Port or Starboard facing dock

[Wookie01]

Hi everyone,

 

Probably difficult to answer, but does anyone have any stats on which side of the ship is most commonly facing the dock when in port?

 

Just wondering if there is an advantage to one side over the other if you don't want to be staring at the docks and terminals when in port.

Cheers,

Graham

[BigAl94]

When docked, the port side of the ship is usually closest to land, while the starboard side is typically closest to open water. However, this isn’t always the case. In fact, these days, cruise ships might be docked with the starboard facing the cruise port, and vice versa.

This can be dependent on a few factors including the number ships that will also be in port, the direction that the ship is sailing in, government regulations and the discretion of the ship’s Captain.

[Wookie01]

Thanks for that.
Yep I understand that it is not set in stone, but primarily port to shore in your experience?
Appreciate your feedback. 🙂

[BigAl94]

Primarily in my personal experience, others may differ! 

[d9704011]

45 minutes ago, BigAl94 said:

When docked, the port side of the ship is usually closest to land, while the starboard side is typically closest to open water. However, this isn’t always the case. In fact, these days, cruise ships might be docked with the starboard facing the cruise port, and vice versa.

This can be dependent on a few factors including the number ships that will also be in port, the direction that the ship is sailing in, government regulations and the discretion of the ship’s Captain.

So, I guess what you're saying is that there is no way to forecast which side of the ship will be dockside over time and attempting to choose a cabin based on this unpredictable situation is pretty much a waste of time.  No doubt there are some specific itineraries where it may be possible, but not generally.

[WestLakeGirl]

Correct….it is unpredictable

[chengkp75]

While I won't dispute BigAl's personal experience, to say that ships "usually" dock port side to, is incorrect.  I worked cruise ships that docked 3 out of 4 ports starboard side to, week after week.  It depends on whether the ship has to, or prefers to turn around before or after docking, if at a finger pier, which side of the pier it docks to, weather, tides, and maintenance of the ship.  To book a cabin based on which side of the ship is against the dock is a crap shoot at best.

[cruisestitch]

Yesterday (St.Lucia) was starboard side while today (Grenada) is port side

[prmssk]

It depends on so many factors (weather, berth assignment, waters around the port, ability to turn around, whether they need to test the lifeboats on the other side, request of the local pilot, etc.) that there is no way to forecast which way a ship will dock.  Even in the exact same port, in the same berth the ship may back in one time and pull in forward another time.

[1025cruise]

There is no way to predict which side will face the dock. It depends on many things. I wouldn't book a cabin solely based on that.

[Purplsmurf]

It’s really tough to say. On our last cruise the starboard side faced the port most often. We were on the port side and looked at the open water on nearly every port.

[canderson]

I'd say starboard side about 80% of the time.  Last two cruises we took, it was 100%.

[prmssk]

This thread got me curious about my last cruises so I went through my photos. 
 

Over the last year, I have taken 5 cruises on 3 different cruise lines (including Celebrity).  Not counting embarkation and disembarkation ports, we docked on the port side at 8 ports and on the starboard side only 4 of those ports. (There were also 5 tender ports during those cruises.)
 

All of our embarkation and disembarkation ports were docked on the starboard side except LA. 
 

Edited to add:  Including embarkation and disembarkation that’s about 55% starboard and 45% port. 

Edited October 21, 2022 by prmssk

[canderson]

Other than the logistics involved at a particular port, I wonder if ship class (and hence, lower deck configuration) has any bearing on which side is used more often?  We tend to sail M class ships due to specifics regarding cabin accommodations, and that may be why we see starboard so often.  As I say, on our last two cruises, we used the same gangway every time.

 

I think the embarkation/disembarkation being on the starboard side so often has to do with a definite preference for the pre-cruise provisioning of these ships from the starboard side based upon lower deck configuration.

 

[prmssk]

6 minutes ago, canderson said:

Other than the logistics involved at a particular port, I wonder if ship class (and hence, lower deck configuration) has any bearing on which side is used more often?  We tend to sail M class ships due to specifics regarding cabin accommodations, and that may be why we see starboard so often.  As I say, on our last two cruises, we used the same gangway every time.

 

I think the embarkation/disembarkation being on the starboard side so often has to do with a definite preference for the pre-cruise provisioning of these ships from the starboard side based upon lower deck configuration.

 

It may play a role but my example above were on ships at or smaller than the S class size and included an M class ship that docked on the port side in Cozumel and a Carnival ship that is smaller than the M class that docked on the port side for both ports. 

[Arizona Wildcat]

You cannot even know what pier a ship will use.  Much less which side of each pier.

