Crowded Ports- Too many Ships in Ports!

[blackfoot]

It seems like every port is overrun w/ cruisers- way too many ships in port( Alaska, N Europe, of course the Med and now S. America ).  I am starting to re think cruising in the future because of the over crowding in port. Just wondering if others are seeing the same thing?

[lais]

Seen it for a long time.  Sometimes you’re lucky and have the port to just your ship but getting more rare especially in the ports you just mentioned. 

[Sopwith]

We’re seeing this all over, not just cruising.  The riff raff factor is inversely proportional to the cost of travel.

[Paulchili]

7 hours ago, blackfoot said:

  I am starting to re think cruising in the future because of the over crowding in port. 

Are you going to visit these places on a land trip or just stay home?

[Classiccruiser777]

This is partially a byproduct of ships that carry 3000+ passengers, which is one reason we now almost exclusively cruise on Oceania. Smaller ships can get into more intimate and interesting ports.

[RJB]

Very true.  You need to see where these mega ships are going and stay away from those places.  Take Nassau for example.  On any given day there could be 5 or 6 ships with  20000 pax. getting off.  UGH.   Need to skip those kind of ports.  😟

[Hawaiidan]

1 hour ago, RJB said:

Very true.  You need to see where these mega ships are going and stay away from those places.  Take Nassau for example.  On any given day there could be 5 or 6 ships with  20000 pax. getting off.  UGH.   Need to skip those kind of ports.  😟

The trend will get worse... ships are now being built for 4000-6000 people      In most ports they , the passengers, overwhelm the ports...  More passengers than residents.     The problem is visiting in peak times and on peak routes.   Alaska from June to September  looks like a zoo.   The Med is too.   So dont go there .  There many alternatives..      In ports that are crowded  stay one the ship and enjoy just being on a nice ship..... why get off?   

One solution is to re-define what a cruise is.   It is really an ocean voyage and a romantic connection to the sea.   Ports are frosting on the cake, parsley on the plate.    Enjoy the ship experience rather than focus on getting off it.      Trans Atlantic and  South Pacific cruises are still the best experience  if  you  dont want torun into the occupants of " Tenement of the Ocean"   or Obscenity of the  Sea">  and their sister ships  now larger then the largest NAVY aircraft carrier !       You right in concluding that as the quantity of humans on a ship rises their demographic goes to new levels... and not up..   If you have not seen the new Carnival commercial...you should.. people throwing food in each others mouths... a floating cony island

 

[StanandJim]

11 hours ago, blackfoot said:

It seems like every port is overrun w/ cruisers- way too many ships in port( Alaska, N Europe, of course the Med and now S. America ).  I am starting to re think cruising in the future because of the over crowding in port. Just wondering if others are seeing the same thing?

True, but like it or not this is a "one life to live" situation....

My father, rest him, waited too long for a "stress free window" to visit Egypt.

Mother became more realistic later in life, and was thrilled by Ghiza.

[pingpong1]

2 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

The trend will get worse... ships are now being built for 4000-6000 people      In most ports they, the passengers, overwhelm the ports...  More passengers than residents.    One solution is to re-define what a cruise is.   It is really an ocean voyage and a romantic connection to the sea.  Enjoy the ship experience rather than focus on getting off it. Trans Atlantic and  South Pacific cruises are still the best experience.

Hi Dan - Completely agree!  The "larger unfortunate truth" is that year by year and as time goes on, there are simply going to be "more people on earth" then there were in the past.  When DW and I first started traveling around Europe (in the 60's), we could walk around an "empty" St. Mark's Square in Venice, or "just walk into" the Vatican without any long lines or waiting times, or stroll across Westminster Bridge in London without the sidewalks being so crowded by so many other pedestrians.  As (mass) discounted travel options have made "traveling for the masses" more affordable, the most favored tourist attractions (Rome, Venice, London, Alaska. etc.) have, of course, not gotten any larger themselves.  During our respective remaining lifetimes, I guess the only mitigation for us (of minimizing the crowds) will be to spend more money (if available) to "upgrade" individual traveling experiences - B/C air, smaller ship/Luxury cruises to smaller ports, and more upscale hotels and restaurants - or just stay at home.  Our grandchildren will  unfortunately not be vacationing in the "same world" that we once did. Regards.

[Shawnino]

12 hours ago, Sopwith said:

We’re seeing this all over, not just cruising.  The riff raff factor is inversely proportional to the cost of travel.

 

Bravo, Basil Fawlty!

