Southern Caribbean cruise question

[somoremoney]

I am booked on the Caribbean Princess on Apr 2010 and in my research I noticed the ferry ride from St. Thomas to Tortola is only 55 minutes long. However, the cruise ship schedules 12 hours to make the same trip! Can someone explain why the cruise line schedules 12 hours to make a 55 minute trip? Does the ship go really slow between the ports?

[Arwenmark]

The islands are often close together the cruise ship in going to different ones goes out in circles or arcs to make for a cruising experience, you are on a cruise not just a mode of transportation from point A to point B and yes they also cruise slowly from one port to another if it is close.

[Aunty Pat]

That is 11 extra hours to have the shops and casino open and 11 less hours to have to pay docking fees.

Aunty Pat

 

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[dna1990]

Cast of the bow line, and let her drift over <grin>.

 

Take a GPS and track the night course and speed, sometimes the tracks are interesting if you get a solid signal all night.

[somoremoney]

I guess it would be cool if the ship cruised slowly around the virgin islands so we can enjoy the sights. However, I love to spend more time exploring the islands.