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Talk to me about staying on the ship at port

lesliejaykat

By lesliejaykat,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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lesliejaykat

lesliejaykat

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We are cruising in April and one of the destinations - Grand Turk we can't get off the ship because we aren't vaccinated. So, we are debating changing to a different cruise for another time or still going and staying on the ship. I assume there are limited things going on. But is the pool still open? Any tips? 

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ray98

ray98

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We stay on the ship just about anything we visit Nassau.  We have a great time.  The pool is open and food is served normally.  They will also be a few bars open and still some organized activities.  Great day to explore the ship and relax without the crowds.

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aggie182 "Live from...." Rare

aggie182

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I also enjoy staying on the ship for all or most of a port day each trip.  Plenty to eat, drink, and enjoy.  If you're in to the waterslides, sky bikes, or whatever, it's a great day to do those kinds of things over and over.

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Drazil65

Drazil65

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There was a thread going about Turks recently by people that had this port on recent cruise.  Many of them reported that no one is checking for VAX at the port and CCL never said otherwise about it.  So you may want to confirm before changing plans at this point (or find that thread and read the replies if you haven't already).  

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RedbirdFLCruiser

RedbirdFLCruiser

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We love to stay on the ship at a port, especially if it's one we've been to multiple times, like Nassau or Freeport. I echo what the others have said above - it's nice to have the ship be less crowded and is a good way to explore the ship, enjoy the (usually) non-crowded hot tubs, and not have to fight the crowd at lunch.

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lesliejaykat

lesliejaykat

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1 hour ago, ObstructedView2 said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

✌

I saw these too. I was hesitant to count on it unless we do decide to stay on the cruise and just see if we can get off. Was also kind of hoping the official vax requirement would be gone by April. 

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talkorpi "Live from...." Rare

talkorpi

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I guess I will be the first dissenter.

 

We recently did a 7 day western Caribbean in May on the Vista that included a stop in Belize.  As we had already been to the port before and were traveling with a group of cruisers that had some health issues that ruled out nearly all of the excursion options in the port, we opted to stay on the ship.  It was our first time on the Vista class so we assumed that we would be able to do things like activities, ropes course, skyride, mini golf, etc. while staying onboard...

 

Unfortunately, there were literally NO ACTIVITIES UNTIL 2:00 PM.  No trivias, no games, no movies, literally nothing on the fun times until 2:00 PM.  We docked at 8 AM so it was six hours of nothing.  Even worse, all of the activities like skyride, the ropes course, waterslides, sports square, etc. wouldn't be opening until 2:30.  What?!?

 

We aren't pool people so we played one round of mini golf and that was literally all there was to do.  I was shocked by the lack of activities - I completely understand that port days usually aren't as busy as sea days, but Belize is a pretty common stay-on-the-ship port and there was literally nothing planned until well in the afternoon.  While I expected less activity, I didn't expect nearly none of it.

 

Needless to say, we felt disappointed.  I am never one to get bored on a ship as I get amused by sitting and staring at the ocean, but everyone else in my traveling party was quite the opposite and we honestly wished we had gotten off the ship if nothing else but for a little excitement.

 

Not sure if this was just due to the staffing shortages from earlier in the year, but I would recommend checking your funtimes as soon as possible.  If it's still anything like this and if you aren't one to just sit in the pool and drink all day then you'll likely get bored very quickly and it might be worth just trying to go ashore anyways.

Edited by talkorpi
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Joebucks

Joebucks

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I hate it. Your average 7 night cruise already has 3.5 days aboard to explore and enjoy the ship (5 if you count the other halfs when you come back from port days). By the time port days come, we are itching to get off. It isn't a cruise unless we've spent some time relaxing by some beautiful beaches. It's all part of the great variety that cruising offers. 

 

I never understood the logic of "I've been to a port 5 times, therefore I cannot enjoy it". Especially when you've spent more than 5 days on that same ship that week, and that same argument has now escaped.

 

A good portion of people do it to save money, and I get it. Buying lunch, taxis, drinks, can add up quickly in place of an experience that has no additional charge. Especially for those who have Cheers. I have found however, that there are many ports that have $1-$2 beers at the shops. It is nice to not be tethered down by your drink package.

