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

[SPacificbound]

We have been to Cozumel multiple times, been to Aruba, Ambergris Caye, and Caye Caulker, but these were all land trips, for a week or more staying in nice houses with pools, and space for all of us. 

There are some places that just are better as land trips for us. It's great to wake up and have the water about 50 feet from the doorstep, and you can just take your time walking on the beach. I grew up in  city on the Gulf of Mexico, maybe that's why I don't take beach cruises. 

 

 

[Joebucks]

I guess I can understand if you're in your 70s, not as mobile, and have done these ports 50 times. However, people really overdo this stay on the ship thing. Apparently, an island is good for a zipline, a tour, and 1-2 other excursions, and then it is completely worthless. I've been to my local downtown more times than I can count and I might go again today. However, a tropical island only has a few good uses. For a good chunk of people, it's probably trying to recoup the huge costs they put into suites, balconies, drink packages, etc. 

 

While I can appreciate the perks of a quieter boat, on the average 7 day cruise, I'd already had my fair share of time on the boat. The bad part of cruising is its convenience spoils us, and we stop enjoying things that were magical on day 1. I've been to Cozumel quite a few times, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy it again. Call me crazy, but a beach day is a beach day. I've never been to a beautiful beach and told myself I wish I wasn't there.

[MissP22]

2 hours ago, Joebucks said:

I guess I can understand if you're in your 70s, not as mobile, and have done these ports 50 times. However, people really overdo this stay on the ship thing. Apparently, an island is good for a zipline, a tour, and 1-2 other excursions, and then it is completely worthless. I've been to my local downtown more times than I can count and I might go again today. However, a tropical island only has a few good uses. For a good chunk of people, it's probably trying to recoup the huge costs they put into suites, balconies, drink packages, etc. 

 

While I can appreciate the perks of a quieter boat, on the average 7 day cruise, I'd already had my fair share of time on the boat. The bad part of cruising is its convenience spoils us, and we stop enjoying things that were magical on day 1. I've been to Cozumel quite a few times, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy it again. Call me crazy, but a beach day is a beach day. I've never been to a beautiful beach and told myself I wish I wasn't there.

Thanks for making more room on the ship for us old folks. 😁 LOL

[Hlitner]

Good topic.  We are more "old folks" and often stay onboard during Caribbean port calls.  Why?  Nearly 50 years of cruising and flying to the Caribbean have left us with a better appreciation of staying aboard?  Our personal record was on a Celebrity cruise that stopped at 9 Caribbean ports and we never left the ship until the 9th port (St Maarten).  We have an upcoming 2 week Princess cruise and may not bother to get off the ship except when back in FLL (back to back cruises with turn around day).

 

So some folks (especially young cruisers) might ask why take a cruise if you are not going to visit the ports.  And we would counter that we often take cruises because we truly love to be on cruise ships....so why bother getting off!  When the ships are relatively empty (in port) it is a delight with no difficulty getting a lounger, no lines for food, no lines (and great service) for drinks.  The only reason we get off the ship in the Caribbean is for a beach day (we are beach people and have our favorite beaches on every island).   Snorkeling is also something we enjoy (now too old to SCUBA) but many of our previously favorite snorkel spots have been ruined by big storms and/or tourists that have no respect for the coral.

 

Hank

[Toofarfromthesea]

10 hours ago, Joebucks said:

I guess I can understand if you're in your 70s, not as mobile, and have done these ports 50 times. However, people really overdo this stay on the ship thing. Apparently, an island is good for a zipline, a tour, and 1-2 other excursions, and then it is completely worthless. I've been to my local downtown more times than I can count and I might go again today. However, a tropical island only has a few good uses. For a good chunk of people, it's probably trying to recoup the huge costs they put into suites, balconies, drink packages, etc. 

