Your ship will try to sell you shore excursions at every port. Some are genuinely worth it. Many are overpriced tourist traps. Here's how to tell the difference in Cozumel and Nassau.
The shore excursion desk on a cruise ship is a money-making machine. The cruise line marks up tours by 30–50% compared to booking the same experience directly, and they count on the fact that passengers feel nervous about wandering off on their own in an unfamiliar port. That nervousness is understandable, but it costs you a lot of money.
Here’s the truth: at most Caribbean ports, you don’t need the ship’s excursion desk at all. You need to know what’s genuinely worth doing, which companies are reliable, and when it actually makes sense to book through the ship versus on your own. I’ll break it down for Cozumel and Nassau, two of the ports you’re most likely to visit from a Florida departure.
Cozumel is, without question, one of the best port days you can have on any Caribbean cruise. The island sits over the Mesoamerican Reef, the second largest barrier reef system in the world, and the snorkelling and diving here are as good as anywhere on earth. The water is clear, warm, and incredibly shallow in places; even non-swimmers can snorkel with a life jacket and see something extraordinary.
The town of San Miguel is compact, genuinely charming, and walkable from the pier in about 10 minutes. You don’t need a plan. You just need to know what to spend your time on.
Snorkelling at Chankanaab National Park This is my top recommendation for first-timers or anyone who doesn’t dive. Chankanaab is a protected lagoon park about five minutes from the pier by taxi (around $5–8 for a shared cab). The entry fee is roughly $24/person, and for that you get access to stunning reef snorkelling, a beach with loungers, a freshwater lagoon, and sea lion shows that are better than they sound. Bring your own snorkel gear if your ship allows it; they rent equipment there but it’s cheaper to have your own. Book entry through GetYourGuide for slightly better prices than at the gate.
Scuba diving with a local dive operator If you’re certified, do not book diving through the ship. Book directly with Dive Paradise (+52 987 872 1007, diveparadisecozumel.com) or Blue Angel Dive (+52 987 872 1631, blueangelresort.com). Two-tank reef dives run $55–70 with a local operator versus $130–160 through the ship. The dive masters are excellent, the equipment is well-maintained, and you’re doing the same reef either way.
Renting a golf cart and driving the island This is genuinely fun and one of the better spontaneous things you can do in Cozumel. Rent a cart from any of the shops along Rafael Melgar (the main waterfront road) for about $45–60 for the day and drive the perimeter road. The east coast of the island, facing the open Caribbean, has empty beaches, wild surf, and a couple of seafood shacks that serve fresh ceviche and cold cervezas. Most cruise passengers never see it. It takes about two hours to circle the whole island.
Lunch at El Moro or Kinta Skip the waterfront tourist restaurants and walk four or five blocks inland. El Moro on Calle 75 Norte is a local institution: enormous portions, cheap prices, and the kind of rice and beans that actually taste like they were made with love. Kinta on Avenida 5 is the nicer option if you want proper Mexican cuisine with mezcal cocktails in a courtyard setting. Both are far better and far cheaper than anything on the waterfront strip.
The ship’s “Discover Scuba” diving experience ($180–220) You’re paying a massive premium for a beginner session you could do with a local operator for half the price. If you’re truly new to scuba and want to try it, book “resort diving” directly through Dive Palancar or Studio Blue; they do the same beginner sessions for $80–100.
Catamaran party boats The ship sells these constantly, especially the “Fury” catamarans with open bars and beach stops. They’re not terrible, but they’re also not special: you’re on a boat with 80 strangers, the beach stop is usually crowded, and the open bar leads to predictably chaotic outcomes. At $90–120 per person, you can do something much better.
Shopping in the waterfront stores The stores right by the pier are aggressively touristy, marked up significantly, and sell mostly the same silver jewellery and vanilla extract that every other Caribbean port sells. If you want to buy something, walk into town and find the smaller independent shops on Avenida 5. Better quality, better prices, better experience.
Nassau is a more complicated port. The history and culture here are genuinely interesting: this is a real city with a complicated colonial past, beautiful pastel-painted colonial architecture, and an energy that’s distinct from every other Caribbean destination. But it’s also one of the most heavily visited cruise ports in the world, and that pressure shows in parts of the city.
The key is knowing where to spend your time and how to get past the port tourist zone, which can feel overwhelming on a big ship day when four or five vessels are docked simultaneously.
Cable Beach (and the free beach access) Ignore the ship’s beach excursion packages. Nassau has public beaches that are just as beautiful. Cable Beach is the main one, about a $10 taxi ride from the port. You can rent a lounge chair and umbrella for $10–15 on the beach itself. The water is shallow, clear, and warm. Bring cash.
Swimming with pigs at Pig Beach (Exuma) This one requires a day trip by small plane or speedboat from Nassau, so it’s only realistic if you have a full day in port. If your ship arrives at 7am and leaves at 5pm or later, it’s worth looking at. The swimming pigs on Big Major Cay in the Exumas are genuinely extraordinary: one of those travel experiences that sounds gimmicky until you’re actually in the water with them. Book through Exuma Water Sports directly (exumacays.com) rather than through the ship; you’ll pay significantly less and get a better boat.
Walking tour of Old Nassau / Bay Street Do this yourself. Walk off the ship, cross Bay Street, and follow the Nassau self-guided walking trail signs. The Queen’s Staircase (65 steps hand-carved from limestone by enslaved people in the 1790s), Fort Fincastle, the pink Government House, and the straw market are all within easy walking distance. It takes two to three hours, costs nothing, and gives you far more context for the city than any organized tour.
Graycliff Restaurant (or just the cigar factory) Graycliff is Nassau’s most famous luxury restaurant, and it’s genuinely worth a look even if you don’t eat there: the property is a restored 18th-century mansion and they give free tours of their in-house cigar factory (graycliff.com). The cigars are excellent, hand-rolled on premises, and make a genuine keepsake. The restaurant requires a reservation and isn’t cheap, but the cigar factory visit is free.
Atlantis Paradise Island without a plan The ship will sell you an Atlantis day pass ($130–200/person) that gives access to the waterpark and beach. It’s impressive, no question. But if you don’t have kids, it’s a lot of money for a water park. The shuttle ride across the bridge, the enormous resort crowds on ship days, and the cost of food and drinks on top all add up. If you have children under 14 who love waterslides, go. If not, spend the money on something more Nassau-specific.
Straw market purchases without bargaining The straw market off Bay Street is the most famous tourist shopping destination in Nassau. It’s fun to walk through and the handmade straw goods and local art are genuine. But every price is an opening offer. Bargaining is expected and not considered rude; start at half the asking price and settle somewhere in between. Paying the first price quoted will always cost you more than it should.
Book with the ship only when you genuinely can’t do it any other way, or when the excursion involves remote access that only organized tours can reach. For everything else (beach access, snorkelling, diving, town exploration), research and book directly. GetYourGuide and Viator both list reputable local operators at every Caribbean port with verified reviews. You’ll almost always pay 30–50% less than the ship price for the same or better experience.
And remember: at every major Caribbean port, taxis queue outside the pier exit waiting for cruise passengers. You can negotiate almost any standard trip (to a beach, to town, back again) directly with the driver for a flat rate. It’s informal, normal, and perfectly safe at both Cozumel and Nassau.
The best port days are usually the ones where you put the ship’s glossy brochure down and just walk into town.
