My Favorite Ports of Call - Episode 3 - St. Maarten

Celebrity Reflection - St. Maarten, West Indies - Copyright Andy Richards 2023

WE HAVE had a lot of good cruising experiences, both in the Caribbean and in Europe over the years, and now more recently, in Asia.

Cruise Port - St. Maarten, West Indies - Copyright Andy Richards 2012

THE RATIONALE for choosing St. Maarten next is - in a way - similar to the Naples choice. We have been to the island multiple times. There are multiple different things to do there. Our first visit was in 2012 and was our first trip to the Caribbean (and only our second cruise overall). We had no planned itinerary, but walked the streets of Philipsburg, where I bought and drank a beer on the street as we walked (which outside of New Orleans was to me a very new experience).

Main Street, Philipsburg - St. Maarten, West Indies - Copyright Andy Richards 2012

I PERSONALLY think St. Maarten is the best of all the (somewhat similar after seeing as many of them as we have over the years) Caribbean Islands. The mix of beaches, restaurants, and things to do - as well as its clean and neat appearance - appeal to me. It is probably one of only a couple where I think I might enjoy a prolonged stay.

Water Taxi - St. Maarten, West Indies - Copyright Andy Richards 2012

IN FAIRNESS, it may be that St. Maarten holds a psychological advantage in that it is really the first Caribbean Island we ever visited. 2012 was our first foray into the Caribbean, and aside from Princess' private island in the Bahamas, St. Maarten was our first exposure to the Caribbean Island life. I think it was probably a good representation of all the "romantic notions" we have of the Caribbeans. Lots of bright colors. Lots of water and boats. Cold Caribbean Beer. Beaches and sun. Friendly people. Over the next 15 years we would learn much more about the Caribbean. Some of it is not so romantic, as we later learned, observing a lot of serious poverty interspersed among the homes of some of the "rich and famous," on our tour of the island during a later visit. The primary cruise port is across the bay from the downtown Philipsburg area and the beaches. The most convenient way to get there is to board one of the water taxis at the cruise terminal for a very short ride across the water (but long enough that you can indulge in a cold beer on the crossing).

St. Maarten, West Indies - Copyright Andy Richards 2012

WE ENDED our day on that first trip at an outdoor eating area serviced by food establishments, on a quiet little beach just a block or so off the main street in Phillipsburg. There was a small, municipal type marina there with what appeared to be boats owned by local residents either tide up in slips, or beached. It was tranquil and just how I had imagined the "quieter" side of the Caribbean.

Main Beach - Philipsburg - St. Maarten, West Indies - Copyright Andy Richards 2012

ST. MAARTEN is somewhat unique among the Caribbean islands in that its ownership is (geographically) bifurcated. The southern half of the island is a Dutch territory (Sint Maartin); the northern half is French (Sainte Martin). Once on the island though, you are free to move back and forth from the Dutch to the French side. They are distinctively different. On our second trip we arranged a tour of the entire island with a private driver.

Little Bandstand in downtown Marigot, near the harbor - St. Martin, West Indies - Copyright Andy Richards 2013

THE DUTCH side is (relatively) more sedate than the French side. The two "hotspots" on the French side are probably the French port of Marigot and about a 5-mile stretch of bars, nightclubs and hotels that are notorious as the party spots on St. Maarten, in an area called Grand Case (pronounce. "kahs"). We drove along Grand Case during the day. It was an impressive sight. I could only imagine it at night. Marigot is the main town (and Capitol) on the French side and is a pretty little harbor on the northwest part of the island that serves island-hopping ferries. It is said that there is accommodation for just one small to medium cruise ships there. I don't know of any that dock there. While French, it is still more "Caribbean" at heart. We stopped there for about an hour during our trip around the island, and had coffee and sweets at Sarafina's, a highly recommended cafe/bakery, and walked around the small port.

Popular Cafe - Bakery in Marigot - St. Martin, West Indies - Copyright Andy Richards 2013

FROM GRAND Case, we drove across the northern part of the island to the east  to one of St. Maarten's most famous spots: Orient Beach. Known as a nude beach, it actually is divided and there is a large "family" beach, which is well visually seggregated from the "clothing-optional" beach. If you are thinking San Trope, and beautiful French models sunbathing nude, you will be sorely disappointed. Just sayin'. 😅 We are really not beach people, so although it was nice to say we have been there, it isn't high among my favorite Caribbean spots or experiences. Readers will, I hope, forgive me, but no photos. 😆

Philipsburg Town; Courthouse in the Distance - St. Maarten, West Indies - Copyright Andy Richards 2012

THE ISLAND is quite small (under 9 miles from the southern tip to the northernmost point and just over 9 miles from far west to east). I was surprised to learn that it isn't even among the 10 most visited islands in the Caribbean, especially given that from my observation, it always seems to have the largest number of cruise ships docked on any given day. An astute observer will have counted not less than 7 large cruise ships in the harbor the day we arrived on our Celebrity Reflection cruise in 2013. Somewhere around 15,000 passengers!

