Port or Starboard for a newbie

[DolphinSmile]

Hello

We are in the process of booking our first cruise and will be counting down the days till sept 4th. We are looking at the serenade of the seas going to st. thomas, st Kitts, aruba and curacao.

What i was wondeirng is what side should we get our room on. I have heard that watching the ships go into port and tying off is really neat but this can vary depending on what ship you are on. Does anyone know what side is closest to the land- port or starboard!

 

Thanks

Andrea

[Familygoboston]

Which will be no help whatsoever:o

Here is my dads explanation. In the old days there was the " lade board" where the stuff being transported was loaded and the " starboard". A ship would always pull into port with it's lade board toward the dock, so it was easier to unload. ( no fork lifts back then) Eventually to make it clearer in the age of radio communication this became known as the port side. So on modern ships and modern docks you can reasonably expect the port side will be the side docked in port. However, nobody expects a ship with an ice rink, or a zip line, so now who knows what to expect about where the ship will dock!:eek:

We recently learned that the Oasis class docks on the starboard side, Because they built special doors for it on that side. ( in that case we pax are the "lade", which is probably a good way to describe most of us after a week on a cruise ship! ;)

Most of the other RCCI ships we've been on have docked on the port side. Honestly, it can vary depending on which dock the ship uses, how many ships

are in port that day. Generally asking people, like you have, who are going to

the same port can give you a pretty good idea.

 

So now you have some completely useless info that might come in handy at

trivia night!!

[orville99]

It really depends on the dock configuration; the number of ships in port; the number of ships that fit on each side of a dock; who gets there first, etc. Most large ships prefer to back in to port because it's easier to manuver that way. For example, we've been to Cozumel three times on RCI ships - FOS once and Radiance twice. On our first Radiance we were docked on the outside of the pier (starboard side to dock). On our second Radiance (two months later), we were docked on the inside of the pier (port side to dock), because the Freedom was docked on the outside. On our FOS to cozumel, we were docked on the inside, because another ship was already docked on the outside.

 

If I could figure out how to add pix, I could show you (which would be a lot clearer than what I just wrote) :)

[matj2000]

If you are worried about which side of the ship is better than you are totally overplanning your trip. It does not matter one bit were your cabin is logistically...

[DolphinSmile]

Thanks for the info!

I know i might be overplanning but i want to get the most out of the cruise, and if a little extra looking into things will make a better cruise, then here i come for overplanning!

[JandBR_PHX]

The Captain will "mix it up" on which side he docks the ship. In one port, he'll dock port side; in another he'll dock starboard. On Serenade "back in the day", the Captain alternated. I thought it was weird that in at least one port, he pulled into port head on, and did a 180 before docking.

[crookedhalo]

Is you are coming into a port on the wrong side for your cabin, just go to the top deck and watch from there...lots of people doing the same and it's great fun:D

[CudaGirl]

For me, coming into port wasn't the reason for choosing a side of the ship - it was: What am I going to see while sailing. So I tried to picture the boat sailing along the cruise route to determine which side of the ship would be facing most of the islands. For us on FOS for Western - it seems to be starboard. Coming into port I probably won't be in my room anyway. I tend to be an early riser and will probably be grabbing my coffee and having breakfast.

[cruiseguy1016]

Do you plan on having a cabin with a balcony? If you don't have a balcony to be able to look over the side, you won't be able to see much.

 

I have been to all of the islands (some of them more than once) that you will be cruising to. We have docked on both sides of the ship. Sometimes you pull in, sometimes you back in. Sometimes there is a ship on the left side of the pier so you take the right side. Sometimes there is a ship on the right side of the pier so you take the left side. There really is no way to determine ahead of time which way you will be docking.

 

I'm an early riser. I get up every morning, grab my binoculars and camera and head for the upper decks. I get to see the docking process no matter which side we're docking on.

[DolphinSmile]

Thanks for the great info! We are getting a balcony, husband is claustrophobic and couldn'thandle inside cabin. Right not we have 8068 reserved and will firm up once taxes are finalized. :)

[cb at sea]

When you're in port, there are plenty of things to see on BOTH sides of the ship...you're in a harbor, not facing open ocean...lots to see!

[MikeNJ1109]

The one and only time that we ever *really* wanted to see the arrival process was on our Liberty OTS approach into SJU ... we were due in at about 11AM, so at 10:30 or so we went to the helipad ... passing by the Fort at the entrance to the Bay was an awesome sight to see.

 

Otherwise, it's sort of neat to open the blinds to our balcony each morning and just having land "be there" for us after a great night sleep.

 

Michael and Silke

[Pomperaugrr]

As other posters have stated, it will vary based upon pier availability. I have been on the Serenade twice and the docking orientation varied each port.

 

One of the best places to watch the docking and tying off process is from the helipad. You get a great view and can usually hear the dockworkers communicating (a/k/a shouting back and forth) with the ship's crew from there.

 

Eric

[cruiseguy1016]

When you're in port, there are plenty of things to see on BOTH sides of the ship...you're in a harbor, not facing open ocean...lots to see!

 

Usually, but not always. Curacao comes to mind. There, one side of the ship will see land, the other side nothing but water. If I'm not mistaken (and I have been know to be more than once :D), Dominica is the same way.

[FLACRUISER99]

Usually, but not always. Curacao comes to mind. There, one side of the ship will see land, the other side nothing but water. If I'm not mistaken (and I have been know to be more than once :D), Dominica is the same way.

You don't go on a cruise to see water?:rolleyes:

[smoosh21]

Hello

We are in the process of booking our first cruise and will be counting down the days till sept 4th. We are looking at the serenade of the seas going to st. thomas, st Kitts, aruba and curacao.

What i was wondeirng is what side should we get our room on. I have heard that watching the ships go into port and tying off is really neat but this can vary depending on what ship you are on. Does anyone know what side is closest to the land- port or starboard!

 

Thanks

Andrea

 

In San Juan the ships face straight in to the city. It all depends on the dock layout.

[Miss Vickie]

In San Juan the ships face straight in to the city. It all depends on the dock layout.

 

SR homeports in San Juan and uses the Pan Am Pier, not the pier in OSJ. The Pan Am pier is adjacent to an airport, and Serenade is always port-side to the pier there (with an X ship to her aft, starboard side to the pier).

 

In Aruba, the piers do not jut out with a ship on either side, one side faces the city, the other out to sea. Every time we've been in Aruba, we've been starboard side to the pier, but it could vary.

 

In St. Thomas, we've been docked on either side of the pier, no consistency although we've most often ended up port-side to the pier. Frankly, In St. Thomas the far more interesting view is the side away from the pier, unless you like watching the ship directly across from you (could be interesting....).

 

In St. Kitts it can vary. We've been there twice, but have been to a different port area each time - first time we were there the wind conditions made getting into the main cruise pier difficult, so we docked elsewhere.

 

This past January (different itinerary than you're doing, although we were in St. Kitts), we docked portside to the pier every day. But, as others have said, it can vary, and you'll have a beautiful view no matter where you are.

[Whitnee1]

When you're in port, there are plenty of things to see on BOTH sides of the ship...you're in a harbor, not facing open ocean...lots to see!

 

Some of the best sights we have seen have been on the side facing the harbor. Especially when the "booze cruise" catamarans sail by you often see some pretty neat stuff....:eek::D

[Whitnee1]

You don't go on a cruise to see water?:rolleyes:

 

 

Really pretty tough since it is surrounded by it. That is like saying you do not fly to see the sky :D