What not to do in port on a cruise
Some of the most popular things to do in port are the ones Dan and Dennis would tell you to think twice about. A few are a waste of money. A couple come with risks people do not expect.
TravelHost's Come Cruise With Me Editor in Chief Daniel Kline and his travel agent partner, Postcard Travel Planning's Dennis Post, run through the excursions they personally avoid and what to look for if you decide to do them anyway.
A full transcript follows below.
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Some popular port excursions are not worth the money or the risk
Transcript:
Dan Kline: Hey there, cruisers. Dan and Dennis, your Travelhosts. We've got some insider tips on what you should not do in port. Now, if this is your absolute dream and you wanted to do it, we know people that have done these things and have had fun. My number one is swimming with dolphins. Dolphins are aggressive, they're cute.
You're spending a lot of money for a very limited interaction. There are probably places in the US like Discovery Cove where you can do it a lot cheaper. To me, this seems like you're paying $300 a family member for like a five-minute experience that takes two hours. It, does not seem fun to me at all.
I know some people love it. Dennis, you've got a similar one.
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Dennis Post: Oh, it's the swimming with the pigs. Just don't do it. Now, I'm saying we don't want to rain on anybody's parade.
Kline: Our colleague- so Veronica Bondarenko, our colleague, was on with her mom, and she had done this years ago, and she wanted to do it, and they had a great time.
The pigs are cute, but pigs are not particularly hygienic. They also, Dennis, some people have gotten what?
Post: The flesh-eating bacteria, parasite, worms that just chunks of their… It's just very bad. Yeah, that's happened two cases in the past year.
Kline: We don't want to be fearmongers-
Post: Yeah.
Kline: Because I did the thing, another dumb thing you shouldn't do, but it's fun.
I did the thing where the fish ate the dead skin on your feet.
Post: Ah, yeah.
Kline: But I didn't do it at like a roadside stand or under a tent. I did it in like a storefront in Nassau. They inspected your feet to make sure there were no open wounds. It like… The tanks looked clean. Everything looked reasonably hygienic.
They did try to sell you all you can drink. Now, how much can I drink during a 20-minute- And it's heavy drinks like pina coladas and margaritas. I'm like, "What are you gonna, 10 in the morning have four margaritas to make this worth it?"
Post: Awesome.
Kline: We did not do that.
There was one other thing you need to be really careful about. And let's just broadly call it water sports. Dennis, why don't you explain?
Post: So parasailing is- It's popular around the world, right? There has been a lot of accidents, especially in the United States. They're not heavily regulated on some of the safety equipment, and you're putting your life into some other people's hands.
I just don't. I would not recommend that.
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Kline: Parasailing is when a speedboat- you put on a, basically a parachute and it pulls you up in the air. And obviously, a lot can go wrong, and I was told from a young age, when I used to go to, Nassau, to the Paradise Island, my grandfather would say, "If you get hurt, they're just gonna leave you on the sand."
And that's really what's true. Yes, if you have travel insurance, you could probably get to a hospital. They're not gonna help you get to a hospital though.
Post: Yeah.
Kline: Some of the things you take for granted in the US are not a thing here. I would also apply this to, don't rent a jet ski.
Unless you're an experienced jet ski operator, you don't want to capsize on your jet ski in a country where if you break your ankle or something goes wrong, no one's coming to save you. No one's coming to rescue you. Now, these are fun things. We get why you want to do it. If you want to do it, make sure you find the right operator.
Do your homework, talk to your travel agent. Find the place that everyone's certified, that has a safety procedure, that has the nurse or at least has- 91 dialed on speed dial or whatever the local equivalent is so you're ready to go. We don't want to be fear mongers, but we don't want you to get hurt.
Post: Yeah.
Kline: 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 3, 2026 at 7:47 AM.