 

While I can appreciate the perks of a quieter boat, on the average 7 day cruise, I'd already had my fair share of time on the boat. The bad part of cruising is its convenience spoils us, and we stop enjoying things that were magical on day 1. I've been to Cozumel quite a few times, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy it again. Call me crazy, but a beach day is a beach day. I've never been to a beautiful beach and told myself I wish I wasn't there.

 

OR, maybe their motivation is to go on a nice relaxing week or two at sea and not to see things.  It's not a one size fits all world.  I've never been to ANY of the Caribbean ports and I would always plan to never leave the ship on a Caribbean cruise.  Different strokes for different folks.  Not everyone loves the beach.  When I've gone to a Cancun all-inclusive resort I never go to the beach (I prefer pools) and I never leave the property.  

 

Too bad about your ageism.

Edited June 4, 2023 by Toofarfromthesea

[cruiseaholic777]

I would not stay on the ship at all ports, but it is your vacation. I wouldn't have a problem with staying on the ship if I had medical issues.

[Hlitner]

7 hours ago, cruiseaholic777 said:

I would not stay on the ship at all ports, but it is your vacation. I wouldn't have a problem with staying on the ship if I had medical issues.

I think this topic is worthy of more discussion.  We are in our 70s, but in excellent health and can easily walk 5-10 miles a day, go snorkeling, and even SCUBA .  For us, staying on the ship in a Caribbean port is simply an issue of the best option.  Why go ashore in many of these islands when one has been on those islands many times?  We have no interest in shopping (don't need anything) and if there are any sites, we have been there/done that.  So the main attraction, for us, are the beaches found on many islands.   So we can go to a favorite beach, rent loungers, do some swimming/snorkeling, buy lunch, drink beer, etc.  That is all good.  or....We can stay on a near empty ship where there are plenty of loungers (no extra cost), plenty to eat/drink (no extra cost), and have a completely relaxing day.

 

There are some Caribbean islands that we really like (St Maarten is an example) and can make a good case to go ashore.  On St Maarten, we can rent a car and drive to beaches untouched by cruisers :).  Other times we might just walk from the port into Phillipsburg, and do some browsing, drinking, etc.  There are other islands like Bonaire, and Aruba where we also prefer to be ashore.  But, there are many other Caribbean islands where we think the ship is a far better place than ashore.  Yes, we could spend $100+ and go to a terrific island resort (if they allow day visitors) but why?  Our ship is also a resort, we do not have to deal with crowds (on port days), and everything we want is available for no extra cost. 

 

I think it comes down to a simple philosophy.  Many folks think of cruise ships as akin to a sophisticated ferry that gets them between islands.  We think of cruise ships as a floating resort (and carefully choose our ships).  There are places like Nassau and Ocho Rios where it is doubtful we would ever again get off a ship.  Been there, done that, and truly dislike those places.  When we were young cruisers we had the attitude that if we were in a port we had an obligation to explore the port/island.  Now, with places we know and dislike, why bother?  On some of those islands we will have a late breakfast (after many have gone ashore), choose our deck lounger, and relax with our Kindles.  While folks are trying to get from point A to point B on an island, we are on our 2nd Bloody Mary or mimosa.  At lunch, we can either head to the Lido or perhaps a grill (depending on the ship) where there are no lines (and no bills).  Not a bad life :).

 

Hank

[ldubs]

On 6/4/2023 at 8:09 AM, Hlitner said:

Good topic.  We are more "old folks" and often stay onboard during Caribbean port calls.  Why?  Nearly 50 years of cruising and flying to the Caribbean have left us with a better appreciation of staying aboard?  Our personal record was on a Celebrity cruise that stopped at 9 Caribbean ports and we never left the ship until the 9th port (St Maarten).  We have an upcoming 2 week Princess cruise and may not bother to get off the ship except when back in FLL (back to back cruises with turn around day).

