Planning the Perfect Port Day Independently – Handy Tips & Tricks!

One of the benefits of booking a cruise is that you can sit back and let someone else make all the plans. Whichever cruise line you sail with, they will have an extensive list of tours and excursions. Sometimes you just need to get yourself off the ship on a shore day, and everything else is taken care of.

But do you think someone like me – who counts travel planning as a hobby – could just sit back and relax, and not make ANY shore day plans beyond clicking “Book Now” on a cruise line excursion? Could I heck. So with two cruises behind me, here are A Brummie Home and Abroad’s handy tips and tricks for planning the perfect port day independently.

I’ve used Barcelona as my main example here as this was the port day on our recent P&O Med Cruise that required the most planning! And I confess that I don’t always get it right…

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Planning the perfect port day independently before you travel

Once you know your itinerary, use the internet to pinpoint a small number of things you REALLY want to see. Just type “One day in [Insert destination] blog” into your search engine of choice and spend some time reading about the first-hand experiences and recommendations of travel writers and bloggers. “What’s In Port” is also a useful resource, with other 1200 cruise ports included.

In fact, see that little magnifying glass up in the left-hand top corner of this page? Pop your destination into the search bar – maybe I’ve visited!

Plan your route

Make a note of the things you’d like really to see and pin them on a Google Map. Or even go traditional and use a physical map! If they are quite spread out, what method will you use to get between the sites? Will you waste valuable time travelling. Or even worse – queuing? What other attractions lie in between? This will help you identify what is possible to do within the 8-10 hours that a ship is usually docked at a port.

If you’re anything like our family it’s always helpful to plot out where you can find public bathrooms! I try and include this information in my blog posts where I can. Department stores or shopping centres are usually a good bet.

Be realistic!

With just one day it’s impossible to see everything. Particularly in sprawling cities like Barcelona, where you’ll probably have to prioritise just one or two attractions. We chose to visit La Sagrada Familia and Park Guell, sacrificing all the other Gaudi buildings I’d hoped to see. Even that wasn’t perfect as Park Guell is a little way out of the centre, requiring a taxi ride to get there. Pairing La Sagrada Familia with Casa Battló/Casa Milà would have been a more sensible itinerary, leaving Park Guell for a future visit.

So you have a plan for your perfect port day! What next?

Once you know the highlights you want to hit up, it’s time to think logistics. What are the opening/closing times? Are there entrance fees? And importantly, do you need to pre-book tickets?

Check your info

Make sure you check the official websites where possible for accurate and up-to-date information. If you’re travelling in Europe on Monday for example, lots of museums are closed. And on Sundays, churches and cathedrals may be closed at certain times for private worship. Also keep an eye out for any local holidays or festivals. We travelled to La Spezia, Italy on 2nd June – Festa della Republica (Republic Day) – but luckily it didn’t impact our day.

Pre-book your tickets

We knew that we would need to pre-book our La Sagrada Familia tickets to guarantee entry. I booked our tickets through Get Your Guide; the earliest timed slot we could get was 11:15am. After estimating we’d want to spend around an hour at La Sagrada Familia, I booked our Park Guell admission tickets for 1pm. Our timing actually turned out perfectly. We even squeezed in a quick coffee and pastry before jumping in a taxi.

Booking a tour for your perfect port day

It’s always worth browsing the cruise lines activities and shore excursions to see what they offer. If they offer something that you fancy, check sites like Get Your Guide or Viator to see if they offer anything similar which may fit into your schedule. It will often save you money too.

Be wary of booking any tours until you know what time you will disembarking – and most importantly, what time you need to return! If you do book a trip independently, remember it is your responsibility to get back to the ship on time. Your cruise ship won’t wait for you.

Don’t be one of these guys!

You’ll often find representatives from tour companies hanging around the cruise terminal if you’re planning on winging it on the day. Booking direct with local operators ensures that money stays in the local community. You’ll get a much more personal experience too, with knowledge from those that really know the destination. On our Norwegian Fjords cruise with Celebrity Cruises we booked our Briksdal Glacier tour direct with Olden Adventures. They had a kiosk at the port and it was super easy to book in person.

