Staying on board

[Fixit2010]

6 hours ago, shofer said:

Ensenada is the armpit of Mexico.  

Now that is the sort of funny comment Jeremy Clarkson might make.  

[btregoning]

13 hours ago, shofer said:

Ensenada is the armpit of Mexico.  When we did a RT LA/Hawaii on Summit, the captain actually pulled into the port, stayed 1 hour and then left just to satisfy US regulations.    

 

Perfect description.  "Hey Lady, Hey Lady."  I had a "pharmacy" promise me a night I would never forget if I chose to purchase their wares for my DH.  We declined.

[rdr525]

Last few cruises we haven't gotten off ship  For several reasons, inability to walk very far due to health etc

We've enjoyed the peacefulness of a less crowded ship. I did a spa treatment for a $50 reduction on port day which was a plus

Having cruised for years, we've seen most of the islands. Only sorry we can't do walking tours in ports we haven't visited in Europe

[quack2]

Not advisable to get off the ship midway through trans-Atlantic cruise.

[tallnthensome]

I feel sorry for those who sail to places they have been to so many times that they feel it's not worth getting off the ship? Why bother going? To those that stay on board saying there is nothing to see makes me want to laugh! You actually paid to go to places you've been to before and paid for "nothing to see"? With all the places to sail to in the world I'd never let my vacations and cruise experience sink to that level ...... We strive for new ships and as many new ports in the world as we can and if there is a repeat port then there are many excursions (ship or private) that can take you to new places for new experiences. If I have to save more money to get somewhere we have never been then that is what we will do. I'd never in a million years pay Celebrity prices to simply sail a western caribbean that I have sailed so many that I  just stay on board ..... Awful waste of money in my opinion ......

[CRUZBUDS]

1 hour ago, tallnthensome said:

I feel sorry for those who sail to places they have been to so many times that they feel it's not worth getting off the ship? Why bother going? To those that stay on board saying there is nothing to see makes me want to laugh! You actually paid to go to places you've been to before and paid for "nothing to see"? ..... Awful waste of money in my opinion ......

 

Different strokes -- We cruise to cruise, not to travel.  We cruise close to home with no travel expense or hassle.,  Relaxing is very important to us, not exploring new places.  Maybe we're travel more when we retire, or maybe not.  

 

Please don't feel sorry for us, we're doing just fine  😀    

[sbt518]

We don’t get off on Costa Maya unswerving want to go to the Mayan Ruins. We feel the port area and beaches are not worth it and it’s nice to be on an uncrowded ship.  We took a Mediterranean cruise and there were a lot of people from the UK who didn’t get off the ship much, they said if they wanted to go to Italy they would do it on land and they just wanted to enjoy the ship. But we wanted to maximize every second we had in Europe, which just shows that people have different goals for their cruises. 

 

 

[jagoffee]

2 hours ago, tallnthensome said:

I feel sorry for those who sail to places they have been to so many times that they feel it's not worth getting off the ship? Why bother going? To those that stay on board saying there is nothing to see makes me want to laugh! You actually paid to go to places you've been to before and paid for "nothing to see"? With all the places to sail to in the world I'd never let my vacations and cruise experience sink to that level ...... We strive for new ships and as many new ports in the world as we can and if there is a repeat port then there are many excursions (ship or private) that can take you to new places for new experiences. If I have to save more money to get somewhere we have never been then that is what we will do. I'd never in a million years pay Celebrity prices to simply sail a western caribbean that I have sailed so many that I  just stay on board ..... Awful waste of money in my opinion ......

Someday you may understand. (Or not, since you seem to not appreciate how some people might feel different)  Have you ever experienced a day in the ship while in port?

My wife and I do a mixture, but I can assure you that some of our favorite days are  on the ship while the ship is in port.  It is a totally difference atmosphere.  For some of us the Celebrity Cruise ship is the major destination with great views.

[phoenix_dream]

We cruise the Caribbean ALOT during the winter to get away from the Chicago area weather.  In many ports, we will just get off the ship, walk around awhile for exercise, and then get back on to chill.  We're not beach people, the stores generally all contain the same cheap trinkets and  t-shirts made in China, and eating in unknown Caribbean restaurants holds no interest with my sensitive digestive system.   Love the ships at that time - they are generally quiet and peaceful, which is what we are looking for in a cruise.

[st5310]

On 4/24/2019 at 5:56 PM, villauk said:

 

Most ports all over the world 🤷‍♀️? Or are you just referring to the Caribbean?

