Even after more than 50 cruises, I still prefer booking shore excursions to explore new countries and ports of call. While I typically stick with cruise line–operated tours, I recently branched out and tried a third-party vendor called Shore Excursions Group.
My travel agent recommended Shore Excursions Group, and I’ve now used them multiple times in Indonesia and New Zealand. I was nervous to test a new company, as no one wants to waste their time and money on vacation for a lackluster experience.
Before my travel agent’s recommendation, I had never even heard of Shore Excursions Group. But after traveling with them, I can confidently say Shore Excursions Group is reputable, reliable, and a solid alternative to cruise line excursions.
But, I’m so glad I branched out! Here’s my honest review of Shore Excursions Group, and why I would absolutely recommend this company for your cruise tours.
First, Shore Excursions Group guarantees you won’t miss your cruise ship
If you cruise often, you already know cruise line excursions are convenient, but they can also be shockingly expensive. I’ve also found they’re frequently crowded, rushed, and feel impersonal.
The biggest advantage of booking directly through the cruise line is the peace of mind that the ship won’t leave without you if something runs late. That guarantee is one of the main reasons I still book cruise-sponsored excursions, especially when traveling far from the port city.
To my pleasant surprise, Shore Excursions Group offers the same peace of mind with a guarantee that you won’t miss the cruise ship. In the unlikely event that your ship leaves without you, they will pay for all of all related costs, plus an additional $1,000!
Their Worry Free Travel Policy states:
“In the extremely unlikely event that you miss your ship due to the late arrival of one of our tours, we will arrange and pay for your accommodations, meals, and transportation to the next port of call, and we will pay you an additional $1,000 USD per customer for the inconvenience.”
The company also states it’s never had a cruiser miss their ship due to the independent tour operators:
“We have never had a customer miss their ship. Our team possesses over 80 years of combined cruise line experience and we are not aware of a single case in which a customer on an independent tour missed a ship.”
With that added peace of mind, I booked my first tour with Shore Excursions Group in Bali, Indonesia, last fall.
Shore Excursions Group offers tours that cruise lines simply can’t
During my Celebrity Solstice sailing, we had two full days in Bali with an overnight stay in the port city of Benoa. Unfortunately, Celebrity’s excursion options were limited and very expensive. The tours offered barely scratched the surface of what we wanted to experience on the island.
We continued to check Celebrity’s excursions for months, hoping more options would appear. Unfortunately, the excursions sold out, and no additional tours were added to the destinations we wanted to visit.
After checking with my travel agent, we started browsing Shore Excursions Group. We found an 8-hour private tour for just $70 per person, which felt like a steal. With two days in port to explore Bali, we booked private tours for both days.
After arriving in Bali, our guide met us right at the port in Benoa and took us on an incredible journey through the island. We visited temples, rice terraces, coffee plantations, rural villages, and so much more.
The tour was personalized, flexible, and never felt rushed. Having a private guide also meant we could ask questions about Indonesia’s culture, and we learned more than we anticipated. Even better, we could adjust the itinerary as the day progressed and spend as much or as little time as we wanted at each destination.
Our same driver returned the next day and stayed in close contact with other guides in the area about traffic. We never felt stressed about making it back on time to the ship, but I was reassured that our driver was staying up-to-date on the traffic situation.
Had we booked only through the cruise line, we would have missed an immersive, authentic Bali experience during our cruise. We would have paid far more for a far less personal tour!
I was so impressed with Shore Excursions Group that I booked three more tours for my New Zealand cruise
While planning my tours across New Zealand, I looked again at Shore Excursions Group for options. My husband and I had never visited New Zealand, and we wanted to maximize our time in each port.
Of course, Celebrity offered plenty of tour options for each port of call. I booked two excursions with the cruise line, including a half-day sheep farm visit and a small group kayaking experience.
For the other three ports, I combed through the tours offered by Shore Excursions Group. Similar to my previous cruise, Shore Excursions Group offered excursions that weren’t an option through the cruise line. I was impressed with the pricing, variety, and availability.
First, my husband wanted to have a winery experience in New Zealand (of course!), and I found that Shore Excursions Group offered a wine tasting tour in Tauranga. Because the cruise line didn’t offer a wine tasting tour here, I was thrilled to find this option!
Additionally, I was able to book an Otago Harbor Cruise in Dunedin for a cheaper price than the cruise line. In fact, our tour was operated by the same company as the one provided by the cruise line!
I was able to book a last-minute tour with Shore Excursions Group to visit Hobbiton!
Finally, my husband asked if we could visit the Hobbiton set during our cruise. Apparently, he was a huge Lord of the Rings fan, and I had no idea! I had already planned every port, leaving only Auckland for a free day during our cruise.
