Would you do a Caribbean cruise and stay on the ship for all ports ?

[George C]

We have done about 60 Caribbean cruises and the older I get (73 currently) the more I want to just stay on the ship, nothing is crowded , drink package is included on our cruises and we also do music charters that have great entertainment even in port . 

[LHT28]

If that is what you want to do  why not?

 I do like to get off & wander around

YMMV

[BklynBoy8]

2 minutes ago, George C said:

We have done about 60 Caribbean cruises and the older I get (73 currently) the more I want to just stay on the ship, nothing is crowded , drink package is included on our cruises and we also do music charters that have great entertainment even in port . 

 

Certain islands that we have visited many times we would stay on.

 

Enjoy having the ship to ourselves and enjoy a quiet deck chair with the island as aa backdrop.

 

I also enjoy listening to the local music on my Old Walkman. Island music is energizing.

[ColeThornton]

It's your cruise, your money, your time.   Do whatever makes you happy.   For me anymore the more sea days the better the cruise is.

[ldubs]

33 minutes ago, George C said:

We have done about 60 Caribbean cruises and the older I get (73 currently) the more I want to just stay on the ship, nothing is crowded , drink package is included on our cruises and we also do music charters that have great entertainment even in port . 

 

 

I think you already give some pretty good reasons.  

[lenquixote66]

The only time I have stayed on a ship in a port is when I have been physically unable to get off.It makes no difference to me how many times I have been to the same port,I could always find something to do.When I was 73 I was still physically active.

[BklynBoy8]

1 hour ago, ColeThornton said:

It's your cruise, your money, your time.   Do whatever makes you happy.   For me anymore the more sea days the better the cruise is.

Ditto

[shipgeeks]

Absolutely.

[1025cruise]

Wouldn't bother me to stay on the ship. My travel companion, however, has to step foot on land.

[Toofarfromthesea]

3 hours ago, George C said:

We have done about 60 Caribbean cruises and the older I get (73 currently) the more I want to just stay on the ship, nothing is crowded , drink package is included on our cruises and we also do music charters that have great entertainment even in port . 

 

At the opposite end of the cruise experience scale, on our very first cruise, Celebrity in the Carribean, we never got off the boat.

[BAYA]

I haven't done so yet but I probably will next February. The point of the cruise for me is to try out an Oasis-class ship and I don't care about the ports at all. In fact, as much as many cruises adore Coco Cay, my sister and I never get off the ship there. We tried it twice several years ago and had our fill.

In contrast, I just cruised to Labadee and was not enthusiastic about getting off there. My only visit had been 10 years or so ago and there wasn't much happening. I got off the ship in Labadee last month and was pleasantly surprised by the beach I went to.

[runner15km]

Nope, I like to get my toes in the water, arse in the sand with a cold PBR in my hand. 

[K32682]

I cruise for the destinations so it is not something that I would do. If staying on the boat is your idea of a great cruise enjoy! 

[George C]

1 hour ago, BAYA said:

I haven't done so yet but I probably will next February. The point of the cruise for me is to try out an Oasis-class ship and I don't care about the ports at all. In fact, as much as many cruises adore Coco Cay, my sister and I never get off the ship there. We tried it twice several years ago and had our fill.

In contrast, I just cruised to Labadee and was not enthusiastic about getting off there. My only visit had been 10 years or so ago and there wasn't much happening. I got off the ship in Labadee last month and was pleasantly surprised by the beach I went to.

I always visit ladabee if that’s a port since they have a suite beach and we can use our drink package there along with free food .

[jocap]

OH was raised in Africa, and just wants heat and snorkelling; I'm ginger and fade at temps above 24C, so we have 20 sea days and 2 windy Atlantic islands for me (from the UK and back) in the winter, and he has 8 islands for the beaches. I stay on board unless there's an excursion with a guaranteed air con coach!

Then I make him go to Iceland in the summer... 😄

[mom says]

I've ONLY done that on a Caribbean cruise, since we usually sail with the itinerary in mind. But that last Caribbean cruise was just a winter getaway in lieu of a resort stay. Did a B2B and only went ashore once- at the only port we hadn't visited before. 

[BklynBoy8]

 

The only time you would stay on is like us. When you exhaust island or Port over multiple times.

 

How many times on repeated sailings can you walk again around St Thomas. Always mostly the last Port before the USA.

 

On a New England/Canada sailing getting offer Boston or Halifax. Not saying there is nothing to see but last sailing we didn't to Boston. Maybe this time yes. Last time Halifax, we like Salty's to have lunch at and walk and see the summertime in the Public Gardens.

 

So there are reasons can also be altered in case of weather.

[Mum2Mercury]

One hang-up with this idea:  You're paying the port taxes whether you leave the ship or not.  As such, I'd try to choose a sailing with few stops /lower port taxes.

[George C]

4 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

One hang-up with this idea:  You're paying the port taxes whether you leave the ship or not.  As such, I'd try to choose a sailing with few stops /lower port taxes.

My next music charter has only 2 ports which is pretty good for a 7 day cruise. 

[Sea42]

My mom never leaves the ship on a Caribbean cruise. For her it's all about the ship. Being a Florida resident she has had many low cost getaways where she can just enjoy some one else doing all the "housework".

[GTO-Girl]

11 hours ago, George C said:

We have done about 60 Caribbean cruises and the older I get (73 currently) the more I want to just stay on the ship, nothing is crowded , drink package is included on our cruises and we also do music charters that have great entertainment even in port . 

we are in our 70’s and do this all the time…..😎😎

[George C]

Again it used to be cheaper to drink on the islands than on the ship , but now I can drink my pina coladas and margaritas on the ship for nothing or go to margaritaville and spend 15 a drink. 

[BklynBoy8]

7 minutes ago, George C said:

Again it used to be cheaper to drink on the islands than on the ship , but now I can drink my pina coladas and margaritas on the ship for nothing or go to margaritaville and spend 15 a drink. 

 

Since only twice a year the QM2 goes to the Caribbean we don't go any more.

 

But we did like to go shopping and some Island products and enjoy local food dishes in the native restaurants. Now as you said,72 this year, would most likely enjoy the deck, activity in the water, listen to local music and use the facilities with less crowds. We did have fun in the past.

 

But will always enjoy sailing in and out from the observation decks especially in the early morning with the island fog or haze and the approaching mountains.

[Honolulu Blue]

20 hours ago, George C said:

We have done about 60 Caribbean cruises and the older I get (73 currently) the more I want to just stay on the ship, nothing is crowded , drink package is included on our cruises and we also do music charters that have great entertainment even in port . 

I'm surprised you haven't done this already.  On two of my first cruises after the restart (one music charter, one not), I didn't get off at any of the offered ports at all.  On some others, I only did a short appearance on the dock to stretch my legs, take pictures, and maybe get some souvenirs.

 

On another of my themed cruises, I probably would have stayed on the ship in port, but one of them had these guys make an appearance, and I was too weak to resist:

[Honolulu Blue]

13 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

One hang-up with this idea:  You're paying the port taxes whether you leave the ship or not.  As such, I'd try to choose a sailing with few stops /lower port taxes.

 

13 hours ago, George C said:

My next music charter has only 2 ports which is pretty good for a 7 day cruise. 

The flip side to this is, since you've already paid the port charges anyway, then it doesn't matter what you do while there.

 

And as @George C probably knows, my next TWO music charters have only 2 ports, and they're both 7-day cruises.