'Everything's done for you': The pros and cons of cruise land extensions

Disembarkation usually marks the end of a cruise. But when Daniel Nagy got off a Norwegian Cruise Line ship, his itinerary was hardly over.

Nagy, 40, embarked on the line's Fairbanks Denali Express last May, which consisted of a week-long cruise followed by three nights of exploration on land. He saw bears at an animal sanctuary, took a tour of Denali National Park and Preserve and hopped on a train to Fairbanks, all organized by the cruise line.

“You don't have to worry about booking hotels,” the Massachusetts resident told USA TODAY. “You don't have to worry about transportation, especially in a remote place like Alaska.”

Land extensions give cruise guests an easy way to tack a few extra days onto their trips and can offer deeper immersion into a destination.

What do cruise land extensions include?

Land extensions typically include hotel stays before or after a cruise, one to two tours per day, and breakfast, according to Jared Feldman, owner of travel agency Jafeldma Travel.

Unlike on the ship, however, guests generally have to pay their own way for other meals. The structure of a given itinerary dictates whether a land extension is offered on the front end or after a cruise concludes, but Feldman said they are sold á la carte, and guests can purchase one or both.

How long are cruise land extensions?

“The average (length) is two to three nights, I would say,” Feldman noted. “But depending on the destination or the excursion itself, it can go five to six nights.”

Which cruise lines offer land extensions?

In addition to Norwegian, cruise lines like Holland America Line and Princess Cruises offer cruisetours that combine sailings with train rides and stays in lodges. Those allow for further exploration of the Last Frontier.

However, with the exception of certain destinations, Feldman said luxury brands are the ones that more commonly offer land extensions.

Silversea Cruises, for example, offers a three-night adventure in Denmark, including a visit to the Lejre Land of Legends open-air museum and a stay in the more than 800-year-old Dragsholm Castle. Seabourn also has a three-night tour that allows guests to visit both the Argentina and Brazil portions of Iguazú Falls.

What are the pros and cons of cruise land extensions?

“The advantages are: everything’s done for you,” Feldman said. Cruise lines arrange transportation, accommodations and activities, freeing up bandwidth for guests to focus on enjoying themselves.

Deborah Banks, a travel adviser and franchise owner at Cruise Planners with her husband Isaiah, echoed that. “Personally, I appreciate arriving at the airport to find a driver ready to whisk me away to my hotel, rather than worrying about finding a taxi or rideshare service,” she said in an email.

Nagy also said he and his wife, Caitlin Slattery, left their suitcases outside their cabin, and “then suddenly they showed up in our hotel room that first land day.” The provided itinerary also featured places he wouldn’t have known to visit, such as the North Pole, Alaska, which is fittingly decked out in holiday-theming year-round.

Land extensions give passengers a chance to enjoy cities that may otherwise serve as a quick stopover for starting and ending a cruise, as well.

“Instead of rushing home immediately after disembarking, you can take the time to appreciate these remarkable locations,” Banks said.

On the flip side, Feldman noted, the packages are not customizable like a self-organized trip would be. Travelers won’t get a refund if they miss any activities.

Don't get off the cruise when at port: 'You have the ship all to yourself'

Are cruise land extensions cheaper?

Just because land extensions bundle several components with a cruise doesn’t necessarily mean they’re more affordable. In fact, Feldman said they tend to cost more than if guests pieced together an itinerary separately, allowing them to hunt around for bargains.

“Travelers can likely get a better deal if they were to do it on their own, but not in all cases,” Feldman said.

Still, Nagy estimated he spent less overall than he would have on a land-based vacation. His cruisetour cost around $6,500 for him and Slattery, including the cruise and land portions, flights to and from Boston, drink packages and more. Land extensions may be sold as part of the whole cruise package, as in Nagy’s case, or as a separate add-on.

He felt it was well worth the cost. “We're relatively well-versed travelers,” he said. “We're not opposed to doing something ourselves. It's just so much easier that it's taken care of.”

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What is a cruise land extension? Here are the pros and cons