Are there places you wish cruises would stop going to?

[ilikeanswers]

Turkey, in its various manifestations, is one of the major civilisations of the world. The islands in the Caribbean are just pretty and sandy and not much else.

Both have there own attractions, but to write off Turkey merely highlights the ignorance of anyone who holds such a view.

 

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Being a history freak I feel an obsessive compulsive need to chime in on this one;p In defense of the Caribbean the Taino themselves were a major civilisation of great economic and military power.:D They unified the island states into one empire and controlled the coastal trade around Central America. Unfortunately colonisation didn't think their achievements worthy of preservation and ripped up their cities, temples and technological developements:( but you could argue the European takeover was another manifestation of a major civilisation. Though I have to add I do love Caribbean food, so for me it ranks as a foodie paradise:cool:

 

 

I think Turkey and Caribbean are very different and comparing them is like apples and oranges besides the question is about personal preference, so in the end no one has to agree with each other;), (though if Turkey has so much to offer perhaps it fits the second category of my question in that it is a cruise destination better visited by other means than cruising?) but it is interesting to see the destinations that keep being repeated in some of the answers. It seems some places may have an image problem:o

[wowzz]

Being a history freak I feel an obsessive compulsive need to chime in on this one;p In defense of the Caribbean the Taino themselves were a major civilisation of great economic and military power.:D They unified the island states into one empire and controlled the coastal trade around Central America. Unfortunately colonisation didn't think their achievements worthy of preservation and ripped up their cities, temples and technological developements:( but you could argue the European takeover was another manifestation of a major civilisation. Though I have to add I do love Caribbean food, so for me it ranks as a foodie paradise:cool:

 

 

I think Turkey and Caribbean are very different and comparing them is like apples and oranges besides the question is about personal preference, so in the end no one has to agree with each other;), (though if Turkey has so much to offer perhaps it fits the second category of my question in that it is a cruise destination better visited by other means than cruising?) but it is interesting to see the destinations that keep being repeated in some of the answers. It seems some places may have an image problem:o

I must admit that I was being slightly disparaging about the historical context of the Caribbean islands, but I was a little taken aback about the negativity regarding Turkey, based purely on the attitude of various traders attempting to earn a living. If these delicate travelers find the Turkish salesmen a bit pushy, they obviously have not experienced the 'joys' of a Far Eastern market!

[navybankerteacher]

 

...

 

I think Turkey and Caribbean are very different and comparing them is like apples and oranges besides the question is about personal preference, so in the end no one has to agree with each other;), (though if Turkey has so much to offer perhaps it fits the second category of my question in that it is a cruise destination better visited by other means than cruising?) but it is interesting to see the destinations that keep being repeated in some of the answers. It seems some places may have an image problem:o

 

Of course tastes vary, but it might be said that the more a place has to offer, the more reason there is to visit it on a land trip rather than as an eight hour cruise stop. A few hours on a beach followed by a bit of shopping can be accomplished in a few hours -- while getting past the superficial distractions in a city like Istanbul cannot.

 

But then, if you really want to enjoy a Caribbean island, you should spend a few days there as well.

[iancal]

There are places that we do not want to visit.

 

There are places that we want to visit but not by cruise ship and not when the cruise ship hoades are visiting.

 

Dubrovnic and Santorini would be good examples.

[sverigecruiser]

Wow! "EVERY ISLAND". Considering how very little there is on a number of islands, I suppose you must have a profound fascination with sand.

 

Or a very low fascination för Turkey.

[lynncarol]

Severige

Since you are from Sweden, I can see why you love the Caribbean: warm weather with sun and sand... so different from your home. That is the same reason we love Sweden...so different from our home.

[ilikeanswers]

It would have been much better, IMO, if the OP had simply asked which ports we did not enjoy going to.

