Overnights in port?

[m steve]

I noticed some cruises, mostly European, that the ship will do 2 days in port and you sleep on the ship. I would like this to be available on more cruiseses. That way you can really get the feel of an area better than in at 8 and out at 5. I would rather have a few fewer ports but be able to get the local color in the evening and eat at a local restaurant. The ship might save some money with many passengers not eating in the dining room. Also you can just do more without worrying about getting back on time.

[Mary Ellen]

The ship might save some money with many passengers not eating in the dining room.

Considering the ship makes $$$$ from the bars, casino and shops, none of which are open when the ship is in port, I strongly suspect you won't find HAL adding overnight stops. Port charges would also be considerably higher.

 

Would we take a cruise with an overnight stop in the Caribbean? NO.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I agree with everything that mary Ellen said.

 

The cruise line is out to make as much money from the passengers while they are on the ship.

 

If you are thinking that HAL should do this in the Caribbean -- there isn't any Caribbean island I would want to spend a couple of days at. Don't get me wrong -- I like the Caribbean islands but not just well enough to overnight in any of them.

[CruiserBruce]

Considering the ship makes $$$$ from the bars, casino and shops, none of which are open when the ship is in port, I strongly suspect you won't find HAL adding overnight stops. Port charges would also be considerably higher.

 

Would we take a cruise with an overnight stop in the Caribbean? NO.

 

Bars are open while in port. Casinos and shops are not.

[Mary Ellen]

Oops, CruiserBruce, you're right. :o

[GrammyPL]

Would love to stay overnight at Half Moon Cay. Penny

[jtl513]

... but be able to get the local color in the evening and eat at a local restaurant.

Midnight departures would work too.

 

Would love to stay overnight at Half Moon Cay. Penny

Why? :confused:

[GrammyPL]

Just to go back and enjoy HMC and the swimming the next day. Best beach around and safe.

[CtheW0rld]

i've done overnights in dubai, venice, singapore and shanghai. it is nice being able to see more.

[annierie]

Would love to stay overnight at Half Moon Cay. Penny

 

I believe that when HAL owned Windstar, they used to do that.

[annierie]

There are some places I would love to overnight, or stay late.

 

Regent occasionally overnights in Key West. That's a port I would love to have the evening available.

 

They also stay in St. Barth's until 11. Nothing like cocktails in town until 8 then return to the ship to eat.

 

I would love to overnight in Virgin Gorda.

 

Paul Gauguin overnights in Bora Bora and Moorea, both places that are magical. Two days in those ports isn't enough.

 

Besides, all cruise lines overnight in Bermuda. What's the difference?

[CHOPPERTESTER]

Yes in the Caribbean not many places to stay overnight but extending the stay until 11:00 pm I would pay the extra $50 in port fees to do so.

 

Even at slow speed, say 13 kts, you could still make the next island by 7:00 am with 8 hrs of steaming. So its not really a fuel issue. There are minimum speeds needed for the stabilizers to be effective and for seakeeping out of shallow waters.

 

Who's ready to get off the ship at 7:00 am anyways, move it to a 9:00 pm departure with a 10:00 am arrival, they will still get their shore excursion revenue.

 

Most places it is not a tide issue so it's got to be the revenue loss of the casinos, shops, and bars while people are ashore.

[mnport]

On my December 12 day Sea of Cortez cruise we have an overnight in Puerto Vallarta which I am very happy about. It is my first overnight on any cruise.

[janna1]

Would love to stay overnight at Half Moon Cay. Penny

If they make an option to camp on the island, that would be fun :)

[kyriecat]

I really enjoyed my overnight stays in Europe. A few cruises ago, we did a cruise around Italy and had overnight stops in Venice and Livorno (Florence/Pisa). A single evening in Venice was simply not enough, but it was nice to enjoy dinner along the Grand Canal and take a romantic (but way overpriced :eek:) gondola ride in the moonlight. In Livorno we were able to spend a full day in Florence without having to rush back to the ship. The next day we were able to visit Pisa and climb the tower.

 

In the Caribbean, I don't think an overnight stop is as appealing. It's nice to stay in port until 10 or 11 PM so you can have dinner ashore and take a walk on a moonlit beach. However, I've been to many of the islands several times already and know I'll be back eventually so I don't feel the need to have a second day.

 

For my next cruise, I'd love to find one with overnight stops in both Alexandria and Ashdod (Jerusalem).

[Cruising-along]

......

