Visiting Ports

[Beastie21]

We are New Cruisers, doing our first Mediterranean Cruise in October/ November 2020.  We are on Oceania Cruises  - the Marina.

When we arrive at our new port for the day i.e. Naples,  how long does disembarking to the port terminal take?? Is it reasonable to expect it will only take 1/2 hour to leave the ship and be standing in the port terminal?   or should I be prepared for long wait time?

 

Any help appreciated!

[Heidi13]

Although one of Oceania's newer ships, it is still only 1,250 pax so shouldn't take long to get everyone ashore once disembarkation commences.

 

The time you get ashore depends on many factors - arrival time, securing/preparing gangways, local authority clearance, etc. The first 2 are impossible to predict, but in Europe, if within Schengen Zone, the clearance is normally quick. In most cases, you can be ashore within 1/2 hr of the ship being secured.

 

Another factor to consider is the type of port and the docking facilities. If at a passenger terminal, you can normally walk ashore and through the terminal. However, if you are in a commercial cargo port, you may require a shuttle to the port gates. Note - in Naples you can walk ashore.

[John Bull]

Hi, and welcome to Cruise Critic,

 

Half an hour between those who - before the gangway has opened - had already formed a line on the ship, and the last of the main herd stepping off the ship, is about the norm., though of course it depends on the ship size (for Marina it's very unlikely to be longer).

 

As Heidi says, the cruise terminal at Naples is very convenient - close to the foot-passengers' ferries to Sorrento, Capri etc, and the port gate. Even ships  in overflow berths near the car ferries will be close to a (different) port gate and sometimes with a free shuttle to the cruise terminal.

 

At Civitavecchia walking out of the port isn't permitted (or should that read discouraged?) and in any case could be a very a very long walk. Pre-booked tour & transfer vehicles can access the quayside (not sure about taxis available on-spec), for everyone else there's a free shuttle to the port gate and from there a payable (€2) shuttle to the rail station for those who want it.

 

Livorno, it depends ..

- most cruise ships are berthed deep in the docks, walking through the port isn't permitted. Shuttle-buses(payable) to the city centre, pre-booked tour vehicles, and a variable number of taxis (sometimes not enough) pick up on the quayside

- small ships berth in a different part of the port & passengers can just walk out of that port gate. Sorry, don't know whether Marina is small enough to berth in that part.

 

The convenience of the port, and ships' location within the port, is quite mixed throughout Europe.

But in most ports (and every port I can think of in the Med.) disembarkation from ship to quayside is pretty quick, comparable to the Caribbean.

Most ports don't have a "cruise terminal" - just a quayside

 

Tender ports of course take longer - post if there are any on your cruise. Usually identified on cruise line material as "ashore by tender" or similar, or an anchor motif. If you're not sure, post your ports & we'll hazard a guess. And if you've never heard of "tendering" we can explain

 

Have a great first cruise

 

JB 

[dogs4fun]

We have sailed on the Marina - it is a lovely ship. We were among the first in queue to disembark the ship in each port of call and, therefore, usually off within 5 minutes after the gangway was open for disembarkation.

[LHT28]

You could always ask on the Oceania forum  what others have experienced  in the past

Usually it is within  30-45 mins of the  gangway  being in place

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/29-oceania-cruises/

[angie7911922]

We are hardly ever the first ones off. Normally we get breakfast when we are about/ or have arrived. This way we avoid the early crowd and then when we are ready to get off, the ship mostly has been cleared for a while and there are not more lines so we just walk off the gangway. 

[cb at sea]

It's true that not EVERYONE wants or needs to be off the ship immediately.