Just stayed on the ship

[Lesinindy]

In a few weeks we are taking a fill in cruise (sanity break, much needed) and I have yet to make any reservations for excursions. As a matter of fact I am considering not making any at all. I have never done this before Has anyone else just stayed on ship? How was it?

[gte937k]

Im interested to hear the responses as well. I booked my first ever cruise this year because I wanted to cruise. I'm less interested in the ports. So, I may just stay aboard as well. What is there to do aboard on port days?

[Krazy Kruizers]

Have never just stayed on the ship.

But there have been times when we booked only 1 or 2 excursions.

But even when we don't book excursions -- we do get off the ship -- just to walk around.

[cruiserking]

We've stayed aboard for a port or two before and it's really quite nice. The pool is much quieter and you will have the ship to yourselves. There are things like trivia and other planned events during the day.

It would be a shame to not go ashore at all if it's your first cruise.

Jonathan

[Kathyh1313]

Yes, mostly. In March we sailed on the Noordam. I broke my foot about 2 weeks before. We only got off on HMC and Aruba. So 2 ports in a 10 day cruise. We needed the down time. Lots of time on the balcony, reading and relaxing. We enjoyed leisurely lunches in the dining room. Took full advantage of the Thermal Suite and Thallasotherapy pool.

Only regret was not getting off the ship in Bonaire. We had never been there before, but my foot was throbbing that day.

DH and I both enjoy just being at sea, relaxing and enjoying each other's company.

[GmaPajama]

The only times we are sure to get off the ship is when a port is new to us. After that, we're apt to stay put and simply enjoy the ship - unless there is something we specifically want to see or do.

We always say the ship is our destination, and we absolutely love just being aboard. Especially during those quiet times.

[peaches from georgia]

We rarely book excursions anymore, but certainly that doesn't mean we always stay on the ship. At the least we will get off and explore the cruise terminal area or go into the port itself to look around. It's certainly not an either/or situation of booking xcursion or staying put on the ship.

[tangerinebunny]

We don't do many Caribbean excursions because we're those fair skinned types that don't do sun well. So we usually visit the port, then beat the heat back to the ship.

The discounted spa visits and afternoon tea make time pass nicely.

[sail7seas]

We rarely book excursions particularly in the Caribbean. Been there so many times we know what we want to do on our own.

We have been on several cruises when we barely left the ship the whole 7 or 10 days. We can easily skip two or three ports and not walk down the gangway. When we sail the Caribbean, at this point, the ship is our destination. Of course, we have a few favorite islands and attempt to include those in an itinerary but will choose ship and date before islands.

[TMWeddle]

There is/was a frequent poster who sails on the Z'dam a lot and one time I sent her a question about an excursion and she replied saying she never gets off the ship. She may see this or someone may know of whom I speak and tell more.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I agree with many we rarely book excursions which is another reason that cruise lines want the new cruisers and not us and why HAL is trying to encourage the spending by giving extra days:o ) This last cruise when we went to Alaska I did not even get off the ship in Sitka but we did book a full day excursions in Juneau because we love the Best of Juneau excursions the ship does and the Whale Watch company they use. In the past we have not gotten off in Ketchikan either, this time we did.

I will say that we rarely book an excursions with the exception of getting a Cabana at Half Moon Cay, Then there are ports that we would never consider getting off the ship because either we do not care for the port or been there done that and once was enough ;)

Our cruising is always about the ship being the destination :)

[sail7seas]

There is/was a frequent poster who sails on the Z'dam a lot and one time I sent her a question about an excursion and she replied saying she never gets off the ship. She may see this or someone may know of whom I speak and tell more.

:) You may be speaking of the lady who calls herself "Zuider Princess". Her name may be Candy?

[Johanna7]

On our last cruise to the Baltics in early June we had shore excursions almost every day and took the ship shuttles a couple for the others as we had not been to those places before except Copenhagen but we spent most of the day at Tivoli as we had missed it the previous 2 times. We loved it.

In the Caribbean, especially the Western one, we only get off for maybe an hour at Cozumel and Costa Maya.

It has been nice to have the ship more or less to ourselves and we play mini golf on some of the ships just by ourselves. Great.

I do take craft cruises and by staying on the ship, get extra time in the conference centre working on projects and such.

A lot depends on the weather too.

[Nasmas]

I love the ship when its in port. I will sometimes get off and wander around. I don't do excursions any longer. My DH & I both have done the Carribean so many times, its like home. I feel like if we want to do something, we can always find something on our own. But, the best time on the ship is when everyone else is ashore. Like someone said, the spa specials are great during port days. Last year when we were in San Juan, we made reservations in the Tamarind for that night and had the place to ourselves. It was fabulous.

[dchip]

We did a "fill in" cruise in January. Booked no excursions, got off the ship, walked around a bit and got right back on.

We were offered an upsell to an Aft Verandah from an Obstructed View for $49 PP. While in Manzanillo, we sat on the verandah watching a mother and baby whale frolick in the Bay. The entire cruise was simply heavenly!!!

Enjoy your relaxation!!!

