What is a cruise ship like in the middle of the night?

Well, I beg your forgiveness for not catching the sarcasm, since I have answered several threads on here where folks have claimed that rescue in the case of a cruise ship disaster would only be "hours away, since all the ships follow the shipping lanes". So, I'm sorry I didn't recognize you as someone who may actually know what a "shipping lane" is.

Well, I beg your forgiveness for not catching the sarcasm, since I have answered several threads on here where folks have claimed that rescue in the case of a cruise ship disaster would only be "hours away, since all the ships follow the shipping lanes". So, I'm sorry I didn't recognize you as someone who may actually know what a "shipping lane" is.

Sarcasm or no, I appreciated the info. I looked up "shipping lanes" on Wikipedia after it got mentioned, but I wasn't sure how big they were and was imagining all of these ships sticking to this tiny imaginary "road" on the sea. 50-100 miles makes more sense!

Thank you!

I always enjoy the very wee hours of the morning out on deck as the ship creeps ever closer to shore. The twinkling lights of a foreign port morph from blobs of light to lamp posts and a haze of green into trees.

Gradually, our floating neighbors a fleet of cruise ships cruise into port one by one as inky night fades to twilight and early morning. It's really quite magical.

Jonathan

Iceland fits the bill, but only a few months out of the year (and of course there is 24 hour darkness in the other season). I remember playing softball at 2 in the morning without lights.

If I were younger I would consider living in Alaska for 6 months but alas that is only a dream now.

I enjoy walking the decks at night and nearly always take a stroll outside before going to bed. No, it isn't absolutely ideal for stargazing, but depending on the moon phase you may have some lovely moonrises or moonlight on the water to admire.

A couple of my favorite nighttime memories are being on the most forward part of an outside public deck and just feeling the entire ship rushing forward into the darkness (no moon that night) and the rush of the air & wind - it was rather eerie but beautiful. The other was being on the port side of the ship on a promenade deck I think only one or two decks below the bridge. I think it was after 1:00 AM. I could see another ship off in the distance but not really *too* far away (see "shipping lanes" references above ;)) - could fairly easily make out their lit-up "X" logo (they were a Celebrity cruise ship - I was on an NCL ship). They were headed the opposite direction that we were. As the ships passed, I noticed a light somewhere above my head (the bridge lights? I'm not sure) turned off & back on a couple of times. And then, the X on the other ship winked off & on twice back at us. I thought it was pretty cool that the ships were saying "hello" to each other.

The outside decks are nearly always very peaceful and empty or nearly empty late at night, even when it's not quite so late that the nightclubs and bars have shut down yet.

Lots of stars to see if the sky is clear of course, find a darker spot on the deck or the promenade and it will be amazing.

Not sure where Sauer-kraut has seen 3 or 4 ships sailing in a pack. :confused:

 

Yes, often that many in a port together. And all leaving within an hour or so of each-other but the ocean's a big place and we've rarely sailed in tandem with another for more than a short while.

Depending on where in the world, seeing another cruise ship in the distance or passing in the opposite direction is either a fairly common or a quite rare occurrence.

 

JB :)

On my cruises in the Caribbean, especially in the Bahamas it seems very common to be traveling with another ship or two. Clearly this is often the case the night of leaving the port and the night before heading back in.

However, my cruises in Europe, never remember seeing another ship unless we were close to port.

As to the OP, it can get pretty quite, and sometimes start gazing is good, but from my experience it is good looking out into the horizon as the top of the ship does have a lot of light usually. On a night that the next day is a sea-day the ship can have some pretty late night parties though in to 1:30-2am where people are not worried about getting to bed early for a day at port.

If you want to be alone the higher decks and decks with closed shops would likely be the best area for quite, and the ship's library if its opened. For people the casino tends to have the most people late at night.

My favorite memory of my first cruise back in 2010 involved my best friend and I wandering the ship after our families had gone to sleep. We explored all over the ship (Carnival Fantasy - it didn't take us long to wander everywhere there was to wander lol) then went all the way to the highest deck and just laid on our backs and stared into the sky talking about everything and nothing.

Wandering the ship late at night has become a bit of a tradition for me, whether or not I can see any stars, it's still peaceful and a nice change of pace from the crowded ship during the day.

