Enchantment - Docking side view..

We are on Enchantment on GS on Port side. Cabins have opened up a bit and several available on Starboard side. The itinerary is, Nassau, Coco Cay, Key West. Any advice on best side of boat for views other than the big blue ocean?

Does it have a common docking side on the four day cruise?

Docking side is unpredictable.

There are lot of variables involved. Sometimes the pull straight in and other times they turn around and back in.

I actually don't know

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I guess the reason we really didn't worry about the Starboard or Port side. When we booked Oasis, and on the actual cruise, we were told and actually did always dock on Starboard side. We booked Allure on Next Cruise, and the agent told us the Oasis class ships "try" to dock Starboard side.

When we cruised Enchantment out of PC, I can't think of a time we docked on any side other than Starboard. Now that Enchantment has moved to Maimi, I just thought someone who has cruised the 4 day itinerary could share what side they docked on.

Having said this, we just got notice that our itinerary had changed. Looked at itinerary, and not sure what changed yet but could affect docking side.

I was just on the Enchantment, GS 8534, Starboard side.

At Coco Cay, we were angled away from the harbor/cabana area & the tender boarding spot was on our side of the ship. Still, a nice view of the less used end of Coco Cay.

At Nassau, the ship backed into port & we faced the Atlantis/lighthouse view.

Just a 3 nighter, no Key West info, sorry!

You will be in a harbor, so there are views EVERYWHERE...on all sides! You won't be facing "out to sea", except at Coco Cay, perhaps, where you are tendered and not docked. But, you'll likely be ON the island, rather than on the ship....

One of the factors that determines which side goes where is what lifeboats are scheduled to be tested by lowering them to the water. From what I understand all lifeboats must be tested once a month.

Oasis class has an escalator on one side of the ship to ease embark/debark, so they try to make sure that side is shore-side if at all possible. Other ships do not have that feature and so there is less certainty. As noted above, even though Oasis was built to dock on one side, other events (life boat testing, capacity at port, winds, etc) can all affect how the ship docks. It is a variable you mostly cannot plan or control for.

This question is asked a lot and the answer is typically the same - as Bob indicated it is unpredictable. But specific to your itinerary, Coco Cay is a tender port so it does not matter as you do not dock. Nassau has port view the view of Atlantis on one side and the town on the other. Key West can be either. I wouldn't change my stateroom to gamble on a dock side.

With any given port, the dock may be perpendicular to land so the front or the back of the ship will face the land, depending on whether the ship is docked bow or stern in. And as mentioned, lifeboat drills are commonly done at ports of call and depending on which side was performed last on a ship while in a given port can determine the side that will be to the pier. There is no certainty as to dock side on any given port of call so there is no way to predict which side to be on.

The only two ports of call that have consistently had the ship to the same side every time we've been there has been Labadee and Falmouth, which have the starboard side to the pier. At Labadee that would have you starboard to the land, but Falmouth's pier is perpendicular to land, so it doesn't matter there.

I guess the reason we really didn't worry about the Starboard or Port side. When we booked Oasis, and on the actual cruise, we were told and actually did always dock on Starboard side. We booked Allure on Next Cruise, and the agent told us the Oasis class ships "try" to dock Starboard side.

 

When we cruised Enchantment out of PC, I can't think of a time we docked on any side other than Starboard. Now that Enchantment has moved to Maimi, I just thought someone who has cruised the 4 day itinerary could share what side they docked on.

 

Having said this, we just got notice that our itinerary had changed. Looked at itinerary, and not sure what changed yet but could affect docking side.

Last time I was on Allure it was docked with Port to dock; we departed going forward and to starboard. Depends on what maintenance needs to be done. Same with other ships. Have seen ALL ships at Port Miami facing both directions over time.

Just off Enchantment (sadly) last Friday. When in Key West we docked Starboard side.

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