Sail Away after dark?

[ckrobyn]

My one cruise so far on the Radiance left port at 6pm - it was still light and really nice to see Miami fade into the distance...

For those of you who have sailed on a ship where the departure time is 10:00pm - what was sail away like? Were many people out on deck like they are during daylight? What are the major differences?

Any opinions and experiences are appreciated ;)

[chotton]

If you have second seating you will be at dinner. We had second the two times we have sailed out of SJU so I'm not sure what goes on up on deck.

[bethorc]

the one major diff is that when sailing away in the day time theres light and when sailing away at night theres NO light...hope this helped...BETHORC....sorry, i couldnt resist...

[superjerryw]

If the sailaway is after dark all of the passengers need to be out on deck with flashlights so the captain can see which way to go.....:rolleyes:

[alb38]

We had late seating on the Serenade and were able to be up on deck ten for sail away. The band was playing around the pool (salsa music) and the lights of San Juan were around us - it was a nice view. Make sure you have your camera. The only downside was it started to drizzle as we were leaving.

[lauren0309]

We were at dinner so we missed what went on up above. I think the excitment is the first time you cruise, but after that its no big deal. We were eating dinner and noticed the ship was moving and said I guess we're off and went back to eating!

[EBFURR]

Have sailed away from Cozumel at 10:00 PM during 2nd seating dinner. Ditto Lauren here.

 

Have sailed away from Nassau on Majesty at midnight with the pool party/buffet going full blast. What a hoot!!

 

Never sailed away from home port at night, although it might be fun. It ALWAYS seems to rain during our sail away, though.

[AmandaNS]

We're headed out of SJU at 10 pm on Jan 2nd (Empress), and we plan to be up on deck for sailaway. I would assume that the pier area is well-lit, and the lights as you leave would be just as nice as seeing the scenery as you leave in the light. I'm actually looking forward to leaving at night. We have second seating, but will skip it and hit the Windjammer just so we won't be in the dining room when we leave.

[hcat]

Best sailaway was from NYC after dark. We left our dinner to catch the most awe inspiring view of Manhattan and Lady Liberty really memorable!

[EBFURR]

Best sailaway was from NYC after dark. We left our dinner to catch the most awe inspiring view of Manhattan and Lady Liberty really memorable!

 

hcat, that sounds really cool!

[MszKitty]

We were at dinner so we missed what went on up above. I think the excitment is the first time you cruise, but after that its no big deal. We were eating dinner and noticed the ship was moving and said I guess we're off and went back to eating!

 

 

I have to disagree with lauren0309. Even after 19 cruises, whether we are up top on deck, or on our balcony, one of my favorite times on a cruise is sailaway. The one time we sailed out of San Juan, we were at dinner, and I felt like something was missing. I think next time we sailaway during our dinner time, I will do as AmandaNS said, and eat in the Windjammer that night.

[darrencantwait]

I love nighttime sailaway. Our Serenade our of San Juan left at 10pm and our Constellation out of San Juan left at 11:00 pm. We always have late seating and have always made sail-away. Just let your waiter know you'll be leaving at 9:45 and I'm sure he/she will make sure you make sail-away.

 

On the Constellation, they actually have the muster drill at 10:30, so everybody just ditches their lifejackets in their rooms and then heads upstairs.

 

Sailing past El Morro fortress all lit up at night in San Juan is gorgeous! You just sail right out into the black abyss. Also, if you stand toward the bow and look back down the ship toward San Juan, you can see the city appear and disappear behind the ship as it starts to rock once you hit the open water.

[ckrobyn]

Thanks for all of your stories!

Our first cruise was kinda neat, I really didn't know what to expect at sail away.....honestly, having never been closer to a cruise ship than the Love Boat on TV, I thought there would be streamers and people hanging around the port waving goodbye :o What ended up happening was the traffic on the highway by the Port of Miami were honking their horns and waving out their car windows as we were waving back at them - once we were far enough out of the port area, everyone just seemed to dissipate and do their own thing until dinner.

I thought because the ship leaves so late from San Juan, there may not be anything going on up on deck - I'll be up there for sure :) Just in case anyone honks their horn ;)

[Cuizer2]

If the sailaway is after dark all of the passengers need to be out on deck with flashlights so the captain can see which way to go.....:rolleyes:

 

No, the newer ships have headlights! :)