Jayestravellingadventures

If you are a first-time cruiser you may wonder if you have to leave the ship at each port on the itinerary. The answer is NO, you do no have to get off if you don’t want to. There may be other reasons in which staying onboard is best.

If you book a cruise of any length you can stay onboard for the duration, there are no reasons why you cant. Think of the ship as a hotel resort.

The cruise ships have a very intelligent system where they know the exact passengers and crew who are ashore or onboard still. You may have heard the reception desk announce passenger names before setting sail to make sure they are onboard.

Why stay onboard?

You have visited the port before and you would prefer to use the facilities onboard rather than revisit. One port where I would do this is Cherbourg, I found the port didn’t offer much for me and I wasn’t off the ship for long.

The temperature can play a massive factor, especially if you are someone who doesn’t enjoy the heat as much as others. So staying on a ship with shade and aircon may be better.

Mobility issues are also a possibility especially cruise terminals which are a fair walk to the town or city. One port which is known for the walk is Barcelona. You can get onto a shuttle however they can be chargeable depending on your cruise package, not to mention the possibility of waiting around.

Other ports such as Santorini need a tender to get to shore which can be daunting or difficult for some. There are also longer wait times to get back to the ship as a tender boat can only fit so many passengers safely. With the moving tender as well as the waiting around it might seem more than effort then what the port has to offer.

If you booked the cruise for specific ports you may have one on the itinerary which isn’t of interest to you, or you may have booked it for the ship or cruise line.

Some cruise itineraries have back to back port days which can be very tiring especially in the heat. Staying onboard will give you time to relax whilst being able to access most of the facilities with ease. The ship will be quite so you can enjoy a spa day, swim in the pool or enjoying endless plates in the buffet.

Not feeling well enough, I stayed onboard in Malta rather than going ashore and exploring before heading home due to not feeling well. As I mentioned on my August cruise 2025. Meaning I missed the port, however I have been to Malta multiple times so it wasn’t a total miss.

Why go ashore?

If you are docked in new cities it would be a shame to miss exploring them and experiencing the different culture it has to offer.

You may have booked an excursion which could become the highlight of the port as you get to experience first hand knowledge from locals. Not to mention being shown some incredible attractions and cultural sights. I always book excursions to ports I’ve never visited when travelling solo, I did this in Norway and I learnt so much as well as met some amazing passengers.

A little tip is never rush to get off in the morning, everyone decides to head out as soon as the ship is docked meaning there are lots of queues to get off. Always make sure what time you need to be back onboard and explore in the afternoon or once the queues have cleared.

Exceptions:

I have only ever heard of one or two countries such as Japan where they make all passengers disembark to go through immigration and customs. Once checks are complete passengers have a choice to go into the city or return to the ship.

Always enjoy your time cruising whether its in port on on the cruise ship after all you can always book another cruise!

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