Hop On and Hop Off

Hop On Hop Off Buses can be a great way to experience a city. We used one in Athens when we found ourselves with an unexpected day in the Greek capital thanks to a cancelled ferry. They often have a stop close to the cruise terminal too. It’s good to take a full circuit to get your bearings, and to listen to the audio guide, and then choose where to get off to explore further. They work best if you can pair a tour with a pre-researched list of what you want to see; you can just pinpoint the closest stops and away you go!

Take a walk on the wild side

Of course, you may just prefer to stroll around the port. We like to book a “free” walking tour with a local guide to give us information about the history and culture of a city. Again, just pop “Free Walking Tour [Insert Destination] into your search engine of choice. Or Guruwalk is another great resource for finding the best free walking tours. If you prefer to plan your own self-guided walk, GPSmyCity is a great app where popular routes can be downloaded direct to your mobile for offline use. You’ll even find a few A Brummie Home and Abroad articles on there!

As always with “free” walking tours, make sure you tip generously at the end! A good guide will gently encourage you to donate what you feel the tour may be worth, without putting on any pressure. “Free” tour guides are often freelance and tips could be their sole income – which means they often work harder to give you the best experience possible!

Making the most of your perfectly planned port day

So you know what you want to see, you’ve booked your tickets and you’re all set. Here are some tips on how to make the most of your perfectly planned port day!

• Find out the best way to get from the cruise port to the city. Check in advance if you’ll need to take a port shuttle bus, public transport or if it’s walkable. Your cruise ship should provide you with port information but they will naturally push their own – often costly – options.
• If you’re planning on pounding the streets, make sure you’re wearing comfy footwear. If you’re in any doubt about rubbing shoes, pack some plasters in your day-bag.
• Other things to remember to take with you include sunscreen, water in a refillable bottle, and a portable charger for your phone – especially if you’re relying on it for maps or any attraction tickets. Photographers, don’t forget spare batteries and sim cards. Earbuds or headphones are also a good idea if you want to use any audio guides
• Take the opportunity to sample local cuisine. When you’re on a cruise its easy to use the excuse that your meals are included, but who doesn’t want to eat tapas in Spain or focaccia in Italy? Food markets are a great place to soak up local atmosphere as well as sample regional produce.
• Be aware of siesta time; in some areas shop, restaurants and bars shut during the afternoon. In key tourist areas many will remain open but it;s something to be aware of if you plan to shop or eat during this time.
• Use the opportunity to make purchases – a pharmacy visit or soft drinks and snacks for your cabin. They’ll be cheaper than using the shopping facilities onboard.

A final point to be aware of is the importance of sustainable travel. Cruise ships – and ergo cruise passengers – get a bad rap for turning up at a destination and swelling the population significantly without particularly contributing to the local economy. Try to support local businesses where possible for eating, drinking and shopping. Be a good tourist, and be respectful of local traditions, culture and customs.

The benefits of a cruise line excursion

Whilst my preference will always be to plan a perfect port day independently, there are some benefits of booking an excursion with your cruise line.

• Convenience: Your port day is already planned out for you, and you get picked up right from the ship. All the logistics are taken care of for you!
• Expert insights: Many cruise excursions include a local expert guide that can provide interesting and informative commentary. This is particularly useful if there may be a language barrier
• Peace of mind: Cruise ship excursions maximise the day ashore, and return you to the ship on time. Ships will not wait for latecomers from a private tour.
• Variety: Your cruise line do all the legwork in researching the best shore excursions available. They carefully select the providers, working with reputable operators
• Access to activities that are difficult to organise independently
• If you have onboard credit, you can use this to purchase a cruise line excursion, meaning that if you spend wisely, your cruise line excursion won’t cost a thing!

The bottom line

I’m not going to lie. I’ve prepared this guide with Ma and Pa Lee in mind as they embark on their first cruise alone next year. As chief family travel planner, I’m more than happy to wave them off with reams of information and itineraries, but hopefully they’ll bear some of these tips in mind for planning the perfect port day independently.