5 Ships in port at same time...YIKES

First time cruiser...I checked to see how many ships will be in port with us and there will be 5 ships! Is this the normal amount and will it cause a problem with excursions etc?

I don't know what to expect so what should I know? What advise can you veteran cruisers give me? We will be going to Nassau, Tortola and St Thomas.

Thank you!

Some ports-- like grand cayman -- have 7,8 sometimes 9 ships

because there is so much to see or do you really will not be seeing those huge crowds

except maybe with shopping when its almost time to get back to the ship

in st Thomas there are multiple docks-- all are located across the island

I think you should book your excursions through the cruiselines or prebook those before you leave

take a look on the port of calls boards to see what tickles your fancy

You have a lot of time to catch up on some reading-- have fun planning

Some ports-- like grand cayman -- have 7,8 sometimes 9 ships

 

because there is so much to see or do you really will not be seeing those huge crowds

 

except maybe with shopping when its almost time to get back to the ship

 

in st Thomas there are multiple docks-- all are located across the island

 

I think you should book your excursions through the cruiselines or prebook those before you leave

 

take a look on the port of calls boards to see what tickles your fancy

 

You have a lot of time to catch up on some reading-- have fun planning

Thank you. I have been doing lots of reading and taking notes. This is all new to me and I am enjoying all the information and planning.

Nassau and St Thomas tend to always have a lot of people in port so it won't be to much of an issue.

As a first time cruiser are you planning to do your excursions thew NCL or private ones? If you are looking at private ones or something like all-inclusive beach days you might want to book early just in case. The last time I had a port like that was Cozumel with 7 ships and over 27,000 passengers in port. It left on the same day yours does (Dec 5th). Because of that I booked an all inclusive beach early expecting it to sell out. In truth, they were only at about 25% capacity so you really never know!

Even with things you book threw the ship, you might want to consider getting passes to Atlantis if that is what you plan on doing in Nassau as early as possible to make sure they still have tickets left in general because they can sell out.

If you don't want to book early or want to wait because of OBC you might have to book something, pick a few options just in case. If you can't pick at least 3 excursions you would be happy with, I always suggest booking before hand in case the ones you really want sell out.

First time cruiser...I checked to see how many ships will be in port with us and there will be 5 ships! Is this the normal amount and will it cause a problem with excursions etc?

 

I don't know what to expect so what should I know? What advise can you veteran cruisers give me? We will be going to Nassau, Tortola and St Thomas.

 

Thank you!

Which port?

Which port?

Any port. I don't know what to expect. What is the process when you get to a port? I haven't decided what excursions or who to book with yet.

Try not to worry about it!

St. Thomas and Nassau often have more than five ships in port at the same time PLUS people who have flown in for vacations.

It's more normal than unusual. ;)

LuLu

Any port. I don't know what to expect. What is the process when you get to a port? I haven't decided what excursions or who to book with yet.

Some islands can handle large crowds better than others. In some cases with docks, five ships might be more than the docks and handle and some of the ships might have to tender. Docking is preferable to tendering.

If you have an early excursion, and you are docked, you go to the meeting place on the dock. If you have a late excursion, you can either relax on the ship or check out the area near the port.

If you have a very early excursion, and you are tendering, they will usually have you meet on the ship, then escort you to a tender to get to shore. Otherwise you take the tender to shore then look for the meeting place for your excursion or if you are early enough, you can check out the area around the port.

Here is the Carnival Victory docked in Saint John, Canada. You can see the ramp used to debark and board the ship ...

Here are a bunch of ships tendering passengers to/from Grand Cayman ...

Here I am on a tender returning to the Sapphire Princess ...

They only allow the amount of ships they can handle! And, you know....ships are not the ONLY things there...tons of land-based tourists, too! You will be fine.

They only allow the amount of ships they can handle! And, you know....ships are not the ONLY things there...tons of land-based tourists, too! You will be fine.

Well, if we are going to count everything, then don't forget the non-human visitors.

Any port. I don't know what to expect. What is the process when you get to a port? I haven't decided what excursions or who to book with yet.