Caribbean, Bahamas, Florida, Bermuda

[andyfriend80]

On 4/24/2019 at 11:47 PM, chemmo said:

However, sometimes we just don’t want to....We want to enjoy an almost empty cruise ship with loads of empty sun beds, a very quiet Oceanview, a few leisurely drinks, an afternoon nap....

 

 

Sounds perfect!  Only time we did it so far was in Barbados and that was because we honeymooned there a couple of years before.  We had a lovely day on board!

[hcat]

All depends..

In the Carib ,  we always plan for one or more port days onboard..Nice lunch, no crowds at pools, good pricing in the spa.....

 

We do not book Western Carib itins anymore, we  dislike tendering, prefer Eastern carib beaches etc.   Some ports we enjoy over and over but some have lost their  appeal. ..Jamaica.

 

On other cruises. Europe, Hawaii and east and west coast US..it,'s  more for the ports.

 

Everyone does what they think is best for their vacation...no need to feel sorry if other's opinions differ!

[OCruisers]

3 hours ago, CRUZBUDS said:

 

Different strokes -- We cruise to cruise, not to travel.  We cruise close to home with no travel expense or hassle.,  Relaxing is very important to us, not exploring new places.  Maybe we're travel more when we retire, or maybe not.  

 

Please don't feel sorry for us, we're doing just fine  😀    

 

Even when you retire, you might still just enjoy the cruise to cruise ... not really to travel. We do!  

 

Before we retired we went lots of places (Europe, Med, South America, etc. etc.) basically to see them as well as doing the fun water things in the Caribbean.

 

As time has gone by all we WANT to do are take cruises to the Caribbean and enjoy being on the ship!  

[CRUZBUDS]

2 hours ago, OCruisers said:

 

Even when you retire, you might still just enjoy the cruise to cruise ... not really to travel. We do!  

 

Before we retired we went lots of places (Europe, Med, South America, etc. etc.) basically to see them as well as doing the fun water things in the Caribbean.

 

As time has gone by all we WANT to do are take cruises to the Caribbean and enjoy being on the ship!  

 

I suspect you're correct -- I was just throwing them a bone.  We love the ship.  Port days to us are a chore.  When we stay on board and a good portion of the passengers are in port -- it is heaven.  On our Hawaiian cruise, last week,  in Lahaina, we rode the tender in - got a shave ice and we were back on the the tender in about an hour.    Works for us (we've been there 9 or 10 times) 

 

I don't understand why some folks like the art auctions. the spa, casino and bingo.  I don't question their choices just because those things have no interest to us.   

[OCruisers]

2 minutes ago, CRUZBUDS said:

 

I suspect you're correct -- I was just throwing them a bone.  We love the ship.  Port days to us are a chore.  When we stay on board and a good portion of the passengers are in port -- it is heaven.  On our Hawaiian cruise, last week,  in Lahaina, we rode the tender in - got a shave ice and we were back on the the tender in about an hour.    Works for us (we've been there 9 or 10 times) 

 

I don't understand why some folks like the art auctions. the spa, casino and bingo.  I don't question their choices just because those things have no interest to us.   

 

Good Reply!  

[Dawniepoo]

I've taken a few cruises where I never get off the ship the entire cruise. As far as I'm concerned, the ship is my favorite destination.

[cangelmd]

On 4/24/2019 at 1:55 PM, Denny01 said:

Not silly. Lots of passengers stay on board. We just did a East Caribbean followed by a West Caribbean cruise on the Edge to see the ship. We’ve been to most of the ports of those two cruises a number of times and didn’t go in all of them. Slept in; Enjoyed the uncrowned ship and pools. Loved it. Not nearly as much to do using organized things such as lectures,  music or trivia games and so on. The shops and casino are closed until at sea, but again, loved it.

 

We live on the Fla Panhandle and I tell people we have better beaches, better restaurants and I can buy Chinese stuff at home instead of on some island! Only simi-kidding. 

 

Spa treatments are less in ports and so on.

 

By the way, for San Juan, we did the walking Old Town and Food tour and it was great! You might consider that instead of heading in for a Starbucks. 

 

Enjoy!

 

Den

LOL! Don’t you know it! We also live on the Gulf Coast, a bit west of you, and spend a couple of weeks each year at Seaside, Caribbean water can be beautiful, but the beaches are a mixed bag at best.

We will get off to buy t-shirts or something for the grands, then hurry back to the ship for some quiet pool or balcony time.

Had a wonderful lunch on the back of Equinox outside the OVC, enjoying the breeze and watching small showers flowing across the harbor, much better than tramping around sweating.

We do try to spend at least a little money in most ports, some of their economies need it.

