Time on ship vs. shore excursions

[Ifersix77]

First time cruisers on Viking and wondering how others balance time on ship to time on shore and excursions.  We want to enjoy this vacation, see the ports and cities but also enjoy the ship and it's amenities (food, entertainment, spa, etc)  Do we spend the hours in port visiting the city or booking excursions and only spend time on the ship for travel purposes? Maybe an odd question as I've not seen this addressed.  Thanks

[1025cruise]

Well, the ship's assume that for the most part, people will be in port while docked, so you won't be missing much.

[StollyBolly]

I think it depends on the port.  If it offers something you want to do or see, definitely do it.   If not, take advantage of the ship being less crowded.  

[mom says]

Most cruisers, especially new ones, select cruises with  ports that hold at least some interest for them. So why wouldn't you want to see what the port had to offer. I'm excluding some of the veteran cruisers who have cruised the Caribbean so often that they just enjoy the ship as a floating resort. Your choice. 

 

What are you going to miss on the ship while ashore? Aside from maybe lunch and an uncrowded pool, you won't miss much. There will be little in the way of ship activities until late afternoon on port days. There should be a couple of at sea days when you can take full advantage of the on board day time activities. 

[Hlitner]

I know this might sound a bit strange, but do as you please :).  Most folks go on cruises with the thought of maximizing their time in ports (especially true in Europe/Asia)  But there are always some folks who enjoy spending part of all of a port day on the ship (we sometimes fall into this group).  That being said, most folks you find aboard a ship in port either have some mobility issues or have been to that port many times.

 

What is a ship like when in port?  There are generally few or no scheduled activities and the ship operates in an almost quiet state.  There will be the onboard services, such as some bars and perhaps the Lido, but things are usually quiet.  There will usually be fewer crew (some do get time off to go ashore), and some services (such as the shops, some bars, etc) will be closed.

 

Hank

[clackey]

No need to over think it.  One of the biggest mistakes that I see  others make is trying to do too much.  They book two tours in each port and run themselves ragged.  This is a vacation. relax and enjoy.  You can see what you missed the next cruise to that itinerary.

 

We have a tendence to stay on the ship in ports that we have been to several times.  

[ldubs]

16 hours ago, Ifersix77 said:

First time cruisers on Viking and wondering how others balance time on ship to time on shore and excursions.  We want to enjoy this vacation, see the ports and cities but also enjoy the ship and it's amenities (food, entertainment, spa, etc)  Do we spend the hours in port visiting the city or booking excursions and only spend time on the ship for travel purposes? Maybe an odd question as I've not seen this addressed.  Thanks

 

Why not do both.  Not being a wise guy.  You can spend hours on shore and you will still have hours to enjoy the ship and everything it offers.  Enjoy!  

[navybankerteacher]

17 hours ago, StollyBolly said:

I think it depends on the port.  If it offers something you want to do or see, definitely do it.   If not, take advantage of the ship being less crowded.  

Exactly - having been to the Caribbean dozens of times, on Navy and cruise ships as well as flying for land stays, there are a number of islands which hold no attraction - particularly when inundated by thousands (if not tens of thousands) of other cruisers - so staying aboard a largely empty ship can make for a very pleasant day.

[1025cruise]

My next cruise in a couple of weeks, I'll probably not get off the ship. Going to Costa Maya and Bimini. Costa Maya is good for beaches and long bus rides to ruins. Bimini is a beach stop. I plan to enjoy the quietness of the ship.

[Mum2Mercury]

On 6/16/2023 at 4:41 PM, Ifersix77 said:

First time cruisers on Viking and wondering how others balance time on ship to time on shore and excursions.  We want to enjoy this vacation, see the ports and cities but also enjoy the ship and it's amenities (food, entertainment, spa, etc)  Do we spend the hours in port visiting the city or booking excursions and only spend time on the ship for travel purposes? Maybe an odd question as I've not seen this addressed.  Thanks

I have a cruise-time template -- just a grid that I made in Word.  I have a column for each day, and some things I leave on the template from cruise-to-cruise, as I'm going to do them on each cruise; for example, the first day includes Board at __:00, Muster Station, pick up towels.  I type in any dinner reservations we've made.  We both add in shows we want to see, events we want to attend.  We tend to sail in the fall, so my husband writes in the football games he wants to watch in Playmaker's.  And I fill in shore excursion plans.  I print this, and we keep it on the stateroom wall.  

 

This gives us an at-a-glance view of time in port vs. time on the ship, and we don't end up saying, "Oh, no!  We missed the ice show!"  And we do say, "Look, tonight's dinner reservation is on the late side tonight, let's go get some pizza."  

 

Edited June 17, 2023 by Mum2Mercury

[Mum2Mercury]

6 hours ago, 1025cruise said:

My next cruise in a couple of weeks, I'll probably not get off the ship. Going to Costa Maya and Bimini. Costa Maya is good for beaches and long bus rides to ruins. Bimini is a beach stop. I plan to enjoy the quietness of the ship.