Unfortunately, the cruise line’s excursion to Hobbiton sold out months in advance and was only offered in Tauranga. However, I was excited to see that Shore Excursions Group offered a Hobbiton tour from Auckland! Since we had not planned anything for our visit to Auckland, this option aligned perfectly with our schedule.
Just one week before our cruise, I was able to secure two spots with Shore Excursions Group on the Hobbiton tour from Auckland.
Our experience with Shore Excursions Group: Three excellent tours
Dunedin – Otago Harbor Cruise
Starting in Dunedin, our first tour with Shore Excursions Group was the Otago Harbor Wildlife Cruise. Directions were easy to follow, and we met with our guide in the cruise terminal within minutes of disembarking. Just as the ticket explained in detail, our guide was holding an easy-to-see sign for the tour.
We rode in a comfortable van for about 5 minutes before boarding the small boat to cruise around the harbor. There were about 8 other cruisers on our excursion with one boat driver and tour guide.
Our wildlife guide was available for any questions and provided excellent details and commentary during the boat ride. Having a small group allowed us to wander around the vessel to catch great views of the sea lions, blue penguins, seals, and the famed albatross!
During our excursion, we actually saw Celebrity’s same tour with upwards of 50 people crammed onto a slightly larger vessel. There was no comparison to our personalized experience!
Tauranga – Wine tasting tour
New Zealand is known for its incredible wines, so we were particularly excited for our Tauranga Wine Tasting with Lunch excursion. Again, directions were easy to follow, and we met with our guide within minutes of walking outside of the terminal. We were able to walk around the seaside shops before embarking on our winery journey.
Again, our group consisted of only 8 other people from the cruise ship. The smaller group was perfect for getting to know other cruisers and asking our guide questions.
Our guide explained that his company is one of the only operators offering this type of tour in the region, which explains why the cruise line didn’t have a similar option.
Our tour started with a stop at a local brewery, followed by a cable car ride in Rotorua and a hilltop wine tasting with a charcuterie board. We ended the day with a seaside drink and dessert before returning to the ship as scheduled. It was a fantastic and personalized tour that we wouldn’t have experienced otherwise.
Auckland – Hobbiton tour
The day before arriving in Auckland, I actually received a courtesy call from the tour operator. She asked that we arrive as early as possible to the van after disembarking to ensure a smooth day without rushing. I appreciated the direct communication, and it seemed everyone else on the ship received the same notice.
Our tour in Auckland started with another easy-to-find tour guide outside the cruise terminal. The driver showed us our luxury Mercedes van with spacious, comfortable seating. The air conditioning was blasting, just like we wanted on a hot summer day!
Because this wasn’t offered from the cruise line, there were about 12 of us venturing to Middle Earth to see Hobbiton. The company provided two vans, allowing for plenty of space for each group.
The guide was informative and extremely friendly, and the ride was very comfortable. Directions were clear about navigating the Hobbiton set and what to expect once we arrived.
Most importantly, our guide ensured we had plenty of time to return to Auckland for our ship’s departure. I was a little nervous knowing it was a 2-hour drive back to the port, but our driver said that he buffered at least one extra hour for traffic, if needed.
Luckily, this wasn’t an issue, and we had an extra hour in Auckland to walk around the port and shop. The full-day tour with Shore Excursions Group was fantastic, and I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking to visit Hobbiton from Auckland.
Final thoughts: Shore Excursions Group exceeded my expectations
After using Shore Excursions Group across two very different cruises, I can confidently say the company exceeded my expectations.
What impressed me most was the consistency with seamless communication, easy meeting instructions, smaller groups, and guides who genuinely cared about giving us a meaningful experience instead of rushing us through a checklist.
In Bali, Shore Excursions Group gave us access to a private, authentic, and immersive experience that the cruise line simply couldn’t match.
During our New Zealand cruise, Shore Excursions Group also offered tours that weren’t even available through the cruise line, along with lower prices and more intimate group sizes for the excursions that overlapped. Every tour ran smoothly, felt thoughtfully curated, and returned us to the ship with plenty of time to spare.
The added peace of mind with Shore Excursions Group’s return to ship guarantee allowed us to relax and enjoy the experience without panicking about returning on time to the port.
Based on my experiences, I’ll absolutely continue comparing cruise line excursions with Shore Excursions Group for future sailings. Between the return-to-ship guarantee, the unique itineraries, the smaller groups, and the overall value, they’ve become one of my go-to resources for planning days ashore.
Disclaimer: My Bali excursions were paid for entirely out of pocket. The New Zealand shore excursions mentioned in this review were provided by Shore Excursions Group; however, all opinions, observations, and recommendations are completely my own and based on my personal experience.
