Decide on your objective for the excursion. Do you want to see as much as possible of the port of call? Do you want to do something new or adventurous? Are you excited about visiting a famous site? Knowing your objective beforehand will help you narrow your choices down. For example, if you like adventure, you can rule out bus tours and focus on things like zip lining or off-road Jeep driving. If you're determined to visit a famous tourist location, like the Queen's Staircase in Nassau or the Grand Cayman turtle farm, your focus should be on tours that include these destinations.
Decide on the level of activity you prefer. Some tours are strenuous and require a lot of walking, swimming, or other physical exertion. Others allow you to sit back and relax in a bus or boat. Disney Cruise Line rates its tours by activitiy level so you can use their descriptions as a guide. If some members of your family like action while others prefer a more laid-back pace, choose a tour that caters to both. For example, you can choose a snorkeling tour where some of the family can swim in the ocean while others relax on the catamaran.
Know your budget beforehand. Once you start reading excursion descriptions in preparation for your cruise, it's easy to get drawn up in excitement and forget the price tag. Budget a certain amount for excursions and use it according to your priorities. For example, if you've always dreamed of doing a dolphin swim, which is a high cost excursion, you might need to scrimp in a different port and do something less expensive there like a city tour. Spend the most money on opportunities that you wouldn't ordinarily have if you weren't on a Disney cruise.
Decide whether you will be bringing your children along. Shore excursions offer an excellent opportunity to show your children new places and expose them to new cultures and experiences. However, some excursions have an age limit so if you have younger children, you might decide to leave them on the ship. For kids who are age three and up and potty trained, you can leave them in the kids' clubs at no cost. For younger kids, you'll need to make arrangements with the Flounders Reef nursery, which costs extra and has limited space.
