Getting the best from your excursion

First check if your cruise line has excursions that take limited numbers of people and whether you can book them before you sail – several cruise lines offer this chance online. Then decide whether you want to plan ahead or take your chances on being spontaneous in any given port. If you know the area, or speak the language, or it’s a well known tourist resort, you can probably save money by organising your own tour, but if its off the beaten track or if the excursion is something special, book as early as you can. The night before the excursion you should find your tickets at your stateroom either then, or the following morning you’ll be told where to meet – usually in one of the lounges and then you disembark, although on some ships the excursion meets on the dock, so make sure you know which is the case. There will be a gathering area with several people holding shore excursion signs, find yours and stay close to your guide. Remember that shore personnel will be expecting tips and that timetables are quite limited – if you’re always the last back, you’ll soon find you are unpopular onboard!