Port or Starboard

[denmarks]

How often is boarding on the Port side or the Starboard side or is it pretty equal?

[Ashland]

Well it can depend but usually boarding is done on the portside and usually will be the side you dock...although the RCI Oasis class will occasionally dock on the starboard side.

[Flatbush Flyer]

23 minutes ago, denmarks said:

How often is boarding on the Port side or the Starboard side or is it pretty equal?

Don't know if there are any cruise ships with "steering boards."😉

[CruiserBruce]

This would vary by port, cruise line and ship. Have boarded on both sides, on a B2B, in the same port.

[ed01106]

Most cruises makes little difference.  

 

On an Alaskan cruise or other cruise that hugs the coastline it can make a big difference.  Also if you are on a one way cruise either north or south and have a preference for sunrises vs sunsets.  

 

But the answer is specific to a specific cruise.  There is no general answer. 

[SantaFeFan]

1 hour ago, denmarks said:

How often is boarding on the Port side or the Starboard side or is it pretty equal?

 

Probably pretty equal. It all depends on local conditions, including other ships docked on the same pier, close quarters with other ships docked in the area, tidal flows during docking and departing, and traffic density at arrival and departure times. Modern ships are built to handle passengers equally well on either side. 

Edited July 11, 2019 by SantaFeFan

[SantaFeFan]

1 hour ago, Ashland said:

Well it can depend but usually boarding is done on the portside and usually will be the side you dock...although the RCI Oasis class will occasionally dock on the starboard side.

 

I have never been on an Oasis class ship so can't comment on them, but in my experience with a wide variety of ports, cruise lines and ships, boarding has been on the starboard side probably about 75% of the time. It all depends on the local conditions as described above. 

Edited July 11, 2019 by SantaFeFan

[cb at sea]

Depends on the port and the direction in which you dock.  Even the deck level can change.

[George C]

I find no difference, but love aft .

[sloopsailor]

34 minutes ago, George C said:

I find no difference, but love aft .

 

Which ships board passengers from the aft? The OP asked about boarding!! 😕

Edited July 11, 2019 by sloopsailor

[navybankerteacher]

34 minutes ago, sloopsailor said:

 

Which ships board passengers from the aft? The OP asked about boarding!! 😕

Have you never seen a ferry boat?

 

Also, in crowded ports, ships sometimes do lower an anchor to hold the bow out and then back into a pier — so frequently done by US Navy ships deployed to the Sixth Fleet in ports like Barcelona, Genoa and Piraeus — it was called a “Med moor”. 

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, cb at sea said:

Depends on the port and the direction in which you dock.  Even the deck level can change.

While alongside on a port call - in places like St. John’s, New Brunswick, with a great tide drop they often have to re-rig the gangway.

[Harley52]

4 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

While alongside on a port call - in places like St. John’s, New Brunswick, with a great tide drop they often have to re-rig the gangway.

It is Saint John, New Brunswick not St. John's.  

St. John's is in Newfoundland and Labrador.

 

[SantaFeFan]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

Have you never seen a ferry boat?

 

Aren't we talking about cruise ships? This is CRUISE Critic, not FERRY Critic, right? 😉

Edited July 11, 2019 by SantaFeFan

[Harley52]

2 minutes ago, SantaFeFan said:

 

Aren't we talking about cruise ships? This is CRUISE Critic, not FERRY Critic, right? 😉

I cruise on a Ferry all the time and I also cruise in my 57 Chevy.

[John Bull]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

 

 

Also, in crowded ports, ships sometimes do lower an anchor to hold the bow out and then back into a pier — so frequently done by US Navy ships deployed to the Sixth Fleet in ports like Barcelona, Genoa and Piraeus — it was called a “Med moor”. 

 

Seen it in action.

Car ferries in Naples.

Aim directly at the pier, then throw out the anchor & spin the wheel, makes the ferry do a 180. and its stern gently kisses the pier .

I think of it as a handbrake turn, but due to the absence of a handbrake I guess a "Med moor" is more appropriate

 

I double-dare a cruise captain to try the same 

 

JB 

ps. Yep, off-topic. Not my fault, blame NBT  

 

Edited July 11, 2019 by John Bull

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, John Bull said:

 

...

 

JB 

...

Not my fault, blame NBT  

 

Do you know my wife?

[Heidi13]

23 hours ago, denmarks said:

How often is boarding on the Port side or the Starboard side or is it pretty equal?

Many variables dictate which side a vessel docks - tidal issues, Port Captain/Harbourmaster directives, time available on arrival or departure, etc.

 

When tides/wind are involved, the Master will normally want to berth the vessel heading into the prevailing conditions, so in some ports you may dock port side one cruise, then Stb'd side on another. When a 180 degree turn is required and no tidal issues are present, the Captain may decide to complete the turn either on arrival. or departure depending on the schedule. If the next leg is a high speed run he/she would most likely complete the turn on arrival, so they have a quicker departure.

