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6 Cruise Excursions That Just Aren’t Worth It Anymore

Skip these overpriced port tours and try a cheaper plan instead.

By Amanda Teague , Edited by Sara Albertelli

Updated Oct. 20, 2026

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Shore excursions used to feel like the easy button on a cruise. Lately, they're where a lot of vacation budgets quietly spring a leak. Cruise lines generally charge more than independent operators for the same or similar outing, and you're sharing it with more people. A record 37.2 million passengers cruised in 2025, up from 31.7 million two years earlier, so the same beaches and tour buses are absorbing bigger crowds.

Skipping the worst offenders is one of the easy ways to travel more without spending more. Here are six excursions to rethink, plus what to do in those ports instead.

Beach transfers and beach club passes

On one Icon of the Seas sailing, Royal Caribbean priced a shuttle to Magens Bay in St. Thomas at $79 per adult. That bought about 2.5 hours on the sand with no chairs or umbrellas included. A taxi from the port runs roughly $30 per person round trip, and you leave when you're ready. In St. Maarten, a shared taxi to Maho Beach costs less than $30 round trip.

Cruisers who booked ship beach days describe packed sand and say a public beach would have cost a fraction of the price. If you'd rather have a beach club or resort, pick one yourself and arrange your own ride. Even with an entry fee, it usually costs less than the excursion.

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Bus-heavy city tours

When Royal Caribbean Blog asked readers which excursions they regretted, more than 500 replied, and bus tours topped the list by a wide margin. People described hours in a seat broken up by rushed photo stops. A better plan is to choose one sight you care about and get there by taxi or on foot.

There's a real exception. Cities like Rome and Paris sit one to three hours from where ships dock, and the captain will generally wait for a late ship tour but not for you. On those days, the premium buys protection. Some independent sellers offer their own version. Shore Excursions Group says it will cover your travel to the next port if its tour makes you miss the ship, and Viator tags certain tours with similar support.

Shopping tours

Paying for a tour that drops you at stores is a tough sell once you know how it works. Local vendors frequently pay cruise lines to be featured in their shopping programs, which explains the sales pressure. Dedicated shopping tours also tend to end up at a craft market you could have browsed alone, or at shops where the guide is steering business to someone they know.

Browsing on your own costs nothing, and you decide where to stop. In fairness, stores in a ship's port shopping program typically offer a guarantee on what you buy, which matters if you're eyeing pricey jewelry. You don't need a paid tour to use it, though. Pick up the ship's shopping map and walk.

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Short thrills with long price tags

Some excursions sound epic until you do the math. Holland America lists the ZipRider at Icy Strait Point, Alaska, from $199 for a 90-minute outing. The flight itself lasts about a minute and a half, which works out to more than $2 per second in the air. It's also booked through your cruise line, so shopping around won't help.

Glass-bottom boat rides draw similar grumbles, with cruisers reporting crowded boats and murky water. Before you book anything short, check how much of the listed time is the activity itself. At Icy Strait Point, the free museum and coastal trails cost nothing.

One caveat: For helicopters or small planes, the cruise line's vetting of operators is worth paying for.

Captive dolphin swims

Carnival's Dolphin Swim Elite in Cozumel starts at $169.99 per adult. The four-hour outing includes a 40-minute swim, with 12 guests per dolphin interaction. Cruisers who've done dolphin swims say it's over fast and feels like moving through a line, with more time spent waiting than with the animals.

The experience is also shrinking. After Mexico reformed its General Wildlife Law in 2025, Royal Caribbean told booked guests that its Cozumel dolphin tour had been scaled back. Add the ethical concerns many cruisers raise about how the dolphins are kept, and it's a lot of money for a complicated memory. A viewing tour in the open ocean lets you see them on their own terms.

Guided strolls in walkable ports

San Juan's main cruise piers sit right in Old San Juan, and the El Morro fortress is an easy walk away. Carnival's Old San Juan Walking Tour starts at $41.99 per adult and $30.99 per child for 2.5 hours, so two adults and two kids pay about $146 to walk streets that are free. On your own, the only cost is $10 per adult for both forts, and kids 15 and under get in free.

Tender ports are different. When the ship anchors offshore, passengers on ship excursions typically board the boats to shore first, and everyone else can face a long wait on a big ship. If your plans start early, the ship's tour may be the safer bet.

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Bottom line

The excursion desk sells convenience and a safety net. That's worth the premium on tender days and long hauls to far-off cities. For a beach day or a stroll through town, you can usually do better yourself and save money on travel without giving up the fun.

If you book through the ship anyway, keep comparison shopping. Carnival will give you 110% of the difference as onboard credit if you find the exact same excursion cheaper elsewhere and submit an eligible claim at least seven days before sailing. Then research the port itself before deciding anything. Where you dock and how far the sights are will tell you which excursions you need.

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