Some ports like Victoria  BC have 4 berths where ships bow in to the shore.  When full the ship furthest north (on port side) will have view the city and a huge concrete military landing field.  Furthest south will have an ocean view.  In between you look at the side of a other ship.

Similar in SFO.  One berth will provide a spectacular view of the Golden Gate Bridge on the starboard side.  The rest more city and pier views.

[julia]

32 minutes ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

 

Similar in SFO.  One berth will provide a spectacular view of the Golden Gate Bridge on the starboard side.  The rest more city and pier views.

After having port in SF many times, (port alongside, Pier 27) a few weeks ago we had a starboard suite, and it was soooo beautiful watching the Oakland Bay Bridge's light show at night.  As for the Golden Gate on port?  Fogged in all day!

[JBare]

2 hours ago, canderson said:

Other than the logistics involved at a particular port, I wonder if ship class (and hence, lower deck configuration) has any bearing on which side is used more often?  We tend to sail M class ships due to specifics regarding cabin accommodations, and that may be why we see starboard so often.

 

I don't believe that's the case, in my experience its pretty much 50/50 on all classes. M class use port side as often as not.

 

 

[miched]

It depends if the officer in charge is right handed or left handed.🙄🤗😱

 

We normally book starboard as it is the non smoking side.  We also try to do because it keeps it simpler to know what way to turn when we leave our cabin or going back to it.   If you cruise enough you will know what I am referring to.  
 

Most of the time our cruises were docked on the starboard side.   The last cruise it was all on the port side.  

It doesn’t matter because If I want to see something on the other side I can always go to that side of the ship on a open deck. 
 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

 

Edited October 22, 2022 by miched

[Ken the cruiser]

On 10/21/2022 at 12:48 AM, Wookie01 said:

Hi everyone,

 

Probably difficult to answer, but does anyone have any stats on which side of the ship is most commonly facing the dock when in port?

 

Just wondering if there is an advantage to one side over the other if you don't want to be staring at the docks and terminals when in port.

Cheers,

Graham

You can always book an aft-facing cabin. 😁

[Bill Miller]

I'm pretty sure it's going to be one side or the other.

[miched]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

You can always book an aft-facing cabin. 😁

Sometimes that may not be that great.   You may be docked with a ship directly behind your cabin and then all you see is the bow or stern of that  ship.   If you are the last ship at the pier you may only have the end of the pier and sea to look at. 
 

Beat advice is to pick a cabin in a location you want and don’t worry about how it docks.

 

it would be more important to look at the route of the ship and decide the side you want to be on.  Eg if doing a north bound Alaska you may want the starboard side to see the land most of the time.   If a round trip it wouldn’t matter as you would then you would  see both views.   It that case a aft cabin would be best.  

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[Ken the cruiser]

28 minutes ago, miched said:

Sometimes that may not be that great.   You may be docked with a ship directly behind your cabin and then all you see is the bow or stern of that  ship.   If you are the last ship at the pier you may only have the end of the pier and sea to look at. 
 

Beat advice is to pick a cabin in a location you want and don’t worry about how it docks.

 

it would be more important to look at the route of the ship and decide the side you want to be on.  Eg if doing a north bound Alaska you may want the starboard side to see the land most of the time.   If a round trip it wouldn’t matter as you would then you would  see both views.   It that case a aft cabin would be best.  

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

True. But at the same time, we always very much enjoy the views of the port as we’re sailing away, regardless of the position on the pier when docked. Of course, there are many more perks about an aft-facing cabin besides this as well. 

[phoenix_dream]

On 10/21/2022 at 4:28 AM, Wookie01 said:

Thanks for that.
Yep I understand that it is not set in stone, but primarily port to shore in your experience?
Appreciate your feedback. 🙂

I've sailed more than 70 times (67 on Celebrity) and IMHO it is just unpredictable overall.  In some ports it might be more likely one way or another but we would need to know which port to answer the question

[phoenix_dream]

5 hours ago, miched said:

Sometimes that may not be that great.   You may be docked with a ship directly behind your cabin and then all you see is the bow or stern of that  ship.   If you are the last ship at the pier you may only have the end of the pier and sea to look at. 
 

Beat advice is to pick a cabin in a location you want and don’t worry about how it docks.

 

it would be more important to look at the route of the ship and decide the side you want to be on.  Eg if doing a north bound Alaska you may want the starboard side to see the land most of the time.   If a round trip it wouldn’t matter as you would then you would  see both views.   It that case a aft cabin would be best.  

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Been on many Alaska sailings and I don't recall ever being able to see the land most of the time from either side of the ship except in the Inside Passage.