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ShoreTrips is known for offering some of the best and most unique opportunities for excursions around the world for both cruise trip passengers and FIT travelers alike.
They are experts in finding the best shore excursions, day activities and city sightseeing tours around the globe.
ShoreTrips journeys are held to high standards, allowing the company to create outstanding experiences along with helpful tools and expert staff, and they continually garner support from clients and partners.
Part of being experts means they need to know the places they are talking about around the world where they offer excursions, and that’s why they regularly visit each destination personally. This year, they covered half the globe.
Here are ShoreTrips favorite destinations from 2018:
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Alaska
The Helicopter Icefield Excursion in Alaska was ShoreTrips’ shore excursions specialist Kelly Kaminski’s favorite during her trip.
“We had a perfectly clear day, so we were able to fly over the mountains as opposed to around them—which they have to do when there is poor visibility,” said Kaminski. “The pilot was very excited about this as it rarely happens. It was so beautiful.”
An added bonus: “They let you drink glacier water if you bring a water bottle—which I thoroughly enjoyed,” she added.
Tunisia
Andrea Khan, ShoreTrips Director of Marketing, visited Tunisia.
“Tunisia is a hidden gem,” said Khan. “It offers such a unique blend of French and Arabic culture. We visited the third-largest Roman colosseum in the world, El Jem, on a private tour.”
The best part for Khan was that there were fewer people visiting the region.
“The shocking part was there were no crowds like in Italy,” she said. “No lines to get in, just the opportunity to explore it all including underneath where they housed the lions and gladiators.”
“We loved our private tour which was customized just for us,” added Khan. “November, when we were there, is date season so all the palm trees were dripping with dates. It truly added to the beauty.”
South America
ShoreTrips co-founders, Barry and Julie Karp, traveled around South America.
“Highlights of the trip for us: a cooking class, dancing at one of the top samba schools and a tour of the carnival floats, all in Brazil,” said the Karps.
One of the other highlights was a day at sea during which they were surrounded by spectacular glaciers and also the penguins that greeted them in Argentina.
Montenegro
Shore excursion specialist Melanie Roland traveled to Montenegro and especially enjoyed visiting the sights around the Bay of Kotor.
“This was our group’s favorite city,” said Roland. “Vesna customized a tour for us that I deemed as “boot camp,” but we wanted to see as much as possible. We started with a short drive to Perast (pronounced Paris’t). What a charming, quaint town. From there, we took a small boat ride to the Island Lady of the Rock.”
Roland notes that, for religious groups, the Lady of the Rock Church is a must see.
“We continued on what they call ‘the Serpentine Road.’ It literally zig-zagged to the top, but the view was worth it,” Roland continued. “We stopped at the tiny village of Njesgusi, known for smoked prosciutto as well as delicious cheese and wine. We continued on to Cetinje—the original capital of Montenegro. This was a great stop for a coffee and to watch the locals.
“We quickly drove through Budva, which is a beautiful beach town. From June-September, this would be an ideal area to send families looking for surf and sand,” added Roland.
The last stop was the old city, which Roland noted was very charming but also swarming with tourists. However, it’s also just a short walk from the cruise pier.
New Orleans
Rachel Olson, who handles ShoreTrips vendor relations, visited New Orleans in 2018.
“New Orleans is unlike anywhere else in the world,” said Olson. “We loved our time in the city so much. The food, the drinks, the people, all wonderful.”
Olson enjoys getting to know a new place by traveling outside of the city for a more comprehensive cultural immersion.
“One of our favorite days was a trip to Oak Alley Plantation and a true Cajun Airboat Ride,” she said. “The natural beauty of the swamp was overwhelming and unlike anything we had experienced before. It is not to be missed.
