RCCL cruise excursions or independently explore?

I'm taking a cruise on RCCL's Splendour of the Seas stopping in Dubrovnik (Croatia), Kusadasi-Ephesus (Turkey), Santorini (Greece), and Corfu (Greece). I'm not sure whether it is best to take Royal Caribbean's shore excursions or to explore on my own. Any thoughts on the best things to do here would be greatly appreciated!RCCL cruise excursions or independently explore?
I do know that RCCL ups the price when you book excursions with them. It may be easier to book them with RCCL first and not worry about it when you get there...but I do know that when you get off the ship you will have plenty of opportunity to find the same type of excursions at a much lower price then booking it through RCCL. Basically it boils down to...."Do you want to pay more for booking it in advance? Or look for a better deal when you get there?" But if you don't want to do any excursions and explore on your own, it would be cheaper, but it would most likely be better to have someone who knows the area showing you around then you just going off and exploring an area you are not familiar with. HAVE FUN! Greece is going to be amazing!
You'll pay more by booking your shore excursion thru RCCL but it'll be hassle free and you'll get back to the ship on time.



Independently exploring or booking a tour through your own research will definitely save you $$ but will take some time to research...and you need to make sure you get yourself back to the cruise on time!



I've done both and personally prefer exploring on my own or booking a small tour operator directly. Pros and cons to both.



Enjoy Greece.RCCL cruise excursions or independently explore?
IMO, a great part of the answer lies in how long you're in port, and how far from the port you think you might like to go. I personally would not go further than an hour from the port on a non-ship excursion, and would plan to be back at the ship at least an hour before sailaway if I took a non-ship excursion. That way if something goes wrong (traffic jam, flat tire, etc), I have some wiggle room in my schedule.
My experience has been that it is cheaper and better to explore on your own, or make your own arrangements when you get into port. You do have to be very aware of the time, and plan to be back on ship at least an hour before they tell you.