Cheers, Denise

[mamaofami]

I stayed on board for a few ports on my June cruise to Canada. I enjoyed seeing movies on board for the first time.
It's nice and quite on board and you can read or just relax. Since it was too cold to sit outside, I read in the Explorations lounge.

[RuthC]

If I leave the ship at all, I'm most likely taking a HAL tour. But many, many times, especially if I've been to the port before, or if it's hot, I don't leave the ship at all.
I relax, read, enjoy people-watching. The ship truly is the destination, so there's no need to go anywhere else.

[COLLEYBERRY]

Les ,I don't know if you read my review from last Sept...."Zuiderdam, A Dream Come True " but we rarely got off the ship. Much of the beauty and wonders of Alaska still made there way to our balcony rail.;)
If it is a restorative, relaxing, vacation you desire... there's no better way than "ship board" cruising ..much like a "stay cation"it's a stress free, lovely time. Enjoy your cruise.:):)

[arzz]

Enjoy! We have taken cruises where we have hardly gotten off the ship and they were as wonderful as the port intensive, exotic cruises we have taken -- just in a different way.

At times in my life when I just need to get away, a cruise is the best medicine. Unless you have a specific goal, or need to do some walking, you should feel no pressure to cross the gangway -- you will still have a wonderful time -- and a quiet one at that.

[startwin]

We never take the ship's excursions but usually book something ahead with a private operator or wait till we get to the port. On our next Alaska trip I only plan on getting off in Ketchikan, and only because there is something specific I want to do. My DH is staying onboard. The ship is the destination for us. I have no excursions booked for our 22-day cruise in April, will wait till we hit each port and decide what we want to do then. It will be hot and humid most of the time and we don't handle that too well.

[Lesinindy]

I never thought about the fact that everyone would be gone. I am not doing this cruise for the ports, they are nice but I just want to relax and recharge. For the last few months I have been a frequent flier at the VA hospital in town and they confirmed the fact tha a sea cruise was indeed good medicine (when it comes to dealing with older patients the VA has lots of experience). I have at least 3 books I want to read and some new CD's I will load on my phone (in airplane mode only). Between my office, my business on the side and my family (wedding shower is next Sunday and the wedding is the 17th of Sept), I am about to check myself into the funny ward. You all make sense; there in no reason to not see the ship as the desination. The December cruise is the get out and do something cruise and this one will be "why not do nothing cruise" (a take off on RCL's motto).

Thanks for the encouragement. I just hope I survive the "mega ship". I bet it confirms my smaller is better attitude I have on HAL. I just keep telling myself to keep an open mind and give it a try one time at least.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Since we are early birds, if no excursion is booked, we get off with the first wave, walk around for an hour or so, and then reboard. We then have the ship to ourselves since everyone else has just gotten off. We love the solitude on those days.

[rgaudet]

In a few weeks we are taking a fill in cruise (sanity break, much needed) and I have yet to make any reservations for excursions. As a matter of fact I am considering not making any at all. I have never done this before Has anyone else just stayed on ship? How was it?

I needed a sanity break, booked a TA on Queen Mary2. All those great days at sea...it was awesome!

[sunviking90]

I would have no problem staying on the ship. I think for a lot of us ship lovers, the ship is the destination. We are going to Alaska in 2 weeks and it is the 3rd time, so we likely will only get off in Skagway as that's the port we have never been to. We live in Vancouver so I'm sure it won't be our last Alaska cruise, but honestly we're not crazy about Alaska - it's just convenient. I actually wish the cruises from here went the other direction more often than September, as I'd much rather stop in San Francisco than Ketchikan:rolleyes:.
We took a Mexican Riviera cruise a few years back and only got off for a short time in Puerto Vallarta. We are not crazy about Mexico either (gosh we sound hard to please), but were looking for a relaxing time and some sunshine and we got it. I love when everyone is in port and the ship is so empty.
There are a lot of cruises I'd like to do such as Europe, and Canada/New England and THEN I'd be off the ship at every port. But when time or money won't allow the destinations of your dreams, a week on a ship is a great vacation:)

[Lisa63]

I did a cruise to the Caribbean last year during which I got off the ship at our port of disembarkation only. This was on another line. Like you, I wanted a break, and it was nice to not have a schedule and to have the pool and other amenities to myself, especially as the ports of call were those I had visited in the past.

[LindaM]

When we were younger and into Caribbean cruises, there were many times we didn't get off the ship. We had been to the ports previously, so we REALLY enjoyed having the ship and pool to ourselves!! I recall on a 1 week cruise with mom and sister/husband, we only got off at the RCCL Island.

On a Med cruise, our tablemates were well cruised Brits. They would get off the ship every other day. That way, they could dance and stay up late every other night. I think they were very smart!!

