Have you ever not gotten off the ship... at all??

[Philomath]

Hi everyone -

 

This is a bit of an odd inquiry but we're thinking of taking a cruise in the early December lull between Thanksgiving and Hanukkah/Christmas and are concerned about Zika (hoping to start a family next year, fingers crossed). Our choice is between X (always our preference) for 7 nights and not getting off the ship AT ALL (!!!) as every port is under Zika travel advisory, or a 5 night RCCL to ports that do not have Zika (Key West and Bahamas).

 

Have you ever not gotten off a ship for a whole cruise? What was it like? Will we regret it once onboard?

[cruisestitch]

I seldom get off the ship. Not from any fear of Zika but simply because for me the ship is my destination. I like it when most all of the passengers are gone and the ship is tranquil and uncrowded.

[neverbeenhere]

cruisestitch hit the nail on the head, one more time. The ship is our destination.

[ClaudiaB]

Only once in one port, when I was sick and stayed in my cabin 24 hours. Even if we've been to a port several times I will at least get off and walk around a bit.

 

On our upcoming Caribbean cruise, however, I think there are two ports we will turn into sea days.

[h20cruzer]

i am with cruisestitch, I seldom get off the ship. I have done 2 trans atlantic's without ever getting off. Good things are spa discounts, no lines, plenty of seats at the pool. I think you get the picture. They have the indoor pool as well. You can sleep in catch a movie or relax with a latte in Cafe Al Bacio.

Norma

[Cruise Raider]

I oftentimes stay on the ship the entire time. I would say that for me, the ship wouldn't even have to have any stops ... but since they have to, I have no qualms about staying onboard. Plus, it is most enjoyable when you have the ship to yourselves. There are discounts in the spa and you will have no problem finding just the right lounger at the pool.

[OCruisers]

Not exactly ... but there have been times when we don't get off in a port.

[PoppyandNana]

i am with cruisestitch, I seldom get off the ship. I have done 2 trans atlantic's without ever getting off. Good things are spa discounts, no lines, plenty of seats at the pool. I think you get the picture. They have the indoor pool as well. You can sleep in catch a movie or relax with a latte in Cafe Al Bacio.

Norma

 

I'm just a little curious, while on your TA's where would you have gotten off if you were so inclined?

[cle-guy]

I often stay on board. Transatlantic to Rome, had 3 ports along the way, maybe 4? Never left the ship till I got to Rome.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

Except for going to the end of the pier to buy chocolates in St. Maarten we will probably not get off the ship on the 1st part of our December B2B.

[cle-guy]

I'm just a little curious, while on your TA's where would you have gotten off if you were so inclined?

 

On mine, we stopped at Gibraltar, Somewhere in Spain, and some other place in Spain if I recall. Likely was also a call in Bahamas which I just consider the dumping station for the ship toilets.

 

Often stops are made in Funchal, or the Canary Islands or another of those close to Europe Atlantic islands. Some may stop in Bahamas. Typically there will be a string of 6-9 days at sea when going from Florida on a 13-15 night itinerary.

[grandgeezer]

We always get off the ship. The ports are why we cruise, the ship is just transportation.

[NCHPcruiser]

As much as we enjoy the ship, and it is a big part of why we enjoy cruising, we couldn't imagine not getting off the ship to at least walk around and get some exercise (outside of the gym). You are obviously younger than many (if not the majority) of Celebrity cruisers. I think you might begin to feel cooped up after a week with no port visits.

[DrivesLikeMario]

Yes, we've done it before on itineraries that we've done a million times. I always feel like I'm missing out on something and should be getting off but I've usually done everything I want to do in those ports. DH is perfectly fine with staying onboard.

 

Some of the BEST times on a cruise are on an empty ship in port! ;)

[shipshape sam]

We have only not gotten off once. I had a mild hernia that started to get worse once onboard on embarkation day/evening and I was fine to walk and stand for a couple of hours, but then had to lay down for a few hours.

 

Thus, we enjoyed lounging around the ship and when in port, just watch the port/surrounding area from the top decks. In St Maarten, I think it was, we watched some sail boats that I think were part of the America's Cup races in the past.

 

Otherwise, even when we do not want to tour a port, we do seem to get off and just walk around the dock area.

