NCL Viva port day to sea Day conversion?

[varpinater]

 Of the ports listed below, which 2 ports would you change to sea days and WHY. Of note, I haven't visited any of the ports on the list except DR and San Juan (can't skip that one 😂). I am first leaning towards Bonaire due to the 6am-1pm time only. I also purchased a Vibe Beach Club pass, and it looks like an amazing option. TIA

Edited July 12 by varpinater

[BirdTravels]

None. I take itinerary for the Southern Caribbean ports. I would take a cheaper cruise out of Miami if I wanted to stay on the ship. 

[1025cruise]

None. That looks like a great itinerary. Busy, but good.

[cruiseny4life]

I wouldn't book that cruise. I want to explore every port the ship manages to get to. But, I love my sea days. Therefore, I'd find a cruise with a sea day or two, plus the ports that interest me.

[brookie848]

St. Lucia for sure. It is not our favorite place. Plus, you are likely tendering there which just gives you another reason to stay on the ship.

 

With the late arrival in Aruba, I'd consider just doing a sunset sail on that one and spending most of the day on the ship. Bonaire has that really crappy port time (we had this last year), so that would come into consideration as well.

 

We actually still have this itinerary booked for next year (we're going to end up canceling). We've been to all of these ports except for the Dominican Republic. My plans for ports were going to be:

-- Dominican Republic -- wasn't sure, but we were definitely going to do something.

-- Aruba -- maybe a sunset cruise? Or just stay on the ship.

-- Curacao -- private tour and beach

-- Bonaire -- rent a golf cart and beach

-- St. Lucia -- stay on the ship

-- St. Kitts -- either nothing or do the train ride. We've already done a private tour here.

[varpinater]

1 hour ago, cruiseny4life said:

I wouldn't book that cruise. I want to explore every port the ship manages to get to. But, I love my sea days. Therefore, I'd find a cruise with a sea day or two, plus the ports that interest me.

The price and the amazing company joining me will keep my in the exact itinerary.

 

[cruiseny4life]

2 minutes ago, varpinater said:

The price and the amazing company joining me will keep my in the exact itinerary.

 

Sounds good! Was just answering your question (for me).

 

Enjoy your cruise and friends/family!

[brookie848]

2 hours ago, varpinater said:

The price and the amazing company joining me will keep my in the exact itinerary.

 

We were on the Viva this year with zero port days. We stayed on board in Barbados, St. Lucia and St. Thomas. While we like Barbados and St. Thomas, we enjoyed staying on a fairly empty ship more. It also allowed us to enjoy the days we did get off the ship more simply because we weren't as exhausted.

[TheBeardedCruiser]

I always base my "should I stay on the ship" on two things, food and safety.

 

Food: Will I miss a meal that I don't want to miss if I get off the ship?

 

Safety: Is it safe to walk off the ship and explore without paying the cruise line for an excursion? (I typically prefer to use public transportation/cabs versus paying the cruise lines for excursions)

 

Of yeah, I forgot the third, most important thing... I base it on if my wife tells me that we're getting off the ship. If she says that we are getting off the ship, we get off the ship!

[varpinater]

@TheBeardedCruiser you are hilarious. My hubby prefers to stay home and snuggle the dogs.  While I have a roommate, it's solo cruising to a point. Thanks for the viewpoint 

 

[zqvol]

On 7/12/2024 at 12:59 PM, varpinater said:

 Of the ports listed below, which 2 ports would you change to sea days and WHY. Of note, I haven't visited any of the ports on the list except DR and San Juan (can't skip that one 😂). I am first leaning towards Bonaire due to the 6am-1pm time only. I also purchased a Vibe Beach Club pass, and it looks like an amazing option. TIA

I wouldn’t change any of them. They all are wonderful stops. It’s a shame to think you would consider missing even one of them 

[ColdCruise]

La Romana

while the Dar has built a nice pool complex at the port, it’s basically just the pool. The pool is large, lots of loungers, some shade but it on a built up area that overlooks the ocean. There are a handful of places to buy a drink or get a bite but not a lot of choice. A few shops, a lot of larimar. That’s it.

 

there is not a lot to do in La Romana itself and most excursions go to Punta Cana (45-60min drive) or to a nearby resort. There’s a couple snorkeling sites, Catalina Island right offshore from La Romana and the rest 1 hr+ away. I’d look at the shore options, but if I wasn’t really motivated by any or the price was more than I think they’re worth. I’d go ashore use the pool, meander around (little shade) and reboard for lunch and stay aboard.

 

In February we had a cruise that left from La Romana, originally planned to fly in a day early and stay downtown near the beach. But didn’t see a lot to do without having to arrange transport. So we flew in a couple days ahead and stayed in Punta Cana till getting a van to La Romana for embarkation. Also that cruise changed our 1st port from a new area closer to Haiti to the island I mentioned above, Catalina. That is a short small boat ride offshore, and our port day there was tendering to an isolated beach. Kind of like going to a stripped down GSC. We did go ashore and did about an hour snorkeling to check out our gear before snorkeling in ABCs. Best thing that day was watching a whale off the starboard side. 

[dhanakorn]

7 hours ago, ColdCruise said:

La Romana

while the Dar has built a nice pool complex at the port, it’s basically just the pool. The pool is large, lots of loungers, some shade but it on a built up area that overlooks the ocean. There are a handful of places to buy a drink or get a bite but not a lot of choice. A few shops, a lot of larimar. That’s it.

 

there is not a lot to do in La Romana itself and most excursions go to Punta Cana (45-60min drive) or to a nearby resort. There’s a couple snorkeling sites, Catalina Island right offshore from La Romana and the rest 1 hr+ away. I’d look at the shore options, but if I wasn’t really motivated by any or the price was more than I think they’re worth. I’d go ashore use the pool, meander around (little shade) and reboard for lunch and stay aboard.

 

In February we had a cruise that left from La Romana, originally planned to fly in a day early and stay downtown near the beach. But didn’t see a lot to do without having to arrange transport. So we flew in a couple days ahead and stayed in Punta Cana till getting a van to La Romana for embarkation. Also that cruise changed our 1st port from a new area closer to Haiti to the island I mentioned above, Catalina. That is a short small boat ride offshore, and our port day there was tendering to an isolated beach. Kind of like going to a stripped down GSC. We did go ashore and did about an hour snorkeling to check out our gear before snorkeling in ABCs. Best thing that day was watching a whale off the starboard side. 

I second this. I took a cruise from La Romana this March. Not a lot of things to do in this area. It’s not a major tourist town like Puerto Plata in the north. It’d be better to skip this port and have a full day in Aruba instead.