 

For my next cruise, I'd love to find one with overnight stops in both Alexandria and Ashdod (Jerusalem).

 

We think alike. ;) We're taking a cruise next year that will do just that. We were in Egypt one day a few years ago and can't wait to go back and have more time there. The cruise will also spend 2 days in the Holy Land, can't wait!! :)

[Randyk47]

We cruise mostly the Caribbean and I can't think of a port where I'd want to stay overnight. Late departure, like 11 PM, would be OK at a couple and we've done that in Cozumel and Aruba and liked it. Europe, and particularly the Med, might have a couple of ports where a late or overnight would be interesting. One of the things that attracts us to cruising is the notion of the "hotel" moving overnight to a new port so a lot of overnights would not be very attractive to us.

[jtl513]

Europe, and particularly the Med, might have a couple of ports where a late or overnight would be interesting.

We've done overnights in St Petersburg, Venice, and Istanbul, and really weren't able to experience the ports at night.

 

In St Pete, nobody gets off the ship without a visa or a visa-holding escort, so at night we just took a HAL excursion bus directly to and from a folkloric show. Besides, at that time, the ship docked out in an industrial area that was miles from anywhere you'd dare to be at night!

 

In Venice we had just flown in and gotten to the ship around 4:00p, and we were just too tired to do more than eat dinner on the ship and go to bed!

 

In Istanbul we did a "sunset cruise" excursion on the Bosphorus which got us back to the ship around 7:00p, and after dinner we weren't all that interested in going back out again knowing we'd have a very full day ahead of us in the morning.

 

What we enjoyed more than these overnights was a midnight departure from Curacao, since the tourist area was an easy walk from the ship, and we felt safe there on our own after dark. Possibly a foolish assumption! :D

[Taxguy77]

Bars are open while in port. Casinos and shops are not.

 

I'd rather sample the local beer and/or specialty drinks ashore and people watch there.

Usually it's less expensive and more interesting.

[drcpa]

This thread does speak to the ultimate (often unspoken) down side of most cruises. You arrive in an exotic/historic/picturesque (fill in the blank) city/port and you're there for a small part of a single day (and then only see things you can reach relatively quickly from the dock). You rarely experience the night life, aren't there to see the sights and sounds of daybreak, and ultimately spend just a few hours in places that have captivated mankind for centuries.

Admittedly, better than nothing from a "been there, seen that" perspective, but sadly unsatisfying on many levels.

[kyriecat]

This thread does speak to the ultimate (often unspoken) down side of most cruises. You arrive in an exotic/historic/picturesque (fill in the blank) city/port and you're there for a small part of a single day (and then only see things you can reach relatively quickly from the dock). You rarely experience the night life, aren't there to see the sights and sounds of daybreak, and ultimately spend just a few hours in places that have captivated mankind for centuries.

Admittedly, better than nothing from a "been there, seen that" perspective, but sadly unsatisfying on many levels.

True, but there's nothing that says you can't go back. I spent 12-hours in Rome on a cruise stop a few years ago and loved it. I knew it wasn't enough time to explore the beauty of the city but the small taste was enough for me to want more. Hubby and I went back a few years later and stayed 5 days (still not enough but better!). I still don't feel like I fully experienced Rome and would love to go back again.

 

I also discovered St. Lucia on a cruise. We stopped for a day and fell in love with the beauty of the island. We took a couple more cruises that stopped in St. Lucia then decided to try a land trip there. We spent a week there in April at one of the resorts and had a wonderful time.

[drcpa]

True, but there's nothing that says you can't go back. I spent 12-hours in Rome on a cruise stop a few years ago and loved it. I knew it wasn't enough time to explore the beauty of the city but the small taste was enough for me to want more. Hubby and I went back a few years later and stayed 5 days (still not enough but better!). I still don't feel like I fully experienced Rome and would love to go back again.

 

I also discovered St. Lucia on a cruise. We stopped for a day and fell in love with the beauty of the island. We took a couple more cruises that stopped in St. Lucia then decided to try a land trip there. We spent a week there in April at one of the resorts and had a wonderful time.

 

Well Put

[m steve]

some ports are a great distance from the city like Rome or Florence so it would be difficult and expensive to shuttle back and forth.An island like St. Martin or St. Thomas could work as the next port is real close. I would love to stay til midnight in both those ports and eat on the island rather than rushing back to leave at 3,4 or5 pm. It seems to work with San Juan.