[sergeant655]

It is relaxing to stay on board when the ship is in port especially one that you have been to many times . Like having no crowds at the Oceanview.  The only draw back is the reduction in service when the crew has a emergency drill.  Shops and casino are not available in port but some ports have a huge shopping area right beside the ship. ( in Japan shops and casino remain closed all day even after leaving port).

 The best part is having the pool deck empty as there are less chances of chair hogs

[Denny01]

Another view of not going ashore: When I’m wandering the port and someone comes up an asks me where a good restaurant is, I point back at the dock and say, “there is a fine, fine restaurant right there with lots of choices, and you can’t beat the price anywhere in town!. Just look for the tall building with a pointy end and a blunt end.” 

 

Den

[tfred]

the cruise line would prefer that you stay onboard.  They can make more money from you since any purchase is with them directly

 

They control the entire customer experience when you are onboard.  Excursions are third party that may be having a bad day, but that bad day experience is blamed on the cruise line rather than "Diver Bobs"

 

many port towns are dumps (looking at you Antigua)   I wish they were all St Barts but they aren't.  Maybe if you are an ardent snorkeler then an excursion makes sense. Wandering through the same shops and stores on every island - no thanks

 

Private islands are something that lines are promoting - a safe, easy, controlled beach experience where they get to keep all the money

 

if you are looking for an adventure or a piece of local history, I think that the Caribbean is way beyond that now.  You cant have 4 mega ships arrive with 12,000 pax and feel the culture.  It is a tsunami of people at one time.  That local experience requires small boat (Crystal, Windstar etc) and money to pay for that experience.  

[Denny01]

On 4/29/2019 at 9:14 AM, tfred said:

the cruise line would prefer that you stay onboard.  They can make more money from you since any purchase is with them directly

 

They control the entire customer experience when you are onboard.  Excursions are third party that may be having a bad day, but that bad day experience is blamed on the cruise line rather than "Diver Bobs"

 

many port towns are dumps (looking at you Antigua)   I wish they were all St Barts but they aren't.  Maybe if you are an ardent snorkeler then an excursion makes sense. Wandering through the same shops and stores on every island - no thanks

 

Private islands are something that lines are promoting - a safe, easy, controlled beach experience where they get to keep all the money

 

if you are looking for an adventure or a piece of local history, I think that the Caribbean is way beyond that now.  You cant have 4 mega ships arrive with 12,000 pax and feel the culture.  It is a tsunami of people at one time.  That local experience requires small boat (Crystal, Windstar etc) and money to pay for that experience.  

Since the shops, casino are closed, the only purchasing on board is drinks, I personally doubt the cruise line ‘prefers’ us to stay onboard. In port is a big workday for them and they run many crew training exercises, and rotate the crew for a bit of time ashore, all of that reducing direct customer staff.  They do make money off tours with minimal involvement except signing us up, and escorting us off the ship when the tours are organized from the theater.  

 

Den

Edited April 30, 2019 by Denny01

[tfred]

shore excursions are not in the top 5 of revenue for the ship

 

Margins/commissions for the spa, photo (custom portraits)  and drinks on board are huge for the line (they are not taking 20% ) and they can control that experience.  On shore anything goes even with the best operators.  They want you to buy from their on board stores - they make more money. 

 

they have a captive audience - why allow others to poach?

 

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

46 minutes ago, tfred said:

shore excursions are not in the top 5 of revenue for the ship

 

Margins/commissions for the spa, photo (custom portraits)  and drinks on board are huge for the line (they are not taking 20% ) and they can control that experience.  On shore anything goes even with the best operators.  They want you to buy from their on board stores - they make more money. 

 

they have a captive audience - why allow others to poach?

 

 

Do you not understand that the shops and casino are closed while the ship is in port?

[tfred]

Of course I understand that, but those are only two of revenue sources on board. 

 

 The cruise line wants to drive as much business whenever they can to on board concessions. Photo and spa are two major drivers of revenue- generally both are run by concessionaires and the cruiseship take of that is huge. Casino and shops are closed but they want your money any way they can. 

 

When you are off ship ship then you spend money on non ship locations where they don’t get a cut. You may have a budget for the vacation that gets reduced when you purchase on shore - there goes that money. Once you are off the ship you are out of their “control “ and they can’t guarantee their highly financed brand image   Image is everything to them or really anyone in business. 

[Quo Vadis?]

On 4/24/2019 at 5:56 PM, villauk said:

 

Most ports all over the world 🤷‍♀️? Or are you just referring to the Caribbean?

Just the ones from Portugal.. 😁