A cruise ship expert is weighing in on some of the biggest mistakes that you could make if you're planning on vacationing on the high seas. The 28-year-old revealed that one of the biggest mistakes is not doing your due diligence and research beforehand.
Speaking on her YouTube channel via Daily Mail, Southerton said, "So many people book cruise line excursions without doing any research on the port that they're actually visiting. Many attractions that people are paying to see like the government buildings. And the shopping streets, they could find on their own really easy. You should research the ports that you're visiting. And if you can see that the thing you want to visit. And see is less than 30 minutes away from where the ship is going to dock."
Rather than spend money on excursions, Southerton insists that you can explore the tropical countries your cruise ship is docked at on your own. She explained, "In my opinion you don't need an excursion. You can explore it on your own. Or if you still want to do a tour, you could look at a local tour. Which nine times out of 10 will be a lot more affordable than the same tour that's offered by the cruise line."
Cruise Ship Expert Weighs In
It's a way to save a chunk of chain on what's probably a costly cruise ship vacation. However, the cruise ship expert isn't totally against excursions.
She explained, "Excursions can be extremely valuable when the destination is far from the port. One of their main selling points is if something does happen like the tour bus gets stuck in traffic. Or it breaks down, the cruise ship has to wait for you because you've booked that excursion through the cruise line."
But the cruise ship expert says that it is important to read all of the terms and conditions. You also need to consider the fitness level needed for the excursion as well as height and weight restrictions as well.
She explained, "So cruise lines will classify their excursions based on activity level. And if you book without checking this you might end up on a tour that is a lot more physically demanding than you are prepared for. Another one is height and weight restrictions. You also want to pay attention to time allocations. A lot of people don't pay attention to how long each attraction has been allocated."
