Cruise guests increasingly seek private, premier shore excursions

Travel Weekly

07-06-2025

Amid record-high spending for onboard and shoreside experiences since the pandemic, demand for premier and private shore excursions has reached new heights.
Guests are increasingly seeking to spend time on land in a comfortable setting with only their immediate travel companions. That often means a private car rather than a tour bus and an itinerary tailored to their particular needs and cravings.
Shore Excursions Group CEO Paul Kiritsy said that trend is growing in Europe in particular.
It doesn't matter the ship size or whether it's contemporary or luxury, said Rinat Glinert of Venture Ashore, another third-party shore excursion provider. But there are two groups she's noticed who are particularly drawn to private experiences: travelers with accessibility challenges and families.
Those groups find the convenience of a private driver and a tailored itinerary to be worth the extra expense, Glinert said.
Tim Harwood, owner of MyExcursions, which specializes in higher-end, personalized experiences, said last year was the company's best ever.
"A lot of people are still just looking for the personal experience to cover some of the main sites, but they don't want to step on a coach or they may be a little less mobile, and they want to have that comfort of knowing they can proceed at their own pace," he said.
Cruise lines are seeing similar shore excursion trends.
Christine Manjencic, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings' vice president of destination services operations, said the company has noticed a shift over the past few years in its guests' shore excursion patterns.
"We are seeing them interested in small-group tours and more immersive excursions such as Go Local experiences where they can truly dive into the culture and history of the destination they are visiting," she said. "Our classic shore excursions where guests can see highlights of the destination with a large group are still popular among first-time visitors, but we are also seeing an increase in guests who prefer a more intimate and exclusive experience that enables them to get that perfect picture for their social media."
Cruise excursions with culinary elements are popular, such as this visit to a vineyard in France. Photo Credit: Venture Ashore
Culinary tours in high demand
One particular type of experience appears to be gaining popularity: anything related to food.
Whether it's cooking classes or a stop at a restaurant with a particularly scenic vista, guests are looking to taste the flavor of a destination on their brief stop off of the ship, said Glinert of Venture Ashore and Harwood of MyExcursions.
"I think that's one of the things that really connects you to a destination," Glinert said. "You have those core memories of something that you did that was speaking to more than just your sense of sight, so I think there's a lot there that's building in the culinary space. We've got requests for people who want to go truffle hunting. All kinds of stuff."
Guests spending more on excursions
The interest in more premium excursions, and excursions overall, coincides with continued increased spending.
Sometimes guests spend more on excursions than the cruise itself, Glinert said.
"They're really looking for something that is going to elevate their cruise experience, and they're willing to pay for that," she said.
Shore Excursions Group, which recently sold its 5 millionth tour, has seen the average order value increase by nearly 40% since the pandemic, Kiritsy said. The company pays commissions and has tracked an increase in travel advisor sales after integrating its own marketing into popular booking platforms advisors use like Odysseus, Revelex and VacationPort. The group's sales are up 50% from such platforms, thanks to a 200% increase in advisors activating Shore Excursions Group offers, Kiritsy said.
All of this means excursions are selling out more quickly and bookings are happening earlier, Kiritsy said.
For Caribbean excursions, guests are booking an average of 10 weeks prior to sailing, and in destinations like Alaska and Europe, it's 14 weeks prior, he said.
In Europe, new restrictions on vehicle sizes for accessing certain sites have also caused excursions to book up because they simply can't accommodate as many people as they previously could, Glinert said.
Shore Excursions Group is suggesting that advisors book excursions early to ensure clients have the experiences they want, Kiritsy said.
"Once the cruise is booked and you know where you're going, we definitely recommend securing the excursions," he said. "They definitely will sell out, and you don't want to miss out on the best excursions in each of those ports."