[Hawaiidan]

1 hour ago, pingpong1 said:

Hi Dan - Completely agree!  The "larger unfortunate truth" is that year by year and as time goes on, there are simply going to be "more people on earth" then there were in the past.  When DW and I first started traveling around Europe (in the 60's), we could walk around an "empty" St. Mark's Square in Venice, or "just walk into" the Vatican without any long lines or waiting times, or stroll across Westminster Bridge in London without the sidewalks being so crowded by so many other pedestrians.  As (mass) discounted travel options have made "traveling for the masses" more affordable, the most favored tourist attractions (Rome, Venice, London, Alaska. etc.) have, of course, not gotten any larger themselves.  During our respective remaining lifetimes, I guess the only mitigation for us (of minimizing the crowds) will be to spend more money (if available) to "upgrade" individual traveling experiences - B/C air, smaller ship/Luxury cruises to smaller ports, and more upscale hotels and restaurants - or just stay at home.  Our grandchildren will  unfortunately not be vacationing in the "same world" that we once did. Regards.

 Thanks for you comments.  However, you do not need to go to more upscale cruises , and places    You can discover the old days you describe  but in new locals... Doing trans atlantic is one way to beat the crowds and going west to east also relives you  of jet lag and you can get reasonable business class back home.   

The LA to Tahiti and Hawaii  rt is still pretty wide open thanks to the  Hawaiian laws and small ports.    The Auckland to  PPT   or PPT to Lima  are  nice routes where  you will miss the hordes because of cost and length.   The number of days at sea diminishes the mass of people by the square of the $   

The Carribe is a lost cause an animal house party in every port... NO hope  St Thomas..Puerto Rico Nassau .   Norway/ Baltic is awash with anything that floats.

   Australia and NZ are now seeing huge increases and there are now dozens of small luxury ships, so you can't get away unless you change where you go  not so much how you go..   

  I think O is the right size you dont have to go smaller  .  Things wont get worse as  O costs separate the wild party types from serious travelers.   I do agree that as age  progresses the  feasibility of flying coach or even premium coach are no longer options.     

[RJB]

1 hour ago, Hawaiidan said:

 Thanks for you comments.  However, you do not need to go to more upscale cruises , and places    You can discover the old days you describe  but in new locals... Doing trans atlantic is one way to beat the crowds and going west to east also relives you  of jet lag and you can get reasonable business class back home.   

The LA to Tahiti and Hawaii  rt is still pretty wide open thanks to the  Hawaiian laws and small ports.    The Auckland to  PPT   or PPT to Lima  are  nice routes where  you will miss the hordes because of cost and length.   The number of days at sea diminishes the mass of people by the square of the $   

The Carribe is a lost cause an animal house party in every port... NO hope  St Thomas..Puerto Rico Nassau .   Norway/ Baltic is awash with anything that floats.

   Australia and NZ are now seeing huge increases and there are now dozens of small luxury ships, so you can't get away unless you change where you go  not so much how you go..   

  I think O is the right size you dont have to go smaller  .  Things wont get worse as  O costs separate the wild party types from serious travelers.   I do agree that as age  progresses the  feasibility of flying coach or even premium coach are no longer options.     

A picture of you?   Hope so.   Would be great to see who we are talking to. 

[warburg]

Right on, Hawaiidan.  Fab photo. We live on South Beach, South of Fifth. This neighborhood is neglected by hordes because it has very few inexpensive bars and restaurants,  By contrast, in The Season, north of Fifth Street resembles Dante's Inferno. However, off season, all of South Beach is nice but warmer. Therein lies another anti hoard strategy. Visit places when the main industry shuts down, For example, ski areas are still pretty nice off season, especially if you like mountains. As travelers, checking out destinations is fun and pays off. Our next land trip is to Phoenix this July. In this case we are attending a big event and this is when it is. I am guessing that it is off season there. I've already checkout the hotel. Great air conditioning, You are correct about west/east TAs. Much more comfortable.

[Hawaiidan]

20 hours ago, RJB said:

A picture of you?   Hope so.   Would be great to see who we are talking to. 

Yup.....High up in the mountains as a climbing ranger ...   Here is one for your  night stand...Ciao

[RJB]

3 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

Yup.....High up in the mountains as a climbing ranger ...   Here is one for your  night stand...Ciao

Thank you for your service.    Stay safe. 

[Mura]

I had imagined our visage and I was totalLy wrong!

 

But that happens with radio announcers as well... Somehow I create a picture in my mind equating to the voice and I am NEVER right!