The beach in Philipsburg - St. Maarten, West Indies - Copyright 
Andy Richards 2015

IN 2015, we cruised with some friends from home (one of my former law partners and a mutual friend - we did a couple Caribbean "winter" cruises together). The cruise was a pretty sedate affair, with our primary goal being warm sunshine, good food and drink, and good company. Our final stop was St. Maarten, and on this occasion, we had no plan other than to go to the beach. We were in luck, as the entire town of Philipsburg is bordered by a beautiful sand beach with a "boardwalk." Across the boardwalk, the way is lined with bars. I said the Dutch side was "more" sedate. I didn't say it was dead. 😁We rented some chairs, bought a bucket of cold beers, and relaxed. At some point in the early afternoon, we were hit with a hard Caribbean thunderstorm and were "forced" to take refuge in one of the bars just across the street.

Bars along the Boardwalk - Philipsburg, West Indies - Copyright Andy Richards 2015

THERE IS one other pretty famous spot for tourists in St. Maarten. The Princess Juliana International Airport sits on a very narrow piece of land on the southwest side of the Dutch part of the island, near the Casino and a couple high-end resort properties. The runway is just under 1.5 miles long and is one of the shortest I have ever seen to accommodate jet traffic. Immediately adjacent to the runway (separated only by an 8-foot "perfect" wire fence, is a narrow stretch of very popular, sandy beach. At Maho Beach, it is possible to stand (or sit) directly under a landing jet on that beach. It is probably the closest place in the world where you can be that close to the plane. Unfortunately, it is also dangerous and the jet wash pelts observers who get too close with sand. In 2017 (the only fatality I am aware of) a 57-year-old female tourist was thrown against a concrete retaining wall by the force of jet engine on a plane taking off and was killed. There have been many injuries also.

Maho Beach - Princess Juliana Airport - St. Maarten, West Indies
(image courtesy of Creative Commons)

DIRECTLY NEXT to the beach and runway is the Sunset Bar. If you can get a seat (it is usually jammed), it might be a better spot to see the planes land. You are still amazingly close. We have - a bit surprisingly - not had a stop in St. Maarten since 2015. I will look forward to returning one day soon!

Cruising with Knowledge; Finding Your Way Around in the Ports

I HAVE made no secret of the fact that my wife and I love to cruise. We have a number of friends who have joined us and also enjoyed it, as well as numerous friends we have met on cruises (some whom we have cruised with again - and probably will in the future). Indeed, on our next booked cruise we will join friends we met a year or so back for the first time on a cruise ship. For many of us, there is truly some draw with this manner of traveling the world. We think the convenience of boarding our floating "hotel," with comfortable accommodations, restaurants, bars and entertainment, all in one place without packing and moving, is a great way to travel.

"Standard" sized balcony rooms on cruise ships are generously sized and comfortable

ONE OF the challenges of such travel, however, is the logistics of the onshore portion of the trip. Options can be limited. One option is to simply let the cruise line do it for you, participating in their excursions. In our view, that is normally the least attractive option. Negatives include expense, larger groups (often tour bus size - and often including multiple tour buses), and in our experience, lack of quality and expertise on the part of those working for (or contracting with) the cruise line. Keep in mind that none of the cruise lines actually operate most of these excursions. They contract them out, sometimes even to the very same purveyors that you can privately contract. On a Princess Cruise a few years back, after a great day for us on shore with our privately-arranged tour, the four of us joined another group of 4 in the main dining room. Discussion naturally covered the subject of "what did you do today?" They had taken an underwhelming ship-sponsored tour which covered many of the same places our privately-arranged tour had taken us to. Astoundingly, they related to us their tour guide's introduction of herself, including her admission that she had never done the tour (neither the local subject, nor the country) before and that they would be "learning" together today. Wow! And the kicker was that they paid nearly the same we did for our private, 4-person tour, with a local who was very good and very knowledgeable!

we think the positives of other alternatives usually outweigh the cruise line-based alternative

THERE ARE positives, of course, to a cruise-line sponsored excursion. If for some reason your cruise line-based tour is delayed, the ship will wait for their own excursions (their policy is that if you are on at third-party excursion, or on your own, they won't wait, and you will have to make your own arrangements to get to the next port - more on that issue later). The cruise line sponsored tours are organized so you meet on board and then all proceed as a group to your onshore mode of transportation, which avoids any potential difficulty in hooking up with your guide. For us, the positives (generally) end there. To us these are - all but one - minor points that just aren't persuasive. That one item is the "guarantee" that the ship will not leave without you if your excursion is late or delayed returning to port. Indeed, as I read (a lot of commentary) about this issue, that seems to be the only real reason people posit for cruise-based excursions. That's all they have, LOL.  We think the positives of other alternatives usually outweigh the cruise line-based alternative.

