Which side at which port?

[needabreakcanada]

This might be a silly question, but which side of the ship would balconies have a port view on for southern caribbean:

 

St. Croix

St. Lucia

St. Johns

St. Maarten

Barbados

 

Any suggestions are welcome...(newbie)

[Retired LEO]

This might be a silly question, but which side of the ship would balconies have a port view on for southern caribbean:

 

St. Croix

St. Lucia

St. Johns

St. Maarten

Barbados

 

Any suggestions are welcome...(newbie)

 

There's no way of telling. The ships dock differently all the time. They may back in or pull in forward. There are alot of variables.

[needabreakcanada]

If we are going with another couple then it probably would be best if we booked opposite sides so we get to see no matter what- good idea?

[Retired LEO]

If we are going with another couple then it probably would be best if we booked opposite sides so we get to see no matter what- good idea?

 

Since there's only 2 ways to dock then I guess you can't miss that way. :D

[NorbertsNiece]

Sometimes the ship reverses in / or parks bow first / so whilst you may disembark on one side the ship is actually neither side alongside the 'town'. Personally I have no preference; when I'm on my balcony I may not want to be seen by others....

[jmorgania]

Though I do understand people's desires to have balcony's facing the port or the ocean. You have to decide if having one balcony facing the direction you want is worth having your cabins seperated from your traveling companions in such a way. I would personally get two adjoining cabins and see if I could get the balcony divider open and enjoy the increased balcony room and proximity of my traveling companions. Who knows you may have plenty of port views too.

[cruiseguy1016]

A cabin on each side of the ship sounds like it would be a good idea for you. Here is another thing you may want to consider. While it is impossible to guess which way the ship will dock, here is a way to increase your chances of seeing more of the islands. Is your sea day at the beginning or end of your cruise? Generally, on the southern itineraries, the ship is a long way from the islands on sea days so you won't be able to see much land. But, as you're traveling from port to port, the islands will be much closer to the ship. The ships usually stay on the west side of the islands. That is the Caribbean side as opposed to the Atlantic Ocean side which means that the seas are calmer. So, if your sea day is the first day, that means that all of the islands will be on the port side on the first day. They will be way off in the distance and probably not visible. But as you head north going from island to island they will all be on the starboard side. Obviously the opposite will be true if your sea day is at the end of the cruise.

 

So, depending on what time you get up in the morning and what time the sun sets at night, you will have good views of the islands while you are traveling. Again, there is no way to determine which direction the ship will be facing once it pulls into port.

 

Another option would be to get a balcony on the stern of the ship. With a balcony on the stern you will be able to see either side of the ship so it won't matter which side the land is on. The aft balconies (as everyone likes to call them here) also offer great views as you're pulling away from the port at the end of the day.

[johneeo]

This might be a silly question, but which side of the ship would balconies have a port view on for southern caribbean:

 

St. Croix

St. Lucia

St. Johns

St. Maarten

Barbados

 

Any suggestions are welcome...(newbie)

 

I found that in St. Martin and St. Thomas the port sides to be less desireable.

 

St. Martin looks over a dump, and the other side looks to the bay and the rest of the island.

 

At St. Thomas, the bay view is tremendous, you see yachts, sailboats, sea planes .... just a great view. On the port side, you see a mall.

[dmwnc1959]

In addition to either backing in to the berth or pulling straight into a pier, another variable will be how many other ships are in port. The 'favored' side of a ship may be the one that you book, but it's not saying that there won't be another ship across the pier from you and all you will see is a wall of other balconies. :eek: