Staying on the ship while at port

[seluased]

I'm so full of questions lately! First cruise* just two months away, after booking/planning since January!

 

Going on an NCL cruise to Canada in October, and we have excursions booked for 3 out of the 5 stops, but aren't sure what to do on the other two. Is it possible to just walk off the ship and see what's around the immediate area by foot?

 

Or we're thinking of not booking anything and just staying on board and enjoying the ship while everyone else is out exploring. But is there much to do, other than sitting around and reading a book? It'll probably be way too cold for swimming (Canada in October, after all), and we're not gamblers, so what else is there? The goal is to not spend too much extra money (so the spa is out). No kids to worry about, either.

 

Any thoughts? What have you done?

 

* as an adult. Went as a little kid with the family but I don't remember much, and certainly didn't have to worry about planning.

[goldmom]

This would depend on the ports you are visiting. Many ports it's easy to just get off and walk around the port town. Other times the docking area is a distance from anything.

 

We have often either stayed onboard or just gotten off for a while, strolled around the town and come back onboard.

 

There will likely be limited activities onboard and the casino and shops wouldn't be open in port anyway. As it's a colder cruise destination, you may not be enjoying the pool (although you never know).

 

You can go and play board games or grab a book, find a prime spot and just relax.

 

Enjoy!

[jdvmd]

I'm so full of questions lately! First cruise* just two months away, after booking/planning since January!

 

Going on an NCL cruise to Canada in October, and we have excursions booked for 3 out of the 5 stops, but aren't sure what to do on the other two. Is it possible to just walk off the ship and see what's around the immediate area by foot?

 

Or we're thinking of not booking anything and just staying on board and enjoying the ship while everyone else is out exploring. But is there much to do, other than sitting around and reading a book? It'll probably be way too cold for swimming (Canada in October, after all), and we're not gamblers, so what else is there? The goal is to not spend too much extra money (so the spa is out). No kids to worry about, either.

 

Any thoughts? What have you done?

 

* as an adult. Went as a little kid with the family but I don't remember much, and certainly didn't have to worry about planning.

 

What ports are you referring to? Did this itinerary at the end of May on Holland America - We did every port on our own.

[CruiseMan1970]

Well I almost always stay on the ship when it is in port. I like it when the ship seams half empty. I find something to do. read,pool,play some games in the kids arcade,watch some TV ( when the DW is on board we are doing stuff). oh and eat.

 

When we went to Mexico and Hawaii. Spa was 1/2 price when in port.

 

I don't know about Alaska, but you should be able to just walk or at least take a taxi cheap some were close. Look at your ports on google maps and get a rough idea on whats close.

 

Post on the "ports of call" forums and maybe someone can answer better than I.

[housepeepers]

We rarely plan excursions on any cruise, but prefer to just wander and see what is around. Even if you are a distance from town there is usually some transport/shuttle/taxi to town in any port we have been in ( after all the locals depend on your tourist $$). Check out the roll call for your cruise and find out what others are doing. You might get lucky with the weather too, our NE and Canadian autumns can sometimes be surprisingly warm.

[garycarla]

Many people book ZERO excursions through the ship. Some book a few outsie the ship - your ROLL CALL is a good place to find small groups to book with.

 

Almost all ports have some option for just walking around.

 

And yes, sometimes it is just fine to stay onboard.

[Friendly Seas]

We've Cruised the Inside Passage twice and the ships dock right down town. The cities are small and easy to walk. The advantage to taking a shore excursion is that it will help orient you to a town you probably have never visited before. In all of our experiences there, the towns people have been friendly and helpful. We enjoy browsing the shops and talking to the locals. Unless you're really into jewlery, avoid the many, many waterfront jewlery stores.

[palmyrafan]

A few months before DH and I cruise to ports unknown, we visit our local bookstore and get a great travel book (usually Fodor's or Frommer's) that has a street map of the port we are looking for.

 

For instance, for our cruise to Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Quebec, we got a travel book (with street map) of Quebec so we had a better understanding of what was located where. The smaller ports are easy to see on line and we usually just "wing it" and go at our own pace. When we do come back early, it's nice to visit the lounge (Spinnaker's on Pearl) and relax with a good book, a glass of wine and watch the people stroll by. Or we get ready for dinner early so we beat everyone else coming back on the ship.

 

Have a great time!

[rvsullivan]

OP is not going to Alaska, they are going to Canada in October!!

[BlueLadyBlue]

Check out whatsinport.com

Lots of useful info, private tours, maps etc

Enjoy

[garycarla]

OP is not going to Alaska, they are going to Canada in October!!

 

We have to read?

[danfiveoh]

Get off the ship! We keep our expenses low by not doing the ship excursions and going out on our own. Check the ports of call boards to get ideas. Sometimes we just walk around but part of the adventure for us is to see the local area. Lots of times, we jump on a local bus for a cheap tour.

[seluased]

We have to read?

 

Check out whatsinport.com

Lots of useful info, private tours, maps etc

Enjoy

 

This site is great! Thanks!

 

(and for those talking about other ports-- that's fine! this is a place for everyone!).

 

And for those wondering, we're going to:

 

Portland - (have something booked)

Halifax - (have something booked)

Charlottetown - (have something booked; this was the reason for going on this itinerary)

Gaspésie, Quebec - (nothing)

La Baie, Quebec - (nothing)

[lexanna02]

Are the pool & hot tubs usually open in port? We are sailing on the Star in November and may plan to stay onboard at Belize.

[barbaragrace]

We've taken 13 cruises and have never booked an excursion! I usually do some research on the ports we'll be visiting and we do our own thing. There are always cabs/vans right outside the ship so transportation is no problem. Just keep your eye on the time.

[housepeepers]

I see you have a tour scheduled in Portland. Portland is a marvelous city and you dock right in the old port area with lots of shops and restaurants. It is also a very walkable and quite small city so you could easily walk from one end to the other and explore in the time you have in port if you decided to forego the tour.

[Jenjer]

Our last cruise I had a broken foot and didn't want the hassle of getting off at every port.

 

Check out the daily info you get the night before they have lots of activities planned. I wanted to do the cooking classes RCL had but they were always full.

 

So I got a massage and read a book. Since DH had the kids in port.

[seluased]

I see you have a tour scheduled in Portland. Portland is a marvelous city and you dock right in the old port area with lots of shops and restaurants. It is also a very walkable and quite small city so you could easily walk from one end to the other and explore in the time you have in port if you decided to forego the tour.

 

 

Booked a ground transfer to Freeport so we could visit the LL Bean flagship store! Really want to go there. It gets back at 1pm, and the ship sails at 3pm, so we should have about an hour to explore the port a bit.