Are Shore Excursions too expensive?

I found this article a while back. I don't know the author or the original date it was published but it is still relevant so I thought I would dust it off and include it in my blog.

"What should you do when a client asks: "Some of the shore excursions on our planned cruise seem a little pricey. Should we rent a car and go out on our own?"

Tell them; They can, but, unless they are very familiar with the area (maybe they have been before), AND the port is in the USA, or in a "friendly" country AND they are fluent in the language, it IS NOT recommended!

Most shore excursions are in the $30.00 to $100.00 range, with some higher, up to $500.00 or more, depending on the length of the excursion, mode of transportation and admission fees to attractions visited.

Chances are, they will see more, have more time to spend and feel much safer if they take an excursion provided by the cruise line.

Remember, on their own, they could get lost, break down, or, heaven forbid, have a medical emergency or get robbed. In any of these cases, if they cannot get back to the ship on time, it WILL NOT wait for them! It will then be at their expense to either get to the ship's next port or get home - neither a particularly easy, quick or inexpensive task - especially in a foreign country!

The best security in taking a cruise sponsored excursion is that they know that ship will not leave without them, regardless of what happens, and how late their group returns.

One of the most enjoyable "shore" excursions I have taken didn't even involve the shore. It was a small boat excursion in Alaska which picked us up at our ship and took us out into the bay beneath a glacier. With the motor off, you could hear the wildlife calling out, and there were two whales, each at least twice as long as the boat we were in, mere yards from us.

The cost: about $35.00 for a two and one half hour bay cruise amongst the Alaskan wildlife. To me, this excursion was vastly underpriced for the experience it afforded me.

And, there are much more costly excursions, too. In St. Petersburg, for example, most cruise lines offer a day excursion to Moscow. It involves a round trip flight and visits the Kremlin, and several other landmarks you may have seen in books, but may never get another chance to visit. This excursion can run as high as $750.00 to $1,000.00 per person or more. Or, an Antarctica flight from a South America cruise - this can run $1200.00 or more.... and then there's the granddaddy of expensive excursions - offered by Crystal Cruises for the second year is a flight in an actual MIG fighter jet at Mach speeds above Russia - at a hefty cost of $22,000.00.
But, what is the cost if they don't go, and they never get the chance again?
What is it worth to walk on the Great Wall in China, or to visit the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, or see the Louvre in Paris.

These are costly excursions, but, as a once in a lifetime experience, they are truly priceless!"

Just a personal experience to add:
In Panama, we took an excursion through the Panama Canal and booked it through the cruise line. There was a delay going thru the canal and we were got back to the ship about 45 minutes after it was scheduled to leave the port. Since the excursion was booked through Celebrity, the ship waited and once the last person went up the gang plank, the ship took off. Had we booked it on our own, we would have been responsible for flying to Costa Rica to meet up with the ship. By the way, travel insurance usually does not cover this expense.

In many cases, I will recommend to my clients that they look for alternate options to the cruise lines excursions but usually in ports where they can get themselves back to the ship in plenty of time if there is a problem on the excursion. This is a company that many of my clients have used successfully in the Caribbean and Bermuda, Mexico, Canada/New England and Alaska. They might offer less expensive excursions, smaller groups or more unique excursions. Always check with me before booking them for my opinion or client feedback on an excursion.