Sea Days or Port Days, what is your preference?

[clo]

11 minutes ago, sverigecruiser said:

don't think that it's relaxing to try to find the best local food. 

I actually do 'research' in advance looking for food in a particular place.  But if you're not interested in local food or whatever, yeah, I get it.

[sverigecruiser]

7 minutes ago, clo said:

I actually do 'research' in advance looking for food in a particular place.  But if you're not interested in local food or whatever, yeah, I get it.

 

I don't care enough about it to do the research for a portday. I do research it for a land vacation because I need to eat!

[Bizmark'sMom]

I vastly prefer port days.  Even if I'm just wandering around the town, there are museums, and local restaurants, and other things to see and experience.  1 sea day for every 4 port days is perfect for me to do laundry and catch up on sleep before the next ports.

[h_blond2]

I like port days more than sea days, but not by much. 

[Hlitner]

Another frequent cruiser once told me she figures that those that really like to cruise love sea days and those that like ferry boats like ports.  Perhaps that is a bit of an overstatement but it does fit.  We love long cruises (3-10 weeks) with a very good sprinkling of cruise days.  Our favorite long cruise was a HAL Grand Med voyage that was 62 days long, had 23 sea days, and ports in 9 countries.  Another favorite cruise was a 28 day Pacific crossing (Seattle to Sydney) which has 12 of its 14 days at sea.  The one port was Honolulu (2 days) and we were so comfy on the ship we nearly didn't bother to get off the ship.

 

We recently booked an exotic Regal Princess itinerary that has 17 sea days out of 28!  As soon as DW saw the itinerary she said, "book it."

 

Hank

[clo]

11 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

I don't care enough about it to do the research for a portday. I do research it for a land vacation because I need to eat!

Ah yes, I get it.  I was on a food site for a number of years and we referred to people like you as "food is fuel folks." 🙂  We acknowledge that people travel for different reasons with food (for us) ranking right up there with exploring the destination.

[cb at sea]

Port days....you can make it a "sea day" if you choose to stay on the ship...but you can't make a sea day a "port day".....

[sverigecruiser]

26 minutes ago, clo said:

Ah yes, I get it.  I was on a food site for a number of years and we referred to people like you as "food is fuel folks." 🙂  We acknowledge that people travel for different reasons with food (for us) ranking right up there with exploring the destination.

 

You are incorrect. We are not  "food is fuel folks". It's just not a important part of our vacation.

 

I don't mind to spend lots of money on the best possible food but I don't travel to try the best loyal food. I never buy the cheapest brands if I find better food. Good food is very important to me when I'm at home but on vacation it's less important. The food on the ship is good enough for me.

 

 

[clo]

8 minutes ago, sverigecruiser said:

It's just not a important part of our vacation.

Whereas it is for us.  And it doesn't have to cost a lot.  Far from it .  Here's a soup we had in Vietnam which two big bowls and a bottle of water was $4.

 

[sverigecruiser]

1 hour ago, clo said:

Whereas it is for us.  And it doesn't have to cost a lot.  Far from it .  Here's a soup we had in Vietnam which two big bowls and a bottle of water was $4.

 

 

Food on the ship is important for us and that is one of the reasons why we prefer sea days.

[navybankerteacher]

2 hours ago, cb at sea said:

...

 

...but you can't make a sea day a "port day".....

Of course you can.  Just avoid looking at the water on one of the mega-ships with bumper cars, bowling alley, roller coaster, skating rink, shops, dozens of restaurants and tell yourself you stopped at Mall Of America.

[marco]

We've taken a Caribbean winter cruise now for several years. We LOVE the port days when everyone else is off the ship and we stay on board and enjoy the quiet, uncrowded pool deck.  No problem getting a lounger, no crowd at the lunch buffet.  Last two years, we never got off the ship.

Edited September 13, 2019 by marco

[navybankerteacher]

15 minutes ago, marco said:

We've taken a Caribbean winter cruise now for several years. We LOVE the port days when everyone else is off the ship and we stay on board and enjoy the quiet, uncrowded pool deck.  No problem getting a lounger, no crowd at the lunch buffet.  Last two years, we never got off the ship.

Sound like our approach to our QM2 Christmas/New Year’s cruise  - St. Maarten is the only port where we are certain to go ashore.

[clo]

2 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

Food on the ship is important for us and that is one of the reasons why we prefer sea days.

We'll be sailing on Oceania so food certainly will be important 🙂  But not every meal every day.  We only have one sea day out of 12 so I'm guessing that will be the only day we'll have all meals onboard.  We'll be sailing from Rio to Buenos Aires and will be 'wallowing' in the local food every day 🙂

[clo]

2 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Of course you can.  Just avoid looking at the water on one of the mega-ships with bumper cars, bowling alley, roller coaster, skating rink, shops, dozens of restaurants and tell yourself you stopped at Mall Of America.

Where's that emoji for "ugh." 🙂 

[ilikeanswers]

3 hours ago, clo said:

Where's that emoji for "ugh." 🙂 

 

For me it is a toss up between 😕 or 😒. 

[K32682]

I try to be first to get off the boat on port days and among the last to return.  My reason to cruise is to go places.  Take the port stops away from a cruise ship and what you have left on most lines is an over-crowded all-inclusive hotel with impossibly small rooms, a tiny pool, insipid entertainment and mediocre food and drink.  

 

For those that never leave the boat would you pay to stay on a cruise ship that departed each morning, cruised in circles in open water all day and returned to the same dock each night? 

 

 

Edited September 14, 2019 by K32682

[navybankerteacher]

4 hours ago, clo said:

Where's that emoji for "ugh." 🙂 

Don’t you mean “barf”?  

 

[clo]

5 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

Don’t you mean “barf”?  

 

Actually (truly) my first thought was "puke." 🙂

 

Aren't we glad that we all get to make choices?

[navybankerteacher]

2 minutes ago, clo said:

Actually (truly) my first thought was "puke." 🙂

...

 

No , it is definitely “barf”; but I suppose that is just symbolic of the difference between eastern and western American English language usage.

[ilikeanswers]

32 minutes ago, clo said:

Actually (truly) my first thought was "puke." 🙂

 

Aren't we glad that we all get to make choices?

 

Do you need the emoji for that one? Because personally I feel find that emoji is a little too descriptive for my liking. 

[ilikeanswers]

.

[h-sar]

My ideal would be a port day followed by a sea day, alternating throughout the whole cruise. I have a hard time turning a port day into a sea day, feeling like I am missing out; therefore, having a ‘forced’ sea day allows me to enjoy the ship without feeling guilty. 

 

PS:  The above refers to the Caribbean. In Europe, I would want to maximize my time in port as much as possible. 

Edited September 15, 2019 by h-sar

[ldubs]

On 9/13/2019 at 7:32 PM, navybankerteacher said:

 

No , it is definitely “barf”; but I suppose that is just symbolic of the difference between eastern and western American English language usage.

 

Sorry, but in the true west coast, we prefer "hurl".   😀

 

 

Edited September 15, 2019 by ldubs

[navybankerteacher]

10 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

Sorry, but in the true west coast, we prefer "hurl".   😀

 

 

But is East Bay “true west coast”?  I would not refer to myself as “Atlantic Coast” - because Long Island Sound and then Long Island (that dreary, hideous amalgam of commuter suburbs) lie between CT and the Atlantic.

 

I do, however, have to acknowledge an acceptable aspect of Long Island —- it will serve as a breakwater to protect CT should a tsunami threaten the East Coast.

 

Much as New Jersey exists to protect Philadelphia.

Edited September 15, 2019 by navybankerteacher
Missing point