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If I were younger I would consider living in Alaska for 6 months but alas that is only a dream now.

It’s never too late to move to AK - even for 6 months. Were you thinking summer or winter? The lights are generally visible starting late August.

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Not sure where Sauer-kraut has seen 3 or 4 ships sailing in a pack. :confused:

 

Yes, often that many in a port together. And all leaving within an hour or so of each-other but the ocean's a big place and we've rarely sailed in tandem with another for more than a short while.

Depending on where in the world, seeing another cruise ship in the distance or passing in the opposite direction is either a fairly common or a quite rare occurrence.

 

JB :)

This is much more obvious in the dark because the ships are lit up like sparklers, so are easier to see even at a distance. During the day cruise ships and cargo ships can kind of fade into the horizon.

Yes, but what does a Christmas Tree look like in the middle of the night? :D

Pretty much depends upon whether the lights are turned on or not.

I am with JB :). We love stargazing on cruises and can usually find a relatively dark spot for spotting stars and planets. As somebody mentioned, even our balcony is sometimes perfect late at night. Otherwise, somewhere on deck usually gets you away from much of the light. As to other ships, we have been on cruises when there was nothing within hundreds of miles (so said the Captain). While short cruises in the Caribbean might often have you seeing other ships, this is not so common when in the middle of the Pacific, Atlantic, etc.

When doing a lengthy transpacific cruise on the Oosterdam, we had an Australian astronomer on the ship who was a terrific lecturer. On a few clear nights he would get the Captain to shut off many of the annoying deck lights so we could have a near perfect view in most directions. As somebody who has spent his life in the Northern Hemisphere, it is the Southern Hemisphere that holds a lot of personal interest for stargazing.

Hank

The best moment I had on our one cruise back in July, 2002 was when I woke up in the middle of the last night at sea and could not get back to sleep. Instead of bothering my wife, I put on some clothes and wandered the ship. As we were approaching NYC, I went as far forward as I could so I could see the slow creep of light on the horizon and the merging of all of those ship lights toward a single point at The Narrows. The experience was incredible. I stayed in that spot until we had passed under the Varrazano bridge, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the remains of the Towers. Truly awe inspiring.

You are on NCL -- I don't know if there are any areas for star gazing. Some RCI ships have the front helipad that is dark on purpose for star gazing. But, in the middle of the night when the ship is moving, it is very windy there.

You are on NCL -- I don't know if there are any areas for star gazing. Some RCI ships have the front helipad that is dark on purpose for star gazing. But, in the middle of the night when the ship is moving, it is very windy there.

Don't believe the helipad is blacked out for stargazing. Typically, everything forward of the bridge is dark when at sea to prevent loss of night vision by the bridge team.

Once again, cb, spouting nonsense. The reason the night sky is "hazy or cloudy" is "light pollution" where the ship's lights wash out the darkness and the stars fade. Really, only having all the thousands of lights on a cruise ship is what keeps ships from running into each other? 99% of the ships crossing the world's oceans (those that are not cruise ships) have exactly 5 60w lightbulbs lit up (range, masthead, port, starboard, and stern running lights), and they manage to not hit each other thousands of times each day.

Thanks for that info. That's really not a lot of lights on those ships. The things you don't learn in a *ahem* guidebook. :'):')

I am with JB :). We love stargazing on cruises and can usually find a relatively dark spot for spotting stars and planets. As somebody mentioned, even our balcony is sometimes perfect late at night. Otherwise, somewhere on deck usually gets you away from much of the light. As to other ships, we have been on cruises when there was nothing within hundreds of miles (so said the Captain). While short cruises in the Caribbean might often have you seeing other ships, this is not so common when in the middle of the Pacific, Atlantic, etc.

 

 

 

When doing a lengthy transpacific cruise on the Oosterdam, we had an Australian astronomer on the ship who was a terrific lecturer. On a few clear nights he would get the Captain to shut off many of the annoying deck lights so we could have a near perfect view in most directions. As somebody who has spent his life in the Northern Hemisphere, it is the Southern Hemisphere that holds a lot of personal interest for stargazing.

