets and tour guides online.

Local tour reps loiter on docks and offer last-minute bookings. They can be charlatans – why hasn't the ship booked them out? – but equally could be friendly operators too small or quirky to deal with cruise lines.

WHAT ELSE DO I NEED TO KNOW?

If you've set your heart on particular excursions, or ones with limited capacity, then book in advance. By the time you're on board, some excursions will be sold out.

If you're injured on an excursion, you'll have to rely on your own travel insurance to cover costs. Don't forget that adventure sports and other high-risk activities require add-on premiums.

Excursion companies are independent contractors, and the responsibility of cruise lines ends with ensuring they're reputable and reasonably safe. If you don't agree, good luck pursuing the matter through a Miami court.

If you go it alone, be clear about the name and location of your cruise terminal (there may be more than one) and ship's departure time. Don't go ashore without your passport and money. Ships have set sail leaving delayed passengers behind, which probably isn't the type of shore excursion you want – though there could be worse fates than being cast away in Bora Bora.

FIVE MORE WAYS TO BE SHORE

IMMERSE YOURSELF

Cruise lines are meeting the increasing demand for more meaningful local connections in travel, rather than simple sightseeing, through excursions focused on meeting people, trying new things or learning about local culture. Also expanding are excursions that support local producers and artists or otherwise give back to the community. Among examples are Princess (princess.com) with its "local connections", and Oceania and Norwegian (ncl.com), which both offer a range of "go local" excursions.

INDULGE YOURSELF

A huge variety of tours is dedicated to gastronomy: gin tastings, cooking classes, farm or market tours, dining in local houses or Michelin-star restaurants. Wine is a big focus, with most cruise companies offering cellar-door visits; luxe lines feature wine-themed cruises and encounters with eminent winemakers. Holland America and Oceania are among lines that offer foodie tours led by local chefs; others such as Royal Caribbean (royalcaribbean.com), Celebrity and Viking (vikingcruises.com.au) have tours led by their ships' chefs.

NURTURE YOURSELF

Meditation in Majorca, reflexology foot therapy in Bangkok, or yoga on a Spanish monastery rooftop: the wellness trend that has seen spas hugely expand on ships is now extending ashore. If you're looking to get pampered or philosophical then Celebrity, Oceania, Regent and Seabourn (seabourn.com) have good wellness-themed excursions. Value-based bigger ships have options too, such as an ayurveda wellness experience in New Caledonia with P&O Australia (pocruises.com.au) or a Mayan clay ritual in Mexico with Carnival (carnival.com.au).

TEST YOURSELF

With the average age of cruise passengers now 47, excursions have become more active and are helping passengers work off the on-board buffet. The slow palace shuffle isn't gone, but rock climbing, canoeing, cycling, hiking and rafting provide alternatives. Disney (disneycruise.disney.go.com) has "active adventures" such as snowshoeing in Alaska and sport fishing in Mexico. Carnival's "adventure" category has you abseiling down waterfalls in Vanuatu, while Norwegian provides zip-lining and tubing in Hawaii.

EXTEND YOURSELF

The Taj Mahal and Machu Picchu are now reachable by cruise ship, or at least on a new breed of multi-day shore excursions. Some are pre or post-cruise extensions, such as Holland America's tours to Denali National Park on Alaskan cruises, Azamara's Bergen and Flam railway rides in Norway, or Royal Caribbean's explorations in Israel. Luxe lines such as Oceania, Seabourn and Silversea (silversea.com) offer mid-journey overnights with passengers re-joining the ship at the next port.

FIVE PORTS PERFECT FOR SHORE EXCURSIONS

AQABA, JORDAN

This ancient seaport has a relaxed atmosphere, fort and interesting museums, but more excitingly is within reach of fabulous attractions such as the buoyant Dead Sea and outstanding Red Sea snorkelling spots. Wadi Rum provides four-wheel drive and camel rides amid flamboyant desert scenery. Petra, the ruined city of Arab tribe the Nabateans, is a top archaeological site. See visitjordan.com

MALAGA, SPAIN

This fine working-class city provides the best of everyday Spain: ornate architecture, tapas bars, markets, beaches. It's also backed by Andalusia, with shore excursions taking you to either Cordoba (which has a staggering mosque-turned-cathedral and lovely old town) or Granada, crowned by the mighty Alhambra palace of Moorish monarchs. See andalusia.org

HALONG BAY, VIETNAM

Halong Bay itself is your top excursion opportunity: get in among soaring limestone outcrops and fishing villages by junk, Zodiac or kayak, and explore Buddhist temples and fantastical caves. Other options are the Red River Delta for a taste of rural life and Hanoi for a plunge into Vietnam's contemporary urban energy. Some cruise lines offer overnight excursions. See vietnam.travel

NICE, FRANCE

As with several nearby ports (Villefranche, Monaco, Cannes) you're right on the French Riviera. You can also head into the rocky hills behind to visit wineries, lavender fields and medieval old towns such as cliff-clinging Eze with its sumptuous Mediterranean views. One glamorous shore excursion gives you a ride along switchback Corniche roads in a Lamborghini. See cotedazurfrance.fr

BOSTON, US

Boston has always been a salty seafaring town and the best shore excursions investigate American history, starting in the city along themed walking trails. Beyond you can visit notorious witch-trial town Salem, Plymouth Rock where Mayflower pilgrims arrived, and American Revolution battle sites Lexington and Concord. Martha's Vineyard is a tranquil island getaway. See bostonusa.com