One thing that is a bugbear of mine is when you have only a short time onshore to explore all that is on offer.

There is nothing more frustrating than been onshore and having to cut short your time to make sure you make it back onboard your ship before it sets sail and leave you behind.

If we dock centrally in a big city and have plenty of time, me and my wife love to head out on public transport and experience all that a destination has to offer in a more authentic way than going on an excursion.

You can also visit just the sights and attractions that you want to visit and go at your own pace but even then, you tend to be clock watching and always have in the back of your mind that you need to keep moving and heading back towards the cruise port so that you don’t get standard miles away and needing to rush back.

All of those reasons, and plenty more besides that, are why I love to go on cruises that offer an overnight stay in a port.

Ideal for large cities where you have plenty to see and do, or for ports far away from the nearest big city or attraction, choosing an itinerary that offers the chance to stay overnight in a port not only gives you more time to see and experience all that is on offer in a port in your own time but you can get to see the port both day and night.

If you have never booked a trip with an overnight stay or if you didn’t even realise that was possible, this is the list for you as I take you through the top 10 reasons why I love cruise itineraries with an overnight stay or two included.

Our Top 10 Reasons To Book Overnight Stay Itineraries

Day and Night

Whilst this one really does come down to the region you are sailing in, the time of year and the nature of the port you visit, the contrasts in the experience you have ashore and the benefit of staying overnight onboard is so great, it could only really be placed at number 1 on a list such as this one.

It is the main reason why I personally look for itineraries with an overnight stay especially when cruising in Asia or when visiting huge cities but why does it matter if you visit somewhere during the day or the night?

Well, the simple answer is that you only really get to experience a location when you have been there during daylight and in the darkness of nighttime as most places will offer a different experience during those two periods.

Areas of a city that are busy during the daytime, will be empty at night and areas closed during the day will often come alive at nighttime.

The reason why I love to stay overnight whilst in Asia especially is due to darkness coming relatively early, around 6pm when near the equator and with the temperatures still warm, you can take enjoy the food markets and shopping areas that really come alive on a night time.

Places such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai and Bangkok transform when the sun goes down and been able to enjoy both sides of those cities makes any visit there better.

Take Your Time Exploring

As mentioned in the intro, me and my wife love to head off exploring and seeing as much of a port of call as possible.

That is especially true when we arrive in a town or a city with a metro system as it allows us to quickly and cheaply get around and do what we like to do, all whilst getting a small insight into daily life in the destination.

When docking for a few hours in a port, I am always clock watching when out exploring and need to make sure we allow plenty of time to get back to the ship and sadly that often means having to rush around an attraction or cutting short our exploration of an area of interest.

When you are staying overnight in port, you can head to the furthest any places you want to visit on the first day and have as much time as you need before setting off back to your ship, then on the second day, you can explore things closer to the ship, giving you both more time to enjoy what’s on offer and a less stressful time worrying about getting back to the ship.

Remove The Stress Of Hard To Reach Turnaround Ports

This is something I have personal experience with as on an Antarctic cruise I have booked, our adventure actually starts with an overnight stay in Buenos Aires, our departure port.

Although we are arriving into the city a few days before embarkation, so delays aren’t too much of a concern for us it terms of missing the ship, but for those arriving the day of, or even the day before, it is a great idea to have an overnight to start with.

That is because Buenos Aires is not the easiest place to head, especially from Europe, with only a handful of direct flights from Europe each day.

If you are departing from a city that is not the easiest to reach, having that extra buffer of an overnight stay to start with helps in case of any delays or missed connections.

2-4-1

Many ports that you visit can be explored during your single day there, but they are also often near to other places that you want to visit.

On a regular cruise, you need to make a decision on which place to explore but when you are staying overnight, you can explore both.

On a visit to Cadiz, me and my wife chose to take an excursion to Seville as it was somewhere we had wanted to go for some time, but Cadiz was somewhere we also wanted to explore, but just didn’t have the time.

If we would have had an overnight stay, we could have done both and had a much better experience.

Watch A Sporting Event

If you love sport, as I do, there is always something special about watch a match in a new ground and especially in a new country.

It brings a whole new experience to something that you have probably done 100’s of times before but sadly on a regular day in port, you usually don’t have tome to take in a local game of your favourite sport.

Even if the match takes place during the afternoon, the chances are that you wouldn’t make it back to your ship and then there are big events that take place near to cruse ports such as Formula 1 races in places such as Bahrain, Barcelona, Melbourne, Montreal and of course Monaco.

Many cruise lines offer special itinerates taking you to race days with an overnight stay but matter if you want to go to a race or to a Rugby League match in Brisbane, a Football match in Barcelona or a Cricket match in Cape Town, you can do without leaving early with an overnight stay onboard your cruise ship.

Take In A Show

Many of the cities that you visit on a cruise offer the chance to see either international touring shows, local productions of well-known plays, musicals or operas and many will even offer shows based on their own culture and history.

Sadly, on a regular stop in a port, cruisers will miss out on the chance of seeing those as they tend to only take place on a night time, but if you overnight in port, you can have a day exploring, get back on board to change and then head to a local theatre- something I love to do at home and when travelling.

Come And Go As You Please

When you are in port for a day, you often arrive early, head out for the full day and then head back to your ship when you are either too tired to continue or when your boarding time is.

That can lead to you missing things, been rushed or not enjoying things as much as you would do usually but when staying overnight and having more time to enjoy your time on shore, you can come and go from the ship as much as you please.

That allows you to head out exploring, come back on board to relax and refuel and then head out exploring again.

Visit Attractions During Off-Peak Hours

At the majority of cruise ports, there are only a select number of tourist attractions awaiting all of those onboard the ship but there will also be likely be plenty of other people looking to go to those attractions as well.

From those staying at the destination to those arriving on a day trip, everybody tends to get to the same places around the same time, usually early afternoon, and that leads to queues and your whole experience feeling rushed and crowded.

With an overnight stay, you have the time to get to an attraction during off-peak times, usually early in the morning or later in the day, and then you can have a much more enjoyable time.

Best Of Both Worlds

As much as I love cruising, there are some places that are better as a land holiday, even if they are within easy reach of a cruise port.

Places that have lots to offer so you need more time than you would traditionally get with a regular stop on your cruise or places that often get to crowded when cruise ships are in port are perfect examples of that.

To have a land holiday, you will of course have to deal with checking into hotels in the afternoon and having your luggage with you all day and then checking out in the morning and having your luggage with you then, so a short break becomes a bit of rush and a bit of a trudge.

By having an overnight stay in a port, you get all of the benefits of a land based holiday, including a full day and night in port and having the time to do as you want, but you are all set to explore as soon as you get there.

Avoid The Stifling Heat

If you are cruising somewhere such as the Mediterranean or the Caribbean, one big issue many cruisers can find is that the majority of their time on shore is during the heat of the afternoon.

With only a limited amount of time to explore on a regular port call, you find yourself stuck out in the heat and often having to simply find somewhere to avoid it whilst onshore instead of exploring and doing the things you want to do.

Me and my wife suffered badly with this one on a visit to Seville in Spain, from the port of Cadiz, when the temperatures went over 40c and simply became too hot to walk around and enjoy our time there.

If you book an itinerary with an overnight stay somewhere that will likely be hot, you can do some exploring and then when it warms up, head back to the ship, have some lunch and then head back onshore when things cool down in the evening.