These Princess operated busses are a common sight at many ports around the world

THE OTHER options involve making arrangements on your own: Private tours, semi-private tours, and self-guided tours. We have done some of each of these. There may be a perception that these are "too expensive." That has not been our experience. They sometimes cost more and sometimes less than the cruise line-offered excursions. We think though, that the cost/benefit is where the privately arranged tours usually shine. Our groups have generally been limited to between 4 and 8 participants (occasionally 12). When you divide the overall cost among that many people, the cost is very competitive. It is a great ratio of participants to guide, and gives us more or less one-on-one interaction with our guide. Usually, the guides are licensed, experienced professionals, who do their excursions often. They know the "ropes." They are usually known by the officials at the various attractions. They more often than not get us "skip the line" privileges. And they are always friendly, fun and very informative.

realize that many port cities around the world have different, and sometimes multiple, cruise terminals (or even separate ports)

TOURS DO not always begin right at the gangway. The cruise-line sponsored tours will almost always pick you up and drop you off right at the ship. While many of the private tours do likewise (sometimes depending on the port), often they do not. If you join a local walking tour, or some other tour sponsored by local residents, sometimes you need to find your way to a central meeting point somewhere in the port city. The way you do this may vary, depending on the nature of the port you are in - and the type of tour you are taking. This is where having some knowledge of the particular port is useful. It is also important to realize that many port cities around the world have different, and sometimes multiple, cruise terminals (or even separate ports). As I mentioned in a recent blog, the first critical item is to never leave a port without knowing the specific name of the port. From there, knowing whether you are able to walk to a destination, or need to find alternative transportation like a taxi, uber, or public transportation, will be of additional importance. That is not always readily apparent, and cruise ship personnel are not always helpful (or particularly knowledgeable). There are several tips that might stand you in good stead if you are going to venture out of the port. Most cruise ships give you a printed itinerary - usually the night before - for the day (on board and off). On that itinerary there is always a section that has contact information for the port authority, and usually the ship. It might be a good idea to have someone write down telephone, port name, and similar information in the language of the country you are visiting, so you can show a taxi or Uber driver.

never leave a port without knowing the specific name of the port

WE HAVE found that often the cruise line is not very helpful in regard to exactly where you will be in a port (i.e., which berth, or even area - they can be big places), what transportation amenities are nearby, and whether the main attractions are "walkable," until the time they actually dock (and sometimes not even then). Some of this may be due to them not even knowing their specific berth before they enter the port. But other times, I think it is just a lack of communication on the part of the cruise line - something they could all certainly improve upon. There are some other resources out there that can be of assistance. One is the website: "whatsinport.com." That site has a number of tools to assist you with information about some 1200 ports worldwide. There is also a Google Maps section, and a printable (PDF) map for most ports. Many of them have lists of amenities (and some even have excursion information). There is also a section that lists virtually all current cruise ships including when they were built and passenger capacity. Cruise Mapper is another helpful site. One of the utilities on Cruise Mapper is the ability to search by ship and port. If you know the main port city on your itinerary, there is an excellent chance that you can pinpoint the terminal. 

I HAVE mentioned Cruise Critic here before. They have a section of their site that addresses cruise ports. Again, however, after acknowledging the 100's of ports over the world, they limit their coverage only to those they have done a specific "writeup" about - and they tend to be the largest and most popular ports. Unfortunately, they really don't cover many of the ports that even a somewhat frequent cruiser will encounter - many of which are the more difficult or obscure ports. During our first 10 years or so of crusing, we found Cruise Critic to be the most valuable resource for information-gathering, contacts and arrangements with other passengers for tours, and just overall cruise knowledge. Two factors have now diluted that resource. The first and most certainly most consequential has been so-called "social media," and in particular, Facebook. Facebook seems to be the place (ironically, given that it was never really targeted to us) that people in our generation (we are in our 60's as I write this) go to for information and online "gathering." As such, Cruise pages and groups have proliferated there. You can find a group for almost every major cruise line. There are also groups that are sorted by a particular ship. Perhaps most useful for purposes here, these days at least one cruiser starts a group for each particular cruise. We look for those when we sign up for a cruise, and there is a lot of the same useful knowledge that we found on Cruise Critic. There are some (in my view significant) differences, though. Cruise Critic is rather (generally) civilized, where Facebook can be akin to the "years ago western frontier." Cruise Critic members, by and large, tend to be "seasoned" cruisers, with experience and information that is often more relliable and focused. We find the quality of information on Cruise Critic to still be very good and very reliable. Just not as plentiful. Facebook, on the other hand, is all over the place. There is some very good information, an awful lot of uniformed opinion and volunteered information, annoyingly often repeated questions, lots of irrelevant discussion. Don't get me wrong. There is also good information. You just have to work harder to weed out the chaff. The second factor working against sites like Cruise Critic was the 2020 pandemic. As many know, cruising ran hard aground for at least a year during the pandemic with near catastrophic results for the cruise (and consequently tourist) industries. Sadly, Cruise Critic does not seem to have recovered to the extent it was pre-2020. Still, it is a resource I highly recommend for its depth and quality of information and the many seasoned and experienced cruisers there.

