DW and I were not ship excursion people either – before we started river cruising. There are at least five reasons why you pretty much have to take the ship excursions on a river cruise: (1) docking times are not known beforehand, as there is often a wait at the locks or other reasons the ship gets in later than originally expected [and they don't tell you when that was]; (2) docking locations aren't known beforehand – they are assigned by the harbor master at the last minute – and sometimes the ship has to change docking locations during the day; (3) the ship may sail while you are on shore to get a head start to the next port – if you are DIY, you are also left behind; (4) on a positive note: the ship excursions [at least on the lines we have sailed, AMA and Scenic] are very good, with a range of options that lets you choose something that really floats your boat and local guides who really know the area [even better than Rick Steves – and I'm a big Rick Steves fan!]; (5) they're included, so you've already paid for them.