[kent4489]

Last year we sailed on the Eurodam and the Ryndam. On the Ryndam, we did not get off the ship in Jamaica and although the weather did not allow us to dock at Cozumel, we hadn't planned to go ashore anyway. When on the Eurodam, we did not leave the ship at HMC (mostly because we were traveling with an elderly couple who did not want to leave the ship), but we had rented a family cabana for the week and enjoyed spending the day there. We prefer a cruise with lots of sea days (would love a trans-Atlantic), but right now in our lives (elderly parents), we need to be able to get home so we tend to book a cruise based on ports we can get home from but we're perfectly happy to never leave the ship.

[HamburgAvonLady]

Unfortunately aren't the casinos usually closed when in port ?? ---so much
for getting exclusive use of my favorite slots !!

[RonJoan]

We frequently do not leave the ship. However, rather than consider the ship the DESTINATION we have alway believed that on a HAL cruise the JOURNEY is at least as important as the DESTINATION. We consider the ship part the JOURNEY.

RonJoan

[DeepWaterMariner]

There are many ports where we don't get any further than the shops on the pier. We look at a these ports as just another activity on the daily schedule that we may or may not attend. It doesn't take much to keep us entertained on board.

[erewhon]

Sometimes we just get off the ship, walk around the port shopping area and return to the peace of the ship.
It's a good time to take interior photos of the ship.

[sswitenki]

We are planning to go on another cruise in December. My husband is not in the best shape with much difficulty walking. We may need to rent a scooter or wheelchair. We have done many carribean cruises and will probably not even get off the ship. We love the ship life and it is very peaceful in port. We can sleep in, eat in leisure and we love it with minimal crowds and lines.

[sail7seas]

Unfortunately aren't the casinos usually closed when in port ?? ---so much
for getting exclusive use of my favorite slots !!


Yes. The casino is closed in port with very, very rare exception.

[Typhoon1]

Many ports are repeats for us. If we've seen it once, it's usually not worth repeating. The only exception is HMC.

[mauiedin87]

If one has taken the same cruise a couple of times, it's tempting to just stay on the ship and enjoy it being uncrowded. There are so many things one can do and it's the best time to take pictures on all the decks, with nobody walking into them.

On the other hand, at one cruise lecture several years ago the comment was made: if you don't get off the ship, it will be like going to Disneyland and staying in the parking lot. Just different ways of looking at it!

On a recent 19-day Panama Canal cruise with friends, they got off the ship just once, in Puerto Vallarta, they went to Wal-Mart. Different strokes for different folks!

[shandryl]

Staying on the ship is just as fun! :D

[MeloYellow]

We live on the West Coast and love to cruise but do not like the hassle of flying first. So we stick to the same itineraries out of Los Angeles and rarely get off the ship. My daughters and I love to take short cruises together to get away from it all. We enjoy just hanging out together and being pampered.

That being said, my cruise to Alaska next week, I will be exploring more since I haven't been there since 1992. And no flight this time either as we will be driving up to Seattle and back -- Road trip/cruise/Road trip!

And the analogy about Disneyland -- I would not say it is like staying in the parking lot, I would say it would be more like just hanging out on Main Street all day!

Have fun cruising!

[Tamaracboy]

In a few weeks we are taking a fill in cruise (sanity break, much needed) and I have yet to make any reservations for excursions. As a matter of fact I am considering not making any at all. I have never done this before Has anyone else just stayed on ship? How was it?

It is so much more relaxing than you can imagine.
You can feel as if you are on a vacation rather than a rat race.
No wake up times.
No "rest stop" forced shopping.
No hurried schedules to keep
Better food than on any shore excursion.
Usually there are spa discounts if you must do something.
So many more reasons,
Oh, and the crew can be a bit more relaxed also, giving you a chance for a real conversation. if that interests you.

r.

[esther e]

In past years when we cruised to Europe, the Amazon or Tahiti, we left the ship at every port. Now we cruise the Caribbean only because of the ease of getting there. The ship is the destination. With over 70 cruises under our belts, we seen and done all we want to do. We now enjoy our private yacht while everyone is scurrying off. Having said this, last year on the Maasdam my husband went on a Concorde tour in Barbados and I went on a photo tour. But mostly we stay put.

[Karennella]

On our last cruise, New York to Quebec City, we were amazed by all the people who did not get off. It seemed like half the passengers.
Travel research shows that Americans are more likely to travel for the cruising experience whereas we (Australians) are more likely to travel for the ports. Best if everyone does what they most enjoy!

[francesam]

We stayed on the Independence a couple of days when my dh wasn't well. The ship was nearly empty so we took the opertunity to take loads of photos of the interior, when there were not a lot of people walking in front of the camera. We could even place the camera on something solid and use the timer to take us both together. It was great. Bars empty, library empty, and best of all no queuing in the windjammer. Plenty of sunbeds. May do that again on my next cruise.:D

[Candy]

There is/was a frequent poster who sails on the Z'dam a lot and one time I sent her a question about an excursion and she replied saying she never gets off the ship. She may see this or someone may know of whom I speak and tell more.

Ha! That was prolly me! We sail exclusively in the Carib, and have been there / done that. We haven't taken an excursion in years! The ship is our destination, and we love the relaxed quiet of the ship and take advantage of the discounted spa treatments.

Candy the ZuiderPrincess