Why so few ports of call on 7 day Caribbean cruises?

[ninnau]

I don't know what you are looking at. We were on western FOS and we stoped at 3 ports. We are going on eastern FOS in February and we stop at 3 ports.

My mistake---the western was 4 ports.

[negc]

Our first cruise in 1980 visited five ports in seven days and we chose it in order to get the biggest bang for our buck and to visit the most ports of call. Since then we have come to appreciate days at sea and much prefer cruises with a good mix of port days and sea days. We don't want to need a vacation after our cruise vacation which is what happens when we take a port intensive cruise. Different strokes for different folks, but the distance to Caribbean ports from Florida ports pretty much limits just how many ports that they can reasonably visit on a seven day cruise. Allure and Oasis are special situations since the ships are definitely the destination for the majority of their passengers.

If there was a significant demand for more port intensive cruises, I think that RCI and other lines would adjust their itineraries to meet that demand. The fact that they tend more towards 7 day cruises that visit only three or four ports would seem to indicate that they feel such itineraries are what their audience wants. There are still a number of port intensive cruises in the Caribbean but most of them depart from San Juan.

[BillOh]

No, the "idea" is that the big RCCL ships that ply the Caribbean out of Florida lumber along at only about 19 knots. At this speed, it takes nearly 2 days to make it to St Thomas or St Maarten, allowing just a brief stop somewhere like Nassau or San Juan. Then there's another 2 days to get back to Florida. Now, if ships could only fly................

 

They've definitely taken ports out of more cruises that just Allure. I think there is factors involved. They can go faster, but fuel costs go up when they do. They took one stop out of Freedom's western route from when I took it. Sea Days are definitely more profitable.

[printingchick]

I'm always amazed at how many cruisers view the SHIP as the destination. Not that I'm criticizing, we all have our preferences. To me, it's all about the itinerary. I recently took my 18-year-old son on a cruise with three ports and three sea days, assuming he'd love the sea days. (He did when he was younger.) He said he'd have preferred more ports. He also said he'd have preferred a smaller ship! That REALLY surprised me!

 

I agree with Tyler's 2-sea day max theory. And I prefer they NOT be in a row!

[jsmeeker]

If they could put in a big pier/dock at Coco Cay that could handle Allure/Oasis, I bet they would have no problems selling a 7 night cruise that stopped there and at Labadee. All RCI stuff the whole time. A self contained floating beach resort that you never left, that went to two different beaches.

[rummenroman]

For me it really depends on who I'm cruising with.

 

While I love the time to relax with my partner, we get a fair number of hours to do that at home. So it's not like we need the ship days to "re-connect". We cruise because it's the best way to see where we want to go back to for an extended time, and frankly our budget will only let us cruise at the moment.

 

When I'm with a large group, I want the sea days to catch up with family and friends who I don't get to see on a daily basis.

[Ocean Boy]

No, the "idea" is that the big RCCL ships that ply the Caribbean out of Florida lumber along at only about 19 knots. At this speed, it takes nearly 2 days to make it to St Thomas or St Maarten, allowing just a brief stop somewhere like Nassau or San Juan. Then there's another 2 days to get back to Florida. Now, if ships could only fly................

 

Back when Explorer, Navigator, and Voyager were all sailing out of Miami they had 4 ports of call on their eastern and western itineraries. And ships couldn't fly then either.

[Ocean Boy]

If they could put in a big pier/dock at Coco Cay that could handle Allure/Oasis, I bet they would have no problems selling a 7 night cruise that stopped there and at Labadee. All RCI stuff the whole time. A self contained floating beach resort that you never left, that went to two different beaches.

 

Two private island stops in a one week cruise is two more private island stops than I would ever want.

[Desert Cruizers]

Our LOS TA last Oct, was Port intensive for 3 Ports, followed by a sea day then two ports on the Canary islands, followed by 7 sea days to FT lauderdale. Loved those sea days after a very busy week of Ports. Our stay at each port were 10 + hours long so the trip home was relaxing.

[J&K08]

I look at cruising as a sampler platter since most itineraries don't spend a significant amount of time in port. If I like exploring the port I will look to have a longer vacation there in the future. I am looking forward to St. Maarten on the FOS as my parents have been there 8 times and rave about it. I will probably take my family there if it is as good as my parents say it is.

