How bad is it with numerous ships in port?

[reney313]

I do look at the port loads when determining my port activities.

 

When we were in Cozumel last time, there were 7 ships. We booked the Cozumel Bar Hop that goes to the other side of the island. It was heaven on that side with the added bonus of zero crowds. My sister and her family did not book anything and took a cab to downtown. It sounded like a horrible zoo.

 

On our trip (next week!!), we will be in St. Thomas with several other ships. While I know that will increase the traffic to St. John, I think I'm still better off at one of the beaches there than trying to get to Megan's beach or one of the others on St. Thomas.

 

On ports where there are not as many ships, if there isn't anything specific I "want" to do that I haven't before, I will choose to wing it that day. I won't do that with a lot of ships though.

 

There always seems to be an option that will take you away from the crowds and you'll have a better day for it, even if it may not have been your first choice.

[Bmorecruiser021]

For those of you really seasoned cruisers, How bad is it when there are 5-6 ships in port? We are going on the Allure over thanksgiving.

 

There are 6 ships in St. Thomas , 4 in St. Martin and 4 in Nassau.

 

Thanks,

Debbie

 

Honestly, I would have to say it depends on a lot of factors. Like others have said, which ships, and the size of the ships have a lot to do with it. I always go on http://www.cruisetimetables.com/ to see which ships will be in port with us on which days and then I wiki them if I don't already know their size.

 

Another factor to think about is the timing. When does your ship arrive at port and when do the others. I was in St. Thomas last year with the Allure, Epic, Grand Princess, and 2 other AIDI ships and it wasn't bad. A little crowded, but that was to be expected. What was horrible was San Juan. We had a 3pm arrival time and Celebrity Silhouette beat us to the dock by minutes, because of this they cleared customs first and were let off their ship first. This resulted in our excursion leaving without us, since most of the participants were from the other ship. RCI gave us a full refund and apologized, and it really wasn't their fault. But know I look at arrival times as well and take that into consideration when I book things. So even 1 other ship can ruin plans. It all just depends on the factors and what you are personally comfortable with.