Booking shore excursions on your cruise can provide lasting memories with unforgettable experiences. On any given sailing, guests have many options to choose from when it comes to shore excursions. Caribbean itineraries provide a variety of experiences that guests can book directly with the cruise line.
These include beach breaks, snorkeling, ATV riding, zip-lining, dolphin encounters, historical visits, city tours, food experiences, and more. However, not all excursions might be worth your money. No one wants to feel disappointed on their cruise vacation.
One TikToker took to social media to warn cruisers of a few excursions that didn’t live up to her expectations.
In a viral TikTok, creator TravelWithAda shares three cruise excursions everyone should avoid. After trying these excursions for herself on her first cruise, Ada states she didn’t like them and found them to be a waste of money.
In the video description, the TikToker explains how she “didn’t enjoy” her excursions that much. She felt they were “ridiculously overpriced,” and the excursion descriptions were “highly exaggerated” based on her experiences. Ada was also frustrated that phones were not allowed during certain excursions, forcing guests to purchase professional photos for $40.
The TikTok has amassed over 500k views with 19.3k likes and more than 300 comments. In earlier videos, TravelwithAda shares that she was cruising on Icon of the Seas as a first-time cruiser.
In addition, Ada explains how she tried to book excursions on Royal Caribbean’s app before boarding the ship, but the app wasn’t working properly. Because of this, all her excursions were booked onboard Icon of the Seas, and many of the ones she wanted to do were sold out.
Ada explains to viewers that she wants to help other cruisers travel smarter with their money. The Tiktoker continues to caution cruisers to avoid three specific shore excursions on their Caribbean cruises.
1. Dolphin Encounter Experience in Costa Maya, Mexico
The first excursion that cruisers should avoid in the Caribbean, according to Ada, is the dolphin encounter in Costa Maya. The tour description states, “You will be able to interact with them, touch, hug them, and even have your photo taken with them so you can relive this wonderful experience again and again.”
Although Royal Caribbean describes the two-hour tour as including at least 30 minutes with the dolphins, Ada says the time is closer to five minutes.
“The dolphin encounter experience in Costa Maya was $90 per person. It says the activity is two hours, but in reality, you only spend five minutes with the dolphins,” says the TikToker.
She continues to explain how everyone in the tour group takes turns petting the dolphins during the encounter experience. Everyone on the tour pets the dolphins one by one, limiting their time with the dolphins.
“So, majority of the time, you’re just standing still in the water waiting for your turn,” she states in the TikTok.
Additionally, Ada tells viewers that phones and cameras are not allowed in the water during the dolphin encounter. Instead, the tour has a professional photographer who takes pictures of everyone with the dolphins.
“But, then they have the audacity to charge you $40 for one photo. $40 for this? No, thank you,” exclaims Ada in the video.
The dolphin encounter experience in Costa Maya is available as an excursion for all of the major cruise lines. The convenience of the encounter right in the terminal area appeals to many cruisers. The tour operator lists the Dolphin Encounter at $79 per person, while the Dolphin Swim Adventure is $109 per person.
According to Carnival Cruise Line’s website, the dolphin encounter is available to book for $119 per person, whereas Royal Caribbean charges $129 per adult for the swim adventure.
In addition, Ada mentions in the comments that guests must rent lockers and towels if they want one. She found it ridiculous that tour operators were charging extra for these amenities considering the high price tag for the activity.
2. Beach Horseback Ride and Swim in Roatan, Honduras
Based on her personal experience, Ada shares that guests should also avoid beach horseback riding in Roatan, Honduras. Although this second excursion was a fun experience for the TikToker, she was disappointed that the tour advertisement wasn’t exactly what the experience encompassed.
“This was a fun experience, but the photo made it seem like we were going to ride the horses into the water, but that was not the case. It even said to wear swimsuits, but that was not needed at all,” says the TikToker.
In the video, viewers can see how the horses were "barely" walking into the ocean. In reality, Ada said many of the horses were actually scared to go into the water while the guests were riding.
“For $110 per person, you’re riding the horse into the forest and then you’re spending about five minutes riding the horses on the beach. Just a heads up for those interested in this activity,” shares the TikToker.
Royal Caribbean’s tour description explains, “You’ll head on an off-road trail that takes you through the tropical foliage of Roatan’s native jungles. Continue to ride your horse right onto a secluded beach and up to the beautiful calm waters of the Caribbean Sea. Your horse may even join you for a refreshing dip in the water.”
However, Ada explains the tour is mostly riding horses along the shoreline and into the nearby jungle.
Based on her experience, Ada warns other cruisers to skip this excursion because of the seemingly false advertising and high price.
