Ship tour or do it yourself — scored for your port and your style
Independent · No affiliate links · A four-factor framework from a former cruise ship Purser's Office staff member
Should you book the ship's shore excursion or go independent?
The Excursion Score weighs four things price alone hides — value, reliability, experience and time — and adjusts to how you travel. It is willing to tell you to take the ship's tour. See how the score works →
Read the full method: the four factors and the four-type matrix →
Each option is scored one to ten on four factors — value for money, reliability (getting back to the ship), experience and time efficiency — for a total out of forty. Your travel style re-weights those four factors, so two travelers can get different verdicts for the same port. It's shown as a transparent table, not a black box. Full method here.
Yes — often. When a port is a tender port, more than an hour away, or depends on a single ferry, drive or scheduled return with no backup, the score recommends the ship's tour because it carries the return. Neutrality is the point: we don't sell excursions, so the score points to the right choice, not a sale.
No. The figures are evidence — typical, dated and sourced — to show why a verdict lands where it does. Excursion and transport prices move with the season, operator and itinerary, so confirm the real price for your own sailing before booking.
Excursions are one line on a bill full of extras. See what your whole cruise actually costs — gratuities, drinks, Wi-Fi and add-ons — before you commit.
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