 

Just to clarify the reason I wrote the question the way I did was because I didn't want it to just be about ports people dislike but also the second part of my question what ports do people think cruising is not the best way to experience certain destinations. For example I have been told many times by cruisers that you just don't get the full Barcelona experience on an eight hour cruise stop. I guess I wondered if others felt the same:D

 

In my mind the question read one way but others seem to interpret it differently:confused:. Perhaps it was a poor choice of words:o but there isn't much I can do about it now;p, it is what it is I guess:')

[sverigecruiser]

perhaps you thought certain places were not suited to cruise style travel and are better visited in other ways :confused:

 

Very few have answered this part of your question.

 

I think that the bigger places might be better to visit in other ways.

 

A few hours in for exemple Barcelona, Sicily, Jamaica and Cuba is too little to see enough. It does also matter how far from home the place is. A few hours on Sicily might be enough for me since I can easily go there again.

 

Some places may be big but for security reason a few hours during the day is still better than a few days long visit. (I don't want to sound ignorant so I shall not give any example on that!)

[navybankerteacher]

 

..

.For example I have been told many times by cruisers that you just don't get the full Barcelona experience on an eight hour cruise stop. I guess I wondered if others felt the same:D

...

 

 

Perhaps a stronger example would be Rome - and certainly Florence, - in fact, Italy itself. Before considering a two week cruise with Italian ports I would urge a two week land visit - going by train between cities.

 

It is impossible to get much more than the scent of Rome in eight hours.

Edited April 1, 2018 by Host Walt
Edited to fix the code for establishing quote

[K32682]

You aren't going to be able to get the "full experience" anywhere on a cruise ship stop but that isn't sufficient reason to not go there. What is a good reason IMO is when the cultural, social or environmental impact of repeatedly disgorging thousands of people on a small place outweighs the benefits to the local community.

[navybankerteacher]

You aren't going to be able to get the "full experience" anywhere on a cruise ship stop but that isn't sufficient reason to not go there. What is a good reason IMO is when the cultural, social or environmental impact of repeatedly disgorging thousands of people on a small place outweighs the benefits to the local community.

 

Actually, there are many Caribbean islands where you can get the "full experience" on a one day stop. I think that fact might lead some cruisers to feel that ANY port call (even Rome or Florence) can be "done" in a day.

[iancal]

We routinely travel to counties whose form of Gonernment we do not admire or with leaders we think are detrimental to their nation.

 

Turkey, Vietnam, Thailand,and Cuba to name a few are among our favourites. China next month. Egypt and a Nile cruise on the to do list. limiting our travel bass on democracies or leaders that we approved of would greatly limit our travel horizons.

[Aquahound]

Have you ever been on a cruise where you thought the route or ports of call were not very good or perhaps you thought certain places were not suited to cruise style travel and are better visited in other ways :confused:

 

There are several places I think are much better visited by land vacation rather than by cruise. For example, I would never take a cruise to Hawaii.

 

As far as places I think cruise ships shouldn't visit....my list would be any environmentally sensitive area like Venice. Also, I'm not a big fan of cruise lines increasing their footprint in the Galapagos and Antartica.

 

As far as boycotting places because people don't like their leader....I get it in places where the people are significantly oppressed like Cuba, but as for just not personally liking the current leader, well, I think that's stupid. JMO. :)

[mom says]

..... the second part of my question what ports do people think cruising is not the best way to experience certain destinations.

 

As opposed to a land stay? There's no disputing that many, if not most, port visits can only give you a very superficial taste of a particular port, or surrounding area. For some people, that little taste is all they want. But these can be very useful in helping you decide whether you would like to return for a longer stay in the future. Our first Caribbean cruise resulted in land vacations on several of the islands that we visited. Similarly, we are using our next middle east and Asian cruises to scout possible future destinations for extended land visits.

[sverigecruiser]

 

As far as boycotting places because people don't like their leader....I get it in places where the people are significantly oppressed like Cuba, but as for just not personally liking the current leader, well, I think that's stupid. JMO. :)

 

I really agree with you.

 

I prefer not to go to places where the people are oppressed, for example Cuba, North Korea and Turkey.