 

The thing about sampler platters is that I like to have a nice balance (port and sea days) to nibble on. Sample too much and I feel bloated like a goat whose stomach is about to explode. :eek:

[Cruising started]

I am new to cruising so look for trips that are port heavy. Once I get some cruises under me I am sure I will not be as port heavy. This next one I am on has two two day saildays but thats what is available. Will make the most of the saildays because I think the ships have alot to offer and plenty to keep me busy. Good day for sleeping in.

[Familygoboston]

I think the Oasis cost $1.4B ($1,400,000,000.00) to build.

 

It takes a lot of booze and casino revenue to pay that price tag.

 

Therefore, more sea days and less port days.

 

Simple economics really.:D

 

And there is your answer...plain and simple! Everything from the speed they travel to the amount of sea days is optimized to to be able to offer rock bottom prices and generate on board revenue. It's a business. Luxury cruise lines can offer a port every day, and many do!

[longwood]

I think the Oasis cost $1.4B ($1,400,000,000.00) to build.

 

It takes a lot of booze and casino revenue to pay that price tag.

 

Therefore, more sea days and less port days.

 

Simple economics really.:D

 

For the Allure and Oasis, it also takes a big port that can handle the passenger load. Tendering 6000+ passengers is not an option.

[JKHawaii]

True, Ocean Boy .......... Voyager-class ships used to make 4 stops on the Eastern Caribbean route: Nassau, Sea Day, St Thomas, San Juan, Labadee, Sea Day. However, San Juan was only from 7AM to 2PM and many people don't like San Juan and complained that they wouldn't even disembark there. So, RCCL replaced San Juan with St Maarten.

 

However, St Maarten is even further away from Florida than St Thomas, so that precluded stopping in Labadee (or Cocoa Cay on some of the cruises).

 

Some have remarked about NCL cruises. The NCL Dawn and sister ships have a service speed of 24 knots, so they can cover more miles during a 7-night cruise than the big RCCL ships. (Allure and Oasis have a service speed of 20.2 knots)

[efinder]

I've enjoyed all the answers so far, thanks! I hadn't considered the business and ship as destination aspects of it. Even though the port count is light, I'm definitely considering an Oasis class cruise for our next winter getaway!

[printingchick]

[quote name='Ocean Boy']Two private island stops in a one week cruise is two more private island stops than I would ever want.[/QUOTE]

AGREED!! Visited Labadee once...WELL in advance of the roller coaster. (In fact, it was the year prior to the earthquake...but I digress.) It was a nice relaxing day, but for me, more like another Sea Day. You couldn't actually SEE the island for safety reasons. You were limited to the small resort area. It was nice, but very Disney-like - not real! I could stand one day like this - although not sure I'd like it now that it's MORE developed and certainly more crowded given the arrival of the mega ships - but not two. Never two on one cruise!!

[lady_cruiser]

[quote name='efinder']Note this is a general question but it appears to affect Royal the most.

I remember years ago, there would be a port every day except one. When did we get to the point where the flagship cruise ships only had 3 ports? Can you name one that has more than 4? (on any line). Is the idea that you are supposed to enjoy the ship?[/quote]
The Serenade of the Seas out of New Orleans (Dec 2013) has four ports-of-call; Key West, Labade, Falmouth, and Cozumel.

[tropicbird]

Two words. Fuel and Fuel.

Remember when RCCL built the "greyhounds" that could cruise faster than existing cruise liners? (Legend and Spendour). The thought was that with faster ships they could hit more ports, make longer runs, etc.

Time have changed. High speed is out the door. With competition in the market so high, cruise prices are basically the same as the were a decade ago (looking back at the first cruises we took in 2000 and comparing to the same routes, age of ship, and stateroom, prices are almost exactly the same! What else can I buy today at 2000 prices!?).

Fuel prices are way up compared to 2000. Something had to give. Cost reductions of all types were looked at, but a big one is fuel. Slow the ship down a knot or two and you can save big $$ over time. This means longer transit times between ports, and in many cases fewer ports.

In the Western Caribbean this is not so apparent since the ports are generally close together anyway, but in other places... magically more sea days appear!

[Coralc]

[quote name='lady_cruiser']The Serenade of the Seas out of New Orleans (Dec 2013) has four ports-of-call; Key West, Labade, Falmouth, and Cozumel.[/QUOTE]

It's also 9 days, not 7. :D:):D

[Icruzthere4Iam]

I'd book a seven day that had one stop at Coco Cay on it with the rest sea days!:p hahaha. I love sitting and watching the ocean go by and knowing I don't have to do a thing if I don't want to. Obviously that is not going to happen but I would stay away from a port intensive caribbean cruise. Just not what I'm there for.