How do they choose ports?

[CiaCut]

We are sailing on the Dawn next week and have a stop in Santa Marta Colombia. They only offer 4 excursions (that are crazy expensive and the only reviews I have seen are no good) and there is very little info available about the port. All I keep seeing is how gross it is, and how people get off the boat to get right back on.

 

To top it off, most of the beaches will be closed during the time we will be there.

 

Why would NCL have this as a port stop when there are MANY gorgeous and amazing places around?

 

 

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[ColinIllinois]

What other ports are on the itinerary?

[CiaCut]

What other ports are on the itinerary?

 

 

 

Key west, Aruba, Curacao, grand cayman and Ocho Rios.

 

 

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[shof515]

some ports might be required due to the various laws that require the ship to visit a distinct foreign port

[BirdTravels]

some ports might be required due to the various laws that require the ship to visit a distinct foreign port

 

I think that Aruba, Curacao, grand cayman and Ocho Rios would qualify as foreign ports.

[timf2001]

This is a pretty random port of call. Yes it would count as a distant foreign port if this were a repositioning cruise, but so would Aruba and Curacao. However, it's a round-trip cruise from Tampa and all you need is any foreign port, so there's no logic behind why this stop was selected.

[masterwinning]

I was on the Dawn for the last pre-referb cruise. We went to Santo Tomas De Castilla, Guatemala as one of our ports. According to the the concierge onboard, this was a test for NCL. No other cruise lines had really used this port before, but the Guatemalan government asked nicely, so they were giving it a try. Turned out to be a great port if you are into cultural things, and they have gone back multiple times since. If you wanted Diamonds/Emeralds International and Hard Rock, you would not of liked it.

[gambit57]

That makes sense. I can see governments asking for tryouts to get some tourist dollars in. Cruise ships get to offer new locations, particularly for their repeat travelers.