Top 10 Cruise Ports To Avoid Crowds
There are a number of things that can come together to make what looks like a great day a shore one to forget and many of them are not completely the fault of the cruise line that you pick and some cannot even be foreseen before you book your cruise.
The world’s biggest cruise ships that sail the high seas today are known informally as ‘floating cities’ and with good reasons as the very biggest feature everything you would expect from a land based holiday resort and can have nearly 10,000 people onboard including passengers and staff.
If you are sailing on one of those giants, alongside around 6,000 fellow passengers, you will certainly have the expectation of lots of people been in every port that you visit but you will often be in for a big surprise when you dock and even if you are on a smaller, boutique style ship, and feel that things will be fine due to the limited amount of passengers on bord, you too could be set for a busy day ashore and that is because some ports really love to push the boat (pun fully intended) and host more ships that they realistically should do.
That is especially true of ports in the Caribbean and Alaska who look to maximise the relatively short cruising season and can lead a port of call with inhabitants of a few thousands trying to cope with 10,000’s of holidaymakers.
Thankfully, there are some excellent websites out their were you can easily look up schedule for ports and those situations can sometimes be avoided but with every port of call subject to change, things often do.
Another aspect to keep in mind is that whilst you may feel that by visiting a large city will help disperse the passengers off of yours and other cruise ships wider and in some ways give room to all, it can actually work against you, as these destinations also host many holidaymakers arriving by road, rail and air and if there is a major event happening, they could be already overcrowded before the cruise ships have even docked.
Our Top 10 Cruise Ports To Avoid Crowds
Reykjavik, Iceland
The Icelandic capital city of Reykjavik offers stunning views and a small town feel but with a large natural harbour surrounding 2 sides of the city and open space leading to mountains surrounding the other 2 sides, Reykjavik has a spacious feel to it no matter when you visit.
Of course that can often go out of the window when a huge cruise ship of 4-5,000 holidaymakers all descend on a destination but it never tends to be the case in our number 1 pick.
There are a number of reasons for that, including the distance of the cruise terminal to the city and the spread out nature of the city meaning people from your ship get separated across a large area but arguably the biggest reason why we have picked this as our number 1 destination to avoid the crowds is because the vast majority of those on your ship will head out on an excursion and leave the city to the handful of cruisers that stay behind.
Singapore
If you have never been to Singapore at the southern tip of the Malayan peninsula in Asia, you will likely have an image of cramp city, full of people all searching for their own bit of space and if that is view of the city state, you will likely be wondering not only why it features on this list but why it features so highly.
There is no single answer to that aside from to say that the country and its long term government has made vast changes over the last couple of decades to create more space, through land reclamation, and whereas most countries would use that to create more skyscrapers, Singapore has used much of the new land to create open spaces and parklands for locals and visitors to enjoy.
The country has also invested heavily in clean public transport and heavily discourages the use of cars which again adds to a much less crowded feeling as you walk around but it also allows cruise holidaymakers to easily explore the small island on their own and that helps to spread out visitors, so that no matter where you choose to visit, you will not be in the usual cruise ship crowds.
Korcula, Croatia
The small island of Korcula, sitting just off of the coast of the Croatian mainland, may not on the face of it seem like a great place to avoid crowds but looks can often be deceiving.
The island will 9 times out of 10 only have the room for 1 ship at a time and thanks to docking centrally in the town centre, you and your fellow cruise mates can simply stroll off of your ship and wonder around the many cobbled and winding streets that make up the historic centre of the island.
Many visitors will head off on sightseeing boat trips or even use the numerous fast ferries to the city of Split on the mainland whilst many will have a lazy morning on ship and head ashore later whilst some will start their exploring early on only to head back onboard ship a few hours later- all of which helps to keep things relaxed for your day on land.
Cadiz, Spain
The Andalusian city of Cadiz is steeped in history and has long been a key naval base for Spain, which means there is lots to see and experience by simply walking around the town centre, which can be easily done from the central docking pier where the majority of cruise ships arrive.
That means those staying the city are well spread out around the history streets but what really helps to keep the number of visitors down the crowds sparse is the fact that the majority of cruise lines promote Cadiz as Seville (or for Seville) and it is the nearby city that the majority of visitors head for meaning those staying behind can enjoy Cadiz with a long line wherever you head for.
Lisbon, Portugal
The city of Lisbon is the capital of Portugal and is the countries largest city but it is a well spread out city and doesn’t feature many high rises and skyscrapers, which means it never feels that crowed in the first place but when you add in the wide range of excursions on offer and the many attractions and must visit places to see, the guests arriving on board you ship will be well spread out.
Another great aspect is the central location for docking and the great public transportation network, featuring historic trams, buses, a metro network and even hop on hop off buses that allows cruisers to explore on their own and visit just the sites and attractions that they want to see.
Dubai, UAE
The Emirate of Dubai is quickly becoming a must visit destination and thanks to year round sunny weather, it can be visited 12 months a year. That helps to spread the bulk of tourists out across the year as does the fact that visitors to the Middle Eastern destination come from across the globe, so you do not get the main build-up of people arriving from School holidays and religious holidays from a set region.
Dubai as a city, is one that is continually growing and changing but it is also one with a relatively low population number.
That manes the people based there are well spread out and usually found in the offices of Dubai’s skyscrapers leaving the beautiful seafront, vast shopping centres (malls), huge public realm areas and more for those visiting on holiday or for a day ashore.
Cape Town, South Africa
Cape Town is simply one of the most stunning city’s in the world as the mainly bowl shaped downtown is back by the iconic Table Mountain whilst the Atlantic Ocean backs the front of the city.
That, coupled with lots of open spaces, good use of Cape Towns large marina area and a large promenade area gives a sense of space and the port of call is another one where many guests will head off on a wide raft of excursions, from land and sea safari’s to trips to the region’s winelands.
Brisbane, Australia
As one of Australia’s biggest cities, you may think that Brisbane would be a busy city, full of the hustle and bustle of everyday life but thanks in part to its seaside location and the head of Queensland, it is a relaxed city that is well known for its laidback nature.
Brisbane is also known as a big little city as aside from the main CBD, the density is relatively low.
If you do visit the wonderful city of Brisbane, make sure that you take a trip to the incredible Suncorp Stadium / Lang Park, home of the Rugby League team the Brisbane Broncos to witness one of the greatest sporting stadiums in the world.
Sitka, Alaska
In reality you could pick any port in Alaska for a feeling of serenity and relaxation thanks to the sheer vastness of the rainforest, mountains and waterways that surround the key ports of call but Sitka stands out at it tends to be the port on a cruise of the inside passage that only has one ship at a time docked and the fact that you are on an island just off of the mainland just makes things seem even less crowded.
Longyearbyen, Svalbard
One great way to feel like you are away from the crowds is to go somewhere remote and the city of Longyearbyen offer the perfect place for that.
Not many places that are easily reachable are as remote at Svalbard in the Arctic Ocean and this is another destination where many will head off on excursion, leaving the relatively empty streets quiet and uncrowded for you to explore and take in the incredible scenery on offer.
