Excursions are one of our favorite parts of cruising, but we don’t automatically book through the cruise line in every port. In this video, we walk you through our exact decision process—because there isn’t one “right” way to do shore days. When we’re planning a cruise, we ask practical questions like: Is it a docked or tender port? How long are we in port? How far is the experience from the ship? Is timing a risk factor? And is this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity worth paying more for? We share when we book with the cruise line (short ports, long drives, high-traffic areas, tender ports for priority tender, or when we want that “ship will wait” safety net). We also talk about when third-party providers like Viator and Get Your Guide are our go-to—especially in Europe for smaller groups, clear meeting points, and skip-the-line value. And yes, sometimes we go fully DIY for easy ports, simple beach days, overnights, or when you can’t book in advance. Our biggest takeaway: we don’t avoid excursions—we book them intentionally. We comparison shop, look for discounts (like NCL’s excursion credit and status perks), and we’re not afraid to mix and match, like we did in Pompeii with an NCL bus plus a Get Your Guide tour.