What port is a must and what ports do you not even get off ship?

[SPacificbound]

We usually get off the ship at all ports, and for our 2023 cruises I'm pretty sure we will. In 2024 we have a TA that will make a stop in Nassau, and that port we will skip. 

[shipgeeks]

15 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

So, did you enjoy your lunch on Ocean Cay at A) Yacht Club restaurant B) the included buffet for those Aurea, Fantastica and Bella cruisers or C) the food trucks?

None of the above.  Both times we were there we spent the morning at a beach, then back onto the ship to change clothes and have lunch, then back onto the island for a walk. All close and easy.

[shipgeeks]

I might mention that even though we rarely get off the ship, we do regularly hang out somewhere to watch the activity in the port and/or the scenery.

[9tee2Sea]

We are doing a complete Panama Canal Transit ( East - West) and only plan on getting off the ship for Panama City, Panama.  I have done this cruise at least 4 times, been to all the ports.  So, since we are not getting off the ship much, we opted to splurge and do a "Suite".  Any ports in Mexico are just not interesting to me.  Been to those once, ( maybe twice), and that was enough.

[lenquixote66]

We always got off the ship in port because you never know when you will not be able to cruise again .

[mjkacmom]

We’ve been to Nassau 5 times, did day passes at the Hilton (now closed), Melia, Atlantis twice, and RIU. Melia and RIU were AI. I remember telling my kids that a lot of folks just stay on the ship, they were shocked because the beaches are beautiful.

[donaldsc]

On 5/4/2023 at 11:13 PM, Thad409 said:

We are booked on the Glory out of New Orleans, leaving on July 2nd, we are really looking forward to visiting Key West Florida ,Nassau been there once didn't do an excursion but this time we are. Freeport we've never been there but from what I've seen online and reviews where you're just going to stay on the ship. When we look at a cruise, is for ports of call that we enjoy and also ports that we've never been to.  The reason we booked this one is because of key West and we've never been there so we sacrificed basically two ports just to go to Key West Florida. That being said in the past we usually book cruises that go to Cozumel and the one port that I will never book again is Yucatan  we've been there three times and we haven't enjoyed it yet.

 

If Key West was the main reason that you took the cruise why didn't you fly to Florida and rent a car and then driven to Key West.  You could have stopped at places during your drive and spent several restful days in Key West.  All ports do not have to be visited off a cruise ship.

 

DON

[Honolulu Blue]

9 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

If Key West was the main reason that you took the cruise why didn't you fly to Florida and rent a car and then driven to Key West.  You could have stopped at places during your drive and spent several restful days in Key West.  All ports do not have to be visited off a cruise ship.

Speaking ONLY for me, I don't like driving when I'm on the road and avoid it when at all possible.  I'd need a whole lot of rest after driving through Miami and the Keys - especially if the weather is at all bad.

[sverigecruiser]

 

I stay on the ship in Nassau and anywhere in Turkiye.

[Thad409]

5 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

If Key West was the main reason that you took the cruise why didn't you fly to Florida and rent a car and then driven to Key West.  You could have stopped at places during your drive and spent several restful days in Key West.  All ports do not have to be visited off a cruise ship.

 

DON

The simple answer is that we love to cruise, and we only cruise from ports that are with in a days drive due to the reason that my wife refuses to fly. We live on the Texas new Mexico border and key West is about a 30 hr drove and would use up the majority of my vacation time driving. Thanks for the question.

[Aquahound]

On 5/5/2023 at 3:01 AM, Honolulu Blue said:

 

• I like Key West, but a considerable portion of their population doesn't like us unwashed masses that come from big, huge cruise ships.  You'll have a good time there.

 

 

On 5/5/2023 at 1:48 PM, K32682 said:

 

The locals in Key West don't like the mega-ships and not without reason. I've been in Key West on a land visit when a couple of mega-ships were in port. There's nothing like being accosted by a drunken German cruisers at 11am demanding to know "Ver ist der Schloppy Choes?" 🙄

 

 

I lived in the Keys for 20 years.  Yes, there is a disdain for big ships, but the deep-rooted story behind that goes more toward a greedy city councilman/bar owner than it does the tourists.  One thing I miss dearly about the Keys is the friendly atmosphere.  

[Thad409]

I 

2 hours ago, Aquahound said:

 

 

I lived in the Keys for 20 years.  Yes, there is a disdain for big ships, but the deep-rooted story behind that goes more toward a greedy city councilman/bar owner than it does the tourists.  One thing I miss dearly about the Keys is the friendly atmosphere.  

I guess it's like any port the cruise ships mean a influx of money to that city.

[DarrenM]

Planning on staying on the ship in Naples this year.

 

Stayed on the ship last year in Florence.

 

In both cases they are or were the last day of the cruise, and so we just want to chill as the last day is always tragic, and depressing.

[Mum2Mercury]

I know this is a popular answer, and it's already been mentioned, but we agreed on our recent Indy cruise that we will not be visiting Nassau again.  Specifics: 

 

- We didn't feel safe -- and that's not typical for us.  We were one of 6-7 ships, and the crowds were so heavy.  We were "funneled through" a bottleneck as we entered the city, and it was incredibly crowded.  I was worried about my husband, who has a bit of a mobility issue; if anything had happened, he definitely would've been trampled.  Note:  We exited the ship a bit later than most people, so we weren't in the morning crush.  

- The streets were crowded, and we saw one pickpocket.  Although this felt safer than the bottleneck, we just weren't having any fun; if we'd reserved a spot at a resort or chosen a shore excursion, I'm sure that would've been fun -- but the area right by the port is just not for us.  We decided to turn around and go back to the ship.  

- Returning to the ship, we were forced through a straw market that didn't interest us. I know, the method works for Disney too -- make people walk by your junk, and someone will buy it, but I'm not that person, and being forced through that area annoys me.

 

Back on the ship we went up to Windjammer for a late lunch, and we sat by a window with a view of the docks and the city.  We noted a couple boats that pull into the dock, and we agreed that we would -- in the future -- consider taking a shore excursion with one of those companies, as we could meet the tour without going out into the city itself.  One of them was for Blue Lagoon (a place I've been and enjoyed) and the other was Swim With Pigs.  But, yeah, we're done with Nassau.