UNFORTUNATELY, WE have not found a single, comprehensive site that will give us the "on-the-ground" information you will need to have a successful off-ship excursion. You will have to check multiple sources and be somewhat resourceful with your research. The Whatsinport site it pretty good. But still, it is not comprehensive. For example, when we finally got back on the Celebrity Reflection in January of 2022, one of our stops was Roatan, Honduras. A little research revealed that Roatan is not mainland Honduras but is a small island of its eastern coast. This was a short, Western Caribbean Cruise, to "get our feet wet" again after the Pandemic of 2020 - 2021. We didn't make any comprehensive excursion plans. Probably a good thing in this case. The spot where our ship was docked would be best described as "sketchy." We had walked off our other 2 stops (Cozumel, and Nassau) and just done some general sightseeing. We made the on-the-spot decision to stay aboard in Roatan. I was, however, kind of disappointed. I had to wonder why a mainline ship like the Reflection would dock in a spot like this. But I had not done my personal research well. It turns out that the "main" cruise port is just a short way north up the coast but is pretty much locked up by Princess (and its subsidiary lines). It was a much more "developed" port, with the amenities we have learned to expect to see immediately on shore. We would certainly have walked off had we been in that port. We might also have taken an Uber or taxi up that way, had we known more (had I done a better job of researching). Moral of the story, do research the port(s) well prior to your cruise.

cruising ran hard aground for at least a year during the pandemic with near catastrophic results for the cruise (and consequently tourist) industries

CRUISE PORTS tend to fit into one of 3 patterns. There are ports that are very cruise friendly (a few of them built specifically to accommodate the cruise industry (think: Nassau, Bahamas). They will generally have good docking facilities for ships of all sizes, a generous terminal, and a robust tourist shopping area right at the port - within short walking distance from (if not directly on) the pier. The second type of port is more of an industrial setting, often in ports where a robust tourist infrastructure is not present yet (or maybe never will be), where the commercial aspects of the port take precedence. Toulon, France and La Spezia, Italy come to mind in my own experience. In some of the places there are multiple ports (like Helsinki, Finland, Stockholm, Sweden, and one of the ports in St. Thomas, USVI). The third type is a situation where the port is very remote from any attractions. The best examples in my experience were found on our cruise to South Africa. Only Cape Town and Durban had any "attractions" near the port. Every other stop was pretty heavily industrial, and separate transportation to any area of interest - often hours away - was a necessity. Some of the ports are combinations. The Port of Naples, for example (I understand the city itself is an attraction worth spending some time in - we haven't and don''t think most cruise passengers do, either), is a stepping-off place for many more remote attractions, like the Amalfi Coast, Capri, Sorrento, and the ancient ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum. In each of these cases, some familiarity with the port and how it works is a good thing. The terminal in Naples has some - mostly tourist "knick-knack" and luggage - shopping facilities. Nearby on the pier near the ferry terminals, there are more touristy shops and eating establishments. Another factor is the amenability of the host port to cruise ship traffic. La Spezia has virtually nothing. It is an industrial port and requires a shuttle from the ship to the port exit/entrance. It is short, but there are none of the tourist shops anywhere near the port (yet). In many senses, to me, the lack of the "cookie-cutter" shops, etc. that we find in many of the more cruise-oriented and developed ports is refreshing. It is my belief that a very large factor in selection of ports by cruise lines is tied to economics. No judgement there. Just pointing it out. And that is not a bad thing. We have docked in La Spezia multiple times and really enjoy the walk around the harbor, as well as the fact that we are in a somewhat "normal" city, rather than a cruise ship amusement park.

More recently, some ports and cruise destinations have become less "cruise-ship-friendly"

IN RECENT years we have seen another development. Some ports and cruise destinations have become less "cruise ship friendly." My first indication of that was the city of Venice. In 2013, we made our first cruise to the Mediterranean. That cruise was on the tnen newest and largest Princess ship, which was docked right in Venice. Since then, these large ships are no longer allowed in Venice. We next saw the issue in Santorini. More recently, Amsterdam, and the Norwegian Fjords, and now even in Barcelona. I posted a blog entry more specifically devoted to this subject on back in March.

Roatan, Honduras - Celebrity Reflection 2022

OVER THE years that we have cruised, we have been involved in a few conversations with other “seasoned” cruisers over the advisability of using third party purveyors for onshore excursions. Online, and on some of the organized sites (like CruiseCritic.com, and FB group pages) there is – understandably – some trepidation expressed about third party excursions and tours. Are they safe? Will they guarantee to get you back to the ship, and if not, will the ship wait for you? Are they more expensive than the cruise-sponsored tours?

