Cruising With No Excrusions...Anyone Else Ever Did This??

[Big Jay]

I'm Cruising The Miracle Next Week, And I Just Plan To Stay On Ship!! No Excursions!! I've Been To These Ports Numerous Times, Been There Done That!!

 

Got A Great Last Minute Deal, That I Just COULN"T Pass Up!!:eek:

 

Have Any Of You Cruise, And Just Stayed On The Ship??

 

If So, How Was It??

[sweetcurves]

I would be open to doing that, but I doubt I'd stick to it. I'm too curious...even if I've bee there before.

[bucks724]

I haven't, but I have done it with no organized excursions at islands I've visited for the first time (on my first cruise).

 

My aunt and uncle are Diamond (whatever that means anymore!) and they rarely get off. They have seen the countries many times over and basically cruise to get out of the house and have someone else cook for them (and in my uncle's case, someone to deliver his beer so he doesn't have to keep getting up to get it).

 

On our cruise in 2009, he never left the ship. She got off to buy a jacket in Cozumel because she was sitting on the Lido deck reading and got cold!

 

They swear by it and say it's the most relaxing time ever - just cruise along and do what you want at your own pace. I might try it one day! :)

[chasinraynbowz]

DH and I have! We thoroughly enjoyed having the pool and hot tubs available to us with very, very few people on board. We have also gotten off the ship and shopped for an hour or so and then got back on board and enjoyed the pool and hot tubs then too!!!

 

Congrats on your great deal and have a wonderful cruise!!!

[Sillyjilly]

I've done it many times. I love, love, love having the ship all to myself. :D

[lucky13elec]

I've never done this. But maybe next year if I go on the Pride for the third year in a row. This will give me a reason to do the Pride again. Thanks for the idea. But I believe I would get off in Nassau for the cheaper beer. If you do it please post how you liked it.

[lucky13elec]

I've done it many times. I love, love, love having the ship all to myself. :D

 

Have you stayed on board for a whole 7 day cruise? Not ever gotten off the ship once you boarded it in the homeport? I've stayed on board a couple of times but never for more than one port on a cruise.

 

I'm kind of going over the idea. I never thought about staying on board for a entire cruise. But I've always enjoyed it the 4 or 5 times I stayed on ship in a port. Its a different concept for me I think I might like it. As long as the ship only did the Bahamas.

[myangel]

YES YES YES!!! I LOVE staying on the ship! With our jobs they way they are, we can only go on 7 day cruises, been East/West Caribbean so many times, we stay on the ship, and LOVE it. We do get off to run and get some vanilla in Cozumel tho. Now when we reitre and get to go to ALaska, etc then we will get off the ship! :)

[cv322]

While cruising on the NCL Gem in September 2011...we were supposed to go to Bermuda (7-days out of NY), but because of a hurricane we went to Port Canaveral, Great Stirrup Cay & Nassau instead. Not my favorite ports! On that cruise I didn't bother getting off the ship.

 

I was originally planning on getting off in GSC...but when we approached the island that morning, I could see from my balcony that there didn't seem to be any shade trees at all...:eek:...and it was very, very hot...so I opted to stay on board. I had a great time on that cruise...it ended up actually being one of my favorites. :).

[lil nemo]

maybe its just me! but if I wanted to stay in one place I'd do a land based vaca and hold up in a resort all week. granted to some point you float by a different view occasionally, I think the whole point of cruising is the nomadic way it gives you to see and experience different cultures and countries. The day I think there is nothing more or to experience on the many caribbean islands is the day I stop cruising those ports.

there are some islands that I can see limiting my visit, but entire cruise of that why book a cruise??

[LANDLADY]

Done it a few times especially on cruises to Bahamas ports. Plan on doing so on our cruise next week on the Miracle. Usually have a spa day on one of the port days. No one on the ship..it is great.

[jedg22]

Last year on the Pride we did a spa day while the ship was in Port Canaveral. Great prices ! The Serenity deck was wonderful in port...very few people !

[cruisernh]

Enjoy the ship to yourselves. We like to plan one day where we don't get off the ship. It makes a very relaxing uncrowded day.

[kelkel2]

My husband and I did this on our last cruise. We just decided we didn't want to rush around and make excursions etc...

We got up went to breakfast, went into port, walked around and shopped. Sometimes stopped for lunch and drinks, and then wandered back to the ship when we were ready. We loved it that way. You can avoid the cattle call to get off the ship early and when the crowds are gone you can leave the ship. I honestly would highly recommend cruising without excursions!

