Longer Port Stays

[dockman]

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.

 

I suspect the 11;59 pm departure may be because so many people don't seem to know the difference between 12 pm/noon or 12 am/midnight....that is the main reason airlines nearly never leave at 12 am as passengers get the day /time mixed up. I have stayed in hotels that have printed materials saying checkout is 12 a.m.....really? have to get up and leave at midnight?

[sail7seas]

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.

 

I wonder if the ship had been tied up at 12 midnight, overtime rates may have kicked in for linesmen/longshoremen and shore support teams?

 

[cbr663]

HAL is part of the "Economize" goal at Carnival Corp and less time in port means more fuel saved. With less time in ports, it truly is now more about cruising for the ship and not the itinerary. For our upcoming cruise, of the total time that we are on the cruise, only slightly more than 17% of the time is time in port.

[take us away]

I wonder if the ship had been tied up at 12 midnight, overtime rates may have kicked in for linesmen/longshoremen and shore support teams?

 

 

Have heard that at midnight, the next day's charges kick in so if they leave at 12:01 am there is a full day additional port charge plus probably the OT for the workers.

[Randyk47]

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.

 

 

We had some great late departures, like 11:00-11:30, in Aruba, Puerto Rico, Cozumel, and maybe another port or two somewhere in the 2004 to 2010 timeframe. Not every time but a couple of times we decided to eat on shore at recommended restaurants and had what I'd call magical times. (Yes, we actually eat on shore from time to time.) Fast forward to a few years ago and we leave Aruba at 3:00 PM going to the same next port we left for at 11:00 PM a few years before. Add the earlier departures from HMC and these destination cruisers started getting a bit miffed at shorter stays and more ship time.

Edited November 22, 2015 by Randyk47

[sail7seas]

Randy,

 

We, like you, often had dinner ashore if we had late departure from port.

 

We've had wonderful evenings/dinners in Curacao, Aruba and San Juan in Caribbean. There probably are other ports but I can't think of them now. We enjoyed many a lunch ashore. :)

[Topsham]

VEENDAM - Boston to Bermuda. Arrives Hamilton on Monday about noon and sail again on Thursday at noon. 72 hours in port. Casino open every evening... from about 9pm to 1am. This was this past year. Next year 2016 will be the same... making 4 of these cruises.

 

Hopefully there will be more in 2017 and more later.

[sail7seas]

We had some great late departures, like 11:00-11:30, in Aruba, Puerto Rico, Cozumel, and maybe another port or two somewhere in the 2004 to 2010 timeframe. Not every time but a couple of times we decided to eat on shore at recommended restaurants and had what I'd call magical times. (Yes, we actually eat on shore from time to time.) Fast forward to a few years ago and we leave Aruba at 3:00 PM going to the same next port we left for at 11:00 PM a few years before. Add the earlier departures from HMC and these destination cruisers started getting a bit miffed at shorter stays and more ship time.

 

Randy, Is Silversea also leaving ports much earlier than previously?

[dockman]

found this on a previous thread:

 

Everyone - including the cruise lines - is confused by port charges and taxes. They are extremely complicated, differ greatly from port to port and country to country, and are constantly changing.

 

There are many different port taxes and fees charged to a cruise ship.

 

Many - but certainly not all - ports charge a fixed dollar amount for each paying passenger onboard the ship. But this number can go up or down with very little warning. Quite often, this amount as a part of the port taxes you paid several months ago when you booked the cruise has changed - up or down - by the time your ship goes to that particular port. When you board you then find a small refund - or a small additional charge - that reflects the change.

 

Some ports (not all) charge fixed wharfage and head taxes based on the size of the ship rather than the number of paying passengers onboard. Then the cruise line has to calculate the port taxes by dividing the overall port charges by number of paying passengers actually onboard the ship on the day of that particular port visit. If your cruise is very full you may pay lower fees and taxes than if it was not so full.

 

Many ports have several piers. Some piers carry higher port charges and taxes than other piers. It is often the case that a cruise ship Captain is not sure which pier he will be assigned to until just a day or even a few hours before he arrives in the port. In San Juan for example, the fees and taxes for a ship visiting for the day at the Old Town piers are far higher than the fees for a ship visiting or turning around at the Panamerican Piers across the harbor.

At Sydney harbor, we like to dock at "the Rocks", just across from the Opera House. We pay much higher fees, but the location is great for our passengers. But if a large ship that cannot fit under the Sydney Harbort Bridge happens to show up, they get priority and we are shifted to the new Sydney Terminal in Darling Harbor. We pay far less in fees and taxes at the new terminal, but it is not nearly as convenient.

 

Many ports charge by the hour or by a segment of hours. If a ship stays longer at a pier, it is charged more money. Those charges are passed on to the passengers.

 

In some countries, a ship pays higher - or lower - fees and taxes depending on which country the cruise originated in.

 

Two or three times every month (on average) I receive an email from the Head Office explaining how much more I need to charge - or refund - every new guest because one or more ports or countries has changed the tax or fee structure at one or more ports on our itinerary.

 

In some ports, the cruise line has a special deal with one pier owner or another, giving them lower port charges, which are passed on to the passengers. In St Thomas, for example, HAL, Princess, and Cunard ships normally go to the the Sub Base Pier and pay substantially lower fees than the other ships that go to the Havensight pier downtown.

