Avoid cruise port rip-offs

If you've already arranged a cruise for this summer or fall - or are thinking about one - you'll enjoy a good travel value. Prices, especially for departures within a month, remain low. Base cabin rates on mass- market lines are low enough to pressure those lines into marking up just about everything else, so here are things to keep in mind.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK

Research ports you'll visit to bone up on culture, sightseeing, shopping and local transportation. You'll not only increase your enjoyment of each port but also decrease the chance of wasting time and being gouged.

SHORE EXCURSIONS

Your cruise line surely will pitch its own excursions for each port, perhaps even trying to lock you into them as part of the package. In my experience, many of these are overpriced and waste time assembling and herding tour members around - with long stops at souvenir stores that give kickbacks to the cruise line or sightseeing company.

DIY TOURS

You can find a cheaper local sightseeing tour at most ports after you hit land. Or prearrange an excursion through an online agency such as Port Promotions (portpromotions.comportpromotions.com), Port Compass (portcompass.com) or PortSide Tours (portsidetours.com). Consider hiring a local cabdriver to take you around. Or rent a car for the day. At many stops, attractions are close to the port, so you can walk.

SHOP SMARTER

Ignore the port lecturers' shopping recommendations. There's a good chance such picks are really paid commercial announcements rather than good-faith consumer advice. Avoid the "official tour stop" traps for the same reason. And think carefully about what to buy. There's hardly anything you might buy that you can't get cheaper back home.