Staying on board ship on port days

[Shih-tzu]

Haven't been on a cruise since 1973 (ages and ages ago).

 

Trying to convince DH that a cruise would be fun but haven't quite sold him on the idea yet...(I'm waiting for some night he's watching TV and just says "yes" without thinking....:D)

 

As I am looking at "relaxation", if I do cruise I probably won't want to leave the ship at every port and not into loud, loud parties, etc.

 

What is there to do on board during the days in port. I read somewhere here in the last day or two that they empty the ships' pools during port days (which is a day that I would probably enjoy being there the most). Is this the case for all cruise lines, some of the cruise lines or just if it needs to be for cleaning, etc.

 

I have also read that the weekly passes for the spa type area are very difficult to get unless you are a frequent cruiser with the "perks" of being a return customer...is this for all cruise lines or just some?

 

I do realize the casino is closed (which doesn't interest me anyway) but what else is closed? Can you still get drinks, etc by the pool/lounge chair areas?

 

I guess what is/isn't available may help my decision as to which cruise I may enjoy the most.

 

Thanks for any info... I'm getting plenty tired of the snow.

[roysue]

Hi shih-Tzu! We have never stayed on board during port days but have often only spent part of the day ashore. There has always been a lot of talk about remaining on board during port days. Many people do this, especially if they have already been to the port many times. These are reportedly very relaxing days on board. The pools don't get emptied. You can have your pick of loungers, either in the sun or shade. The live music is the only thing that I know if that is absent during port days. The shops and casino remain closed as well. Other than that, it's a wonderful relaxing day! Hope you get to cruise and enjoy yourself!

[taglovestocruise]

MDR is usually closed for lunch on port days but all other eateries stay open, the spa is always open and services are sometime half off. We have stayed onboard for many port days and have found the only difference to be a much more relaxed day. happy cruising

[Shih-tzu]

Sounding good - keep "on ship" ideas coming. I'm looking at cruises out of Boston (but NOT eastern Canada - that's where I'm "escaping from" LOL). At least we can drive there in 8 or 9 hours so we will save on airfare...but Eastern and Southern Caribbean looks good too....

 

Book, glass of ice cubes, lounge chair and a pool to cool off in :-) Ahhhhh:cool:

[RSLeesburg]

Sounding good - keep "on ship" ideas coming. I'm looking at cruises out of Boston (but NOT eastern Canada - that's where I'm "escaping from" LOL). At least we can drive there in 8 or 9 hours so we will save on airfare...but Eastern and Southern Caribbean looks good too....

 

 

 

Book, glass of ice cubes, lounge chair and a pool to cool off in :-) Ahhhhh:cool:

 

 

Check out one of the cruises to Bermuda from Boston. That is (usually) the only port, so the ship becomes your floating hotel and you can walk off or not as often as you want, or not at all. I just heard that HAL will be doing this itinerary, and will be docking in Hamilton, which is quite convenient. You want dinner or lunch in town, you get off.

 

 

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[SPacificbound]

On our cruise last year we stayed on board at least one day and a couple of others we got off and just walked around a bit and went back to the ship. We don't need to be entertained, so for us it was a great time.

The ports where we wanted to do an excursion, we did.

 

Before you start moving your DH towards a cruise, first get an idea of what cruise line would suit you best, where you think he (and you) might be more interested in going, and what time of year would be best for what you want.

 

Your ages, activity level, weather condition possibilities where you want to go, etc.

 

If you have not already done this, take a look at each cruise lines forums and read posts and ask questions. There are lots of very nice people who will be happy to answer your questions. (There are a couple of grumpy ones, just ignore them). :D

 

Royal Caribbean

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=83

 

Celebrity

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=28

 

Holland

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=171

 

Carnival

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=215

 

These are just some of the cruise lines. :)

Edited February 25, 2014 by SPacificbound
add something

[Shih-tzu]

Would love to find one that docks in Hamilton instead of King's Wharf. I'll check out the Holland America site :-) Thanks for the tip.

[sail7seas]

Would love to find one that docks in Hamilton instead of King's Wharf. I'll check out the Holland America site :-) Thanks for the tip.

 

 

There was a recent announcement HAL will sail to Bermuda again for some cruises in 2015. It will not be a complete season. The ship will dock in Hamilton and sail Boston to Boston. It is my understanding Bermuda will permit HAL to open the Casino in the evenings.

 

 

Edited February 25, 2014 by sail7seas

[Cruisin' Chick]

Haven't been on a cruise since 1973 (ages and ages ago).

 

Trying to convince DH that a cruise would be fun but haven't quite sold him on the idea yet...(I'm waiting for some night he's watching TV and just says "yes" without thinking....:D)

 

As I am looking at "relaxation", if I do cruise I probably won't want to leave the ship at every port and not into loud, loud parties, etc.

 

You don't have to get off the ship at all except for disembarkation day. Not sure what you mean by "loud, loud parties, etc." Are you talking about wild parties that would be on board during a port day? A ship that has a partying crowd? Loud sailaway parties leaving ports? Or ports that have wild parties when the ships come in?

