I Probably Shouldn’t Be So Annoyed by Cruise Ship Excursions
Canterbury & Deal, Kent; Great Britain
I feel downright curmudgeonly when it comes to cruise ship excursions. I think they overcharge for the service, which usually includes being herded around in big groups. But there are times when a ship-sponsored excursion is the best way to go.
On my 15-day cruise, I avoided all cruise-sponsored excursions until we got to Dover, Kent, in England. At the last minute, I booked an afternoon tour via the ship’s app. It included a ride to Canterbury, where we could walk around the town for two hours. If we wanted to go inside the famous cathedral, we would have to buy a separate ticket. Then we would reboard the bus and drive to Deal, an old seaside resort town.
On the road back from Deal, Kent.
When we got off the bus in Canterbury, our host pointed the way to the cathedral and told us to meet back at the bus shortly before 4 p.m. I started walking and immediately felt a little uncomfortable. I was conscious of a 20-something man in a hoodie walking behind me. I swerved off my route and walked quickly to a part of the street with more people. I don’t think there was anything to be concerned about, but this happened a couple of times and I was super aware of guarding against pickpocketing or someone snatching my bag. It crossed my mind that I should have stuck closer to the excursion group.
The cathedral area had interesting medieval buildings and arches and was more crowded than the area where we were dropped. I was disappointed to see scaffolding covering part of the cathedral. There were also barriers to direct the crowds and a long line waiting for entrance. The building was truly impressive. If I had really wanted to see the inside, spending $140 for the excursion that included the tour would have been the way to go. But I was already a little annoyed at spending $89 for what was essentially a bus ride. On the other hand, from the cruise terminal, it would have been really difficult to catch a taxi or other alternative without walking a long way. It turned out to be worth the money for a comfortable ride and letting someone else worry about getting us back to the ship on time.
I walked around Canterbury a bit, popping in and out of shops, but the town center, at least the part we saw, felt like a tourist district without a lot of charm. That’s the problem with short excursions. With only two hours, I couldn’t take a boat trip on the river through town or visit the Westgate Gardens or absorb the history in the Canterbury Roman Museum.
From Canterbury, we drove another 45 minutes to the seaside town of Deal which, as it turned out, I really liked. So much so that I wondered what it would be like to return and rent a place for a month. It was cold from the wind off the sea and a lot of places were closing early because it was Easter weekend, but the walk along the shore was beautiful. There were several traditional English pubs, and one couple in our group said they’d eaten the best fist and chips they’d ever had. I enjoyed browsing at a book shop where I bought an Isabel Allende book and four art cards. The cashier was friendly, asking me if I’d read any Allende and wanting to know where I was from. We talked for several minutes and I left feeling more cheerful.
Then I stopped to take a photo of a produce stand. Containers of strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries where on sale for “2 punnets for only 3.00.” I had just been thinking about how nice it is to visit an English-speaking country when I came across “punnet.” I thought maybe it was some kind of weight measurement, and I had to ask. The young man behind the table looked up when I got his attention. “It’s just a word for “container.” He was patient with my question and didn’t seem to mind the conversation. Impressive for a young man who had been absorbed in his phone.
By the time I got back on the warm bus, I was glad I’d come. If you look at excursions as samples, little bites of places you might like to try more of, then it may not be so frustrating. On this trip, my priority was not seeing the sites, but enjoying the ship, which I did thoroughly. The excursion was just a little bonus. I’m interested in taking another long cruise, and I’ll continue to be careful in considering excursions.
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Tips & Recommendations
Some ports are walkable and some are not. Some have easy public transportation or shuttles and some do not. If you want to be cost-conscious by walking or taking public transportation, try to research each port ahead of time. You can check Google Maps, but it’s often difficult to know exactly where the ship will be docking. Ask your cruise consultant, check blogs and YouTube videos, or wait until you’re onboard and get port information.