Staying onboard

[Bingee]

First timer from UK, so will visit some places on another occasion.
With all the frantic excursion chatter I get the impression that it’s everybody off! What are your experiences of staying onboard whilst in port for all or part of a day? It seems with so much to do, a shame to not make the most.

[Montemy2419]

For port days the ship is quiet and I make that my lounging pool day.  Before you decide to stay onboard you need to look at the schedule.  I have found that the many things aren't open such as maybe the casino and certain bars plus the eating options may have limited hours/locations.  There seems to be an activity here or there but it just may be trivia.  I love staying on the ship and since I plan a very quiet, non-activity day it's perfect.

[tonyfsu21]

4 hours ago, Bingee said:

First timer from UK, so will visit some places on another occasion.
With all the frantic excursion chatter I get the impression that it’s everybody off! What are your experiences of staying onboard whilst in port for all or part of a day? It seems with so much to do, a shame to not make the most.

It’s quiet and relaxing. As a first time cruiser, I recommend you book some excursions or check out the ports of call on your own. There should be plenty of time to explore the ship regardless. 

[happy cruisers 2]

For us, some cruises are more about the ship experience than the ports.  We sometimes enjoy staying on the ship when the crowd departs for hours at a time.  We have done our share of beach days, snorkeling, small boat excursions, etc. and no longer crave that like we once did.  If a port is heavy on those sort of experiences we might just walk around the port area for a short while and then enjoy the rest of the day on board.  A good book, or quiet time on the balcony or elsewhere is nice.  Whatever you might enjoy is perfect, but as Montemy2319 says, there will be some things on board that aren't available.

[AandD]

43 minutes ago, happy cruisers 2 said:

For us, some cruises are more about the ship experience than the ports.  We sometimes enjoy staying on the ship when the crowd departs for hours at a time.  We have done our share of beach days, snorkeling, small boat excursions, etc. and no longer crave that like we once did.  If a port is heavy on those sort of experiences we might just walk around the port area for a short while and then enjoy the rest of the day on board.  A good book, or quiet time on the balcony or elsewhere is nice.  Whatever you might enjoy is perfect, but as Montemy2319 says, there will be some things on board that aren't available.

Exactly what we did in our most recent cruise. First time we didnt do an excursion. It was nice and quiet on board. I think there were 6 people at trivia. 

[BrianB]

If the port excursions are mostly beaches, snorkeling, boating etc… been there done that!

Especially at destinations where some of these places are not so tourist friendly. For example…waiting in a long line for everyone to get off the ship so we can be herded onto transportation, overly crowded locations, expensive (renting chairs and umbrellas…drinks and sketchy food), not very clean, worrying about my stuff getting stolen, harassing vendors wandering the beach selling trinkets, etc. Even if there is a possibility of bad weather during the day. It can be miserable trying to get back to the ship.

To be sure not all places are like that…but it seems many are. I always look for reviews from previous cruisers. Those reviews, plus my own experiences, help me decide.

So I may just take a quick stroll around the port area. Just to get off the ship for a bit, then go back aboard. Most of my experiences are onboard the Anthem or Oasis. Different ships may vary.

The Solarium is usually nice and quiet with lots of loungers available. Even around the pool and the sun deck. There is always bar service available. You can check past Cruise Compasses and see what’s open and closed on port days. There’s usually a crew drill during a port day where many services are limited until it’s over…which doesn’t take very long. If your ship is in CocoCay, the casino is usually open while in port…as is the casino bar. The Windjammer is open and not crowded. Some of the stations may be closed off, but that’s only because they don’t need as many due to the lack of passengers. It’s usually still the same choices.

For me…the ship is the primary destination and I take the opportunity to enjoy it while most others are off on their excursions. It really is a different vibe. Some may think it boring…but I think it’s quiet, serene, relaxing and calm. It’s a nice change. Whatever you choose to do…enjoy it!

[Stephanie]

I had never understood this until our last cruise.  The weather in Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta was swelteringly hot & humid, so we decided to stay onboard. We were on Navigator - a smaller ship, so definitely not a lot of activities. But, we played putt-putt all alone, and I got a spa treatment (less expensive on port days). The only downside, aside from the casino not being open, was that the only bars that were open before 3:00 pm were the pool bars.   But, otherwise it was fantastic - the ship was practically empty. We absolutely loved it! Now, I want to do more cruises for the sake of cruising vs the destination. However, I will pick an Oasis or Quantum class ship if I'm not planning to get off the ship.

 

[WAAAYTOOO]

1 hour ago, Stephanie said:

I had never understood this until our last cruise.  Now, I want to do more cruises for the sake of cruising vs the destination. However, I will pick an Oasis or Quantum class ship if I'm not planning to get off the ship.

This is an attitude that usually develops from frequent cruising.  The more you cruise to the same destinations, the less interested you are in getting off the ship.  We almost never get off the ship anymore on Caribbean cruises.   It is also something that Royal has worked hard to facilitate !  They would much rather have you remain onboard and spend your money than leave the ship and spend your money.

[Ampurp85]

I have to agree with @WAAAYTOOO. I have sailed enough that most ports are a meh for me. On an eastern/western Caribbean itinerary I am pretty much staying onboard, especially if the casino is open. My last 4N in April I didn't even get off for PDCC. 

[JFCruise]

I remember the first time I didn't get off the ship on port. I was cruising with my grandparents and they were like "Nah, we don't want to go to [caribbean island almost everyone in our family had been a few times]". I was shocked!

However, we enjoyed the ship so much that it really didn't even matter. Way more enjoyable than sketchy tourist traps.

Now that I'm older, if I go to a Caribbean port, I at least walk around an hour or so, or look for a fun activity that's appropiate for my kid. But as far as staying the whole day in port, I'm out. I do live in fear of activities that end up being money dumped to the trash.

However, I'm doing an Alaska trip next year and I'm gonna be off the ship as much as possible.

[jbrinkm]

We had a half day excursion and got back to a fairly empty ship once and REALLY enjoyed the (mostly) empty hot tubs for the rest of the afternoon!