A day of rest with multi ports

[airlink diva]

I'm booked on the Maasdam April 4-14 2007. I'm really looking forward to this cruise, esp because of the ports.

However, the only thing that I don't like about the cruise is that after two days at sea, we have five straight days in the various ports.

I can't understand why HAL won't schedule a sea day in the middle of the ports to give everyone a day to rest.

I'm the type of person that often do tours, a little shopping and beach time when the ship is at port (esp if it'm my first time visiting that port). But I also enjoy having dinner in the dining room and going over my day with my tablemates. But with this type of schedule, by the third port, when I return to the ship, shower and wash/set my hair, I end up eating dinner in my room or Lido.

Can anyone that recently sailed on the Maasdam 10 day southern cruise give some insight??

[Krazy Kruizers]

It is a long cruise from Ft Lauderdale to your first stop in St Maarten -- Maasdam's engines aren't powerful like the engines on the new ships and she can't get there any sooner.

 

The first ports chosen for your cruise are within sailing distance of each other. To have a day at sea in the middle of these 5 ports would mean that 1 port would have to be eliminated.

 

Remember that it takes 2 days to get back to Ft Lauderdale.

 

Eliminating HMC at the end could mean a sea day in the middle -- but many people want to stop at HMC.

 

You can't have it both ways on that 10 day cruise.

[Amber14]

I am on that cruise also and am really looking forward to the ports. They are all new to me.

 

One thing that may make you feel better is that on three of the port days we are back on the ship early by 3:00 twice and 2:00 in Martinique. It looks like by the itinerary, we will be doing some scenic, slow cruising around St. Lucia and Martinique. I'm thinking these port days will feel partly like sea days - a little more relaxed.

 

We're also using the 4th port day in Martinique as a relaxing beach day - nothing else planned but hanging out at the beach.

 

I do wish we had one more sea day. I would like one at the end after HMC!!! I guess we never can get enough of those wonderful sea days! :D

[jtl513]

I guess we never can get enough of those wonderful sea days! :D

 

Personally I prefer cruises with no/few sea days because I'm generally far more interested in the ports than the ship. I look at the ship as just a very nice moving hotel and restaurant. :D

[Krazy Kruizers]

jtl513 -- I like your way of thinking -- the fewer the sea days and the more ports -- the better!!!!

[serendipity1499]

We really enjoy both our sea days & our Port days..Our 14 day Southern Caribbean Cruise has 2 sea days out of Tampa, 8 Port days in a row, & 3 Sea Days back into Tampa..Our last port day is Aruba & don't sail till Midnight..

 

But, that itinerary is fine with us as we usually roam around the ports in the morning & sometimes early afternoon...Then it's back to the ship to spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing on board...Never spend time at the beach as we live on the water in FLA & have enough beaches..If we have a stop at HMC will spend a few hours in the morning on the beach & then it's always back to the ship in the afternoon..

 

Also my friend's & my DH would never miss dinner in the dining room unless they were deathly ill..;) Even then they would probably crawl into the dining room:rolleyes: ...LOL

 

However, wonder why HAL cut out Key West on so many return cruises..

 

Happy cruising all...:) Betty

[grannynurse]

Did you consider staying on board on a port day? The ship is so peaceful and uncrowded. That would give you a much needed break. I agree with you as we really enjoy the sea days.

GN

[babyher]

Did you consider staying on board on a port day? The ship is so peaceful and uncrowded. That would give you a much needed break. I agree with you as we really enjoy the sea days.

GN

 

I agree.

 

If you are in a port that you have already been to, or one that doesn't have any excursions or attractions that appeal to you, just stay on board and enjoy the "extra sea day" as I call them. :)

 

In fact they are better than a regular sea day for the reasons Grannynurse stated.

[cool change]

I have also chosen certain port days to stay on board. I did my research on this board ( port threads) to decide ahead of time. The first cruise book I read years ago suggested to use a general rule of thumb. Never do a full days tour when it can be done in a half day. While I dont always agree with this, I tend to keep this in mind.

[HalFan]

Go for the later dinner sitting so you have more time to get ready after returning from your day in the ports.

[kryos]

It's the nature of the beast with certain itineraries ... the port days have to be compacted together. It was the same way on my Hawaii/South Pacific cruise in January ... blocks of four to five sea days, followed by five or six days in a port everyday ... and these were long port days, including a couple of overnights.

 

Just pace yourself. Don't try to do everything on one trip. If you want to do an excursion, make it just a half-day one ... or better still, spend a port day or so just lazing around on the beach, or even remain on the ship if that would suit you better.

 

Believe me, with a Caribbean itinerary, you have it far better than I did. You can easily skip leaving the ship in a port or two ... figuring that the Caribbean is cheap enough that you can always get back there again and again in future years. What you miss on this cruise, you'll pick up on another one. But, in my case ... Hawaii and the South Pacific, that was an expensive cruise, and not one I am likely to do again for several years. So, I really would have felt terrible staying on the ship in a popular port. I would have felt that I was missing something. So, I ran myself ragged in every port, and only stayed on the ship for the last one, Nuku Hiva, as I wasn't feeling too well that day and there wasn't much to do in that port anyway.

 

Enjoy your cruise and make it what YOU want it to be.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[hugger]

so much that our upcoming cruise on the Veendam we only plan on getting the ship in Costa Maya as we have never been there before.

If we're getting stir crazy we may walk around Georgetown a while the day we're there.

We so enjoy being at sea and staying on the ship when other's are in port. It's like having the ship for your own personal use :)

We could literally go on a cruise and never stop at a port. But, then that's just us -

:rolleyes:

[babyher]

so much that our upcoming cruise on the Veendam we only plan on getting the ship in Costa Maya as we have never been there before.

If we're getting stir crazy we may walk around Georgetown a while the day we're there.

We so enjoy being at sea and staying on the ship when other's are in port. It's like having the ship for your own personal use :)

We could literally go on a cruise and never stop at a port. But, then that's just us -

:rolleyes:

 

If you find a cruise like that please let me know.:) :) I feel the same way. I love just being on the ship. And on port days, you are right, its like having the ship to yourself. The line in Lido is nil, No problem getting a table or a deck chair wherever you want .......heaven :)

[hugger]

Although, I guess we need to have port days so other's will get off the ship and leave it to us :p

[Hoyaheel]

We could literally go on a cruise and never stop at a port. But, then that's just us -

:rolleyes:

Isn't that called a "transatlantic" or a "repositioning" cruise?:p

[airlink diva]

Isn't that called a "transatlantic" or a "repositioning" cruise?:p

Thank you for a the great tips and advice!! I will try to pace myself. With the exception of Half Moon Cay, these are all new ports and I like to do alot when I visit somewhere the first time.

Hoyaheel, I look forward to your review since you are doing the same cruise and leaving within a few weeks. Please return with your insight on what ports are best to only do a half day on shore!!

[Hoyaheel]

Ha--excursions?? My husband is going to have to drag my butt off the boat, I fear;) A couple trips to buy some rum is all I have on my agenda, though hubby is thinking about a railroad trip in St Kitts....I'll be sure to make notes on anything we do, though. I know the importance of reviews for future travellers--reading reviews is one of the only ways I stay (relatively) sane in the remaining weeks leading up to my own trip!

 

PS We are going to keep the late seating we were assigned to (we booked late--no choices) At first I was concerned but realize it's only a half hour later than we normally eat at home anyway, and it'll be better on port days - more time to get ready and have a glass of wine before dinner, etc...