Choosing your Shore Excursions

OK, so you’ve booked your cruise, you’ve taken the time to choose just the right stateroom for your family, now you see that you have the option to sign up for shore excursion, wine packages, and umpteen other items before you’ve even left home!

Personally I think shore excursions make the trip, but you will likely want to be selective. They can be quite pricey and can take up the whole day of your visit to a port. Take the time to choose an excursion that is appropriate to your interests.

Excursions can be a great way for mom and dad to enjoy some adult time. There’s no need to feel guilty for leaving your kids at the kids club and heading out for a day of adventure on your own. In my experience the kids prefer this. My husband and I have gone zip-lining, kayaking, and walked the streets of Cartagena while our kids are safely and comfortably enjoying their time onboard with their new found friends. It’s a perfect opportunity to try something new that you likely would not have done with your kids in tow.

Having said that, I would suggest that you take some time to explore the excursions that will be available to you and choose at least one that you know you will love. Perhaps your budget will allow you to go on several excursions which is great, but at least do one. This is one of the things that you will look back on and be so glad you did.

Some of these excursions will be child friendly and others, not so much. For example, you may be really interested in how to make tequila, but your 4 year old likely isn’t. This seems like something more appropriate for the grown ups. A day long bus trip might not be the best choice if you are taking younger kids either, but a relatively short boat ride may be just the ticket. We took our kids on a little tour around Paradise Island in the Bahamas, and while we enjoyed the scenery and listening to the operator talk about the local area, my children had the time of their lives pretending they were spies!

If you are going to spend a substantial amount of money doing something like swimming with the dolphins, make sure that your child will actually get in the water with them (lesson learned)! Here is a picture of my daughter refusing to get in the water with the dolphin while my son plays with it's tail.

Over all if you take your time planning which excursions you and your family will get the most out of this will add a great deal of enjoyment to your vacation.