[andie1969]

I would definitely do this if I had been to all the ports before. I would also definitely get the Cheers program if I were on board all week! ;)

[Rowan555]

We did this on the Magic last January - we'd just done the same itinerary in October, and we simply wanted to experience the newest ship and all it had to offer. We did 3 days of land activities in Galveston, so by the time we got on the ship we were ready to relax and enjoy the Magic! We had a blast, and we particularly enjoyed port days when we "had the ship to ourselves."

 

We happen to be doing that very same itinerary on the Conquest this Sunday - and we've already agreed that other than hopping off to buy tequila in the duty free just off the ship in Cozumel, we're once again staying on board the whole week. The weather's too cold for me to enjoy any water activities other than the hot tub on board - so I'm staying put!

[OldTurtle]

I have been on numerous cruises where all I wanted to do was watch the ocean and enjoy the ship. If I got off at all, it was on my own to haunt the port for an hour or so. Last Fall I was on NCL Spirit for 12 days and never got off, watching all those wonderful European cities come and go. Just depends on whether you are a boat nut like me. Sometimes all I can afford is the cruise, and I never go anywhere, never play in the casino, never get a massage, ever have a cocktail, and sometimes never even take in a show! The ocean is enough. Just sayin...:D

[WAHMto5]

We love staying on the ship if it is one port that we don't care for. It is like having the ship all to yourself since it is quite empty most of the time;)

[Rottweiler Puppy]

I have done the no excursions thing but I get off at every port. There is always something on land for me.

[Julia’s Journey’s]

We just got back from a B2B in december and we had been to all the islands except one so we booked an excursion there and said we were staying on the ship the others to make them sea days.

Most of them we still got off even if just to walk for an hour or 2 and enjoyed just hanging on the ship.

[cv322]

maybe its just me! but if I wanted to stay in one place I'd do a land based vaca and hold up in a resort all week. granted to some point you float by a different view occasionally, I think the whole point of cruising is the nomadic way it gives you to see and experience different cultures and countries. The day I think there is nothing more or to experience on the many caribbean islands is the day I stop cruising those ports.

there are some islands that I can see limiting my visit, but entire cruise of that why book a cruise??

 

For me it's all about the ship & being on the ocean. I could easily board the ship, cruise out of the harbor, circle around in the ocean for 8-10 days & come back...and I'd be just as happy.

[MissMeggieMurphy]

For me it's all about the ship & being on the ocean. I could easily board the ship, cruise out of the harbor, circle around in the ocean for 8-10 days & come back...and I'd be just as happy.

 

i think ports are ok and may spend time doing things i don't normally do at home like zip lining, or parasailing, or snorkeling, or seeing an area i haven't visited before but i no longer traipse on shore for shopping, or water parks, and rarely for beaches. i, too, cruise because it is the most relaxing thing i can do. i don't worry about getting up in the morning, or having to be somewhere, or catching a cab, etc. i also want, at some point, to take a cruise to nowhere. when i am a bit older i'll probably do the hawaii cruise since i've seen all the islands, played enough golf, and shopped by heart out that i can just relax and enjoy being out in the middle of nowhere for as long as it gets to sail there and eventually sail back.

[KORTAM]

We did it on our last cruise; we did get off in each port and walked around the shops in the port area. The part about it is you can watch the masses leave, get of if you want without a line then get back on before the masses return. Love the quite ship on port days. Even on a normal cruise we will usually only do one maybe two excursions then at the other port(s) we will go do our own "excursion" so to miss the crowds as well.

[shorbr]

We usually get off to do shopping, as we are not beach bums. While in Bermuda we took a tour of the island, but after that, back to the ship where we had the ship to ourselves.

[Sparky2]

I'm Cruising The Miracle Next Week, And I Just Plan To Stay On Ship!! No Excursions!! I've Been To These Ports Numerous Times, Been There Done That!!

 

Got A Great Last Minute Deal, That I Just COULN"T Pass Up!!:eek:

 

Have Any Of You Cruise, And Just Stayed On The Ship??

 

If So, How Was It??

 

We're doing B2B on Carnival Freedom starting this Sunday. We've been to all of the ports on the first leg so we will not be booking any excursions. However, we do plan on booking the Behind The Fun Tour on the ship.

 

The 2nd leg of our B2B we have 2 new ports - Antigua & Tortola - so we will book excursions there.

 

We probably will get off the ship at the ports we've been to and just walk around for a little bit, then get back on the ship.