ALL GOOD questions. Among those of us that have done many of them the general consensus is the most of these worries are unfounded. Perhaps the biggest worry we see expressed is that the tour operator won’t make it back to the ship on time and you will get left behind. And that is certainly a risk you take. But in our view, a calculated risk. You are never going to get a cruise line to guarantee that they will wait for you. But our experience is that there is some latitude there, especially if the ship is aware of extenuating circumstances. Not a lot. But some (and not always - see "Somebody Missed The Boat," an incident which we believe was well outside the "norm," and one which spoke badly about the cruise line. One would have thought they would have swiftly addessed and remediated that situation, just as a process of good marketing and customer-relations. Alas, they weren't yet quite finished. Just in the past few months, the left a large family stranded in Juneau, Alaska - this time on one of their own sponsored excursions! These incidents naturally garner attention, but we are confident that the vast majority of these independent operators are very cognizant of the consequences of not following the ship’s timetables. In all but one instance for us, the operators have been conservative, planning (and succeeding) to get us back to our ship at least 30-60 minutes before final boarding. It also often the case that our operators are local professionals who know their way around the area, are up to the minute with traffic conditions, transportation strikes, and other occurrences. During our 2019 stop in Barcelona, there was a massive march into the city from out in the country of Catalonian separatists, which ultimately massively clogged the streets of the city, particularly in the old city near the port. Our guide was concerned about getting us back to the ship and cut our tour short in that endeavor (refunding part of our costs of course). It turned out to be a good call on his part, though because of the magnitude of it, I believe it may have been one of those cases where the cruise line would have exercised some latitude. I know we left port a couple hours late that afternoon/evening. In the end, you and you only, are responsible to be sure there is a complete understanding with the tour operator. We have one very close experience - ironically, very recently - in all of our years of touring (see box below).

WE DON'T think the other expressed concerns are really much to worry about. Our experience, when we share the costs of a private excursion with others, has been that if it is more than the ship-sponsored tours, it is only marginally so. And the quality of the excursion is just so much better. As for safety and reliability, most of these companies are licensed and professional, and most of them are on sites like Viator and Travelocity. We have generally booked them after reading others' reviews. In all, we have found them to be much superior to any of the cruise tours we have participated in. Do your homework. Look for tours through legitimate sources (like Viator), where the purveyors have been vetted, and are generally reliable. Some of them will even guarantee timely return to the ship or reimbursement of expenses in the event they do not. Plan your excursion to give yourself plenty of time to return to the ship (I often see a cushion of at least 2 hours suggested). To us, that depends on the length of the shore time, and the nature of the tour.

WHEN YOU do leave the ship, there are a few items of preparation you need to consider. Do get the information (from the daily piece delivered the night before on most cruise lines) about the port authorities including the number to call for your ship, your cruise line, the ship's port agent and the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. In the very unlikely event that you get stuck in port and your ship leaves without you, those contacts will be invaluable. 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. But it is good information to have before leaving the ship. There will be announcements if a passport will be necessary to re-board, but that is rare, so we generally leave it locked up in our room's safe (though I will confess that on my last couple cruises, I have taken to carrying mine with me). We do carry a photo or a photocopy of our passport with us, though, in the event of an emergency, as well as photo I.D., (in some cases photo I.D. will be required to re-enter the boarding area of the port - the ship generally will make an announcement about that). We also carry a small amount of cash (what we think we may need for that day), at least one credit card, and our ATM card. Perhaps needless to say, but I will say it anyway. It is pretty important that you have devised a method of "safe carry." We hear a lot about pickpockets in many of these places around the world. Make sure any valuable items are on your person, where you can be constantly aware of them. Unzippered pockets and back flaps and pockets of backpacks and purses are not a very safe place for them.

IF I had to sum it up in one word, it would be research. Do as much research as you can about each port, in addition to excursions, even if you are on a private excursion that picks you up directly from the ship. Preparation will ward off most anxiety about returning to the ship. And make sure you and your tour guide have a very clear understanding about when you must be back to the ship. Above all, enjoy!

[We are off again on travel for the next couple weeks in Switzerland, Germany and the Czech Republic. Will be back in 2 weeks. Stay tuned]

Cruise Port Restrictions - A Harbinger of Things to Come for Cruisers?

Celebrity Cruise Port Terminal -Barcelona - Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

IN THE last post, I addressed knowledge of, and getting around in cruise ports. In previous recent blogs, I have touched on the changing landscape of cruise ports, and destinations that appear to have become less "cruise-friendly." I want to follow that up with some more specific information about what has been happening in the new, more restricted, world of cruise ports.

Technology and Social Media have vastly shrunk what once seemed like in interminably huge world

LATELY, I am seeing more and more attention being focused on the cruising sector of tourism and travel. In fact, to an extent, it sometimes feels like there is an unfair concentration on that one sector of tourism. Perhaps it is simply because I spend a lot of time reading, watching, writing, and participating. I also think it is a function of the fact that the industry tends to create the most concentrated, large-number influxes of tourists into a destination of any tourist industry sector.

Cruise Port Wharf - Liverpool - Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved

THERE IS no question that the Cruise sector contributes uniquely to some of the problems that world tourism and travel create. Each of the modern cruise ships concentrates 2500 - 7,000 people in one place at one time. They are transported in a relatively small vessel for such a high concentration of people, meaning that things like waste, on-shore infrastructure, and the like, tend to be significantly taxed by them. As the industry expands (and it certainly appears to be experiencing a post-covid boom), there is constant pressure for new cruise destinations, sometimes opening cruising to parts of the world that have not experienced it, and often ships porting in locations that are new to the industry. In these cases, infrastructure can be a huge issue. At the same time, the current popularity of cruising has certainly begun to overtax a number of the traditional cruise ports. At the same time, the facts don't lie. In many, if not most, of these places, the actual influx of people from cruises make up less than 10% of the overall tourist visits (less than 4%,for example, in Barcelona, where there has been recent protest against cruisers). The Cruise Line International Association asserts that cruising only accounts for about 2% of tourism, world-wide. Given who they are, however, I am skeptical of such a low figure. But I do think it is well below my suggested 10%. With that, perhaps you can understand my feeling that the negative sentiment is unfairly targeted to the cruise ship.

