Cruise & Port Day Planner
One row per day: port, docked from and until, all-aboard time, excursion, and what you're doing on sea days.
- All-aboard time as its own column — the one you cannot get wrong
- Independent vs ship excursion tracking with a return buffer
- Onboard account log so the final bill isn't a shock
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At a glance
- Best for
- Cruises and multi-port sailings
- Trip length
- 4–10 days
- Time to fill in
- About 25 minutes
- Format
- 1 sheet · one row per day
- Detail level
- Beginner friendly
- Price
- Free — no signup
What's in the template
- Day + port (or sea day)
- Docked from / until
- All-aboard time
- Excursion + booked through
- Return buffer
- Onboard spend
Column by column
A preview of exactly what you're downloading — what each column is for, and why it's there. Nothing in this template is decoration.
| Column | Example entry | Why it's there |
|---|---|---|
| Day / Port | Day 4 — Dubrovnik | Sea days matter too — they're where the onboard plan goes. |
| Docked from / until | 08:00 – 18:00 | Your actual usable hours ashore, which are always fewer than they look. |
| All-aboard | 17:30 | Usually 30–60 min before departure. Missing it is expensive. |
| Excursion / booked via | Old town tour · independent | Ship excursions guarantee the ship waits. Independent ones don't. |
| Return buffer | 90 min | The single habit that prevents the worst cruise story. |
| Onboard spend | $62 | Drinks, wifi, gratuities and the spa add up quietly. |
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Experiences
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Connectivity
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How to use it
- 1Copy the all-aboard time for every port from the ship's schedule, not the brochure.
- 2Subtract at least 60–90 minutes from all-aboard for your own return deadline.
- 3Decide per port: ship excursion (ship waits) or independent (cheaper, on you).
- 4Plan sea days too — the good classes and restaurants book out.
- 5Log onboard spend daily so the final statement holds no surprises.
- 6Note tender ports: getting ashore can cost an hour each way.
Planning advice that matters
All-aboard is the only hard deadline
Ports look generous on paper — eight in the morning until six in the evening — but all-aboard is usually thirty to sixty minutes before departure, tendering can cost an hour each way, and the walk from the terminal gate is rarely short. The realistic figure is often two to three hours less than the printed window.
Ship excursion or independent?
Book through the ship and the ship waits for you if the tour runs late — that guarantee is what you're paying the premium for. Independent tours are typically cheaper and often better, but a delay is entirely your problem. A sensible rule: independent in easy, close, well-connected ports; ship excursions when the sight is far from the dock.
Sea days are not filler
The specialty restaurants, spa slots and popular classes fill fastest on sea days because everyone is aboard. Booking them the moment you board — rather than the morning of — is the difference between a good sea day and wandering the buffet.
The bill at the end
Cruise fares exclude more than most people expect: gratuities, drinks beyond the basics, wifi, specialty dining, excursions, port taxes and the spa. Logging your onboard account daily takes a minute and keeps the disembarkation statement from being the trip's worst moment.
Three mistakes this template prevents
Using departure time instead of all-aboard
They are not the same, and the gap is where people get left behind.
Independent excursions on tight tender ports
If getting ashore takes an hour, an independent tour with no buffer is a gamble.
Ignoring onboard spending
Drinks, wifi and gratuities routinely add several hundred to a week-long sailing.
Frequently asked
How much time do you really get in a cruise port?+
Take the docked window, subtract the all-aboard buffer (30–60 minutes), plus tender time both ways if applicable and the walk from the terminal. A 08:00–18:00 port often yields seven usable hours, sometimes fewer.
Are ship excursions worth the extra cost?+
For distant sights, tender ports, or anywhere with unreliable transport, yes — because the ship waits for its own tours. For a walkable historic centre close to the dock, independent is usually better value.
What isn't included in a cruise fare?+
Typically gratuities, most drinks, wifi, specialty restaurants, excursions, spa treatments and some port taxes. The template's onboard spend column exists so those don't accumulate invisibly.
What to do next
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