This can be a great choice for an experienced cruiser who doesn't want to see the same spots again, but I'd recommend that a new cruiser experience shore stops.  

[KreinKrunker]

On 6/17/2023 at 5:38 PM, Mum2Mercury said:

 I'd recommend that a new cruiser experience shore stops.  

I Agree.  That said, on a Caribbean B2B last spring, I got off at one of seven ports.  I was shopping for something.

[ceeceeDee]

We've 'done' the South Pacific a number of times. On our first cruise there we tended to do at least one excursion in each port. Ditto our first Caribbean cruise. Now it's a case of 'we really enjoyed that last time, let's do it again' or 'been there, done that, let's enjoy the peace and quiet of a largely empty ship'. Staying on board is a great opportunity to explore the ship in a leisurely fashion or enjoy non crowded access to pools and hot tubs or having a quiet drink in a mostly empty venue. Also there are usually great specials on spa treatments on port days.

[Joebucks]

One of my favorite parts about cruising is the variety. I'd much rather feel like I didn't do everything vs feeling like there is nothing to do. With that said, I feel like there is plenty of time to enjoy the ship and whatnot. I believe a lot of people overdo it on the cruise fare itself, and feel like they need to stay on it to get their monies worth. We go cheaper on the fare so we don't feel inclined to stay in a suite, or on the ship for drink packages, etc. We always get off the ship, no matter what. Even if it's just for a stroll around the town for a little. More often than not, you find something you liked last time, something new, or had some other kind of fun. When you're done with the town, you simply walk back on the ship. 

 

Honestly, I can't side with drawing a line in the sand that says you will stay on the ship. Take it day by day. Take advantage of opportunities to explore and enjoy yourself. If that means going back to the ship, then go back. 

[K32682]

First time cruisers should maximize the experience by getting off the boat and visiting the ports. You don't have to stay for the entire stop and can return to the ship at anytime. Most cruises have a sea day or two and you'll have plenty of opportunity to sample the amenities when not in port. Depending on the itinerary I would hate to miss visiting a place I might never get back to because I decided to stay on the boat.  

[DarrenM]

I love staying on the ship in Port days.

 

Ship is nearly empty and there is no forced fun taking place on the pool deck.

 

Bars are still open, and so is the buffet.

 

What's not to love?

 

 

[Ifersix77]

Thanks to everyone with your suggestions.  I never expected to get so much great advice and I now have a better idea of what we will be doing.  I'm excited to visit the ports and do some excursions without feeling like I'm missing anything on board.  Hopefully this will mean more cruises in the future but if not, the help offered here will make it more fun!  Thanks!!!

[Markanddonna]

On our 17 day (2 B2B) cruise last Jan and Feb, we stayed onboard quite a bit, partly because we had already been there and also because some ports just weren't all that interesting (Jamaica for example.)  The ship with the passengers was overcrowded so we got to see a quiet, laid back atmosphere. How nice!

[cruiserking]

Presumably you'll research the ports before hand to determine which ports particularly interest you and that you'll book excursions for. 

 

There are bound to be several ports where you might just explore the town on your own and head back to the ship. 

 

Often times a cruise excursion is only three or four hours which gives you the ability to either go back to the ship and relax or perhaps enjoy a nice lunch ashore at a local restaurant. 

 

Perhaps you'll only book three or four all day excursions and the rest of the time you'll have to be back on board or explore on your own. 

 

I'm sure you will end up with plenty of time on board. 

 

Have a wonderful cruise. 

 

Jonathan

[sanger727]

Are you doing a viking river or ocean cruise? We did a river cruise (not on viking) and our experience was that the ship's services really revolved around the port times. Some people stayed on the ship during a couple excursions but it was really just to take a nap in their room or relax on the sundeck. There wasn't any thing "to do" during those times. 

 

Even on an ocean cruise, very few activities are scheduled in the middle of the day while the ship is in port. We have found that between a sea day or two, plus evenings on the ship; we have more than enough time to enjoy the ship amenities and prefer to spend most of the port days in port. 

[Joebucks]

15 hours ago, DarrenM said:

I love staying on the ship in Port days.

 

Ship is nearly empty and there is no forced fun taking place on the pool deck.

 

Bars are still open, and so is the buffet.

 

What's not to love?

 

What's not to love: being in the same spot for a week (or more) and missing out on other experiences you might never have again.

 

Bars and food are open elsewhere too. Again, it sounds more like feeling the need to stay behind because you spent too much on the ship. 

[DarrenM]

Nah. Not at all.

 

There is so much to see and do on the ship, so when we are at a port I dont fancy, or somewhere we have seen previously, we may want to spend the time relaxing on a near empty ship.

 

The other bars of which you speak, are not free.

 

Also, a quiet port day on ship, helps recovery from errrrrrrrrr, the previous nights bar activity.