Copenhagen Harbor - Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved

THERE ARE certainly other factors that have contributed to a world-wide problem. Technology and Social Media have vastly shrunk what once seemed like in interminably huge world. Today we can see things through Social Media (and these days, particularly video) that in prior centuries could only be imagined. Travel modes (particularly jet air travel) has made this vast world hugely more accessible to 100,000's of people. At the same time the world is experiencing unprecedented travel and tourism, there has been an increasing influx of money coming into housing for many thought-to-be desirable areas in the world. Places like Portugal and Spain are really feeling this. When we were in Portugal in 2022, we often heard this from local residents. Wealth from other parts of Europe is fingding its way into purchase of residential housing both by non-residents who are making second home purchased, and by expats, moving there for a more desirable living environment. The effect, though, has been exlcusive to residents who can no longer afford to live in these places because of the increasingly high real estate costs (and consequential infrasture/tax burden). Also, new methods of  packaging and preservation of foods and other consumer goods - often with non-biodegradable (and sometimes even toxic) materials has caused a massive solid waste disposal problem. Much of this phenomena has driven movements like "global warming," "climate change," and so-called "green" technology and approaches. In turn, much of the world has turned to a more "green" outlook.

perhaps you can understand my feeling that the negative sentiment is unfairly targeted to the cruise ship

PERHAPS FIRST to the plate on the "green" agenda, has been Norway. In a sense, they are far ahead of the curve. A small, but technologically advanced country, Norway has just a couple densely populated areas, and the rest is relatively rural, and mostly unscathed by the issues found in the world's largest, most developed places. As such, they are perhaps one of the first to step up and pro-actively try to preserve the natural environment there. In terms of their approach to cruising, in 2018, the Norwegian parliament voted for zero emissions requirements for cruise ships by 2026. This was recently pushed back to 2035. But LNG and electric only starting in 2026. In practical terms that means that after 2025, any ship that isn’t electric wouldn’t be allowed in. There are no "mega-ships" as we write this that will fit those specifications. Essentially, that will mean that large cruise ships will cease to operate in the Norwegian Fjords, for the most part. Visits there will now be directed to much smaller ships. While that has a salient effect on Norway's environment and its "green" goals, it is certainly a change (to some, disappointing) for the cruise industry. We recently booked a cruise on Celebrity's Apex for August 2025, knowing it would no-doubt be our last opportunity to do the fjords on a conventional cruise ship. There have also been a series of demonstrations in popular ports and cities in Norway, protesting the mega-ships and their effects on Norway's environment.

Santorini, Greece - Copyright Andy Richards 2017 - All Rights Reserved

WHILE THE Norway phenom was developing and ongoing, but some years before, in 2021, Venice closed off its main lagoon to ships exceeding 25,000 tons. A major driving force there was the damage that the large screw, large displacement vessels were doing the silt in the lagoon - which in fairness - was never built or intended for ships of the magnitude most modern cruise ships entail. In 2013, we sailed on our very first Mediterranean Cruise, on the Princess Royal Princess. First of its class and carrying over 3,500 passengers, it was the newest and greatest ship Princess had in its fleet at the time, weighing in at over 140,000 tons. Today, that is moderate by many newer ship standards, and clearly far exceeds the current tonnage restrictions. Today, only some small ships  are allowed to dock on the mainland side, west of the islands, at Marghera (e.g. Azamara). Venice, of course, continues to be one of the worlds' most popular destinations (for good reason - it is pretty spectacular), and thus, continues to remain on most cruise line's "ports." I use quotes here because it really is kind of disingenous for them to consider it part of a cruise itinerary (at least without some significant disclaimer). Today, cruise ships mainly port at Ravenna, some 80 plus miles south of Venice, or at Trieste, across the Adriatic, and nearly 100 miles by land - at this point the only mode I am aware. It is one of those places I would consider visiting pre-cruise, flying into Marco Polo (or post, flying out), and planning to stay a few days. It is not a true port stop, in my view.