[Heidi13]

18 hours ago, John Bull said:

 

I think of it as a handbrake turn, but due to the absence of a handbrake I guess a "Med moor" is more appropriate

 

I double-dare a cruise captain to try the same 

 

 

JB - lots of factors involved, but affirmative it is a culture shock for cruise ship officers/Captains, if the move over to ferries. Totally different expectations with respect to comfort and scheduling.

 

On ferries we used significantly more power and rudder movement to achieve the "handbrake turn", but the downside, at least on my ships was significant vibration. For schedules, we only had 20-25 mins to discharge up to 2,000 pax and upwards of 470 vehicles and then back load them. Every extra minute taken during the arrival & departure reduced the in dock time.

 

Recall many cruise ship guys getting a shock when our first speed reduction from 20 kts was at 3/4 ml to 1 mile off the berth and we were docked in 7 minutes or less. Some took a few days to get used to the demands.

[MBP&O2/O]

Guilty to the lesser charge 😀 but I see where you are coming from!

i went from 14 knot Oil Tankers with the hydrodynamic qualities of a brick, straight onto a Reefer and down the North Sea at 25 knots ... steaming bonnets on back to front and brown trousers at the ready!

Frightening!!!

In fact the last tanker I was on was a WW2 - T2 build, Named Fort Fetterman, .... (Our rescue ship) which could only manage 12 knots with wind and sea to assist.

Edited July 12, 2019 by MBP&O2/O

[Heidi13]

10 hours ago, MBP&O2/O said:

Guilty to the lesser charge 😀 but I see where you are coming from!

i went from 14 knot Oil Tankers with the hydrodynamic qualities of a brick, straight onto a Reefer and down the North Sea at 25 knots ... steaming bonnets on back to front and brown trousers at the ready!

Frightening!!!

In fact the last tanker I was on was a WW2 - T2 build, Named Fort Fetterman, .... (Our rescue ship) which could only manage 12 knots with wind and sea to assist.

Had a similar experience on Wild Auk when another cadet joined her in Newcastle. He had just finished a slow steaming run from Persian Gulf to Europe at 7-kts. We departed the berth and at D.Slow ahead were doing more than 7 kts down the Tyne.

 

It was tough for cruise ship chaps coming over to ferries, but almost impossible for career VLCC/ULCC guys. Had 1 ULCC Master that just couldn't handle the speed or proximity to land, even when we were 1 - 2 miles off-shore, which was almost deep sea. Totally came unglued passing a headland at 0.8 cables on 1 side and the sister ship at 1.5 cables on the other side, with both ships at around 20 kts.

[OzKiwiJJ]

On 7/12/2019 at 9:41 AM, John Bull said:

 

Seen it in action.

Car ferries in Naples.

Aim directly at the pier, then throw out the anchor & spin the wheel, makes the ferry do a 180. and its stern gently kisses the pier .

I think of it as a handbrake turn, but due to the absence of a handbrake I guess a "Med moor" is more appropriate

 

I double-dare a cruise captain to try the same 

 

JB 

ps. Yep, off-topic. Not my fault, blame NBT  

 

I suspect Captain Tasos Kafetzis on Celebrity Solstice would execute that manoeuvre perfectly. Anyone who can turn a cruise ship 360 degrees this close to the side of a fjord would have no problems docking like that. 

 

 

[MBP&O2/O]

“Totally came unglued passing a headland at 0.8 cables on 1 side and the sister ship at 1.5 cables on the other side, with both ships at around 20 kts.”

I think I would as well! I suppose it is what you are used too?

I was in Bamburgh (just up the road) the other month and a Freddy Olsen cruise ship - Balmoral I believe- came for a close look at Bamburgh Castle. He came on the inside of the Farne Islands! 

I thought “What if” ....

[SRF]

On 7/11/2019 at 2:00 PM, Ashland said:

Well it can depend but usually boarding is done on the portside and usually will be the side you dock...although the RCI Oasis class will occasionally dock on the starboard side.

 

REALLY???????

 

Even the same ship in the same port can be different each time they dock.

 

RCI Grandeur docks starboard side in Baltimore 95+% of the time.

[SRF]

On 7/11/2019 at 3:21 PM, ed01106 said:

Most cruises makes little difference.  

 

On an Alaskan cruise or other cruise that hugs the coastline it can make a big difference.  Also if you are on a one way cruise either north or south and have a preference for sunrises vs sunsets.  

 

But the answer is specific to a specific cruise.  There is no general answer. 

 

What does that have to BOARDING?

 

The OP asked about BOARDING.