Longer Port Stays

[Tom O.]

I love cruising, but I wish that all cruise lines would consider longer port stays. I am talking about staying overnight in a port.

One of my favorite experiences on a cruise ship was while on a Mexican Riviera cruise on the Sapphire Princess, we had a port canceled. Mazatlan was canceled for some security issue. So instead, the ship simply proceeded to the next port, Cabo San Lucas. Most passengers were complaining, but I was happy because Cabo is always my favorite stop on these cruises, and normally you only get a half day there. We arrived there at noon and stayed until noon the next day. It was a beautiful night, we had an aft balcony, and we enjoyed the harbor lights as the ship swung back and forth on its anchor. Very romantic, even though neither of us are young.

We also enjoyed a night in port in Quebec at the beginning of a New England cruise - it gave us plenty of time to see that beautiful city.

Why doesn't HAL or some other cruise ship line schedule more overnight stays in port? Of course they would have to be in a port that has a lot to offer. The only overnight stays I have heard of being scheduled is Quebec and Rome.

I know that a lot people compare cruises by the number of ports that are visited, but I think cruise lines should consider an occasional cruise that have several overnight port stays. I think it would appeal to some of us more experienced cruisers who simply enjoy a relaxing time on ship instead of a mad dash into the port, to catch an excursion bus and get back on the ship by 5pm

[Windsailer]

I agree. Overnights on a cruise are awesome. We've had overnights in Quebec and in Dublin. Both were great. The overnight in Dublin (Prinsendam cruise) allowed us to do a musical pub crawl. We got back to the ship at 11pm. Lovely evening and the crew was so welcoming at the gangway!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Might have to do with cost of port fees and staying overnight.

We have stayed overnight in many ports in Europe. Maybe their fees are lower.

[cb at sea]

They want you ON the ship as much as possible..spending your money with the ship, rather than on land, exploring! That's why!

[57redbird]

We, too, had a port cancelled due to the threat of a hurricane....disappointed to miss Huatalco - we like that port -- but glad to have an extra 4 hours in Puerto Vallarta...gave us enough of a taste that we are planning a week long stay there in May to further explore.

[Tom O.]

They want you ON the ship as much as possible..spending your money with the ship, rather than on land, exploring! That's why!

 

Well, I was thinking just the opposite. Ships make a lot of money on excursions. So they would want as many ports in an itinerary as possible. Longer stays in port means fewer stops.

 

I would be willing to pay extra for a cruise that made longer stays in a particularly nice port.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Might have to do with cost of port fees and staying overnight.

 

We have stayed overnight in many ports in Europe. Maybe their fees are lower.

 

I always thought port fees were the reason. One time, QE2's departure from NYC was delayed while we waited for a hurricane to get out of our way. Departure time was 11:59, which tells me some kind of tax or fee kicked in at midnight. But these feel are always passed along to passengers, so I'm not sure that's a big part of the decision.

 

Another reason could be related to water sources. One time on a Panama Canal cruise, we were in a Pacific Panama port for a day (Fuerte Amador?), went out to sea overnight, and then entered the canal. Our waiter said we had to go out to sea so that we could "make water."

 

I don't think it's about keeping people captive. An overnight in port is a great selling point.

Edited November 21, 2015 by 3rdGenCunarder

[Tom O.]

Might have to do with cost of port fees and staying overnight.

We have stayed overnight in many ports in Europe. Maybe their fees are lower.

 

But the cruise line doesn't pay the port fees. The passengers do. I would be happy to pay an extra fee, if that is the case, but I am not sure that it is. If the ship incurs extra fees for a longer stay, it is also saving some fees by having less ports on that itinerary.

[catl331]

I don't think it's about keeping people captive.

If they can't keep the shops and casino open at night it's a big hit on income. That's one of the reasons HAL stopped their NYC-Bermuda runs until Bermuda changed their rules. Edited November 21, 2015 by catl331

[hrhdhd]

You should check out Azamara. Each itinerary has at least one overnight, I believe.

 

On my cruise next August, we will overnight in Livorno and Barcelona. And even when we don't overnight, the port stays are much longer.

[sppunk]

You should check out Azamara. Each itinerary has at least one overnight, I believe.

 

On my cruise next August, we will overnight in Livorno and Barcelona. And even when we don't overnight, the port stays are much longer.