Amsterdam Cruise Port - Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

ANOTHER PORT city that has been feeling the pinch from tourism overcrowding is Amsterdam. We have been in and out of there several times over the years, as it has been a very popular port both for port-stops and for origination and termination of cruises. In addition to some robust ocean cruise traffic, it is also a major hub for river cruises in the region. With Schipol being the major airport in the Netherlands, and its proximity to The Hague, among other things, Amsterdam already has more of its share of tourists, without adding in the thousands of cruise passengers that drop in there daily. Apparently, the local authorities have had enough. In 2019, we completed a cruise that began in Dublin and finished in Amsterdam. In 2022, we round-trip cruise on a Baltic Cruise, out of, and back into Amsterdam. Amsterdam is one of those cities that offers so much to do, and we used the cruise stops as an opportunity to spend some days in the city before getting on board. We looked forward to doing the same on our scheduled Iceland Cruise in 2023. About 2-3 months prior to departure, we received a notification from Celebrity of a change in itinerary. Our departure and return port had been changed from Amsterdam to nearby Rotterdam. Fortunately for us, transport from the airport take just about the same time to Rotterdam as it does to the main station near the cruise port in Amsterdam. So in our case, we made it an adventure and decided to instead see Rotterdam for a couple days before embarking. We didn't regret it. It was a great city and I can't wait to go back.

Rotterdam, Netherlands - Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved

THE CHANGE, though, seems to be largely in response to the posture Amsterdam has recently taken. The city council has voted to essentially ban large cruise ships from Amsterdam cruise port moving forward. I think they feel that they have enough other tourism to sustain, even if there is a decrease in the current situation which they think is overboard. Rotterdam, for the moment at least, seems to welcome the influx of new traffic (and revenue, of course). It is interesting. Sadly, though, Amsterdam has one of the most modern, efficient and convenient cruise ports we have ever traveled through, Rotterdam's cruise port seems equally large,modern, and capable of handling the passenger boarding and de-boarding process. Rotterdam has an excellent tram system within the city, and the trains between Rotterdam and Amsterdam are frequent. It is a relatively short hop as well. We would have no qualms about booking hotel accomodations in Rotterdam and then simply taking the train to Amsterdamn for the day. Or to The Hague. Or to one of the numerous other nearby historical cities. Unlike Venice, the existence of a nearby, very good, alternative makes this one less of an issue for cruise passengers - in our view.

In my view, it is - and will continue to be - a somewhat delicate balance between the economic benefits of and the detriments of tourism

BARCELONA IS another city in the Mediterranean that has made recent news regarding the local attitudes toward cruising. Earlier this year, cruise passengers faced large - scale protests by residents, which in some cases included being squirted by squirtguns. Placards, and grafiti are more and more prevalent with the  message being: "Tourists go home." I grew up in a "tourist town" in northern Michigan. It was a summer resort right on Lake Michigan with some very nice amenities. My city of maybe 10,000 residents in the city and maybe 40,000 in the area experienced a summer influx of hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. That was in the 1970s. I looked recently and the city now boasts almost 20,000 city residents and about 150,000 in the surrounding affected area. In 2022, that area experienced over 7 million tourist visits! At the same time, it is estimated (though I wonder just how practically accurate these stats are sometimes, as I am not sure they fairly measure the long-term effects on infrastructure and environment) that the area was positively impacted in the amount about about $1.4 billion.

Venice - Grand Canal - Copyright Andy Richards 2013 - All Rights Reserved

HAVING GROWN up in a similar situation, I can readily understand a certain resentment held by local residents. The unprecedented influx of tourism - ironically usually for the very reason locals live there - often negates the draw of the region. Some of the places we have visited would surely seem more fun and amazing if there were less people and crowds there. In my view, it is - and will continue to be - a somewhat delicate balance between the economic benefits of and the detriments of tourism. The effects will be seen by cruisers. Many cities - like Barcelona, nearby Palma de Mallorca (another popular Spanish cruise stop) and Valencia - are considering limiting cruise ship size (no "mega-ships") and numbers (or are already doing it). There have also been demonstrations in the Canary Islands, but at this point there is no information that they are considering restrictions. How this shakes out in Barcelona is uncertain. At the time of this writing, There are 5 cruise ports (berths?) in Barcelona and it is my understanding that there are 2 more planned or already in construction.

Sadly, though, Amsterdam has one of the most modern, efficient and convenient cruise ports we have ever traveled through

WHEN WE visited Santorini, Greece in 2017, the evidence was already there of "overtourism" We were there in September and we fortunately experienced lesser crowds than are prevalent today. We also came into port relatively early, and our waiting line for the funicular to the top. We may have waited in line 10 minutes. Nothing like the hours-long wait I read about these days. Nor do I recal a particularly long line coming back. Our guide did take us on the most popular route - but we went backwards, which made for a pleasant morning. But the time we made it to the middle portion though, we were in elbow-to-elbow crowds. With that, I understand it is much worse today. Even back then, I was reading about how there were more tourists visiting Santorini annually than they could comfortably accommodate, and how they were considering measures to limit overall annual tourist numbers. More recently, Greece's Prime Minister has discussed plans to limit size and number of cruise ships in many of the islands and particular two of the most popular (and small): Santorini and Mykonos.

Port of La Spezia, Italy - Copyright Andy Richards 2021 - All Rights Reserved

WE HAVE not been there, but have heard and read that for years, Dubrovnik was one of the coolest places to go, with its medieval walled city. They have, however, since 2018 limited tourism both in numbers of visitors and numbers of cruise ships (2 per day). I have read that a nubmer of cruise lines have moved up the coast to Split, Croatia into their lineup in lieu of Dubrovnik. Who knows how long before they begin to react to the pressure of tourism.

