Reversal of Arriving and Departure

[ccsclean21]

Hi

Does anyone know why cruise ships arrive in the early hours of the morning and depart in the afternoon in Australia.

Why don't they do the opposite and arrive in the afternoon and depart in the morning.

It would give time for the crew to sanitise the ship during the night especially with the Norovirus becoming a big problem to the cruise lines.

[Tatka]

Because there are Port charges. Also they make money off of passengers every day. Why would they waste a day every week (or little bit more)

[LHT28]

When would the crew sleep??

[BlueRiband]

Ships do the same in the US and the UK. Time in port is very expensive: Fees to park at the pier, linesman, and security just to name some items. The longer the ship stays in port the higher your fare would climb.

[SadieN]

When the Crown Princess experienced Noro it delayed boarding only a few hours.

[cruising cockroach]

Depends on port. I see a lot of cruises where the ship sits in port a overnight and/or a full day before disembarkation or after embarkation. Not moving also saves fuel cost for propulsion.

[fishywood]

Hi

Does anyone know why cruise ships arrive in the early hours of the morning and depart in the afternoon in Australia.

Why don't they do the opposite and arrive in the afternoon and depart in the morning.

It would give time for the crew to sanitise the ship during the night especially with the Norovirus becoming a big problem to the cruise lines.

 

Sanitation issue aside, what you are proposing is that there be a non-operating/non-revenue-generating day in between every single cruise. How could this be done and keep the ships on their current calendars--other than by shortening each sailing by one day yet still charging the price based on the full length. Actually the cruise fare would probably increase in direct proportion to the time onboard decreasing given all the additional down time for the shops, spa and casinos.

[Essiesmom]

Because that night in port would not have passengers aboard and therefore each cruise would be only six days, or if seven, would leave a day later in the week for each sailing. For those cruises that overnight before debarking, there is a paying person in each cabin. EM

[capriccio]

From a passenger's perspective I wouldn't want that to change. Morning disembarkations give passengers more choice of onward transportation without incurring the expense of a hotel room when evening flights are limited or inconvenient (i.e. red eyes). Afternoon embarkations give those passengers living dangerously (:D arriving on the day of departure) or nearby more time to arrive without incurring expense of a hotel room for the night before.

[Nitemare]

Why just for Australia? Noro can (and does) happen all over the world.

[DirtyDawg]

Depends on port. I see a lot of cruises where the ship sits in port a overnight and/or a full day before disembarkation or after embarkation. Not moving also saves fuel cost for propulsion.

 

But they have paying passengers aboard.

 

Show me a cruise line that willingly lets its ships sit idele, not generating revenue, and I will show you a cruise line where I have shorted their stock!

It's all about the $.

[MCC retired]

Aside from other reasons , late departure and early arrivals are required for guests flying to/from cruise.

[Floridiana]

When would the crew sleep??

 

That was my first thought.

 

I have just come back from a (luxury) ship that arrived in the evening in Brisbane and left in the evening of the following day. A few weeks later, it arrived in Hong Kong at noon and left in the evening two days later. While cruising into Hong Kong harbor, another luxury ship left for its next leg. Our ship got their spot. We passed a third luxury ship lying on the other pier further away from the city center.

 

There are overnights and 2 day/ 2 night long pier stays in the high price segment of the cruise market.

[cruising cockroach]

When would the crew sleep??

 

 

When there's a noro outbreak, they rarely do. Worked into the wee hours. Same thing when the ship enters U.S. waters for the 1st time of the season and has to be ready to undergo USCG inspection. If you want to see surly, tired crew, go on such a cruise.

[chengkp75]

That was my first thought.

 

I have just come back from a (luxury) ship that arrived in the evening in Brisbane and left in the evening of the following day. A few weeks later, it arrived in Hong Kong at noon and left in the evening two days later. While cruising into Hong Kong harbor, another luxury ship left for its next leg. Our ship got their spot. We passed a third luxury ship lying on the other pier further away from the city center.

 

There are overnights and 2 day/ 2 night long pier stays in the high price segment of the cruise market.

 

Heck, even the much maligned Pride of America does two overnight stays in a week long cruise in Hawaii.

 

The reason is that there would be a period without paying customers onboard, so revenue would be lost. Also, 95% of the crew work daytime hours, so the turn-around chores needing to get done are done during their normal work day, just different duties from normal (like wait staff handling baggage, etc). The number of hours a crew member can work, and has to rest are controlled by international law, as well as how long each rest period has to be, and how many periods the required hours can be broken up in to. If you do a night time turn-around, the crew will need to get rest hours the day you are arriving in the afternoon (so reduced services that last day), and will need to get rest hours after the all night turn-around (so reduced services again the first day). Believe me, as someone who has to juggle work schedules for my crew based on arriving/departing ports at all hours of the day, given that all the engineers work day hours, this kind of a "one time" shift change will have a ripple effect on everyone's hours for the whole week, and then it happens again.

[Wheatie59]

Between this and your other post about suing cruise lines, you seem very concerned about noro. Maybe cruising isn't for you.