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Itinerary = No Sea Days


BF3
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I tend to get bored on sea days. I'm looking for a 4 -6-day Caribbean cruise that does not have any sea days. Anything out there? Thank you.

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Unlikely, but not impossible, as sailing from the Florida ports almost has to have a sea day, as most destinations are too far away. Short Caribbean routes like you seek would be limited to the Bahamas only...which, by the way, aren't in the Caribbean. They are in the Atlantic.

 

Perhaps a better chance if you sail out of Puerto Rico.

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I believe you can get a cruise without sea days if you sail FROM a Caribbean port, such as Barbados, Santo Domingo, Martinique, San Juan…. Some of the ships may not have many English speakers, or be a bit pricey.  Cruisetimetables is your friend.  EM

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Posted (edited)

To minimize sea days sail out of San Juan, or on one of the upscale/luxury lines out of St. Martin or Bridgetown.

Edited by zqvol
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I don’t think I’ve ever seen a 4-7 night cruise on a mainstream line that had zero sea days. I think the best you can hope for is a cruise with only one sea day. 

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8 hours ago, BF3 said:

I tend to get bored on sea days. I'm looking for a 4 -6-day Caribbean cruise that does not have any sea days. Anything out there? Thank you.

Norwegian Viva does 7 day cruises from San Juan that have a different port every day.

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Posted (edited)
14 hours ago, NotADopey1 said:

Also remember the captain can change the itinerary at any time.

Actually, the Captain CANNOT change the itinerary at ANY time.

He is allowed to change the itinerary for emergencies or safety of the ship - only.

Even then, he is required to consult with Head Office before he does it.

 

Any other itinerary changes must be decided by the Head Office.

One of the major considerations is berthing availability.

Parking places for cruise ships are reserved years in advance. Trying to change a berthing reservation is often impossible, as all spaces are taken.

If the ship does make a last minute change, many factors come into play.

Changing a port results in all port charges refunded to Guests. Many of those charges must be paid anyway,even though the ship is not calling there.

Changing a port means that all shore tours are cancelled and refunded, but the ship must stil pay the tour operators for the cancelled tours.

No matter which port is cancelled or changed, half the passengers onboard will claim that the only reason they booked the cruise was to visit that port.They want a full refund for the cruise line ruining their lives.

Edited by Donald
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Posted (edited)
13 hours ago, wcook said:

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a 4-7 night cruise on a mainstream line that had zero sea days. I think the best you can hope for is a cruise with only one sea day. 

 

In addition to the NCL routes out of sunny San Juan mentioned by others, I had the following itinerary on a cruise that I sailed on in 2015 that wasn't on NCL:

 

Liberty-2015.jpg.30a167985c7de848a4e788b70ccf0a30.jpg

 

 

Edited by Honolulu Blue
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18 hours ago, BaumD said:

Cruise lines want you on board. They make money in the shops, casino and bars. See days are very profitable for the cruise lines.

Sea Days are indeed very profitable for cruise lines.

Port days are even more profitable.

The Shore Excursion Department on EVERY mass market cruise line generates more revenue than all the other departments combined.

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5 hours ago, Donald said:

Actually, the Captain CANNOT change the itinerary at ANY time.

He is allowed to change the itinerary for emergencies or safety of the ship - only.

Even then, he is required to consult with Head Office before he does it.

 

Since an emergency involving safety and/or pollution can happen at any time, I'll suggest the Master has not only the authority, but also the responsibility to change the itinerary at any time, in accordance with ISM Section 5.2. This overriding  responsibility and authority must be included in the SMS.

 

The 2 situations where the Master has overriding authority and responsibility are safety and pollution prevention. In these situations, the Master does not "Consult" with Head Office, the Master contacts Head Office and requests any assistance from the company that the Master deems necessary.

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1 hour ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Since an emergency involving safety and/or pollution can happen at any time, I'll suggest the Master has not only the authority, but also the responsibility to change the itinerary at any time, in accordance with ISM Section 5.2. This overriding  responsibility and authority must be included in the SMS.

 

The 2 situations where the Master has overriding authority and responsibility are safety and pollution prevention. In these situations, the Master does not "Consult" with Head Office, the Master contacts Head Office and requests any assistance from the company that the Master deems necessary.

Must disagree. Those points would involve changing courses, not itinerary 

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6 hours ago, Donald said:

Actually, the Captain CANNOT change the itinerary at ANY time.

He is allowed to change the itinerary for emergencies or safety of the ship - only.

Even then, he is required to consult with Head Office before he does it.

 

I think a Captain can skip a port for weather reasons, safety or technical reasons without consulting the head office before they do it. They can change course too. They can't do it on a whim. Obviously they can't add or substitute  port without consulting the head office. 

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9 hours ago, Donald said:

Actually, the Captain CANNOT change the itinerary at ANY time.

He is allowed to change the itinerary for emergencies or safety of the ship - only.

Even then, he is required to consult with Head Office before he does it.

 

 

It obvious that is what was meant by the comment you quoted. 

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2 hours ago, zqvol said:

Must disagree. Those points would involve changing courses, not itinerary 

I am not sure I fully understand that comment. I have been on ships that have had to deviate a planned passage due to an emergency. A couple of days steaming in the wrong direction does slightly mess up your itinerary. Equally, head office have never ever tried to overule the master when it comes to the safety of the ship, crew and cargo ie passengers.

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On 7/26/2024 at 9:57 AM, BF3 said:

I tend to get bored on sea days. I'm looking for a 4 -6-day Caribbean cruise that does not have any sea days. Anything out there? Thank you.

 

Royal Caribbean has 4-night cruises out of Miami that go to Nassau, Coco Cay, and Key West.  No sea days.  

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13 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

I think a Captain can skip a port for weather reasons, safety or technical reasons without consulting the head office before they do it. They can change course too. They can't do it on a whim. Obviously they can't add or substitute  port without consulting the head office. 

On the 38 cruise ships I have managed, on 1,658 cruises, over a period of 48 years, with 13 different cruise lines, the Captain ALWAYS consulted Head Office before skipping a port - for any reason. If the reason was safety-related, I can remember only one case where the Head Office over-ruled the Captain and instructed him to proceed on the planned itinerary, despite dangerous weather ahead.

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11 minutes ago, Donald said:

On the 38 cruise ships I have managed, on 1,658 cruises, over a period of 48 years, with 13 different cruise lines, the Captain ALWAYS consulted Head Office before skipping a port - for any reason. If the reason was safety-related, I can remember only one case where the Head Office over-ruled the Captain and instructed him to proceed on the planned itinerary, despite dangerous weather ahead.

 

What position onboard manages a cruise ship?  

 

  

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