Port of Naples, Italy - Copyright Andy Richards 2013- All Rights Reserved

IN A substantial number of instances, it is just sheer lack of both size and infrastructure.The city of Bruges in Belgium has also reduced the number of cruise ships docking at Zeebrugge, which is the port to get to Bruges, from five to two. Think about that for a minute. Let's say average 3,500 passengers. 5 ships. Nearly 20,000 people in a day. If you have not been, Bruges it is really a small city. I would much rather have more limited opportunities to visit it than have it cut off from the cruise circuit altogether. Probably the way of things going forward.

Akureyri, Iceland - Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved

ICELAND IS another cruise destination with only very small ports (other than Reykjavik). Two of our stops on our Iceland Cruise were Akureyri, with a population of just 20,000 and Isafjordur with only about 2,500 people. Isafjordur is the third-biggest cruise port after Reykjavik and Akureyri, and they have now limited the number of cruise passengers to 5,000 a day. In 2023, our Celebrity Apex (3500 passengers) was the only ship in port. But those limits are only recent. The Isafjordur Council, said that the reason is they don’t have the infrastructure, and the town was being too swamped. We are booked on a cruise to the Norwegian Fjords in August 2025 (trying to beat the ban). Interestingly (to me anyway) Other than the iconic, Flam, the ports we stop at are not what I would have though of as mainstream. Many of them are very small. I wonder though, if as the more popular ports have begun to impose restrictions, the cruise lines look for some of these lesser known ports who probably welcome the revenue at first, and then soon realize they do not have the infrastructure to support a ship (or 3) bringing 10,000 tourists into their community on a daily basis.

I would much rather have more limited opportunities to visit it than have it cut off from the cruise circuit altogether

OUR OWN United States are certainly not immune to these concerns. In recent times, the port of Juneau, Alaska has now restricted the number of daily cruise ships/passengers. Key West has long been overrun with tourists and the mega-ships have added to their burden. Know in extreme southern Florida as "The Conch Republic," the powers that be in Key West have passed at least two measures to control and restrict cruise ship visits. Unfortunatley, it is becoming a bit of a battleground as (pro-business/free enterprise) Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, has overruled both restrictive measures passed by The Conch Republic as being unconstitutional. Time will tell on this.

Belfast, Northern Ireland - Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved

THE CRUISE Line International Association (CLIA) warns that the protests and what they deem undue restrictions and taxes may have a backlash for places like Barcelona and Mallorca, as cruise passengers develop a negative perspective for these places, electing cruises that do not stop there. In what is surely "saber-rattling," I have read that the CLIA, referring to is as "tourism-phobia," has warned places like Barcelona that their hostility toward cruise ships might well result in ports all over Spain being boycotted. I see a lot of the talk from both sides being unfortunate hyperbole. I have little doubt that authorities all recognize the mutual benefit in continued tourism. I am again reminded of my little tourist town growing up. One of Michigan's top 2 tourist attractions is Mackinac Island, and one of its famous specialties is - for whatever reason - fudge. A couple of the purveyors were actually originally from my town (Traverse City), and fudge was one of the things local makers and merchants could count on good sales of to tourists. We locals (and especially some of us younger ones, who had a pretty parochial life view at that time) had a pejorative nickname for tourists. We called them "Fudgies." And we didn't mean it as a nice (as in "thank your for buying our fudge and other products) moniker, either. 😏I never forgot, however some of my more reasonable and adult influences reminding me that we were a pretty quiet little community for most of 9 months, with not much revenue in many cases and that for that busy 3 months, those "fudgies" more or less sustained the city throughout the year. It becomes a bit of a "love-hate" relationship, but you realize that if properly managed, there are mutual benefits.

Old San Juan, Puerto Rico - Copyright Andy Richards 2013 - All Rights Reserved

THE ONE significant cruising region that does not yet seem to have shown any negative reaction to cruise ships is the Caribbean. Indeed, probably just the opposite is true, as more and more new destinations vie for the almighty tourist dollar. Everywhere we go there - even in the face of very crowded conditions - we have seen (and I have read) little evidence of them feeling the pinch. The last time we were in St. Maarten, there were 7 cruise ships docked. They seem to find room, though, for the ships and the people. I will watch that part of the world as we go foward. For us, it is the least exciting, as we live in the "almost Caribbean" here in Florida. We still cruise there - because we like to cruise - but usually only if we have friends from cold weather climates who are going and we can join.

Nassau, Bahamas - Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

IN THE meantime, we, as cruisers, can and should continue to practice being good visitors, embracing and respecting local cultures and people, and spending our money where we can on real local establishments and products (for some of us, that may mean moving away from the areas immediately surrounding the cruise port). This will continue to be a problem that will not go away for the forseeable future. I hope that the powers-that-be can see their way to meaningful compromise and we can continue to see and experience the world through the cruise ship!