Would you consider......

[Krazy Kruizers]

Would you consider spending all your cruise time on the ship?

OR are you one of those people that HAVE to go ashore?

[Lynne Myrna]

Last Dec we went ashore on every island, we had a few excursions, the rest we did ourselves....this time, we will most likely get off the ship...we know friends of ours never get off....the ship is their paradise.

 

Lynne:)

[jtl513]

Would you consider spending all your cruise time on the ship?

 

OR are you one of those people that HAVE to go ashore?

For me the ports ARE the destination, and the ship is just a nice, convenient way to get there. I would never, ever book a cruise with several sea days in a row, and am not even looking forward to 2 in a row on our upcoming trans-Panama cruise! :D

[Cruising-along]

Since we are itinerary cruisers, we would definitely have to go ashore. :D

We love seeing new places around the world.

[Spot]

We cruise for the cruise experience, leisurely travel. It really doesn't matter the itinerary as long as I have a nice cabin with a veranda, good food, great service, and seas that don't make me wish I were on land :eek:.

Our favorite cruise was to Hawaii, more days at sea than in port.

[cdkempton]

We both love sea days. We have always booked for itinerary but having those sea days in between are wonderful. Especially love the trans-oceanic crossings with many, many relaxing sea days.

[bcohtofl]

I to also prefer sea days and being on the ship especially in the Carib. I live in Florida and can get all the beach time I want. I just want to kick back on the boat and relax and have somebody wait on me. Now in Alaska I definetly get off the ship.

Lookinf forward to doing Hawaii one day round trip from San Diego so can enjoy all those at sea days.

[nobbync]

I would consider staying aboard the entire time but it depends on itinerary. I live in San Diego so taking a 7 day Mexican Riviera I'd have no problems staying on board.

 

Leaving tomorrow on the Zaandam for Hawaii... 10 days of sea time! I love it... Though I will get off on the 5 days over there...

 

Nobby

[grandmaR]

I love to travel to new destinations. We usually get off the ship. But sometimes the weather is just not conducive to a good experience, and we don't get off. I didn't get off in San Juan when we only had about 4 hours there (I think we were fueling) because it was too hot and humid. We didn't get off in Norfolk because it was raining (doing a back-to-back) And Bob didn't get off in Curacao the second time we went because the ship was docked so far from the port.

 

I do like to have port days alternate with sea days so I can wind down and relax and edit my pictures after each port.

[CrystalWater]

I like to go ashore for a little while for something to do and break things up, but I definitely could just stay on a ship. I really could go on a cruise for 7-10 days that goes no where but sea.

[sail7seas]

In the Caribbean, we often stay on the ship in ports. Sometimes we get off for only an hour or two. If we are at a favorite island, we stay ashore longer.

 

If sailing in Europe, we do all the usual sightseeing and sampling of local foods. :)

 

Canada/New England..... we are about half way between. We get off the ship a little more than the Caribbean. :)

 

But we like to know we have the choice. I would never book a seven day cruise to no where. Even if we don't leave the ship, I like knowing we are tied up and have the option.

 

No matter where we are cruising, the ship is more important to us than the ports.

 

 

 

[earl_m]

I would love to go on a cruise where there is no stops. I prefer to spend all my time on a ship. I go on a cruise for the ship not the ports. and its cheaper if you stay on the ship. this way i can cruise more.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We love the ports and always try to get off the ship as much as possible. There are a couple of ports that we don't like and rarely go ashore at them.

[cnvh]

Everyone asks us where we're going on our cruise, and my stock response is, "I couldn't care less; it could go out and drop anchor for a week and I'd be happy." :) We love the relaxation that comes with being onboard, whether it's sitting by the pool, napping in our stateroom and ordering room service at 3 in the afternoon, etc., etc.

 

At this point in our lives, our budget can only reasonably accomodate homeport Caribbean cruising; we get off at some ports, and some ports we stay onboard, depending on our mood, the weather, etc. Since we're not into shopping at ALL, a good beach at a Caribbean port is all we really look for, so if there aren't any good beaches or the weather is less than good, we're likely to stay onboard.