 

But the chance of your cruise being chartered after booking is like 65%. :)

[kura]

One of the main reasons we love HAL is the fact that we have had so many overnight ports....with 2 full days in port. These have included....just this year....Buenos Aires, Reykajvik, st Petersburg, and several late night stays until midnight. On our upcoming Asian cruise we have overnights in Bangkok, Shanghai, Beijing, Yokohama, as well as several late nights eg Halong Bay

[KirkNC]

The 2017 world cruise has nine overnights.

[Essiesmom]

Celebrity added overnight stays on Eclipse and Equinox this winter. Equinox overnights in Cartagena or St. Maarten, Eclipse in Curacao or Barbados depending on the cruise. EM

[take us away]

The longer and less common cruises, i.e. not Alaska or the Caribbean, tend to have more overnights. The 2016 WC has 8 or 9 overnights; one of which is 3 days / 2 nights in Hong Kong.

[hrhdhd]

But the chance of your cruise being chartered after booking is like 65%. :)

 

Haven't had one chartered yet. And I would rather book a cruise that works and then lose it rather than settle for a crappy one.

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

HAL is now trying to have one late night departure on seven day or longer cruises. While this is not an on, it does give more time in port.

[cruise kitty]

As mentioned by many, Azamara does many overnights, but surprisingly, Celebrity does quite a few too,(at least in Europe) & many of them give you the two full days in the port.. i.e., arrive at 7 am, depart at 6 or 7 next evening. We've overnighted in Livorno, Venice, Istanbul, & will overnight in Cannes next May... they don't do it all cruises, you have to kind of hunt for it, but it really makes for great couple of days. :)

 

They also tend to have longer port days than HAL (which is one of the main reasons we book with them, most port days in the Med & Adriatic tend to be from 7 am to 7 pm.

Edited November 21, 2015 by cruise kitty

[HELENPSL]

We have had overnights in Istanbul, Venice, Barcelona, Stockholm, Copenhagen and St. Petersburg. This was over the course of two 24 day cruises. They may just do the overnights on the longer cruises. I also love them as it gives you a chance to get a better feel for the city.

 

Helen

[St Pete Cruiser]

On the longer HAL cruises, I have done a fair number of overnights. My preference would be only an overnight in those ports where the ship has a dedicated cruise terminal rather than a cargo dock port. At many of the cargo docks, like Casablanca, there is loading of dirty materials 24 hours a day along with the noise. Ofcourse in a safe area of the port as well.

[Randyk47]

Overnights are much more frequent in Europe especially the Mediterranean than in the Caribbean. Actually what was getting to us on HAL was not only were there no overnights but we were getting shorter and shorter stays in the Caribbean.

[chengkp75]

Well, I was thinking just the opposite. Ships make a lot of money on excursions. So they would want as many ports in an itinerary as possible. Longer stays in port means fewer stops.

 

I would be willing to pay extra for a cruise that made longer stays in a particularly nice port.

 

Shorex is not that great a profit center. Most of the cost differential between cruise line excursions and similar ones by outside vendors is taken up by additional insurance and the bond required by the cruise line. Casino and bar are larger revenue centers.

[Tom O.]

Although I said I would be willing to pay extra for some longer port stays, I checked Azamara, and the few cruises they have are more than double the price of HAL. Also those long cruises and grand cruises would be great, but they are beyond my means. My suggestion to HAL would be to consider some longer port stays for some of their Caribbean, or North American cruises.

But not Alaska cruises, there are simply no ports in Alaska that are worthy of an overnight stay. The best part of an Alaska cruise is the scenic cruising, in my humble opinion.

[sail7seas]

Casino and shops are closed. Ships don't make money when that happens.

[sail7seas]

Overnights are much more frequent in Europe especially the Mediterranean than in the Caribbean. Actually what was getting to us on HAL was not only were there no overnights but we were getting shorter and shorter stays in the Caribbean.

 

I agree. Why shorter stays in port?

"Did they move the island and it takes us longer to get there"? :rolleyes:

They stay shorter times in port so they can use less speed and less Fuel to get from one port to the next. When we always made it by leaving at 5 P.M., I cannot imagine we now have to leave at 3:00in order to arrive at next port on time.