 

The reason why I didn't mentioned Cuba and North Korea in my first post is that it's easy to avoid Cuba on Caribbean cruises and as far as I know stops in North Korea are EXTREMELY rare.

 

Nassau is often a stop on Caribbean cruises and ports in Turkey are often stops on cruises in Eastern Mediterranean.

[Hilarry1720]

Noumea

First couple of times OK, but it's just annoying that we cannot book a cruise from Australia to the South

Pacific without calling in Noumea.:rolleyes:

[Host Walt]

Jumping in here, but here's an article about the Cayman Islands situation that raises a number of issues not mentioned in this thread that directly affect the cruise passenger experience on port stop islands.

 

https://caymannewsservice.com/2018/03/public-questions-caymans-capacity-tourism/

 

Consider that the population of the Cayman Islands is about 55,000 (including a few thousand who live on the out islands) and today's cruise ships have capacities ranging up to 3,000 or more, and the Georgetown port can accommodate up to 8 ships (the actual number depends on the source of info), that means the port area and primary attractions are expected as many as 20,000 or more people daily, about 40% of their total population.

 

When you read the article, you will see how the cruise lines limit the economic possibilities. For example the prohibition of bringing alcoholic beverages aboard totally kills all alcohol package sales possibilities. Similarly jewelry "sales" on board ship are timed to compete with the Georgetown jewelry stores.

[GUT2407]

You aren't going to be able to get the "full experience" anywhere on a cruise ship stop but that isn't sufficient reason to not go there. What is a good reason IMO is when the cultural, social or environmental impact of repeatedly disgorging thousands of people on a small place outweighs the benefits to the local community.

Actually it is often a good reason to visit on a cruise.

 

To get a taste before you dedicate a few weeks.

[sverigecruiser]

For example the prohibition of bringing alcoholic beverages aboard totally kills all alcohol package sales possibilities.

 

I understand that different lines have different rules but doesn't most lines allow the passengers ro bring alcoholic beverages onboard and keep it for the passengers until debarkation?

[mickrory]

Vigo in Galicia Spain. Been 4 times poured down every time.

[navybankerteacher]

It might be interesting to look at things from the other direction - what ports might be happier if fewer port calls were made. When 20,000 or so cruise passengers hit a small island - often trying to find inexpensive ways of spending the day - there might not be that great a boost to the local economy. Some islands might see that their best interest is in accommodating visitors who stay for a week or so. The wider (and deeper) impact on the economy may be sought.

 

Hotels and rental properties and the jobs created by them, may very well be seen more helpful to the local economy than facilities aimed at day-trippers. St. Barth's is a clear example - the local authorities clearly prefer longer visits - and other islands may come to see that their best interests are served by shifting focus.

[port msp]

I spent a lot of time in Key West in the late 80's and early 90's and still know people there. I returned recently on a day when three cruise ships landed within hours of each other and learned a once idyllic and peaceful community sold its soul to the big boats and the big money that comes with them. Being accosted at 11 in the morning by drunk Germans demanding, "Ver ist der Schloppy Choes?" isn't something I'll remember fondly.

 

I agree. We did a 4 night land vacation to Key West in February this year instead of taking our annual Caribbean cruise to sun and sand. It was interesting to experience port days from the land side of the equation. I gained some understanding and appreciation for those who are staying in a port as opposed to those that simply visiting for the day.

We stayed on Mallory Square at the Margaritaville Resort and our balcony had a view of the port area, so we had a ringside view of the goings on. The crush of people heading to and from Duval St. each morning/afternoon was "something" to behold. It does change the nature of the town. It didn't ruin our vacation, but given the choice between a ship in port or not, I'd choose not. The sidewalks were packed, the venues were packed, the hop on/hop off trolleys and "train" were full, etc.

 

I get that port towns and businesses like cruise ships; thousands of people spending money and then leaving, but I think it changes the vibe of the town. Thousands of people rushing to do as much as possible in the few hours they have in port.

Sorry for the thread hijack.