21 Best Cruise Excursion Ideas for Every Type of Traveler

What to See and Do Outside of Your Ship
Cruise vacations can be a ton of fun, and that’s true whether you’re sailing through the sunny Caribbean or you’re exploring the Mediterranean or the Middle East. Your cruise ship or vessel is a lot like a giant party boat in a lot of ways, and you typically have an endless number of dining and entertainment options right at your fingertips.

Another aspect of cruising travelers love is the fact your ship provides transportation to at least a few different destinations. A week-long cruise could easily stop in six different ports over the course of seven or eight days, for example. However, a longer cruise could visit a range of different countries or even several continents if it stays out at sea long enough.

With all this in mind, it’s easy to wonder about the best excursion ideas for different types of travelers and diverse destinations. Are you better off spending your cruise relaxing on your ship? Or, do you want to get out and explore different destinations or landmarks with an expert guide at your side?

If you’re trying to decide what to book (and what not to book) for your next cruise, you have some research to do. We created this list of the 21 best shore excursion ideas to provide you with some inspiration.

Sunset Cocktail Cruise
Many cruise ports in warm weather destinations offer a sunset cocktail cruise of some form, although these trips are more popular in countries that boast a relaxing beach vibe. In the sunny Caribbean and Mexico, for example, a sunset cocktail cruise offers a great way to relax and unwind while watching the sun sink into the sea. The best part? Sunset cruises tend to be on the inexpensive side, and they usually last for just a few hours at the end of the day.

Guided Museum Tours
If you’re cruising somewhere that is home to a range of popular museums, booking a guided museum tour can help you learn some history from a local expert. Depending on where you’re traveling, you could wind up seeing world-famous art or ancient treasures normally only seen in history books.

If you’re on a Mediterranean cruise with a planned stop at the Livorno Cruise Port near Florence, Italy, for example, you could book a guided tour with transportation to see the world-famous Uffizi Gallery and Michaelangelo’s David at the nearby Accademia Gallery.

Book a Resort for a Day
If you are planning a low-key day off your ship, you can also consider booking a day trip at a local resort. Many hotels and other properties offer these passes themselves, but you can browse options by destination using the website ResortforaDay.com.

In Cozumel, Mexico, for example, you can use this site to book an all-inclusive package for one day at El Cid La Ceiba Beach near the cruise port, or at Playa Mia Grand Beach Park. With most of the options, food and drinks (including alcohol) even come standard in the all-inclusive rate.

Zip Lining Tour
Many destinations offer zip-lining tours, which you can usually book through your cruise line or on your own. The scope of this excursion will depend on where you’re traveling to, how long you have in port, and the geography where the zip-lining course is located. That said, zip lining is a fun way to get everyone in your party active while enjoying the great outdoors. And, even though weight requirements can apply, many courses are even open to children.

Cave Tubing
Cave tubing is an exciting excursion option that can only be booked in certain parts of the world where caves are prevalent and rivers run through them. For example, you can easily book a cave tubing tour in some parts of Mexico and during cruise port stops in the country of Belize. While floating the day away in a river tube sounds prevalent, you should know that cave tubing excursions often require some upfront work. For example, you almost always have to hike to the beginning of the tubing expedition, and you will need to carry your own tube along the way.

Snorkeling Tours
Snorkeling is one of the most popular excursion options in some parts of the world, including the Caribbean and Mexico and French Polynesia. This type of tour typically includes a comfortable boat ride and the use of snorkeling equipment, which you’ll use to explore under the sea and marvel at all sorts of ocean wildlife. Some tours also include snacks and drinks or even a full lunch, although options can vary by cruise port.

Explore Ancient Ruins
Exploring ancient ruins is another popular cruise excursion in some parts of the world, but particularly in countries like Belize, Italy, Greece, and Mexico. A range of ruins, sometimes thousands of years old, provide an excellent way to learn about history while getting a glimpse into how the local people once lived. In Mexico, for example, it’s common for travelers to book cruise excursions that take them to see the ancient ruins in Tulum or Chichén Itzá.

ATV Rides
ATV rides can be a ton of fun for the entire family, and that’s true whether you book individual ATVs or multi-passenger vehicles. While some ATV tours take you through the jungle or through an open desert, others include stops along the way. If your Caribbean cruise stops at the island of Aruba, for example, you can follow an expert guide on an ATV and see beautiful, secluded beaches, the California Lighthouse, a natural bridge and the ruins of an ancient gold mill.

Guided City Tours
If your cruise stops in a major city and you want to explore all the best sights and landmarks, booking a guided city tour may be the smartest move to make. You’ll need to put on your walking shoes for this type of excursion, but having an expert guide and an itinerary means you can see and learn a ton over the course of several hours. In New York City, for example, a guided city tour can take you to places like Times Square, Broadway, Central Park and even the Statue of Liberty.