It matters. 5 ships in a port like Cozumel matters very little. 5 ships in a port like Key West matters a lot.

 

Even with things you book threw the ship, you might want to consider getting passes to Atlantis if that is what you plan on doing in Nassau as early as possible to make sure they still have tickets left in general because they can sell out. .

Getting a day room at Comfort suites is probably cheaper. If you are doing the day pass to Atlantis-- Look at this option NOW.

Any port. I don't know what to expect. What is the process when you get to a port? I haven't decided what excursions or who to book with yet.

Its your first cruise-- relax and dont stress about the not knowing. Thats all part of the fun

Never EXPECT-- always anticipate

If you are venturing out on your own, in St. Thomas, for example, with that many ships in port, the roadway DO get busy and the trip back to the ship can be long, so leave yourself extra time. If you book an excursion through the cruise line, they will wait for you, so no worries there.

We've been to Nassau about 3 times and all I can remember about it is the smell of diesel fuel. It's basically a parking spot for ships that will be in FLL or Mia the next day. I counted 9 ships. It is a definite turnoff for us. Any cruise stopping in Nassau will be minus us.

Some islands can handle large crowds better than others. In some cases with docks, five ships might be more than the docks and handle and some of the ships might have to tender. Docking is preferable to tendering.

 

If you have an early excursion, and you are docked, you go to the meeting place on the dock. If you have a late excursion, you can either relax on the ship or check out the area near the port.

 

If you have a very early excursion, and you are tendering, they will usually have you meet on the ship, then escort you to a tender to get to shore. Otherwise you take the tender to shore then look for the meeting place for your excursion or if you are early enough, you can check out the area around the port.

 

Here is the Carnival Victory docked in Saint John, Canada. You can see the ramp used to debark and board the ship ...

 

 

Here are a bunch of ships tendering passengers to/from Grand Cayman ...

 

 

Here I am on a tender returning to the Sapphire Princess ...

 

This may sound silly but, I have never cruised before, so just wondering how you get from the ship onto the tender boat?

This may sound silly but, I have never cruised before, so just wondering how you get from the ship onto the tender boat?

Or, if you are in a hurry ...

It matters. 5 ships in a port like Cozumel matters very little. 5 ships in a port like Key West matters a lot.

More than one ship at St. Barth's would be chaotic.

Which port?

Larger ports tend to have several other ships at dock which increases more excitement

Thank you everyone. We will be stopping in Nassau, Tortola, and St. Thomas. I'm not stressing, just gathering all the information I can. It's part of the fun. When I get on the ship I will enjoy every minute of our vacation.

I have learned so much all ready, and I promise not to take more than 5 suitcases filled with all of your suggestions (just in case).😉

Try not to worry about it!

St. Thomas and Nassau often have more than five ships in port at the same time PLUS people who have flown in for vacations.

It's more normal than unusual. ;)

LuLu

Thanks LuLu. Not really worried just wondering, It seems like a lot of people.

Some islands can handle large crowds better than others. In some cases with docks, five ships might be more than the docks and handle and some of the ships might have to tender. Docking is preferable to tendering.

 

If you have an early excursion, and you are docked, you go to the meeting place on the dock. If you have a late excursion, you can either relax on the ship or check out the area near the port.

 

If you have a very early excursion, and you are tendering, they will usually have you meet on the ship, then escort you to a tender to get to shore. Otherwise you take the tender to shore then look for the meeting place for your excursion or if you are early enough, you can check out the area around the port.

 

Here is the Carnival Victory docked in Saint John, Canada. You can see the ramp used to debark and board the ship ...

 

 

Here are a bunch of ships tendering passengers to/from Grand Cayman ...

 

 

Here I am on a tender returning to the Sapphire Princess ...

 

Thanks for the examples. I still can't get over the size of the ships!

How did you find out how many ships will be at the same port as you?

How did you find out how many ships will be at the same port as you?

I got the information from here on Cruise Critic:

http://ports.cruisett.com/