Staying on board during excursions

[NLeeB]

If one decides to stay on board ship while ship is in port during an excursion is there anything to do onboard the ship? Do they have any shows that you can go to? 

[spookwife]

Not really.  There might be some activities, but the big shows are not until evening.  The shops and casino will be closed.  

[martincath]

Spa usually offers discounts on port days - and if it's a ship with fancy stuff like climbing walls, rope courses, go-carts they'll probably be running too (and easier to get into due to all the folks off the ship).

 

[TNcruising02]

It's a nice time to enjoy a virtually empty pool.

[getting older slowly]

A few thing happen , but it is quieter... go to the spa,  sun round the pool.... relax have a drink to two

 

Also if it is a tender port more people stay on board than then being docked.

 

Sometimes if we have been to the port before... we will just get off for an hour or so.

 

Cheers Don

[leaveitallbehind]

While the stores or casino will not be open, everything else is and it is a very nice way to spend a relaxing day on board a mostly empty ship.

[ontheweb]

I remember on one Carnival ship we sailed on there were trivia contests. One person who generally did not get off the ship won several Ships on a Stick.

[ovccruiser]

To a large extent it will depend on where your are docked. Some ports will not allow pedestrians so you will need to take a bus to the dock gates before walking. I usually try and get off the ship for a couple of hours or so to see what the area is like and on many occasions have been pleasantly surprised, Barbados being one of them. Before we cruise, I google the area we are travelling to and study the maps. Use something like google earth and you can zoom in and have a good look around before you travel.

Edited February 4, 2020 by ovccruiser

[AF-1]

On Princeess Cruise you can check the daily patters and it tells you what is happening around the ship all day long.  We stayed onboard and played a few trivia games, they had movies playing at the pool.  There were no bands playing in the lounges

[Mike981]

We over did staying on the ship this last trip. Five stops and only got off once. Admittedly, one was due to a lack of communication (my explanation). My wife says it was me giving her the wrong information. 😕

[KnowTheScore]

As per other's replies staying on-board can be a very nice relaxing thing to do provided there aren't too many people having exactly the same idea!  

 

If it's a nice day you can go find a sun chair of your choice without any crowding.

 

You can pop into any of the lounge areas for a lovely quiet period to read a book.  The Crow's Nest if there is one, is often a good option for that.

 

You can probably go and watch a film in the ship's cinema if it has one and not have any trouble getting a seat.

 

You could take a nice lunch in one of the alternative dining restaurants without it being overly busy

 

You could enjoy a swim in one of the pools without it being over-crowded

 

and so on

 

Basically a great relaxing day

 

We have often done exactly this when visiting ports that are renowned for being over-crowded.  For example if you visit Dubrovnik in Croatia and have been before then it's worth counting how many ships are berthed there and if it is 4 or more just stay on board because with than many 1000s of passengers all cramming into the walled city is it simply unpleasant and feels unsafe.  

 

 

 

[George C]

Totally love relaxing by near empty pool during port days , we do it often 

[XBGuy]

We often spend port days on the ship.

 

A couple things to keep in mind are that the dining rooms may not be open for lunch on port days (other venues, such as the buffet or burger/pizza grills will be open), and often crewmembers are required to participate in emergency drills and, as a result. areas that might, otherwise, be available to passengers might be temporarily roped off.

[cb at sea]

First...you need to know that NO ONE has to get off the ship in ports...totally up to you.  And, even if you DO decide to go ashore, you do NOT need an "excursion".....lots of things can be done ashore, especially if you research your ports a bit!  We rarely take any excursion...we do our own thing.

 

The only things close while the ship is in port will be the casino and shops and MDR during lunch.  Everything else is up and running as usual.  Some smaller dining venues may have reduced or changed hours.

[Pennyscandy]

We stayed on the ship because we had been to Nassau several times and a storm was coming and didn't want to get caught in that.  We had a nice time looking around the ship. No crowds, no waiting. Try it you might like it. 

[navybankerteacher]

The more Caribbean cruises you have had, the more likely it will be that you will stay on board.  Except for the casino and shops, pretty much everything else will be as usual.  There never are shows during the day anyway. 

[lenquixote66]

On my last cruise I was not physically able to get off the ship in most of the ports.

There were outdoor movies by the pool.

[Lois R]

I took a cruise in January and we had 4 ports....I got off in Key West (had to go to CVS) but that was it. I stayed

on board the rest of the time. Relaxed, read, napped...….just chilled out. 

[mom says]

58 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

 

There were outdoor movies by the pool.

Possibly. If the ship has outdoor movies. Not all ships are equipped for this, and not all that are equipped show movies during the day.

[lenquixote66]

3 minutes ago, mom says said:

Possibly. If the ship has outdoor movies. Not all ships are equipped for this, and not all that are equipped show movies during the day.

This was Anthem of the Seas .Many other ships that I have been on had outdoor movies.

[mom says]

5 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

This was Anthem of the Seas .Many other ships that I have been on had outdoor movies.

The OP may or may not be on AOTS. I've been on plenty of ships that didn't have outdoor movies during the day, which was why I said it was only a possibility.

[lenquixote66]

4 minutes ago, mom says said:

The OP may or may not be on AOTS. I've been on plenty of ships that didn't have outdoor movies during the day, which was why I said it was only a possibility.

Absolutely,I agree . I am sure that all the Disney ships have outdoor movies .

Edited February 18, 2020 by lenquixote66

[That sinking feeling]

On 2/4/2020 at 3:35 PM, George C said:

Totally love relaxing by near empty pool during port days , we do it often 

Agree 100% with this

[sverigecruiser]

On ‎2‎/‎4‎/‎2020 at 2:32 AM, leaveitallbehind said:

While the stores or casino will not be open, everything else is and it is a very nice way to spend a relaxing day on board a mostly empty ship.

 

That depends on the ship. Most of the bars are probably closed during the day on a portday. Some restaurants may be open for lunch on a seaday but closed on a portday.

[leaveitallbehind]

1 hour ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

That depends on the ship. Most of the bars are probably closed during the day on a portday. Some restaurants may be open for lunch on a seaday but closed on a portday.

 

Not in our experience. While some of the restaurants - particular the MDR for lunch - are closed, many food venues are open.  And most of the bars are also open.  Keep in mind that many cruise lines promote beverage packages which are sold for consumption on an every day on the cruise basis, which includes port days.  Most bars remain open to serve anyone who remains on board.

Edited February 18, 2020 by leaveitallbehind