Electric Bike Tours
Bike tours can help you see as much as possible in a short amount of time, but they can be physically taxing if you’re not in great shape. With that in mind, electric bike tours offer the best of all worlds since they let you sightsee outdoors without doing all the work. While all kinds of cruise ports have an electric bike tour you can book, popular destinations for this excursion include big city ports like Piraeus in Athens, Greece and Civitavecchia near Rome, Italy.

Whale Watching
Whale watching is another popular cruise excursion, although it’s most common in certain regions of the world. For example, you can easily book whale-watching boat trips in Hawaii or Alaska, or anywhere along the northeast coast of the United States. The Pacific coast of Mexico is also popular for whale-watching tours for at least part of the year. For example, whale watching season in Cabo and Puerto Vallarta ranges from early December to mid-April each year.

Horseback Riding
Horseback riding is a fun way to spend a few hours, although you may need to have a certain level of experience to get the most out of this excursion. Some horseback riding trips also include a few other activities, such as wild animal encounters or a buffet lunch. On the island of Roatan in Honduras, for example, you can book a shore excursion that includes horseback riding and a visit with monkeys, sloths, and iguanas.

Alcohol Tastings
Some cruise ports are known for partying, and they offer a range of adult-oriented shore excursions as a result. This can include everything from booze cruises to tequila or vodka tastings, or even foodies tours that let travelers nosh on small bites with a drink pairing included. If you cruise to Freeport in the Bahamas, for example, you can book an excursion to a Bahamian Brewery for a tour and a craft beer tasting.

Helicopter Tours
Helicopter tours can be very expensive, yet they offer one of the best ways to see amazing views of the world below. This is especially true in destinations like Hawaii or Alaska, where you can see stunning mountains and valleys that you could not possibly reach on land. On the island of Kauai in Hawaii, you can even book a helicopter tour to see the world-famous Na Pali Coast and some of the world’s most lush and fertile lands.

Guided Ghost Tours
Ghost tours are also popular in some parts of the world, including in cruise port towns like New Orleans, Louisiana and Key West, Florida. These tours may be a little quirky, but they can help you learn something new about the area while providing a source of entertainment that is truly unique. In Key West, you can even book a Ghosts & Gravestones tour with stops at some of the city’s most haunted buildings and points of interest.

Deep Sea Fishing
If you love to fish in the deep sea but never get the chance, you should check whether your cruise offers any ports with deep-sea fishing excursions. If they do, you can spend a day out on the water luring in a big catch — or maybe even several!

Where can you go deep-sea fishing? This excursion is offered in nearly every part of the world where cruising is popular. For example, you can go deep-sea fishing in Alaska or Hawaii, along the Pacific Coast of the U.S., in the Caribbean and elsewhere.

Lazy Beach Day
Maybe what you really need is a lazy beach day that costs as little as possible. In that case, you may find that there are some beaches you can walk to or reach with a quick taxi ride from your cruise port. This really depends on where your cruise ship is stopping and whether most beaches are public or private. In popular cruise destinations like Aruba and Barbados, for example, all beaches are public property and you are welcome to visit any of them.

Scuba Diving
Scuba diving provides an exciting way to spend a day of your cruise vacation, although you’ll typically need to be certified ahead of time to do a full tour. That said, there are some scuba score excursions where you can become PADI-certified and learn the basics of diving all at once. According to the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), some of the most popular destinations for scuba diving include Australia, the Bahamas, Bermuda and French Polynesia.

Multi-City Bus Tours
Some cruise ports are close to a region of the world you’ll want to explore, in which case you can set up a multi-city bus tour through your ship. Depending on where you’re at, you may spend a good part of the day on a bus while enjoying beautiful scenery along the way. However, some bus tours offer free time in some of your stops, which can help you get a better feel for an area or have time for lunch or shipping.

Swimming with Sharks
Swimming with sharks isn’t possible everywhere, but this is a common shore excursion in destinations like the Bahamas and French Polynesia. If your ship visits Belize, you can even book a shore excursion to a region of the sea called Shark Ray Alley, which is brimming with nurse sharks and friendly southern sting rays. In Moorea of Bora Bora, on the other hand, you can safely swim with blacktip reef sharks.

No Excursion At All
Sometimes the best shore excursion is on your ship, so you shouldn’t feel pressured to book a day trip if you don’t want to. After all, it’s your vacation, so you should spend it how you want to. Not only that but spending a lazy day at sea can be relaxing, fun and affordable. Not only can a day spent on your ship be absolutely free, but you’ll have more space to explore on days when most people disembark.