Ship activity

[Henry43]

Friends of ours just completed a cruise to the Caribbean . As they were in each of the ports 7 times previously they chose not to get off the ship .
In addition they did not go to any of the evening shows but instead hung out with friends and "new" friends in various lounges .

Is this the norm for people to regularly cruise to the caribbean ?

[johnthed0g]

I would think this was unusual & for me apart from sitting outside I find little that interests me during the day on ships.

[Trip]

For me it would not be the norm, but, it's their norm. I don't care how many times I have been somewhere, with the exception of Jamaica, I will get off the ship in the morning, do a little, and, get back on to enjoy a late lunch.

It's whatever floats ya boat

[johnthed0g]

From Southampton we almost always stop at certain places & we always get off, Vigo & Lisbon usually.

[Henry43]

I've been to 3 of the 6 ports on my next cruise .I am getting off at all 6 .

[Kuki]

Funny, as the blog post I wrote for next Wed. is on this... what I see as... growing trend.

Even Trip, who views herself as part of the exception, heads off only long enough to come back the ship for lunch. So, in a way is also part of the trend.

[Donna]

I also usually get off, at least to see what is there, do a little shopping, etc. It is nice to get back onboard for lunch and have the ship mostly empty, buffet, pools, nice time to relax. There is usually not much going on inside the ship on port days, fewer activities and the shops and casino are closed, so it does make it nice.

[green_rd]

There are two questions there:
Getting off the ship, I know our friend Skymaster does not get off the ship very often. I think most people do get off and explore a little, head to a favorite beach or watering hole.

Skipping the shows: These productions don't turn over very quickly so if you have seen it a couple of times I can understand skipping it. We usually skip the big production shows anyway.

[Manuel]

I don't skip any of the shows. I usually stay up late and enjoy all that there is to do.

I have skipped a port once or twice, but we usually do a tour on most of the ports that we visit.

TM

[Henry43]

I've never skipped a show either .

[KDGodwin]

I have only cruised to Mexico so far, but I have done a little of both. Since I have repeated cruises the first time I got off at all the ports, but the second I skipped the ones I didn't enjoy as much. I enjoy some of the games and things they do during the day and just spendign time with my hubby!

For my upcoming Alaskan cruise I am not only planning on getting off at each port, I am pre-booked for excursions at almost every port!! Can't wait!

[MercedMike]

Staying on board on a port day can work out wonderfully. We have done it quite a bit. You have the staff falling all over themselves to take care of you. There are usually specials in the spa. Finding a quiet place to read is easy. There are much shorter lines in the buffet, and plenty of tables in the dining room. We enjoy it.

In fact in many ports we book a half day tour and enjoy the other half day on the ship.

Our last cruise was to Hawaii. We have been to Hawaii many times. We had four ports in the Islands, and we took a tour at one, got off and walked around a bit in another, and in the third I stayed aboard while DW went shopping. The fourth we just stayed aboard all day. Worked for us.

OTOH we have cruised to Alaska eight times and almost always seem to find something to do in every port, either a repeat of a favorite or something new.

We find that after 40+ cruises there are not many shows that really excite us. A production show is a production show after so many of them. 45 minutes of a singer or a pianist is usually more than I want. I do like magicians and usually go to their shows, and am disappointed about half the time with the quality.

We have cruised on Princess a lot lately, and their theaters are too small and their showtimes awkward for anytime diners, so that affects our show going too.

[Henry43]

I've been to NYC thousands of times yet every time I go I find something new to do.That is my approach to anywhere that I travel .

[Surfguyxxx1]

We always get off, even if only for a little while. As far as shows, I've missed one or two, but usually go.

[aerospace]

I've never been on a cruise and skipped a port completely though I come home more tired than when I left lol. Trying to book a long cruise(30+ days) and the thing I'm looking forward to the most is the ship and really getting to have free time to try what is on offer.

[Mike M]

I do agree with Henry that there is almost always something "new" you can find to do in a port you've been to many times. It's getting harder for me to do in Grand Cayman and we've stayed on board a couple of times there.

Last Summer in Cozumel we took the family to Nachi Cocum. Usually we will do a snorkel excursion there or head over to the east side of the island but this time the kids wanted a nice beach day. We had a great time there and truthfully it was something I didn't think I would enjoy but I sure did. A few shots of tequila and a couple of Coronas also helped.

If you are open to new things there is almost always something new to do.

Take care,
Mike

[aerospace]

I love grand caymans turtle farm! Apparently they breed so many they sell some to the locals to eat (turtle soup), that way they don't kill the wild ones.