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Info please on docking/cruise protocols


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Out of Brisbane years ago P&O had a full day stop for Noumea and you could really explore the areas history, museums and cultural centre. Now its a 3pm docking. I find the more you visit an area you seem to explore further afield and need more time. Could someone please enlighten me on cruise ship/region protocols as to why cruise companies every few years cant swap docking time slots (I understand they plan itineraries and book dockings years ahead) Does a ship have to dock at a main wharf/town at least once on a voyage? Or is it just uneconomical/time poor for cruise companies to tender boat only. This is a question especially for shorter 7-9 nighters as we have started cruising out of Sydney instead of Brisbane just to get better itineraries. PS This is NOT a whinge just a query.

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Out of Brisbane years ago P&O had a full day stop for Noumea and you could really explore the areas history, museums and cultural centre. Now its a 3pm docking. I find the more you visit an area you seem to explore further afield and need more time. Could someone please enlighten me on cruise ship/region protocols as to why cruise companies every few years cant swap docking time slots (I understand they plan itineraries and book dockings years ahead) Does a ship have to dock at a main wharf/town at least once on a voyage? Or is it just uneconomical/time poor for cruise companies to tender boat only. This is a question especially for shorter 7-9 nighters as we have started cruising out of Sydney instead of Brisbane just to get better itineraries. PS This is NOT a whinge just a query.

 

The distance from Brisbane to Noumea is roughly 1500km.

The time between departure and arrival is 49 hours.

That's an average speed of 30.6km/hr.

According to Wikipedia the cruising speed of Pacific Dawn is 37km/hr.

If Pacific Dawn traveled constantly at its cruising speed, it would reach Noumea at around 6:30am, instead of 3pm.

Why it doesn't, I don't know. Maybe it's a matter of fuel consumption.

 

 

The cruise companies hate tendering because most passengers hate tendering. Since there is a shortage of docks suitable for cruise ships in the South Pacific, the existing ones like Noumea get overused.

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This has always intrigued me as well and I don't get why they dock at ports on a Sunday or Public Holiday and have beach days either side. Last time we were in Suva it was a PH and everything was shut - same for Noumea. But I do think the timing is out of the cruise lines control - it screws up there ability to sell shore excursions for a start. It seems that is is cruise dependant as our next cruise is showing an 9am arrival.

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