Which shore excursion to book in the Caribbean? One TikTok video advises against three common types.
Shore excursions provide the opportunity to see beautiful destinations and experience new activities.
Booking through Royal Caribbean's app and website provides security in knowing that the tour has been vetted by Royal Caribbean and that the ship is contracted to wait for you before departing.
However, these tours come at a slightly more expensive price, and some of them aren’t worth the cost.
TikTok user @travelwithada took to the social media app to warn cruisers about three such Caribbean shore excursions.
Ada posts videos to “help you travel smarter with your money,” advising travelers based on her personal experience.
Her TikTok slamming Royal Caribbean shore excursions quickly went viral, and commenters began to agree with her opinion about these three wastes of money.
1. Dolphin encounter in Costa Maya, Mexico
The first shore excursion Ada regretted booking was the dolphin encounter experience in Costa Maya, Mexico.
Although the tour was advertised to last two hours, allowing guests to meet with and pet the intelligent sea creatures, the reality was much more disappointing.
According to Ada, guests on the tour had to line up and pet the dolphins one by one, only allowing about five minutes per person.
“The majority of the time, you’re just standing still in the water waiting for your turn,” she said.
Not only that, but they couldn’t snap any pictures of the once-in-a-lifetime experience.
She said that phones and cameras were not permitted.
A professional photographer was present, but “they have the audacity to charge you $40 for one photo.”
Added to the base price of $90 per person, Ada felt this tour wasn’t worth the cost, and neither were the additional pictures.
Royal Caribbean’s website doesn’t list a price for this shore excursion (prices can vary depending on the sailing and how far in advance you book them).
The listing does state that the actual time spent with the dolphins is 30 minutes and that photos are not included in the price.
2. Beach horseback ride and swim in Roatan, Honduras
Ada also warned cruisers about the Beach horseback ride and swim tour in Roatan, Honduras.
She stated that “this was a fun experience,” but it didn’t live up to her expectations.
The photos showed images of riding deep in the ocean water, and the tour advised guests to wear swimsuits.
However, Ada said the horses “barely went into the water. A lot of them were too scared.”
According to Ada, the majority of the ride was spent in the forest, with about five minutes on the beach.
She didn’t end up needing a swimsuit at all, and for $110 a person, she felt misled.
The description for the tour on Royal Caribbean’s website advertises a 4-hour horseback ride “right onto a secluded beach and up to beautiful calm waters of the Caribbean Sea. Your horse may even join you for a refreshing dip in the water.”
3. Reef explorer in a semi-submarine in Cozumel, Mexico
The semi-submarine tour in Cozumel has a boat with glass windows at the bottom, so guests can look through and observe tropical fish and other marine life.
However, Ada paid $75 per person and felt like the experience wasn’t worth it.
“It was pretty disappointing because you really don't see much.”
Although they saw more fish near the end of the trip, for the majority of the tour Ada didn’t see anything interesting.
Additionally, she warned viewers that the boat was very rocky: “All of us ended up super nauseous by the end of the experience.”
The booking on Royal Caribbean’s website advertises a 1-hour and 15-minute boat ride and makes no mention of possible sea sickness.
Commenters jumped to agree with Ada, saying similar experiences are why they prefer to stay on the ship
Ada’s caption to the TikTok read: “I can see why some people don’t even get off the boats.”
“Shore excursions are ridiculously overpriced, forbid you to bring your phones and then charge $40 for a photo, the excursion description are highly exaggerated, overall I didn’t enjoy my excursions all that much.”
Over 300 comments were made on the video, with the majority of TikTok users agreeing with Ada’s experience.
Kay_riaa wrote: That’s exactly [why] I didn’t book anything I’m ok with just laying on the beach.”
“I’m for sure just gonna do that next time,” TravelwithAda responded.
Bad experiences with shore excursions have soured some cruisers’ opinions, leaving them preferring to take a beach break or simply stay on the ship.
“I get so tired of money grabs,” said agnesmiller548. “Things cost a fortune and the return that you get isn’t worth the cash paid.”
User lkg731 commented that they prefer to stay on the ship “because everything is already paid for plus there’s less people.”
Other TikTokers had even done the same shore excursions as the original poster, and they agreed with her assessments.
DioneAH157 commented that she did the horseback beach ride in Roatan, and her tour didn’t meet the advertised expectations either.
“I enjoyed it,” she wrote, “but you really are only on the beach for like 5 minutes and my horse did go in the water.’
Both Ada and the commenter agreed it’s the type of excursion someone should only try once.
Another commenter, user9553616688706, sympathized about the price of photos on the Dolphin encounter excursion.
“The pics they try to sell you are hundreds of dollars.”
Ada responded: “They forbid you to bring cameras and then charge $40 for a photo… I was SHOCKED.”
Although booking shore excursions with Royal Caribbean is convenient, many cruisers are losing their trust in the process.
Cruise line tours tend to be more crowded and come at a higher price.
To avoid these disadvantages, cruisers can book with third-party tours and shore excursion groups. These tours will have a smaller group, come at a cheaper rate, and often offer a more personalized experience.