[varoo]

I'm just a little curious, while on your TA's where would you have gotten off if you were so inclined?

Preferably anywhere the ship is traveling slowly in calm, unpolluted waters, without waves.

 

But then it can be a challenge needing to paddle hard, trying to catch up with the ship again to get back on.

Sometimes we stay on board ourselves and just let the kids jump off to work off some energy.

 

Don't worry - There is always someone standing by with a life preserver to toss them if needed.

Edited August 17, 2016 by varoo

[Can'tstopcruising]

If you are planning to start a family, you both should be very careful about Zika. Even if you remain on the ship, you both should apply the best mosquito repellent you can find (unless you remain indoors!) All the best!

[Cruisin4beaches]

I did an 8 night cruise on Carnival and only got off in St. Marrten (my favorite island). Did a 5 night on the Connie this Jan. never got off. Doing my first S class in an aft sky suite Jan 2017 and will stay on all 6 days to enjoy my big balcony, my free drink pkg. and all my suite perks. Been to Coz. more times than I can count. Costa Maya has nothing but a good water park and I'm not fan of Grand Cayman.

[Oville]

If the ship is docked in a port is there any guarantee you won't be bitten by a mosquito if you stay onboard? Perhaps the 5 day Bahamas/Key West is your best bet but Zika has hit FL.

Edited August 17, 2016 by Oville

[beltane]

We are almost at the point now where we have favourite ports and we have meh ports and we have no-way-in-hell-ever-again ports for the Caribbean. The nice thing is: we actually LOVE the ship when it is empty and don't mind at all if an itinerary only has one or two fave ports. We look forward to port days when we stay on the ship. I love having the pool practically to myself. I love relaxing up top and watching the port. We especially get a kick out of watching the people come and go on the pier. I can easily see us becoming "ship only" cruisers eventually.

 

I love the previous poster who said the ship is their destination. Perfect! That is Hubs and I too!

[Cruising Is Bliss]

Hi everyone -

 

This is a bit of an odd inquiry but we're thinking of taking a cruise in the early December lull between Thanksgiving and Hanukkah/Christmas and are concerned about Zika (hoping to start a family next year, fingers crossed). Our choice is between X (always our preference) for 7 nights and not getting off the ship AT ALL (!!!) as every port is under Zika travel advisory, or a 5 night RCCL to ports that do not have Zika (Key West and Bahamas).

 

Have you ever not gotten off a ship for a whole cruise? What was it like? Will we regret it once onboard?

 

I love staying on the ship in port. Never done it for an entire cruise but I would if a good deal came along for a cruise with no ports that sounded interesting.

 

It really depends on what you like about cruising. Cruising is a good way to see a lot of places but it's also a chance to relax and I want both. For me the best way to do port intensive cruises is B2B with most or all the same ports so I can spend more time onboard.

[IsanTom]

I love to stay on board. Very quiet and peaceful!

[Husky61]

We always get off of the ship in port.:)

[chemmo]

Our cruise to the South Pacific islands on Solstice last year was about destinations...A couple of weeks prior to the cruise, however, I hurt my leg. No reason I couldn't go but knew my mobility would be very limited. We could have cancelled but our adult son had travel plans with us and we were meeting up with friends we had met on the TP cruise in 2014 so we decided to go anyway!

 

We did one tour and after that decided to just enjoy the ship and the views of the South Pacific! Instead of being a 'wash out' this cruise was fantastic in so many quiet ways....

 

A leisurely coffee in an empty El Bachio watching the tenders go to one of the islands and seeing an amazing rainbow.

 

Sitting on the balcony and just people watching in Suva....cocktail in hand.

 

Sitting in the sun on the pool deck and having the pool to myself for a swim!

 

Actually reading one of the books I had downloaded pre cruise...

 

As others have said, we usually do enjoy the ports of call and would feel we were missing out on a cruise if we didn't get off at most ports. However, I can understand far more now the pleasures of not getting off!

[I&J Cruisers]

We haven't gotten off a ship in the Caribbean in years. Ship is delightful for reasons everyone has mentioned. Also the gym is empty. We do our workouts on port days. About a year ago we got off the ship In Grand Cayman to pick up something I'd forgotten and was disappointed in how commercial and crowded it had become. It used to be a beautiful laid back quaint little place. Now it looks like every other Carribean island.