3. Reef Explorer Semi-Submarine in Cozumel, Mexico
In addition to the other excursions to avoid, Ada explains how she was disappointed in the submarine excursion in Cozumel during her Caribbean cruise.
For $75, guests can explore the "exotic underwater world" in a semi-submersible vessel according to Royal Caribbean’s description of the tour. Although Royal Caribbean’s description explains that guests will see “colorful tropical fish and incredible coral formations,” this wasn’t the case for Ada during her excursion.
“You go to the bottom of the boat and you have your own little window where you can see wildlife. It was pretty disappointing because you really don’t see much,” says the TikToker.
In the video, the submarine view shows only a few fish swimming around without much other wildlife in view. Ada states they saw some fish and scuba divers at the end of the submarine excursion, but not much else. “The majority of the time, there was nothing to see,” says Ada.
In addition to the disappointing underwater views, the boat ride itself was very unpleasant for Ada and her travel party. She says, “The boat was so rocky. For $75, all of us ended up super nauseous by the end of the experience.”
Given her experience, Ada found the price of the excursion was not worthwhile, as they didn’t see much underwater and they left feeling seasick.
Many of the comments were in agreement with the TikToker, finding most of the same cruise excursions a waste of money
Over 300 people commented on the TikTok, and many users agreed with Ada’s assessment. In addition, many of the viewers shared how they avoid most of the cruise line’s excursions in general due to the high prices and exaggerated descriptions.
“That’s exactly [why] I didn’t book anything. I am ok with just laying on the beach,” shared one user. In response, Ada agreed, “I’m for sure just gonna do that next time.”
Another TikTok user commented, “Just skip them all and spend time on the ship with no people on it.”
“Totally agree with you about the dolphin excursion! It’s just not worth the time you get to spend with the dolphins,” agreed one commenter.
One user said, “I don’t do any cruise excursions anymore. I book all of mine through Get Your Guide.” Another agreed, “No, I never do excursions through the cruise line.”
Another commented, “I don’t do excursions, I just wanna look cute on the beach!”
“I’ve been on at least 10 cruises and haven’t done an excursion to this day. I don’t mind it [because] I really do enjoy exploring and meeting new people in new countries,” said one user in the comment section.
Others agreed with Ada that excursions are very overpriced. “I get so tired of money grabs. Things cost a fortune and the return that you get isn’t worth the cruise paid,” writes one user.
“Me being a first timer, I am not paying for any excursions. The cruise itself will be for me.. cause it’ll be my first time,” commented one user.
Some viewers were thankful for Ada sharing her experiences on TikTok, deterring others from feeling the same disappointment. Another viewer commented, “Okay, this is a hot tip on the submarine boat. There’s not a lot of options with a 3 year old, and I was considering that.”
“Thanks for the heads up… we’re going to these places in August and we’ll be skipping all three of these,” said another TikToker user.
“Not to mention the pictures they try to sell you are hundreds of dollars,” explained one user. Ada agreed, writing, “They really do! Forbid you to bring cameras and then charge $40 for one photo... I was SHOCKED.”
Should you book cruise ship excursions?
Booking excursions through a cruise line has many benefits, including convenience, flexibility, and peace of mind. However, you will pay a premium to book through the cruise line. In addition, guests might choose to independently explore ports of call. This could include a third-party tour company, which is often the more affordable option, or explore on your own.
To start, guests can book excursions directly through the cruise line in the cruise planner or app. While the prices are typically the most expensive, you can easily find all of the available tours for your ports of call. The tour operators that work directly with cruise lines are typically vetted for safety and operational standards.
Read more: 11 common cruise shore excursion mistakes to avoid
In addition, if you are on an excursion sponsored by the cruise line, the cruise ship is required to wait for you if you’re running late. Those who want to visit landmarks or points of interest that are far from the cruise port might consider cruise-sponsored excursions for this reason alone.
Moreover, if a port of call is cancelled, your excursion will be refunded automatically with the cruise line. Should you book an independent excursion, you might be stuck with nonrefundable excursion costs.
Although there are plenty of perks, booking excursions with cruise lines can be expensive and not very customizable or personal. You will likely tour in large group on a strict schedule. For this reason, some might pursue a third-party excursion for a more personalized experience. These excursions are usually cheaper as well.
Allie Hubers
Allie Hubers has been cruising since she was a tiny toddler. What started as a yearly vacation with family quickly turned into a passion for travel, cruising and adventure. Allie's been on over 45 cruises all over the world. She even studied abroad on Semester at Sea, sailing the world on a ship while taking courses for college and visiting 4 continents.
