LadyBerard Posted September 28, 2019 #1 Share Posted September 28, 2019 I will be cruising on the Summit in Oct. 2020 with stops at SJU, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, and Key West. I would prefer to have a cabin which faces the islands. Should I pick port or starboard? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cruisestitch Posted September 28, 2019 #2 Share Posted September 28, 2019 There is no reliable way to tell which direction the ship will face dock as you go from island to island. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purplsmurf Posted September 28, 2019 #3 Share Posted September 28, 2019 One never knows. One year we were on the port side and it faced Aruba and the next year we were on the port side and the starboard side faced Aruba. You won’t know until you actually get to the port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denny01 Posted September 28, 2019 #4 Share Posted September 28, 2019 Ships dock are different piers, face different directions and so on. No way of knowing ahead. If you are cruising with family or friends, have each pick a SR on the opposite ship’s side. That way, you have different views and you can share. We do that all the time when traveling with others. Unless you are big on getting SRs next to each other and opening balconies up to have larger ones, I’d suggest that. Personally, I’m not into have a common balcony or even next door family/friends. Nice to have a bit of private space and separation without being on top of each other all the time. Den Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordoncruickshank Posted September 28, 2019 #5 Share Posted September 28, 2019 We have been in the abc islands a number of times and every time we have been there the ship has docked on the Port side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyBerard Posted September 28, 2019 Author #6 Share Posted September 28, 2019 We actually went to the ABC islands this past Jan. on Jewel OTS, but that sailed out of Miami. I don't remember which way the ship docked at the islands though. I know when we cruise to Bermuda, the ship doesn't always dock the same way either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fouremco Posted September 28, 2019 #7 Share Posted September 28, 2019 42 minutes ago, Gordoncruickshank said: We have been in the abc islands a number of times and every time we have been there the ship has docked on the Port side. That has been my experience with the ABC's as well. I've only sailed into Key West once, but I've seen docked cruise ships when visiting on other occasions. In each case, the ships were docked on the starboard side, but that's a pretty small sample and by no means conclusive. In San Juan, you are docked either bow or stern facing the port. You will probably have a another ship alongside, so it's impossible to predict which will give you a better view. I'd go with a port or aft cabin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickey89 Posted September 28, 2019 #8 Share Posted September 28, 2019 (edited) Easy to check which side in Aruba Goto http://www.portarubawebcam.com Edited September 28, 2019 by mickey89 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordoncruickshank Posted September 28, 2019 #9 Share Posted September 28, 2019 3 hours ago, Fouremco said: That has been my experience with the ABC's as well. I've only sailed into Key West once, but I've seen docked cruise ships when visiting on other occasions. In each case, the ships were docked on the starboard side, but that's a pretty small sample and by no means conclusive. In San Juan, you are docked either bow or stern facing the port. You will probably have a another ship alongside, so it's impossible to predict which will give you a better view. I'd go with a port or aft cabin. I have only been in Key West and San Juan once so I can’t make any comments but I suspect that the ship can be either way. I have been in Aruba 10 times and the ship has always been with the island at port and we have been in Curacao around 6 times and the ship has always been the same way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecslady Posted September 28, 2019 #10 Share Posted September 28, 2019 (edited) Since you are sailing from Boston and obviously have several sea days before you reach the islands, I would concentrate more on whether you want the morning sun coming in your balcony doors or the afternoon soon coming in as you sail south. Often, the side that faces port when you dock depends on port times, the preference of the captain, other ships in port that day, etc, etc. Edited September 28, 2019 by ecslady 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ipeeinthepool Posted September 28, 2019 #11 Share Posted September 28, 2019 (edited) I always pick starboard unless you are on a cruise leaving Venice. There is smoking on the promenade deck on the port side and I prefer to stay away from any possibility of smoke coming up to my balcony. If I'm leaving Venice, I would select a balcony forward of the promenade deck on the port side. Edited September 28, 2019 by ipeeinthepool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baron Barracuda Posted September 28, 2019 #12 Share Posted September 28, 2019 6 hours ago, Gordoncruickshank said: We have been in the abc islands a number of times and every time we have been there the ship has docked on the Port side. Our experience on several ABC island cruises on Eclipse was just the opposite, starboard faced land. Guess you just need to flip a coin. San Juan is easy, ship docks head in, facing the old city. harbor and airport are on starboard, part of old city and harbor entrance on port side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyBerard Posted September 29, 2019 Author #13 Share Posted September 29, 2019 I switched my cabin to port side as I am a very early riser and enjoy watching the sun come up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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