We spent a decade at sea.
Then we built the app
we always wished existed.
ShoreBound was born out of ten years of watching passengers step off ships in some of the most incredible places on earth, with no idea what to do when they got there.
The team
Two crew members who swapped ships for startups.
Leon
Co-Founder & Developer
United Kingdom
Former cruise ship crew member (Audio Technician) turned software developer. After over 10 years sailing the world and visiting hundreds of ports across Alaska, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and the Middle East, Leon combined his passion for technology and travel to build tools that make cruising easier, smarter, and more enjoyable. ShoreBound is the result of that journey, built by someone who has lived it.
Fernanda
Co-Founder & Operations
Brazil
Former cruise ship crew member (Guest Services) with years of experience helping passengers navigate every aspect of their cruise. Having worked directly with thousands of cruise passengers, Fernanda saw the same challenge again and again: finding reliable information for port days. She understands exactly what travelers need to feel confident, informed, and excited about their adventures ashore.
My co-founder spent years working in guest services onboard. One of the most common things passengers came to the desk asking was something deceptively simple: “What is there to actually do here?” and far too often, the honest answer was that the ship didn't really have a good one. You'd get the shore excursion talks pushing tours, and that was kind of it.
I was working as a sound technician in the theater, so on port days I had plenty of time ashore myself, and we both wanted more out of our time ashore than just a taxi to the beach and back. The lack of decent, independent information drove us mad too. We sailed Alaska, Europe, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, the Middle East. Different oceans, different cultures, different ports. Same problem everywhere.
There are loads of travel planning apps out there and we tried most of them, but nothing was built specifically for cruising. They're all designed around hotels and flights, not port days. So we decided to build our own.
ShoreBound lets you add your cruise and ship, and for every port on your itinerary you get an interactive map with a curated list of the best things to do: restaurants, bars, beaches, tours, landmarks and more. It pulls in your ship's arrival and departure times so you can plan your whole day around exactly how long you have ashore, and if you want it all mapped out, the Day Planner builds you a timed itinerary with a walking route straight from the pier. No guesswork, no generic travel guides, no overpriced ship excursions as your only option.
We're proud of what we've built and we're improving it every single day. It's the tool we always wanted when we were out there, and we genuinely can't wait for cruisers to use it.
Questions or feedback? hello@shoreboundtravel.com