 

So some folks (especially young cruisers) might ask why take a cruise if you are not going to visit the ports.  And we would counter that we often take cruises because we truly love to be on cruise ships....so why bother getting off!  When the ships are relatively empty (in port) it is a delight with no difficulty getting a lounger, no lines for food, no lines (and great service) for drinks.  The only reason we get off the ship in the Caribbean is for a beach day (we are beach people and have our favorite beaches on every island).   Snorkeling is also something we enjoy (now too old to SCUBA) but many of our previously favorite snorkel spots have been ruined by big storms and/or tourists that have no respect for the coral.

 

Hank

 

You pretty much have things nailed down and I sure understand your approach.  I enjoy the atmosphere on cruise ships, but have to admit I would go bonkers if I had to stay on a cruise ship for 2 weeks.   No matter how nice it was.  

 

Our preferences are a little different when it comes to trip length.  A cruise of 2 weeks is about all I want.  For a land trip 3 weeks is good.   I sure agree there are some places that have no appeal for a second visit.  I will avoid taking cruises to places I really don't want to revisit.      

[matamanoa]

Why limit yourself to cruising only in the Caribbean.  My husband and I are also in our 70s and discovered many years ago that there is so much more to see and do while cruising further abroad.  We now regret that we took the same Caribbean cruises for many years in a row and while it was a nice break from cold winters, we finally took a cruise in Europe and that started many years of cruising to different continents and places.  Do something different while you are able and you won't have to regret saying that you should have done it while your health and wealth were good.

[Hlitner]

31 minutes ago, matamanoa said:

Why limit yourself to cruising only in the Caribbean.  My husband and I are also in our 70s and discovered many years ago that there is so much more to see and do while cruising further abroad.  We now regret that we took the same Caribbean cruises for many years in a row and while it was a nice break from cold winters, we finally took a cruise in Europe and that started many years of cruising to different continents and places.  Do something different while you are able and you won't have to regret saying that you should have done it while your health and wealth were good.

We cruise/travel all over the world (6 continents) but still like to take a 2-3 week Caribbean cruise...once a year.  Why?  Caribbean cruises are usually reasonably priced (lots of competition), have terrific weather, and there are plenty of places with decent snorkeling and/or diving.  For us. the Caribbean cruise is almost like a vacation from real travel :).   If they still had "cruises to nowhere" we would be fans, but these days the Caribbean (to us) is like a cruise to nowhere with decent weather.  The Caribbean, to us is all about the ship (not the ports) and we really could care less about the itinerary.  In most other parts of the world, the itinerary is king and we will compromise on the ship in the name of better ports.

 

Hank

 

 

[matamanoa]

4 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

We cruise/travel all over the world (6 continents) but still like to take a 2-3 week Caribbean cruise...once a year.  Why?  Caribbean cruises are usually reasonably priced (lots of competition), have terrific weather, and there are plenty of places with decent snorkeling and/or diving.  For us. the Caribbean cruise is almost like a vacation from real travel :).   If they still had "cruises to nowhere" we would be fans, but these days the Caribbean (to us) is like a cruise to nowhere with decent weather.  The Caribbean, to us is all about the ship (not the ports) and we really could care less about the itinerary.  In most other parts of the world, the itinerary is king and we will compromise on the ship in the name of better ports.

 

Hank

 

 

I agree that the Caribbean has a lot going for it for all the reasons you stated above and we will most likely continue to cruise in the Caribbean when we no longer are able to travel further afield in comfort as we age.  We only wish that we had discovered cruising to other places when we were younger and had health on our side.  At our age, traveling to far flung countries is  becoming more difficult as time passes but we'd rather keep exploring new options while we can and rely on the shorter, less expensive trips to the Caribbean when we can no longer venture too far from home.

 

Barb

[Capt_BJ]

Our last cruise was Carib' and each place we stopped we've been to MANY times and therefore some I didn't get off at all and others MAYBE for an hour or two at most. <a hip replacement leaves me a lil walking challenged>

 

On the other hand I'm shortly leaving on a cruise from Bergen north to Svalbard then south to Iceland and we have excursions booked for every port (included in the cruise price)