Friday, April 12, 2024

What to Expect on a Cruise: Visiting Cruise Ports

cruise in port

Galveston is located approximately 52 miles southeast of Houston and the island features numerous landmarks that cruisers can enjoy when sailing from here. In April 2023, MSC Meraviglia will homeport in Brooklyn, offering voyages of six to 11 nights to the Bahamas, Caribbean, Bermuda, and Canada and New England. This will mark the first time MSC has based one of its ships out of the New York area.

Galveston

This should help find your nearest options for cruise daparture ports. We highly recommend doing at least one excursion when visiting a port of call during your cruise. They can be pricey, but offer the ability to do things you simply can’t do back home and will make lifetime memories. Once at the ship, you’ll head through a security checkpoint with a metal detector and an x-ray for your belongings. If you bring any alcohol back on the ship with you, it will be taken and held in storage until the end of the cruise and then returned. For as much as ports are featured when booking your cruise, you spend surprisingly little time in each under most circumstances.

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Virgin Islands at Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, head straight to Magens Bay, often short-listed as one of the world's most beautiful beaches. Or dive into a snorkeling tour to get face time with some sea turtles and coral reefs. On your final stop, Royal Caribbean's Perfect Day at CocoCay, everyone in your group can enjoy a seemingly endless array of activities. If the beach is calling, grab a spot on one of the many cushy beach loungers close to a bar serving up island cocktails that go great with the ocean view.

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Happily, savvy cruise lines have been increasing overnight, late-night or even multiple-night stays at select ports of call. Many cruise lines offer stops at their own private islands, such as Royal Caribbean’s CocoCay. The good news is that these days cell plans often include some international access, especially for Mexico.

cruise in port

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They are a jumping off point to go explore the area, and offer things you can’t get on private islands like cultural activities and an experience that’s not perfectly curated by the cruise line. While still touristy, they are more authentic than you’d get on a private island. Your ship will usually arrive at its destination in the early morning.

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For instance, we’ve seen a bottle of cold medicine for more than $17. In the middle of the ocean, there is cell service, but it is expensive to access. In port your phone will work, but keep in mind that you will be accessing via international towers, which can be pricey. If traveling Europe, you’ll want euros as the most convenient way to spend money. While many ports have Spanish as the local language, English is widely spoken in all ports of call.

Both can offer a great time, but a very different atmosphere and experience. If your ship is docked at a pier, you then simply walk off the ship and head into shore. It can be a long way from the pier to land, and there are often shuttles for those with mobility issues. But before you get off the ship, there’s plenty you will want to know about visiting. From what you need to bring with you into port to what the debarkation process (getting off the ship) is like, to safety, we’ve covered everything you’d want to know.

But Old San Pedro is worth exploring, where you'll find plenty of shops and restaurants as well as historic landmarks and museums. Port Canaveral is 50 miles east of Orlando on Florida's Space Coast, not in Orlando as is often billed on cruise itineraries. All points across The Bahamas and Caribbean are PortMiami's most obvious destinations, but transatlantic voyages are also common, as are voyages up the eastern seaboard to Canada plus Panama Canal crossings. With more than 300 miles of Intracoastal Waterway and navigable inland canals, Fort Lauderdale has earned the nickname Venice of America. The city's Port Everglades puts attractions close at hand for those looking to do a little exploring before or after their cruise. If you’re from the Baltimore area and ready for a cruise nearby, you can take a warm tropical vacation within easy driving distance.

cruise in port

This move gives cruisers the opportunity to more fully immerse themselves in the port's offerings, which can, after sunset, be quite different from daytime activities. For cruisers craving destination immersion, late and extended calls are a welcome addition, as there just never seems to be enough time in port. In fact, many ports now have built up areas right around the pier that feature lots of shops, restaurants, and more for passengers to enjoy, along with limited access from the general public.

Montreal's cruise season runs from late May to mid-October, with a greater concentration of itineraries taking place in the fall to take advantage of the region's spectacular autumn foliage. Royal Caribbean has made Cape Liberty its main homeport in the New York City area, with year-round presence on ships like Adventure of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas. The port is also just a couple of miles south of Liberty State Park, where you can catch a ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island or simply enjoy the views of the New York City skyline.

Apart from vendors, these areas are nothing but other cruise passengers. Shore excursions give you an easy way to go enjoy a port that you might not be familiar with. Booking through the cruise line is normally a little pricey (expect to spend about $100 per person), but offers an amazing amount of convenience. In our experience, we’ve always thought prices were high when booking, but afterward always felt like they were worth the money. You won't be able to leave the ship without your cruise card, nor will you be able to return to the ship without it, so keep it close to you at all times. In most ports, you won't need your passport, so leave it locked up in your room's safe.

Often cruise lines offer special rates that cannot be displayed to the general public. By registering with Cruise.com you will be able to view these special rates and offers. Port Canaveral is close to Orlando which makes it easy to combine Port Canaveral cruises with the many theme parks located in Orlando. Cruises from Miami sail to the Caribbean, the Bahamas, the Panama Canal as well as transatlantic cruises and longer, more exotic cruises. Not far from Port Canaveral, the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is a great place to spend a day admiring the vast scope of NASA.

Cruise lines to find new home ports after Baltimore bridge collapse - The Points Guy

Cruise lines to find new home ports after Baltimore bridge collapse.

Posted: Tue, 26 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

These trips can range from tequila or chocolate tasting to visiting cultural sights, but most often tend to be beach activities. This includes things like snorkeling tours and beach getaways with catered food and drink. Depending on the depth of the water and the available infrastructure at the port you're visiting, your ship will either dock at a pier or anchor offshore. If your ship is docked, you'll be able to simply walk off the vessel directly onto dry land via a movable ramp called a gangway.

As a bonus, Regent offers free unlimited shore excursions to passengers, including special evening outings like a relaxing gondola ride in Venice or a visit to a bustling samba nightclub in Rio. Upscale Silversea offers a robust schedule of overnight-inclusive itineraries around the globe, with increased offerings cropping up each year. Currently, about a third of the line's scheduled sailings, fleetwide, incorporate overnights in nearly 40 ports around the globe -- spanning Asia, Europe, Australia/New Zealand, South America and the Caribbean. Don't miss some of the line's most popular overnight calls, like Barcelona, St. Petersburg, Monte Carlo, London, Bangkok and Hong Kong. Typical ports of call also cater to cruise passengers, but they are independent of the cruise line.

Ports will have lots of restaurants catering to cruise passengers, as well as plenty of shops selling everything from cheap trinkets to fine jewelry. Every port is unique, offering different things for cruise passengers to do. For example, what you do in Cozumel, Mexico isn’t going to be the same as what you’d do in Ketchikan, Alaska. When it comes to your cruise, the majority of time is spent on the ship, but perhaps nothing is looked forward to as much as visiting ports of call.

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