 

What is there to do on board during the days in port. I read somewhere here in the last day or two that they empty the ships' pools during port days (which is a day that I would probably enjoy being there the most). Is this the case for all cruise lines, some of the cruise lines or just if it needs to be for cleaning, etc.

 

I can only speak for Princess since that's the line I've been on since 2003, but I haven't heard of the pools being emptied while in port, unless there's a specific reason for cleaning (like if someone had an "accident" just before the ship arrived into port). Sometimes pools may be closed when there's rough seas, but that's when the ship is moving.

 

Often passengers decide to stay on board so that they could just hang out at the pool or take advantage of port-day specials at the spa or do laundry in the self-service laundry rooms. I once stayed on board in one port as the day before I had a bad reaction (hay fever) to whatever was being burned in Puerto Vallerta while we were there. So hubby took our five-year-old into Cabo while I stayed in bed with a lot of kleenix and Sudafed. And when we're on our Hawaiian cruises, the Ensenada day is a stationary sea day for us and for many other passengers.

 

Princess will have some activities, such as movies playing on the Movies Under the Stars screen and in the Princess theater and in one's cabin on the TV. Usually the afternoon trivia match will still happen while in port. There's also afternoon tea. There is no main dining room lunch on sea days anymore, but the buffet and poolside pizzeria and grill, and the International Cafe, will still have plenty of food.

 

I have also read that the weekly passes for the spa type area are very difficult to get unless you are a frequent cruiser with the "perks" of being a return customer...is this for all cruise lines or just some?

 

Don't know as I'm not into the spa services (maybe you're talking about the Sanctuary as it's called on Princess or whatever is similar on the cruiseline you're considering?). That would be a question to ask on the specific cruise line board. But I don't think this is the case on Princess -- it's not a known benefit for being Platinum or Elite on Princess.

 

I do realize the casino is closed (which doesn't interest me anyway) but what else is closed? Can you still get drinks, etc by the pool/lounge chair areas?

 

The ship stores will be closed until you get back into international waters. That's pretty standard. But I can't imagine beverage service would stop.

 

I guess what is/isn't available may help my decision as to which cruise I may enjoy the most.

 

Thanks for any info... I'm getting plenty tired of the snow.

 

Which cruise line(s) were you considering? I can only answer about Carnival (and I haven't been on one of those ships since 2002) and Princess.

[SadieN]

There will be some activities going on during port day for those onboard.

[cb at sea]

At ports where we've been before, we will sometimes stay on the ship. It's nice! The bars are up and running, food is available....basically, the only things closed will be casino and shops. The pools will be open and functioning.

 

A ship is like a resort hotel....if you want peace and quiet...it's there. If you want activies...it's there. If you want to party-hardy...you can do that, too!

 

However, if you've never been to the ports, get a guidebook...you may find stuff that really interests you! THEN,. you can decide whether to stay on the ship all day, or not. Most cruises nowadays have PLENTY of sea days...a port is a nice break!

Edited February 25, 2014 by cb at sea

[trev71]

Would love to find one that docks in Hamilton instead of King's Wharf. I'll check out the Holland America site :-) Thanks for the tip.

 

 

I cant answer, i never stay aboard but I feel your pain i see you live in the same Pronvice as me. Fredericton has had a horrible winter so far. Happy Crusing

[Hlitner]

Since the OP does not mention a specific cruise line it is a little difficult to generalize. But most ships keep the pools open everyday of the cruise. As to activities, there are fewer things to do on a port day since there are not a lot of passengers on the ship. But DW and I have stayed aboard in a few ports (most notably when in Civvitavecchia a couple of times) and love just relaxing, sunning, reading, etc. The MDR is usually closed, but the buffet does operate normally...and there are no lines.

 

Hank

[Shih-tzu]

Thanks everyone.... love the information.....

 

Cruisin' Chick - by "loud parties" I meant a continuous blaring of music with no where to escape, or people getting tipsy enough to become obnoxious.... I don't mind people having a good time. And yes, by the spa I mean something like the Sanctuary :) Not sure about a cruise line yet - but those going to Bermuda are probably my 1st choice as the port is within driving distance (7 hours or so I've been told).

 

Trev71 - same place :D I had the honour of trying to "drive" on Charlotte St on Saturday.... that's when I realized that I think I need to go on a cruise where there's wide ocean as opposed to streets plugged with so much snow they're down to one lane.

[OCruisers]

On port stops the pools will be open and lots fewer people will be there.

 

LuLu

~~~

[wassup4565]

I would totally stay on board the ship if it didn't stop in interesting places that call me off.

 

On port days, the ship population decreases by about 75%. A few venues like the casino and dining room close, but the rest are open. Staff are much more relaxed with time for conversation. There are still some scheduled activities on board during the day.

 

Actually, I'd stay on board the ship the whole time, except it keeps stopping at these interesting ports.