Everything You Need to Know About Booking Cruise Excursions in 2026
Source: Our analysis of the creator's lived experience, based on what they said in this video.
Creator's Key Takeaways
An excursion helps you to stay with a group and usually with an experienced guide. This way you can avoid seedier areas.
We've actually never done this yet. We do have a few excursions for our upcoming cruise in Iceland via tour and Travel Advisor.
I think it's safe to say that we have enjoyed the vast majority of excursions we have taken.
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Scale: 0–5 strips in half-step increments. 0 = “meh”, 5 = “bacon bliss”. Aggregated from creator-review sentiment, weighted by channel expertise.
About our Bacon Score methodologyYouTube Video Description↓
Cruise excursions are a fun and often necessary part of cruising. This video covers everything you need to know about shore excursions including how and when to book them, how they work, the types of tours and excursions there are, and whether you should book with the cruise line or consider third party vendors. Chapters 0:00 Intro 0:53 Excursions Explained 1:28 When to Book 3:28 Do You Have To Do Them? 4:13 How Do They Work? 5:51 Types of Tours 7:42 Independent Vendors 8:55 Our Favorites 10:25 Bloopers 🛒 Visit our Amazon shop for travel must-haves (Affiliate link): https://www.amazon.com/shop/thishappyplace *We do make a small commission from any purchase made from our store. We love these products and hope they can help you on your travels as well! Water shoes: https://amzn.to/3Q1ldww Epicka Travel Adapter: https://amzn.to/3HukLlT ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cruising Tips, Hacks, & Tricks Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcHaURqh15XRWkRCKVxH5zA6EjO-FXdz3 Wonder of the Seas Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcHaURqh15XRp93ksm9YbWgXGqZgYdAHF MSC Seashore Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcHaURqh15XRWR2VRdLWJiYf11FC0N_ZM Margaritaville at Sea Islander Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcHaURqh15XTnNYXFRbUu38Jr8JItPDYw Margaritaville at Sea Paradise Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcHaURqh15XQ6EHiOsl7ccsLUTm7D9wXI Carnival Conquest Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcHaURqh15XST4XNKxU-jebhZxo-v8BV1 Allure of the Seas Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcHaURqh15XRotRGWkecf3baYLIAI52nH Norwegian Joy Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcHaURqh15XRFv7PKKZUci265ZZDIXL-l Norwegian Encore Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcHaURqh15XRhbybRFcu2NsnSZEdM159s Disney Wonder Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcHaURqh15XQCNeDDnb4KofDG7OAA_VjR ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chase Credit Card Referral: https://www.referyourchasecard.com/19o/3U8HUP3R09 *If you sign up, we will receive bonus points. Shop PangoBooks: https://pangobooks.com/HAPPYPLACE Book of the Month Referral Link: https://www.mybotm.com/lgz3o84sdza Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThisHappyPlace Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thishappyplacetravel