Insider tips for what to do in cruise ports
You have a free day in port and no excursion booked. Do you head straight for the place everyone recognizes, or is there a smarter play?
TravelHost's Come Cruise With Me Editor in Chief Daniel Kline and his travel agent partner, Postcard Travel Planning's Dennis Post, share their insider tips on finding the good spots, staying safe once you wander off the main drag, and the one group of people who always know where to go.
A full transcript follows below.
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Skip the tourist traps and stay safe in port
Transcript:
Dan Kline: Hey there, cruisers. Dan and Dennis, your Travelhosts. We have some insider tips on what to do in a port, how to conduct yourself, how to stay safe, how to decide where to go when you don't have an excursion, when you haven't booked something. The number one thing I'm gonna say is, if you're in a port like Cozumel or Nassau, don't go to the things right there.
You can walk around the little shops as you go in.
Dennis Post: Yeah.
Kline: But don't go to Señor Frog's. You know what they're gonna have at Señor Frog's? $30 beers and really expensive nachos. There's nothing authentically Mexican also about Nassau. You know, don't go to the Margaritaville. You know what you probably have at home?
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Margaritaville. I like Margaritaville. This is no crime to them. You want to go a little bit away from where everyone is, but if you're going away from where everyone is, Dennis, you gotta be careful.
Post: Yeah. We recommend stay on the beaten path. You know, stay where the general public is, and population.
The side alleys in some of the cities, you could… Don't go too far down them. You start to know when you start to see people not in crowds anymore, people disappearing. Go down there, turn around. Should be a gut feeling. Stay on the main paths. That's where they want you to shop. That's where you're gonna have the best fun.
Kline: The other thing you can do is if there's a place, a destination, maybe there's a brewery, maybe there's an aquarium maybe there's something you want to see, take a cab there.
Post: Right.
Kline: Just make sure you've made sure the cabs are safe. Now, look, in a lot of countries- We were in a cab yesterday and we were literally in a pickup truck, riding on the top of it in seats, and I'm pretty sure our cab driver was smoking pot. And we definitely saw him drink a beer before he picked us up.
Post: He was doing all of that.
Kline: So the standards for safe might be a little bit different, and that was on a windy mountain road. That was one direction. So safe is relative, but some places you can get in a public bus, some places you do not want to.
Post: Right.
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Kline: In parts of Europe, you can absolutely take the train. There are some places you don't want to do that. The other tip is, if you're in a port and you want to do something interesting, ask the crew members, ask your waiters, ask your bartenders, "Hey, if you've ever been off here, where do you go?
Where do the crew members talk about?" And sometimes you'll hear, you know, a waiter who's from the Philippines say, "Oh, there's the best Filipino food I've ever had, and it's here." or, "Oh, we always go shopping here because they have the best prices," or, "Yeah, well, you know, they took us on an excursion and we went to the you know, rocket muse" or whatever it is, or the water park.
You know, it doesn't matter. They're gonna know. They're also gonna know the best places for Wi-Fi. So if you did not buy a Wi-Fi package, or you just need to get some work done, they're gonna be able to direct you to some place that you might not want to go otherwise.
I just talked about not going to Margaritaville or Señor Frog's. Those places usually have good Wi-Fi. Talk to your crew members, and if you have a good time, if you take their advice, tip them, $20 bill. You know, say thank you. Bring them a souvenir back. Do something nice.
Post: Chips.
Kline: Yes. Crew members can buy chips, but they generally want chips and chocolate. So ask them what their favorites are.
I am Dan, he is Dennis. Come cruise with us soon.
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Make a free appointment with Come Cruise With Me's Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at amypost@postcardtravelplanning.com or call or text her at 386-383-2472.
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This story was originally published July 2, 2026 at 7:21 AM.