 

Now if we did a Mediterranean cruise, I'm quite certain we would be off exploring at every port, but that's like comparing apples and oranges...

[waiting2retire]

Being new to cruising and not having travelled a lot, I still want to get off and see the ports. However, I absolutely loved the sea days on our Zaandam Hawaii round trip San Diego cruise, and would have no problem at all taking a "cruise to nowhere" where every day is a sea day!

 

Bonnie

[O2B@C]

It would depend on why I had booked the cruise in the first place. Some cruises I might book precisely because I wanted to visit the ports on the itinerary, and then of course I'd get off at all the ports. In such a case, I'd be delighted with a 10-14 day cruise with only a few sea days. I would not spend money on a cruise that visited a lot of interesting ports, with the intention to stay on the ship the whole time. That seems silly.

 

On the other hand, if all I wanted was to relax, I can easily see booking a short cruise (up to 7 days) with only one port call, or even none. I grew up taking transatlantics with my parents - for transportation purposes, not for cruising - and that's the source of my paradigm for what an ocean voyage is supposed to be like. I find nothing more relaxing than sitting in a deck chair reading, gazing out to sea, and being pampered by an attentive crew. :) But I don't think I'd enjoy that for more than four or five days in a row.

 

If I were primarily looking for the onboard experience, but didn't want to take a TA or be "stuck" on board, I'd book something relatively short, preferably in a pleasant climate. For example, I might book a 7-day Caribbean, with ports I didn't necessarily care about or had already been to. Then I could plan to spend most of the cruise relaxing on board, and not feel "guilty" about staying on board in port, but I'd still have the option to get off and poke around or visit the beach if I felt like it.

[JimVrhovac]

The more we cruise the more the Ship is the destination not the ports.

 

We only go ashore when we want to get something specific to that port or we want to do an excursion. Otherwise we stay on the ship.

 

Ruth has mobility problems and some ports are so crouded we do not even try to go to like Grand Cayman.

 

Good Subject/....

 

Ruth & Jim

[2forTravelin]

We book for the port itinerary but we do like to have days at sea. So the ideal cruise for us is one with interesting ports and some relaxing sea days.

cindy

[hank56]

If they are tendered ports odds are I'm staying aboard, don't care for the cattle herd atmosphere that can surround it. If I've been to a port once or twice not really as interested in visiting again. The ship is my primary destination.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Leaving tomorrow on the Zaandam for Hawaii... 10 days of sea time! I love it... Though I will get off on the 5 days over there...

 

Nobby

 

Aloha and Bon Voyage Nobby:)

Actually for me it is Give me SEA DAYS:D I suppose if it was somewhere we have never been I do enjoy getting off the ship. But in answering the original Question

Would you consider spending all your cruise time on the ship?

 

The answer is Most definitely:)

[kakalina]

It depends. If we are going to a new port we will always get off the ship. If we have been to the port before we may just get off for a short time. If trhe weather is not nice we won't get off in a familiar port. We love sea days and have had as many as 7 in a row. However it is nice to get on dry land from time to time.

[Solstice]

I like the destinations and would probably always get off the boat for at least a walk around town. I like the excursions and always want to do the nature trips (seeing whales, bears, hiking, etc). But if the only option was a beach I think I would stay on board. I like the sea days as much as the ports.

I'm always surprised to see people asking about a local resort they can pay to use while in port - I just can't imagine doing that.

[Solo Cruiser]

I think the reason that cruising appealed to me to begin with is the fascination with the ship and the lifestyle it promotes. The thought that there is not one thing I have GOT to do and that if I need something (meals, beverages, entertainment, etc.) someone else will likely provide it is the best kind of vacation I can imagine. While I have very much enjoyed the ports I've seen and the activities there, sign me up for sea days, the more the merrier.

[satchiesmom]

Love sea days in the Caribbean. In Europe and when we go to Alaska we want to spend more time in port.

[jtl513]

It depends. If we are going to a new port we will always get off the ship. If we have been to the port before we may just get off for a short time.

I guess that's one big difference from us. We pick cruises where ALL the ports are new - if possible. We've been to Juneau and Ketchikan twice, but no other duplicates so far!