 

 

 

Hank

The first time I saw the Southern Hemisphere sky at night was the first time I realized how familiar our sky is.

I usually can only see a few stars because of light pollution, but evidently our stars are engraved on my brain.

The Southern sky is so different it was mind boggling to me and made me really feel that we’re traveling through space.

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Don't believe the helipad is blacked out for stargazing. Typically, everything forward of the bridge is dark when at sea to prevent loss of night vision by the bridge team.

Good point. Regardless, it's dark -- and windy.

Chengkp75 is correct for the reason the area fwd of the Bridge is dark, it is nothing to do with star gazing. Any light up fwd seriously reduces the Bridge officer's night vision. While cruise ships take significant liberty with lights, at night, no lights should be displayed that interfere with the navigation lights - masthead x 2, sidelights x 2 and stern light.

With respect to wind up fwd, it isn't always windy. This is entirely dependent on the ship's course/speed and the wind direction. When the ship heads into the wind it equals strong wind over the deck. However, when the wind is astern at the same speed as the ship you will have light airs on the deck.

the Coast Guard operates the only sailing ship still operating in the US fleet

USCGC EAGLE trains sailors to understand and respect the whims and ways of the winds and waves at sea

at the top of the main (a long time ago)

I sailed each of my 4 years as a cadet on EAGLE ... I sought out the opportunity as a once in a life time event (my classmates often disagreed)

I AM a square rig sailor .... formerly captain of the fore mast USCGC EAGLE

Here's our "funny" Middle of the Night report ... including when we were younger:

On HAL we could always be the last to leave anything open at night.

Celebrity ... yes, could be the last to leave without a problem.

Princess ... mostly yes ....

NCL ... seldom able to "roll til they closed". :D

RCCL .... some ships but not others

Carnival ... NOT able to close any down on any of their larger ships ....

the Coast Guard operates the only sailing ship still operating in the US fleet

 

USCGC EAGLE trains sailors to understand and respect the whims and ways of the winds and waves at sea

 

at the top of the main (a long time ago)

 

 

I sailed each of my 4 years as a cadet on EAGLE ... I sought out the opportunity as a once in a life time event (my classmates often disagreed)

 

I AM a square rig sailor .... formerly captain of the fore mast USCGC EAGLE

Wow, 4 yrs on a single ship as a cadet. Must have been a fabulous training experience.

the Coast Guard operates the only sailing ship still operating in the US fleet

 

USCGC EAGLE trains sailors to understand and respect the whims and ways of the winds and waves at sea

 

at the top of the main (a long time ago)

 

 

I sailed each of my 4 years as a cadet on EAGLE ... I sought out the opportunity as a once in a life time event (my classmates often disagreed)

 

I AM a square rig sailor .... formerly captain of the fore mast USCGC EAGLE

We were invited by a cousin to be on his trawler in Portland Me’s harbor to escort the Eagle in during a Tall Ships event.

The Tall Ships had all been clustered out of sight while we sat outside the harbor. Then they appeared from around a corner one by one. Eagle was first and Bill turned us and we fell into place to escort her in. That was a most beautiful sight and tremendous honor.

Four years must have created so many memories to enrich your life.

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Wow, 4 yrs on a single ship as a cadet. Must have been a fabulous training experience.

I don't believe he means 4 full years, it would have been his four summer cruises.

the Coast Guard operates the only sailing ship still operating in the US fleet

 

USCGC EAGLE trains sailors to understand and respect the whims and ways of the winds and waves at sea

 

 

 

I sailed each of my 4 years as a cadet on EAGLE ... I sought out the opportunity as a once in a life time event (my classmates often disagreed)

 

I AM a square rig sailor .... formerly captain of the fore mast USCGC EAGLE

The Eagle is a magnificent ship, and a great classroom for teaching young middies the hard work and self-reliance needed for a career at sea. A salute to you Capt_BJ for working the Eagle.

Interesting facts about the Eagle, she started life as the German training ship "Horst Wessel" prior to WWII, and was won in a post war reparations lottery with the British and Russians. Two of her sisters are still sailing today, and one more is a museum ship undergoing restoration.

A friend of mine's daughter went to the CG Academy. She also did all 4 summer cruises on Eagle. She loved it.