Transpacific cruise from Sydney to Hawaii - port or starboard side?

Hi All

Looking at booking Ovation of the seas next April in a balcony room and was wondering which side of the ship would be better for port days etc?

Thanks

Brooke

Because your route is at a northerly angle:

Starboard side gets the sun in the morning.

Port side gets the sun in the afternoon.

That's what you can consider for sea days, which my guess is they well outnumber port days.

But since you asked about port days: do you have a preference as to whether your balcony faces the port or out to sea when you are docked? Usually there is no way to predict this. And a large ship sailing the South Pacific will likely be tendering at somewhere around half the port calls anyway.

Rear facing is best, you get both views.

Because your route is at a northerly angle:

Starboard side gets the sun in the morning.

Port side gets the sun in the afternoon.

That's what you can consider for sea days, which my guess is they well outnumber port days.

 

But since you asked about port days: do you have a preference as to whether your balcony faces the port or out to sea when you are docked? Usually there is no way to predict this. And a large ship sailing the South Pacific will likely be tendering at somewhere around half the port calls anyway.

Side for the ports is irrelevant.

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Flip a coin. It's pretty rare that you can predict how a ship will dock. Some docks are parallel with the port. Some docks are perpendicular. Sometimes they dock nose in. Sometimes they dock back in. Sometimes they're tendered (don't dock at all). So not something that factors into cabin selection for us.

I would not worry about what side you are on. Either one will be fine.

If you are bothered with respect to the roughness of the sea I would place my emphasis on what deck you are on and the location of the room on the deck.

Keith

We prefer to avoid the sun in mid to late afternoon. So we would face the starboard.

Regarding ports -- it's a coin flip, no one knows for sure until they're pulling into port. Regarding the position of the sun -- it's a coin flip, since you're crossing the equator about half way along.

Regarding ports -- it's a coin flip, no one knows for sure until they're pulling into port. Regarding the position of the sun -- it's a coin flip, since you're crossing the equator about half way along.

What does crossing the equator have to do with the sun? The sun will still rise in the east and set in the west. EM

What does crossing the equator have to do with the sun? The sun will still rise in the east and set in the west. EM

Yes, but the sun is never directly overhead unless you are on the equator......in the northern hemisphere, the sun is always a little to the south, and in the southern hemisphere, the sun is always a little to the north. How far north or south it is depends on how far you are from the equator, and whether it's winter or summer. So, if you're traveling eastward between NY and Europe, for instance, the sun will rise and fall on the starboard side of the ship and the port side will have more shade. If you're traveling eastward between Argentina and South Africa, the sun will primarily rise and set on the port side of the ship, and the starboard side will get more shade.

When you're in port, you will likely be OFF the ship! There are things all around you in the harbors....it's not as if you're pulling up to a beach somewhere and one view is of "open ocean"!

Yes, but the sun is never directly overhead unless you are on the equator......in the northern hemisphere, the sun is always a little to the south, and in the southern hemisphere, the sun is always a little to the north. How far north or south it is depends on how far you are from the equator, and whether it's winter or summer. So, if you're traveling eastward between NY and Europe, for instance, the sun will rise and fall on the starboard side of the ship and the port side will have more shade. If you're traveling eastward between Argentina and South Africa, the sun will primarily rise and set on the port side of the ship, and the starboard side will get more shade.

Not exactly true unless you’re at ‘higher’ latitudes. Whether the sun is north or south of you depends on your location and the time of the year (the declination of the sun). In April on a trip from Australia to Hawaii, the sun will be in a northerly direction when starting out (since the sun has a north declination) and will be overhead sometime after crossing the equator and will be to the south upon arrival in Hawaii.

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Not exactly true unless you’re at ‘higher’ latitudes. Whether the sun is north or south of you depends on your location and the time of the year (the declination of the sun). In April on a trip from Australia to Hawaii, the sun will be in a northerly direction when starting out (since the sun has a north declination) and will be overhead sometime after crossing the equator and will be to the south upon arrival in Hawaii.

 

 

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thanks cool cruiser. So based on previous comments does that mean it will be starboard in the morning before equator then port afterwards?

thanks cool cruiser. So based on previous comments does that mean it will be starboard in the morning before equator then port afterwards?

Since the ship will be heading in a generally NE direction it really won’t make a whole lot of difference which side you’re on as far as the amount of sunshine you’ll get. Of course, in the morning the sun will rise on the starboard side of the ship and the port side will get more sunshine in later in the morning and for the remainder of the day. Since you’ll be spending so much time in the tropics, I don’t think it’ll make much difference from a temperature perspective but if you’re looking to lie out on your balcony and tan (or burn, as the case may be), you should probably go with the port side.

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