🌍Tours & Excursions We’ve Actually Done
Real experiences. Honest reviews. Cruise‑friendly options. Every tour, shore excursion, food experience, and national‑park adventure we’ve personally tried — organized in one place so you can plan with confidence.
Whether you’re sailing Alaska, exploring the Caribbean, wandering Europe, or squeezing in a weekend getaway, these are the tours we recommend because we’ve actually done them. No fluff, no AI‑generated lists, no “best of” posts written by someone who’s never left their couch.
Just real trips, real photos, and real advice.
Some links may be affiliate links. We only recommend tours and products we’ve personally used and loved.
⭐ Book Tours With Our Trusted Partners
These are the platforms we personally use for nearly every tour we book:
GetYourGuide — easy booking + free cancellation
Viator — huge selection of tours worldwide
Shore Excursions Group — cruise‑friendly options
ResortPass — day passes for pools & resorts
⭐ Julie’s Top 10 Tours I Recommend to Every Cruiser
From Athens to Alaska, these are the tours I’d book again in a heartbeat — the ones that were so good I still talk about them years later. If you’re planning a cruise (or any trip), these are the experiences worth building your itinerary around.
Athens Greek Food Walking Tour
My favorite food tour anywhere — generous tastings, local spots, and the perfect intro to Athens.
Mt. Vesuvius Wine Tasting (Naples)
A dreamy vineyard at the base of Vesuvius with incredible wine and views. One of my all‑time favorites.
Colosseum Tour in Rome
Skip‑the‑line is a must. This is the tour I recommend to every first‑timer in Rome.
A small‑group countryside experience with amazing wine and even better hosts.
White Pass Summit Train (Skagway)
An Alaska classic — scenic, relaxing, and perfect for first‑time cruisers.
One of the best city food tours I’ve ever done. Perfect for pre‑ or post‑cruise.
A Canada/New England highlight — charming, scenic, and incredibly photogenic.
Stavanger Lysefjord Boat Tour (Norway)
Waterfalls, cliffs, fjords… this one is pure magic.
Powerful, emotional, and unforgettable. One of the most meaningful tours I’ve ever taken.
A bucket‑list experience — the abbey, the village, the views. Worth every minute.
Cruise Excursions
A directory of every cruise excursion we’ve done, organized by port. Each item links to our full review with photos, tips, and booking options.
Alaska
Canada
• Portland: Best of Maine Lighthouse Scenic Cruise
• Halifax: Peggy’s Cove Express Tour
• Sydney: Fortress of Louisbourg and Lighthouse Tour
•Charlottetown: Anne of Green Gables & PEI North Shore Bus Tour
Mexico & Central America
Bahamas & Caribbean
Mediterranean
Norway
City Tours & Day Trips
A simple list of the city tours, food tours, and day trips we’ve taken around the world.
Group by destination:
New Orleans
Doctor Gumbo Food Walking Tour – Full Review
Toronto
Nashville
France
California
Dublin
Book City Tours with Viator or GetYourGuide
Use CityPASS for bundled attractions
⭐ More Cruise Resources
These guides help you plan smarter, choose the right excursions, and know exactly what to expect in each region.
🌴 Best Cruise Ports in the Caribbean
A helpful overview of the most popular Caribbean ports — what to do, what to skip, and which ones are worth booking a tour for.
🚶♀️ Cruise Ports Where You Don’t Need an Excursion
Easy, low‑stress port days you can enjoy without spending a dime. Beaches, walkable towns, and what we personally did.
🛳️ How I Book Shore Excursions
My exact process for choosing between cruise‑line tours and independent tours, plus the trusted partners we use for nearly every trip.
⚓ How I Book Cruises (Step‑by‑Step Strategy)
Exactly how we save on cruises using sales, onboard credit, casino offers, and points—plus when I actually book.
Every hotel we’ve personally stayed at before a cruise — organized by port. Includes points options, walkability notes, and who each hotel is best for.
🎒 Cruise Packing Lists
Packing guides tailored to each region we’ve cruised.
Layers, weather tips, and what you actually need for glacier days.
🌄 Norway Cruise Packing List
Cooler temps, fjords, and the gear that made the biggest difference.
☀️ Mediterranean Cruise Packing List
Lightweight, comfortable outfits for hot days and historic sites.
🏖️ Caribbean Cruise Packing List
Simple, breezy, beach‑ready essentials.
🍁 Canada & New England Packing List (coming soon)
Perfect for fall foliage, coastal towns, and cooler mornings.
🌎 More Ways We Travel
Not every adventure happens on a cruise ship — here are the other types of trips we take.
How the America the Beautiful Pass works, how fast it pays for itself, and the parks we’ve visited using it.
Everything we pack for national park trips — layers, safety essentials, hiking gear, and the items that have saved us more than once.
Planning Your Trip?
Start with our main hubs:
👋 About the Author
I’m Julie — a travel‑hacking mom who’s taken 25+ cruises, visited 30+ ports, and booked hundreds of tours using points, miles, and smart strategies.
Every excursion on this page is something we’ve personally done, photographed, and reviewed so you can plan with confidence.
When I’m not cruising, I’m helping families travel smarter through No Point Left Behind, where we turn everyday spending into unforgettable trips.
Want to see how we book tours, cruises, and flights for less? Start with my How I Book Shore Excursions or my Beginner’s Guide to Points & Miles.