jjtt Posted February 6, 2015 #1 Share Posted February 6, 2015 (edited) Planning on booking a balcony on Independence cruising to the Eastern Caribbean this summer. When docked at ports we want to see the island from our balcony, which side do we book (aft or starboard)? In other words, we want to go out on our balcony and look down onto the pier below. Thanks!! Edited February 6, 2015 by jjtt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLACRUISER99 Posted February 6, 2015 #2 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Planning on booking a balcony on Independence cruising to the Eastern Caribbean this summer. When docked at ports we want to see the island from our balcony, which side do we book (aft or starboard)? In other words, we want to go out on our balcony and look down onto the pier below. Thanks!!Makes no difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiseguy1016 Posted February 6, 2015 #3 Share Posted February 6, 2015 (edited) There is no way to know how the ship is going to dock. Sometimes the pier is on the port side, sometimes it's on the starboard side. Sometimes the ship pulls in forward, sometimes they back in. It all depends on how many ships are in port and who got there first. Edited February 6, 2015 by cruiseguy1016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aftop Posted February 6, 2015 #4 Share Posted February 6, 2015 There is no way to know how the ship is going to dock. Sometimes the pier is on the port side, sometimes it's on the starboard side. Sometimes the ship pulls in forward, sometimes they back in. It all depends on how many ships are in port and who got there first. On a recent stop at Antigua there were three ships docked at the pier. A NCL ship was fourth in line and docked at what appeared to be the cargo loading area quite a distance from the pier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelCMTX Posted February 6, 2015 #5 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Planning on booking a balcony on Independence cruising to the Eastern Caribbean this summer. When docked at ports we want to see the island from our balcony, which side do we book (aft or starboard)? In other words, we want to go out on our balcony and look down onto the pier below. Thanks!! The exact score on our 8-night was port for St. Kitts and St. Maarten, starboard for San Juan and Labadee. As other have mentioned though, with the exception of Labadee it was probably "what parking place was available" that determined how we docked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiseguy1016 Posted February 6, 2015 #6 Share Posted February 6, 2015 On a recent stop at Antigua there were three ships docked at the pier. A NCL ship was fourth in line and docked at what appeared to be the cargo loading area quite a distance from the pier. I'm not sure how many ships were already in port but we had to dock at the commercial shipping pier in St. Kitts a few years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cb at sea Posted February 6, 2015 #7 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Seldom will a Captain dock to the same side at every port....they try to give every one a "view"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molsonschooner Posted February 6, 2015 #8 Share Posted February 6, 2015 There is no way to know how the ship is going to dock. Sometimes the pier is on the port side, sometimes it's on the starboard side. Sometimes the ship pulls in forward, sometimes they back in. It all depends on how many ships are in port and who got there first. I have no knowledge on this but I would think parking spots are assigned to the ships before they ever show up at the port Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneputt18 Posted February 6, 2015 #9 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Most of the Eastern Caribbean Ports you can see the island from both sides of the ship. Labadee is an exception to that as you can only see a very small portion of the island if you are on the wrong side of the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevea36 Posted February 6, 2015 #10 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Most of the Eastern Caribbean Ports you can see the island from both sides of the ship. Labadee is an exception to that as you can only see a very small portion of the island if you are on the wrong side of the ship. Port vs starboard is based on the following..... Tides Winds Traffic Does the crew need to do any lifeboat drills on a specific side Is there any maintenance planned for a specific side So, there is really no way to determine exactly how the ship will dock Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ocean Boy Posted February 6, 2015 #11 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Seldom will a Captain dock to the same side at every port....they try to give every one a "view"! Seriously? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouhunter Posted February 6, 2015 #12 Share Posted February 6, 2015 (edited) Seldom will a Captain dock to the same side at every port....they try to give every one a "view"! No they don't...................:rolleyes: CB posts this everytime it comes up.... Edited February 6, 2015 by bouhunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kontraxed Posted February 6, 2015 #13 Share Posted February 6, 2015 I like to book the side that is least expensive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjtt Posted February 6, 2015 Author #14 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Thanks for all of your answers! So it sounds like it is the luck of the drawl. Now to make the choice... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alenushka Posted April 17, 2015 #15 Share Posted April 17, 2015 .... Labadee is an exception to that as you can only see a very small portion of the island if you are on the wrong side of the ship. which side will be the "right" side for the nice view in Labadee? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Cruizers Posted April 17, 2015 #16 Share Posted April 17, 2015 We usually book on the Port side but if I need to view something on the Starboard, I walk out unto the Promenade or upper deck and take my pictures, If we come in and we are on the Pier side fine, if not that is alright also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarea Posted April 17, 2015 #17 Share Posted April 17, 2015 which side will be the "right" side for the nice view in Labadee? Not predicable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Buddy's Mom Posted April 17, 2015 #18 Share Posted April 17, 2015 (edited) Seldom will a Captain dock to the same side at every port....they try to give every one a "view"! Your answer is just silly. Edited April 17, 2015 by Little Buddy's Mom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouhunter Posted April 17, 2015 #19 Share Posted April 17, 2015 Your answer is just silly. Yep. CB posts the same reply EVERY TIME this question comes up and it's a joke. But then, she NEVER returns to reply to any comments to any of her posts......:rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WisconsinFan Posted April 17, 2015 #20 Share Posted April 17, 2015 I believe in Labadee the ships always pull in forward and the starboard side would have the view of the island. One other item to consider is smoking is allowed only in public areas on Freedom class ships on the port side decks 4 and 5. This sometimes leads to some smoke smell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alenushka Posted April 18, 2015 #21 Share Posted April 18, 2015 I believe in Labadee the ships always pull in forward and the starboard side would have the view of the island. One other item to consider is smoking is allowed only in public areas on Freedom class ships on the port side decks 4 and 5. This sometimes leads to some smoke smell. thank you. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiseguy456 Posted April 18, 2015 #22 Share Posted April 18, 2015 We have always booked on the Port side. seemed to work in our favor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now