At Key West, the smaller ships are allowed to dock right down town - and pay much higher fees than the bigger ships that are docked at the Navy Pier.

 

When my ship was in Shanghai last week, we were small enough to fit under the bridge and tie up at the end of the Bund in the center of town. We paid a substantial premium for that. Our Royal Caribbean competitors could not fit their ship in the Huang Pu river and instead had to go to the Container Terminal quite a way out of town. Even though they are much bigger than us, they paid lower fees.

 

Are you confused yet? We usually are. And I have only scratched the surface of the myriad of factors that cause the confusion that surrounds port charges, fees, and taxes.

 

How is this all controlled?

Several years ago, a few cruise lines were caught inflating taxes and fees for passengers.

The State of Florida brought major lawsuits against those lines, won the lawsuits, and the lines had to pay many millions in penalties.

From that point on, several US Government Organisations monitor and audit fees and taxes charged by all the cruise lines calling at US ports, keeping everyone honest.

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[Keith1010]

Luxury cruise lines tend to have more overnights but it will vary by ports.

 

As mentioned on longer cruises you might have overnights.

 

Many people want ports and not the same port. Yes, some like overnights.

 

Certainly there is a lot of revenue to be made when the ship is at sea each evening.

 

Keith

[Topsham]

Saga have quite different ideas about port calls.

 

 

 

 

On board Saga Rose. Captain made the noon weather etc.

 

"Good Afternoon. Our speed is 10 knots and the ship is due to dock tomorrow morning in Crete at 0800 hrs. I have decided to increase speed to 19 knots and instead we will now dock at 1700 hrs. So... you will have our normal activities on board this evening but if you wish to go ashore you are pleased to do as you wish. Have a good evening."

 

 

 

Another cruise in the Saga Ruby docked at one of the Caribbean Islands. This time at lunch time.

 

"Good afternoon. I hope you are enjoying your lunch on board. We were due to sail this afternoon at 6pm. As you know the distance to the next port is just about 100 miles. So, rather and just make slow speed I have decided to that we will now sail at 11pm. Enjoy the evening ashore if you wish.

 

 

 

At Liverpool on board the Saga Pearl II. Two days in the port.

 

"I have been watching the weather and there is a strong low coming up the Irish Sea tomorrow. If we sail tomorrow afternoon we will be going straight into the weather so instead we will have a full extra 24 hours in port and by then the weather will fine. We will then arrive at Cobh a full day later and we will have to cancel our call at Cherbourg in order to arrive back at Southampton on time. However we will now be able to add an extra port and we will now spend a day in Falmouth."

 

 

Oh... Saga ships... no casinos! :)

[Randyk47]

Randy, Is Silversea also leaving ports much earlier than previously?

 

Our experience with them so far has been five Med cruises over four years. I don't see any difference from our first to our last with them this past June. The port to port cruising distances are quite short in the Med especially for the ports from Italy east to Turkey so overnights and late departures are pretty common. Our upcoming Caribbean cruise itinerary on the Silver Wind shows pretty much the same thing with at least one overnight and some departures as late as 11 PM. There is one 4 PM departure but just one and it appears to be the exception rather than the rule. I quickly looked at the Silver Spirit's March Caribbean itineraries and they're pretty much the same mix.

Edited November 22, 2015 by Randyk47

[St Pete Cruiser]

Thanks dockman, for the detailed information on port fees and location differences. Sailing on Holland America, especially their smaller ships, is often an advantage when you get to dock closer to where you want to be. I know some ports will give the bigger ships the priority due to the fact that they generate more income with more guests, but when they don't fit, then the smaller ship wins. Some ports will offer free or cheap transfer into the city as they are eager to please and want everyone to get off the ship and spend their money ashore.

The port fees, taxes, whatever charges have increased greatly of late. I think HAL is good about adjusting the fees as we often have a small credit.

I really wanted to do the 67 Prinsendam South America cruise in January, but the fare didn't come down plus over $2000 in fees made it too high.

[Jade13]

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

 

 

Just was overnight on Millennium at Kobe port which was great because we got to go to Nara one day and Kyoto the next.

 

Celebrity has just changed most of their Caribbean sailings to include an overnight, but so many are complaining, mainly those in the US who have already been to those ports.

 

Azamara also has lots of overnights.

 

I think HAL has more overnights on the longer cruises such as VOV when they turn around in Amsterdam and as you mentioned the cruises that go to Quebec and not all of the way to Montreal.

Edited November 22, 2015 by Jade13

[sail7seas]

Our experience with them so far has been five Med cruises over four years. I don't see any difference from our first to our last with them this past June. The port to port cruising distances are quite short in the Med especially for the ports from Italy east to Turkey so overnights and late departures are pretty common. Our upcoming Caribbean cruise itinerary on the Silver Wind shows pretty much the same thing with at least one overnight and some departures as late as 11 PM. There is one 4 PM departure but just one and it appears to be the exception rather than the rule. I quickly looked at the Silver Spirit's March Caribbean itineraries and they're pretty much the same mix.

 

Thanks, Randy. :)