10 Genius Ways to Save €500+ on Cruise Excursions
(2025 Cruiser’s Guide)
JULY 5th, 2025
When you booked your cruise, you probably expected:
Waking up in a new city daily
Exploring amazing sites
Easy, all-in-one vacation planning
But then you saw the shore excursion prices:
€129 for a half-day walking tour?
€180 for a bus to Rome?
€89 just to see the Acropolis?
Multiply that by two people, four ports, and your “affordable” cruise now includes €1,000+ in extras.
Here’s the truth: you can explore the same places with more freedom, more joy, and more savings—without joining a single group tour.
Here’s exactly how.
Discover how PortTrip provides time-saving recommendations for maximizing your shore Activities.
1. 🚫 Skip Cruise-Sponsored Tours (And Why They’re So Overpriced)
Cruise lines use excursions as major profit centers. Their markup on local activities is huge—often double or triple what you'd pay locally.
Example:
Cruise excursion to Cinque Terre: €139
DIY using PortTrip: €3 ferry + €16 hiking pass + local lunch = €35 total
Why It’s Smarter to DIY:
No rigid schedules
Explore at your pace
Choose your priorities (not the guide’s)
Avoid large group herding
👉 Use PortTrip to recreate full excursions for a fraction of the price.
2. 🚇 Use Local Transportation: Metro, Bus, Tram, or Ferry
The cheapest (and often fastest) way to get into a city? Local transport.
Examples:
Athens (Piraeus to Acropolis): €1.20 via Metro Line 1
Livorno to Florence: €2 bus + €10.60 regional train
Naples to Pompeii: €2.80 Circumvesuviana train
🧠 PortTrip shows you which lines, stops, and how long each ride takes.
💸 Cruise shuttle cost: €25–€35
💡 Local alternative: €2–€5
3. 📍 Know Where the Port Actually Is (and How to Leave It)
Many cruise ports are nowhere near the advertised city.
Examples:
Civitavecchia (Rome): 75 min away by train
Livorno (Florence): 1 hr 45 min by bus/train
Ravenna (Venice): 2.5 hours by coach
If you just “walk off the ship” with no plan, you’ll:
Waste hours finding transport
Miss major sights
Overpay out of panic
✅ PortTrip pinpoints your terminal location, then gives exact steps to reach town—walking, shuttle, bus, or train. All offline.
4. 🏛️ Use Local City Passes (And Know When They're Worth It)
Some city passes save you serious money—if you know how to use them.
Top Examples:
Dubrovnik Pass (€35): Includes City Walls (€35), Rector’s Palace, Maritime Museum, buses
Athens Multi-Site Ticket (€30): Acropolis, Agora, Kerameikos, Roman Forum, and more (€80+ value)
I Amsterdam Card or Lisbon Card: Worth it for 2+ museums + transit
⚖️ Don’t blindly buy passes. Use PortTrip’s "Pass vs. À La Carte" calculator to see if it fits your plans.
5. 📱 Book Attraction Tickets Yourself (Save €100s in Markups)
Booking directly saves you from:
Cruise line markups (20–100%)
Reseller fees
Forced bundles (e.g., “bus + ticket” deals)
🎟️ Best Platforms:
Official attraction websites
💡 Combine direct tickets with PortTrip’s routing for the cheapest, most efficient experience.
Discover how PortTrip assists in scheduling activities, managing dining reservations, and ensuring you don't miss out on any of the ship's exclusive offerings.
6. 🚶 Choose Ports Where You Can Walk Straight Into Town
Some ports are right in the city. You don’t need transport—just good shoes and a smart route.
Best Walk-Off Ports:
Kotor, Montenegro
Valletta, Malta
Mykonos Town
Corfu Old Port
Ajaccio, Corsica
🔍 PortTrip highlights these ports so you know when to just step off and go.
7. 🗺️ Follow a Self-Guided Itinerary (Instead of a Tour Guide)
You don’t need a tour guide to explore Florence or Athens.
You need:
A map
A route that makes sense
Estimated times
Info on what’s worth it
💡 PortTrip has 3h, 4h, and 6h itineraries built by destination experts—optimized for walking distance, interest, and cruise timing.
8. 🍽️ Eat Smart: No Overpriced Group Lunches
Cruise excursions usually include a “traditional lunch” in a touristy venue. These meals are bland, rushed, and expensive.
Instead:
Eat where locals eat
Grab fresh market bites or bakery snacks
Sit down at tavernas or bistros near attractions
💡 PortTrip includes vetted local food spots with prices, dietary notes, and location-based suggestions.
9. 👨👩👧 For Families: Mix and Match DIY + Passes
Kids often get discounted or free entry—but most city passes don’t offer kid pricing.
Example in Dubrovnik:
Adults: €35 City Walls
Kids (7–18): €15
Museum combo for kids: €10
👉 Strategy:
Buy Dubrovnik Pass for adults
Get individual tickets for kids
⚖️ Use PortTrip’s cost calculator to apply the strategy to your family.
10. 📲 Use a Smart Cruise Planning App (That Works Offline)
This one ties everything together.
PortTrip solves:
🧭 Getting from port to city
🗺️ What to see and in what order
⏱️ How long each stop takes
💸 Whether the city pass is worth it
📶 No signal? No problem. It’s all offline.
If you're serious about saving €500+ on excursions, this is the only tool you need.
🧠 Final Verdict: Smarter Cruisers Save Big
Most cruise travelers overpay for excursions because they don’t know better. Now you do. You can:
Visit the same sights
Eat better food
Move at your pace
Keep hundreds in your pocket
And you can do it with one offline app designed for cruise days.
👉 Download PortTrip for iPhone
Your smarter cruise day starts now.