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EngIceDave "Live from...." Rare

EngIceDave

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1 hour ago, Joebucks said:

I hate it. Your average 7 night cruise already has 3.5 days aboard to explore and enjoy the ship (5 if you count the other halfs when you come back from port days). By the time port days come, we are itching to get off. It isn't a cruise unless we've spent some time relaxing by some beautiful beaches. It's all part of the great variety that cruising offers. 

 

I never understood the logic of "I've been to a port 5 times, therefore I cannot enjoy it". Especially when you've spent more than 5 days on that same ship that week, and that same argument has now escaped.

 

A good portion of people do it to save money, and I get it. Buying lunch, taxis, drinks, can add up quickly in place of an experience that has no additional charge. Especially for those who have Cheers. I have found however, that there are many ports that have $1-$2 beers at the shops. It is nice to not be tethered down by your drink package.

I am a Florida native. I don't lie in the sun, I avoid it. Have beaches, avoid them too. Lifetime of "been there, done that."

 

We like to travel, but some ports after 5x are dull. Any of the cruise line private islands are boring.  Some ports really are the same thing over and over. 

We enjoy the cruises for just getting away, relaxing, chilling and sometimes that's in the cabin. It's a change of pace.

 

We stay on and the ship is empty and our own (close to it). Discounted spa and other things.

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momof3cruisers

momof3cruisers

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4 hours ago, lesliejaykat said:

I saw these too. I was hesitant to count on it unless we do decide to stay on the cruise and just see if we can get off. Was also kind of hoping the official vax requirement would be gone by April. 

There were two women I was talking to in the guest services line on Spirit Oct 30th sailing and they were really upset because she had called Carnival and asked about the vax requirement and were told they could get off in Grand Turk. They could not. When they tried to scan off the ship an alert came up that they could not get off. 

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tree.critter

tree.critter

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Last year I took 2 granddaughters on a cruise, Unfortunately shortly before the cruise, broke my ankle and had a rod installed. I was not up to much walking yet at all and never got off the ship but still had a fun time. Hid ducks, played trivia, enjoyed time talking with the crew when not so busy, ate more than I should have. Grand Turk isn’t a huge miss for me since also live in FL and don’t even do our beaches here. The little maritime museum and the donkeys are cool there, can get a good local meal but that’s about it for us. 

 

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notscb "Live from...." Rare

notscb

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7 hours ago, lesliejaykat said:

But is the pool still open?

 

Most things are still open while onboard (albeit with some exceptions like the Casino depending on where you're docked at). I find that a port day onboard feels luxurious in that you can get an entire hot-tub or pool to yourself, or an entire half of the deck to yourself to relax, lounge and read without any interruption. I spent two port days on a RCL ship on the ship and had the best time.

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Oletruckdude

Oletruckdude

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It all depends on your lifestyle speed. When we were younger we had to get off at every port and do everything we could fit in the time allotted.

These days (we're in our 60s) we enjoy staying on the ship in ports we've been to dozens of times (Nassau). While everyone is off exploring on land we enjoy short/no lines, and a much calmer laid back vibe on the ship. My wife and I both enjoy reading our Nooks and enjoying the breeze on deck in a cool shady spot.

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icft

icft

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Having been to many of the Caribbean ports numerous times we usually stay on the ship at at least one port each cruise. We use those days to sleep late and take a vacation from the booze till late afternoon. We find those days very refreshing and it increases our enjoyment of the other days. Drinking seven days straight will wear you down. 

 

At other ports we have previously visited and "toured out" we just get up when we want then stroll around the port. Key West, Nassau and Cozumel are good for that.

 

When we visit a port the first times we will take excursions if they look interesting and just suffer through getting up early. But after we have done the interesting excursions we prefer to not get up early for excursions on future visits. We don't go on vacation to get up early and stand in lines.

 

Of course we are old farts and retired. Younger folks can catch up on sleep at work when they get back; while we can't as we are off on our next adventure.

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havanadaydreaming

havanadaydreaming

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the only port i would skip getting off the ship would be Freeport.   And that might change when the new port area is completed.  

 

bimini is pretty dull, too, but it's beautiful water.   

 

i figure how many times will i have the opportunity to meander around the places we sail.   i kinda miss land after a day at sea and the least i can do is take a leasurely stroll.  

 

there is a lot of activities to do on CCL when docked, i must admit i'm tempted sometimes to just enjoy the ship.   

 

 

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