Sleep in on day of port?

[vikesfan]

My husband and I will be on our first cruise in November. Just wondering about the days that we dock early in the morning (7am one day, 8am another day). Can you sleep in or do you need to get off the ship right away? Not that I want to sleep away the day when we are at a great place, but not sure that I want to get up at 6am either. :) Thanks for any info you have.

[sportsterjohn]

you can sleep as late as you want and get on and off the ship as many times as you want during the day.

[vikesfan]

Thanks for that information. That will make my DH very, very happy!!!

[Sheffie]

You don't even have to get off of the ship if you don't want to. That being said, I don't want to miss one minute of shore time. It is so interesting and fun to be on an island! I can always sleep when I go home.:D

[vmom]

You can sleep as late as you want and don't even have to get off the ship. The only day you will have to get up early and get off the ship is the last day...disembarktion...my least favorite day.

 

May sure and check out the ports section of these boards so you have an idea of what activities are available at each port.

 

Also, don't take any of the port talks by the so called shopping director seriously....its all paid advertising...one big commercial.

[stan wood]

I agree with the others. I would make sure I researched each port to make sure there is not some excursion worthy of my time.

 

If nothing else, go to bed earlier the previous night. It is exciting to explore a new area-and who knows, you may never be there again.

[DonLou]

Sleep as long as you want. Or can. It's not exactly going to be quiet.

 

There will be lots of noises when the ship docks - the thrusters, anchor chains sounding, voices calling and the general pitter-patter of workers and excited passengers moving around the hallway. The cabin is not completely soundproofed. Sometimes the silence of the engines that have been shut down or the feeling of non-movement will wake you. If you sleep long enough, maybe your cabin steward will enter and you will both be startled. He'll apologize and back out and you'll probably get up, get dressed and leave for awhile so he can clean the room.

 

So, sleep as long as you want. Or can.

[celbercrz333]

You can even order room service breakfast, sleep in, eat in your room and then you can shower and get ready to go out on the town! (or beach). We had a tee time in Bermuda and we were on Celebrity Zenith. We placed our breakfast order on our tv and requested it to be delivered from 6am-6:30 am (the breakfast buffet & dining room didn't open until later and we had a tee time!) Our breakfast arrived at 6:15. We ate and were on our way before most of the ship had a chance to eat.

[bplazo]

The only day I sleep in is sea days and then maybe only till 8:00am. So much to do and I want to enjoy every minute of the ports. My only problem is that since I am an eary riser I am usually ready to go to bed around nine at night. Not much of a night person!

[bruce-r]

I like to be first off the ship, last back on, if there is diving to be done ;)

 

On sea days, I get up in time for breakfast in the dining room. I just prefer to order from a menu and have the waiter wait on me.

 

The rest of my family, especially DS, like to sleep in and usually do every day on a cruise.

 

OK, next question?

[kenandlaura06]

I like to sleep in on vacation, as I have to get up early early for work. That said, sleeping in for me is to 8:00 or 8:30. But, I will not be getting up at 6:00 a.m. on my cruise!

[laura2161]

We also sleep in on port days (unless I've screwed up and booked an EARLY shore excursion) :p

 

Most times on port days I sleep til 10:00 or so,,,But then I'm a night person and dont even leave the casino until after 2:00 am or later.

 

Laura

[starq1]

If this is your first cruise good luck sleeping! My DH and I went on our first cruise in January and loved every minute of it! We are hooked even my DH, who usually is a skeptic about everything. We walked off the ship and said never will we go on another vacation and not do it by cruising!

 

On sea days we would take a nap, but we were still up by 6. I love to sleep and at home on the weekends I can sleep till 10. But there is so much to do and see that sleep will be the furthest thing from your mind!

 

One other thing, with it being said that I did not sleep, I didn't feel the need to take a "vacation after my vacation". I don't know about everyone else but every other vacation we have taken seemed to be more stress then they were worth. We had no worries while on board and had the time of our lives!

[Happy ks]

Well, your answer is no one can tell you what time to get off the ship at port. If the ship is anchored, instead of docked, you may want to wait a while before disembarking, unless you have an early excursion. The tender boats are very crowded the first hour or so.

 

We love to watch the ship dock and will be up on deck for it, it's nice to be up there approaching a port when the deck isn't crowded, usually it's very beautiful. Of course, I'm a person who doesn't happen to think that 7 or 8 am is early morning, I'm an early riser (up by 5 am) even on my days off. We walk the jog course a few times, have coffee and watch how they manuever the ship, it can be fascinating.

[Bran8778]

You can get off the ship at any time. I always try to get off the ship asap and sleep later.

[RetireeWannabee]

I agree with the poster about not needing a vacation afterwards (ok, based on one cruise 3 years ago). Of course, I don't really schedule much of anything, either, preferring to "go with the flow" as that is way more relaxing for me. We didn't buy any shore excursions, so didn't need to hurry, and didn't.

 

I crave sleep on weekends at home. Aside from the excitement of the port cities and stuff to do, etc., I found the cruise experience to be soooo therapeutic that maybe I just didn't need as much sleep? Oceans do that for me, really soothe and relax me.

 

My next cruise will be with Mom, who gets up before 5 most days. This will be interesting, as I typically shoot for (tho rarely achieve) double-digits. I'll likely become more of an early riser as it would be more difficult for her to stay up later/sleep later. She's never been on a cruise so I want her to be able to go at her pace and I'll just play along ; )

 

If you think you might have trouble sleeping in, I might recommend some cheap ear plugs you can get at any drugstore. Try em at home first so you can switch brands before you leave, if needed.

[nfused2cruze]

If this is your first cruise good luck sleeping!

I agree. This is one reason why I like days at sea. I just changed my cruise to the Mexican Riviera so that I could have some time to relax. (Not that I would sleep in all day.) I also got an outside cabin just to make sure that sun comes in - I won't sleep then. :D

[lv2crooz2]

Always remember.....This is YOUR vacation and you can do whatever you want !! That said, I love to get up early, walk out on deck and see a fantastic port. It has a magical feel, especially if you've never been there before. Fill your cruise hours with pleasure, wonder, and memories. It is over all too soon. Have a great time. We leave in 17 days so I'll see ya on the high seas !! :)