Top 10 Reasons To Stay Onboard Your Cruise Ship Whilst In Port
Whilst some of that can be achieved onboard your cruise ship, especially in more remoted places where you tend to have people from across the globe onboard your ship, to really experience all of that, you need to leave your ship and explore.
That is what we love to do, but there are just some cruise ports of call where you don’t need to get off of the ship and that can be a be for a number of different reasons.
After doing something that I never thought I would on a cruise, were me and wife stayed onboard the ship whilst in port in Le Verdon, that got me thinking about other reasons that would get me to stay onboard once again and that is just what we look at in this list.
We take you through what we believe to be the top 10 reasons to stay onboard your cruise ship whilst in port.
Our Top 10 Reasons To Stay Onboard Your Cruise Ship Whilst In Port
There Is Just Nothing At The Port
This is the thing that got us thinking about this list and is also the thing that proved to be the reason to keep us onboard a ship whilst in port for the first, and hopefully last time.
Whether it is a line trying to save money and going to a port with the cheapest docking fees or just a port that offers nothing but to act as a place to set of to a major city or attraction.
Unfortunately, that leaves those onboard with no interest in heading off to explore or who don’t want to pay the often-overpriced excursion fees stuck onboard the ship.
That was exactly the situation we found ourselves in in Le Verdon, with nothing at the port and excursions to wineries been of no interest to us.
You Have Been To A Port Before
There are some ports that we class as been ‘One and Done’ ports or ports that you visit once and never have the need to go back again.
This can be simply down to a port been only small with not much there, it been a port built around 1 single attraction that you have now done or maybe it is a port that takes quite a bit of cost and effort to get to the city it is supposed to be, which whilst great to do once, is not worth doing again.
If you do find yourself on an itinerary going back to one of these ports, why not stay onboard and take advantage of a quiet ship?
You Are On A Port Intensive Cruise
If you are on a port intensive itinerary, where you have no sea days and you are just not that interested in one of the ports you visit, you can stay onboard, rest and relax and create your own sea day.
Mega Ships
If you are travelling as a family or if you simply love to have lots to do on a ship, one of the Mega ships offered by the likes of Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises are a great option.
With a massive list of attractions, enough bars, cafes and restaurants to allow you to try some where new everyday for a month, you just don’t have the time on a regular holiday to try everything.
It’s not helped by 1000’s of other also trying to enjoy all that the ship has to offer whilst at sea, so why not get the most for your money and stay onboard whilst in a port you are not too bothered about exploring?
You can then take advantage of all that your ship has to offer but without the ques for everything as those behemoths of the sea are holiday resorts in their own right.
You Visit An Unsafe Port
Crime can happen at any point in any port that you visit, and many have a false sense of security in some places whilst they have a over cautious view of other ports.
There are some ports however that caution is the better part of valour, to misquote Falstaff, and if you don’t fancy having to be part of an organised tour of where you are visiting or if you are like us an prefer to explore on your own and keep away from tourist traps, it maybe just best to stay onboard.
Private Islands
Some people love private islands whilst some hate them, if you are the former, you will want to spend as much time on the island as possible, whilst if you are the latter, you will likely not book an itinerary that goes to one.
If you are somewhere in the middle and don’t really care either way, why not simply stay onboard your ship.
Most ships offer the pools, flumes and sunbathing opportunities that a private island has to offer but you have much more variety when to comes to food and drink and you are just a short stroll from your stateroom.
The ship is often much less crowded than on a lines private island, so you can enjoy all of its attractions without the queues.
Avoid The Worst Of The Weather
If you arrive into a port and it is either freezing cold and wet or it is at the other extreme and it just to hot for you, just not stay onboard and avoid the weather.
If things improve, you can always head ashore as we had to do on a visit to Alesund where our arrival was created by strong winds and heavy rain but a couple of hours later, it dried up and by the afternoon the sun had come out.
A More Intimate Experience
No matter if you are sailing on a luxury ship or a humungous mega ship you can experience a more intimate cruise experience by staying onboard whilst in shore.
If you decide to lounge around the pool, there will still we waiters coming around to bring you drinks, but with less people onboard, you will have the chance to chat to them and get a more personnel experience.
The same can be said about all areas of the ship, from cafes to bars and from lounges to the buffet, everywhere is just less crowded and both staff and your fellow passengers who stay onboard with you just have more time to relax and get to know each other.
Enjoy The Views
If you are sailing somewhere known for its incredible natural beauty, such as the Norwegian Fjords or Alaska, the best aspect of been in a port is to take in the incredibly views that surround you.
It can often be the case that the best views can be seen from onboard your ship, so if you are just in a small village with not much there or if you dock on a wet day, why not stay onboard your ship and take advantage of everything onboard whilst still having those incredible views?
Budget Spa
If you love to visit the onboard spa whilst cruising, you will know just how costly it can get.
On most ships, you can receive huge discounts if you visit on a port day rather than a sea day which if you are not to bothered about the port you visit, can be a great way to save money and make the most of your time on your holiday.
