Does the starboard side ever face land?

[mandymac]

Hi having studied the deck plans all afternoon i now think that our cabin is on the starboard side. My question is for the people who have had a balcony on the starboard side, did you ever face land when you were docked?

 

my cabin is 10566 on the anthem of the seas, can anybody confirm wether this is starboard on not, lol i think it is :confused:

 

Thanx Mandy :)

[mark22mac]

Yes starboard side. Left port starboard right while facing forward.

[mark22mac]

Yes some ships dock

On the starboard side. Some other people on here probably no more about which ships dock which way but yes some do.

[mandymac]

Yes starboard side. Left port starboard right while facing forward.

 

Thanx Mark for your quick response, have you ever stayed in a balcony cabin either portside or starboard, if you did, did the ship dock on different sides?

[mandymac]

Yes some ships dock

On the starboard side. Some other people on here probably no more about which ships dock which way but yes some do.

 

oops sorry just seen your second answer thank you :)

[beachnative]

Hi having studied the deck plans all afternoon i now think that our cabin is on the starboard side. My question is for the people who have had a balcony on the starboard side, did you ever face land when you were docked?

 

my cabin is 10566 on the anthem of the seas, can anybody confirm wether this is starboard on not, lol i think it is :confused:

 

Thanx Mandy :)

 

It can vary for the same ship in the same port (even homeport)…usually so that it can conduct lifeboat drills for the side that usually faces the dock. Even the Oasis & Allure do this.

[39august]

Port side means the left side of the ship while facing forward. It doesn't mean that it faces the land. Starboard is the right side of a ship. Ships often back into a dock as well as heading into a dock. Sometimes current or weather conditions dictate which way a ship docks. So you can't count on any ship at any time docking in a specific position.

[nolesrule]

Which side a ship docks on will depend on needs for lifeboat drills, maintenance, painting the hull, etc.

[cb at sea]

Of course! "Port" simply means "left"!

[Don Pedro]

It is not uncommon for cruise passengers to think that a port-side cabin will always get them next to the dock, today's ships can be docked either way with either its port or starboard side abutting the pier. Here is a little history about port and starboard that we found interesting.

 

The term starboard came about in olden days when a large oar (tiller), at the rear of the vessel, was used to steer the ship. Since most sailors were right-handed the oar was typically positioned on the right side of the vessel so that the helmsman could stand in the center and steer with his right hand.

 

The term starboard comes from the old English term sterobord which literally means the side from which the ship is steered.

 

In order to prevent any damage to their steering system, ships would always be docked with their left side against the pier. A ship's left side was referred to as larboard or loading-side. Later British seamen changed the term larboard to port because when spoken, it was too easy to confuse larboard and starboard.

 

Also, ships and channel markers use green and red navigational lights. A green light is displayed to indicate the starboard side of the ships and a red light indicates the port side. If two ships are on a course that intersects the ship on the left will see the red light of the other ship and is supposed to give way.

 

Port as, you know is the left side of the ship. There are four letters in both left and port and port wine is red.

[Eng23]

There is no one correct answer about which side of the ship will face the dock when in a port. There are so many variables as to why a ship docks in a certain direction at the pier. Here are some factors:

Weather

Tides

Channel currents

Number of ships in port that day

Time of arrival

Time of departure

Maintenance needs

Life boat drills

 

I'm sure there are some more factors but it would take too long to post them. So, just check the deck plans of the ship and pick a cabin that looks good to you and enjoy!

[mark22mac]

For some strange reason I don't know why but I prefer the starboard side and have been pretty lucky while on my cruises that more times than not we docked starboard side.

[bigque]

For some strange reason I don't know why but I prefer the starboard side and have been pretty lucky while on my cruises that more times than not we docked starboard side.

 

Same with me. I always have booked the starboard side from the beginning but for no particular reason even though that is now what I prefer. I have been docked facing land more times than not. :cool:

[PoppyandNana]

Hi having studied the deck plans all afternoon i now think that our cabin is on the starboard side. My question is for the people who have had a balcony on the starboard side, did you ever face land when you were docked?

 

my cabin is 10566 on the anthem of the seas, can anybody confirm wether this is starboard on not, lol i think it is :confused:

 

Thanx Mandy :)

 

Took you all afternoon to know whether your cabin was on the right side of the ship or not?

[ruthnewark]

Took you all afternoon to know whether your cabin was on the right side of the ship or not?

 

I really do not see the point of this comment, other than sarcasm. Why not be encouraging instead?

[Clarea]

It is not uncommon for cruise passengers to think that a port-side cabin will always get them next to the dock, today's ships can be docked either way with either its port or starboard side abutting the pier. Here is a little history about port and starboard that we found interesting.....

Thanks for this Pete, very interesting.:)

[mandymac]

Thank you all very much, cant wait now to wake up and be surprised wether we are facing land or not :)

 

and special thanx to you Don Pedro, that is very interesting :)

[moshek]

Both Anthem and Explorer have had starboard side towards the cruise terminal in Southampton this year. At sailaway ship has reversed out then turned before passing the cunard ships.

[mil76]

Also depends on the pier configuration. Sometimes the pier is L shaped and the area where the ship docks is almost parallel to the coast (Cozumel comes to mind). So the ship may be docked with the port side next to the pier, but the starboard side is facing land.

[mandymac]

Both Anthem and Explorer have had starboard side towards the cruise terminal in Southampton this year. At sailaway ship has reversed out then turned before passing the cunard ships.

 

:) thank you :)

[mandymac]

Also depends on the pier configuration. Sometimes the pier is L shaped and the area where the ship docks is almost parallel to the coast (Cozumel comes to mind). So the ship may be docked with the port side next to the pier, but the starboard side is facing land.

 

:) thank you :)

[Flatbush Flyer]

Of course! "Port" simply means "left"!

 

 

Not really. Port is left only if you are facing forward. Right is port only if you are facing aft.

 

Why is this important? One very common example is the saga of small boats in trouble whose skipper is inexperienced (yes some boat owners have no idea what "port and starboard" mean). It is not uncommon for the USCG to get small boat distress calls where, when asked about landmarks, that inexperienced skipper says there's a certain landmark "on the left (or right)." Precious time is then lost as the conversation turns to figuring out the actual position of the troubled boat in relation to the landmark(s).

 

Somewhat ironically, many ships will have a sign saying "left" and "right" forward on the center of the bridge as a reminder of the English instructions to deck and engineering personnel regarding steering decisions.

 

As to the OP's original question, docking only on the port side went out the window with the advent of keels and rudders, which replaced the "steering board (starboard)" that prevented docking on that side. Instead, the old vessels docked with the non-steering side (port) against the dock (port).

Edited August 15, 2015 by Flatbush Flyer

[Ashland]

For some strange reason I don't know why but I prefer the starboard side and have been pretty lucky while on my cruises that more times than not we docked starboard side.

I'm a port sider and the few times I've been starboard things just kinda seemed off...silly/strange what each of us prefer and have no real reason why..:D

[Keith1010]

Yes in port starboard could be on the port side.

Keith

[mandymac]

:) Cheers Everyone :)