Short Shore Stays

It is good to hear some positives about new and newish cruisers, thank you! I wonder if some posters on this thread have any idea how blatantly they are revealing their personal biases/preconceived notions/prejudices.

Change is difficult for a lot of people.

Venn, Good question in general...... as applies to wha t all of us say here in our posts. . :)

It is good to hear some positives about new and newish cruisers, thank you! I wonder if some posters on this thread have any idea how blatantly they are revealing their personal biases/preconceived notions/prejudices.

HAL and every other line have a lot of good things to say about new cruisers. They’re the cash cow. Gotta say though, it’s kinda funny how some high tier loyalty members think they are the most valued when in reality, it’s just the opposite. The sad part is, some cannot see it - as evidenced by a couple recent posts.

As the OP I want to thank CruiserBruce, Kamloops50 and Homosassa for replying and clarifying about what the thread asked..."Short Shore Stays"

The rest of you who tried unsuccessfully to pirate this thread concerning new cruisers or captains staying ashore start your own thread.

I hope the moderator notes who you were

Bob

There must be flurries in Ontario today.

There must be flurries in Ontario today.

Definitely a cold front.

I do understand the Panama canal cruises have special issues regarding timing due to the transit through the canal.

That said, one of the first things I always look at when considering a cruise is the time in port -- especially since I mostly travel for the itinerary, not for the enjoyment of being onboard (although that's definitely a factor as well :)).

I finally booked a Prinsendam cruise for later this year -- a European rivers cruise that makes some unusual transits up various rivers. It is a two-week cruise with three overnights: in Brussels/Antwerp, in Rouen, and in Bordeaux. While this sounds good on the face of it, I also realized that these overnights consist mainly of an evening arrival, followed by a departure the following day that's not particularly late. So the net "usable" time in port is not much increased, if at all, over what a long-ish single day in port would offer. Still the itinerary is very interesting, and I imagine the river tides also play a role in determining port timings in these cases.

Regarding some of the tangential discussion, there are still lines that offer what those of us who started cruising quite a while ago value. I also have never quite grasped the brand loyalty of some to a single line when there are so many good choices out there. ;)

Oh wow. I am looking at that exact cruise for 2019 CruiseMom! Can't wait to hear your take on it!

As the OP I want to thank CruiserBruce, Kamloops50 and Homosassa for replying and clarifying about what the thread asked..."Short Shore Stays"

The rest of you who tried unsuccessfully to pirate this thread concerning new cruisers or captains staying ashore start your own thread.

I hope the moderator notes who you were

Bob

This was a very interesting thread to read and I enjoyed it. It addressed a valid question, and some excellent intelligent answers were provided and the inadvertent hijacking attempts were kept to a minimum.

We've only been cruising for 20 years, so some may consider us newbies. Truth is, I never actually paid a lot of attention to port times, but I will now. We were always just on vacation.

Good thread.

I do understand the Panama canal cruises have special issues regarding timing due to the transit through the canal.

 

That said, one of the first things I always look at when considering a cruise is the time in port -- especially since I mostly travel for the itinerary, not for the enjoyment of being onboard (although that's definitely a factor as well :)).

 

I finally booked a Prinsendam cruise for later this year -- a European rivers cruise that makes some unusual transits up various rivers. It is a two-week cruise with three overnights: in Brussels/Antwerp, in Rouen, and in Bordeaux. While this sounds good on the face of it, I also realized that these overnights consist mainly of an evening arrival, followed by a departure the following day that's not particularly late. So the net "usable" time in port is not much increased, if at all, over what a long-ish single day in port would offer. Still the itinerary is very interesting, and I imagine the river tides also play a role in determining port timings in these cases.

 

Regarding some of the tangential discussion, there are still lines that offer what those of us who started cruising quite a while ago value. I also have never quite grasped the brand loyalty of some to a single line when there are so many good choices out there. ;)

Oh, I hope you will let us know what you think of the River Cruise. I am looking at it for 2019.

Antwerp is on our itinerary this year and yes, while we get in later, it is my understanding we are literally right by the night clubs, etc. So, if you want to do a beer tasting or any savour the flavour, it should be easy and interesting to do on your own :)

enjoy and do let us know what you think, please.

Oh wow. I am looking at that exact cruise for 2019 CruiseMom! Can't wait to hear your take on it!

The one in the spring or the one in the fall?

Choose carefully or you may be stuck with me on board :D:')

As the OP I want to thank CruiserBruce, Kamloops50 and Homosassa for replying and clarifying about what the thread asked..."Short Shore Stays"

The rest of you who tried unsuccessfully to pirate this thread concerning new cruisers or captains staying ashore start your own thread.

I hope the moderator notes who you were

Bob

Bump---new threads belong in new threads

We think port times are very important. When helping others book cruises we always advise carefully reviewing itineraries amd hours in each port, day of the week in ports (Sundays can be a problem, and Monday/Tuesdays in Europe can find your favorite museum closed) When it comes to HAL we have sometimes noted that they offer truncated port times (especially in the Caribbean) which we have cited as one reason (among several others) that we do not recommend HAL for a Caribbean cruise. There car be several reasons for shortened port stays such as the itinerary, limitations on available port facilities, tides, and (this is the biggie) the cost of fuel. A cruise line can save a lot of money by simply reducing each port call by 1 or 2 hours...since that allows them to maintain slower cruising speeds.

The worst case of slowing to save money is found on the Queen Mary crossings. That ship was built to move at 30 knots (making it the fastest cruise ship). At that speed the Queen can easily do a crossing in 5 days. At one time she used to do 6 day crossings (we have done this)....but now most crossings are scheduled as 7 days. This allows the vessel to cruise at much slower speeds (and save a lot of money).

Hank

It is good to hear some positives about new and newish cruisers, thank you! I wonder if some posters on this thread have any idea how blatantly they are revealing their personal biases/preconceived notions/prejudices.

Yep. I'm new(ish-have been cruising with HAL since '08).

Oh and as far as Half Moon Cay goes..the crew work their backsides off to get everything set up and the time it takes to set up(and break down)..and the amount of grumbling about how little time we have there is amazing.

The one in the spring or the one in the fall?

 

Choose carefully or you may be stuck with me on board :D:')

Please say you're going in the Fall! I would so love to meet you. :)

Oh and as far as Half Moon Cay goes..the crew work their backsides off to get everything set up and the time it takes to set up(and break down)..and the amount of grumbling about how little time we have there is amazing.

It would make more sense to stay longer so their set-up work isn't for naught, then. ;)

Good info Hank

Thanks

Bob