 

Mura

 

[Hawaiidan]

On 5/6/2019 at 4:00 AM, Paulchili said:

Are you going to visit these places on a land trip or just stay home?

Most definitely during peak times at popular regions it is a land trip... Cruising has its limitations, Like try visiting the Swiss alps or  the maritime Alps in France on a ship.   Each has its own benefit. Neither is an end all be all

[RJB]

31 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

Most definitely during peak times at popular regions it is a land trip... Cruising has its limitations, Like try visiting the Swiss alps or  the maritime Alps in France on a ship.   Each has its own benefit. Neither is an end all be all

Wonderful picture.  We need to go there. 

[Paulchili]

2 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

Most definitely during peak times at popular regions it is a land trip

I posed my question to OP (Blackfoot) who unfortunately chose not to answer.

[Hawaiidan]

On 5/6/2019 at 8:18 AM, StanandJim said:

True, but like it or not this is a "one life to live" situation....

My father, rest him, waited too long for a "stress free window" to visit Egypt.

Mother became more realistic later in life, and was thrilled by Ghiza.

 

Amen....you can always get more money...you can not get more time.....  You control the money God controls the time...

[cbb]

great quote from the philosopher king:

 

"Nobody goes there anymore.  It's too crowded."      Yogi Berra

 

 

Edited May 13, 2019 by cbb

[ak1004]

On 5/6/2019 at 1:13 PM, pingpong1 said:

Hi Dan - Completely agree!  The "larger unfortunate truth" is that year by year and as time goes on, there are simply going to be "more people on earth" then there were in the past.  When DW and I first started traveling around Europe (in the 60's), we could walk around an "empty" St. Mark's Square in Venice, or "just walk into" the Vatican without any long lines or waiting times, or stroll across Westminster Bridge in London without the sidewalks being so crowded by so many other pedestrians.  As (mass) discounted travel options have made "traveling for the masses" more affordable, the most favored tourist attractions (Rome, Venice, London, Alaska. etc.) have, of course, not gotten any larger themselves.  During our respective remaining lifetimes, I guess the only mitigation for us (of minimizing the crowds) will be to spend more money (if available) to "upgrade" individual traveling experiences - B/C air, smaller ship/Luxury cruises to smaller ports, and more upscale hotels and restaurants - or just stay at home.  Our grandchildren will  unfortunately not be vacationing in the "same world" that we once did. Regards.

 

Very true! The problem is that even if you travel in business and more luxury ships, you still don't control the crowds in popular destinations like Rome. Our last visit to Vatican museum was a nightmare. Extremely hot, crowded, but even more importantly, we felt very unsafe. Going down on stairs felt like one step from a disaster - all it takes is one person falling and taking all the crowd with him. 

[the more ports the better]

Funny this thread came up.  I’m taking my mom (85) on a land trip to Italy in Sept for 2 weeks.  I spent a few hours on cruiseTT.com making a chart of how many passengers will be in port in Rome, Venice, Livorno..... each day and booked our hotels when ships were not in port, or the least amount of people in the case of Rome.

 

When I’m happily traveling via a comfy Oceania cruise ship (most of my travel) cruisers are fantastic people but when I’m on a land trip, those damn cruisers, when they are not me of course, are a PITA.  🙂

 

In all honesty, I think world economics and partly the emergence of an upper middle class in China has had a big effect on tourism especially in Europe.  China has such a huge population that even a small segment of their population that can now afford to travel is still an enormous number of people.  At least that is what I have observed over the past five years or so.

[Paulchili]

Just now, the more ports the better said:

In all honesty, I think world economics and partly the emergence of an upper middle class in China has had a big effect on tourism especially in Europe.  China has such a huge population that even a small segment of their population that can now afford to travel is still an enormous number of people.  At least that is what I have observed over the past five years or so.

Agree totally.

Also, don’t forget Russia whose citizens could not travel internationally for some 60+ years are now making up for lost time (much like the Chinese tourists) 🙂

[tvmovielover]

+1 on the Caribbean being a lost cause in most seasons and some summer European ports.  Off season and cooler weather make some places less crowded. Two of our best visits to Italy took place in November and January for example.  There were still plenty of visitors but not the mobs of summer, fall, and late spring.  There was some rain (cold, rain, etc are a matter of luck anytime) but most tourists were out and about anyway.  The Caribbean has a mini shoulder season in January if you book a resort and fly instead of cruising (Cheap Caribbean and some airlines have good deals-great for us Floridians but available for others too).  As for any trip these days, research will get you the best time and mode of travel.