Help Needed: Starboard or Port?

[bzv143]

Getting ready to book a Back-to-Back on Noordam, Caribbean, for Christmas/New Years. Do not know which side will be better to be on for the 14 days. I like having a cabin facing as many docksides as I can to watch all the action from my balcony. The ship will be going to Nassau, San Juan, St. Thomas, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Falmouth (Jamaica), and, of course, the private HAL Cay. Any advice from you great HAL cruisers? (p.s. I know "any side is better than no side," but......) :rolleyes:

[navybankerteacher]

Getting ready to book a Back-to-Back on Noordam, Caribbean, for Christmas/New Years. Do not know which side will be better to be on for the 14 days. I like having a cabin facing as many docksides as I can to watch all the action from my balcony. The ship will be going to Nassau, San Juan, St. Thomas, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Falmouth (Jamaica), and, of course, the private HAL Cay. Any advice from you great HAL cruisers? (p.s. I know "any side is better than no side," but......) :rolleyes:

 

It's hard to predict which side will be alongside a pier in a given port. Often it is dictated by the number of ships already in when your ship arrives, plus the order of departure. A "full" port might not permit a ship to turn around on arrival - also, the first ship to leave a port is often moored facing out - for the same reason. Other things being equal, ships try to alternate sides at least a little so as to beable to lower and raise lifeboats while in a port to check on functioning of the davits.

 

In any event - the pier/port facility might be really grim, while the view across the harbor could be spectacular: so, getting what you get - which is what will happen - can the best in each port.

[E-500]

NBT above is right on in his/her comments. Our experience has been probably 60/40 port side to the dock in 150+ dockings.

[jtl513]

In some ports, such as St Thomas, you can be on the "right side" of the ship for the better view, only to have another ship dock on the other side of the pier to block it. In Nassau there could be three or four ships docked in parallel, so you could have another ship on both sides. And of course at HMC you don't dock at all.

[kazu]

There is no right or wrong answer, but I am with E500 here, we always book port and seem to luck out. My only starboard was last year when I was upgraded and definitely we saw a lot more sea than ports (in some cases that was not a bad thing). Enjoy your cruise no matter what you look at. :):)

[bepsf]

I only book Portside - but not because of the views while in port...

...it's because I dislike riding backwards.

;)

[Krazy Kruizers]

We book port side 99% of the time.

 

The one time we did a Caribbean cruise on the Noordam we were on port side and every port we were in the ship docked so that the starboard side faced inland.

[navybankerteacher]

The only time it is likely to really make a difference is when on an essentially one-way cruise, like a trans-Atlantic: westbound in the Fall, port will give you more sun on a verandah.