Are Cruises becoming less "Port-Friendly?"

Port of La Spezia, Italy - Copyright Andy Richards

AS I worked on this post, I realized that the concept of "port-friendly" is mostly a perception on my part. It is also partly reality, however. I want to be clear, though, that I am not blaming the ports. My comments are directed more to the cruise lines and their "choice" of ports and the way they are "marketed." At the same time, should also acknowledge that some of the rationale for the choices they make are driven by economic and situational realities. In the last few years (I would say particularly since the 202 pandemic), it seems to me that cruise ships are stopping more and more at what I would personally characterize as "less favorable" ports. We started our cruising in America (and Vancouver, Canada). We followed an Alaska cruise with the (very much American-influenced) Caribbean. Next, we were in some of the more popular Eruopean ports, like Barcelona and Naples. All were (and basically still are) well set up for the cruise ship industry.

Manarola (Cinque Terre), Italy - Copyright Andy Richards 2022

EUROPE IS different than the U.S., in my view, when it comes to ports. It is much older, and there are many ports that service the various cities around the world, that were there a very long before pleasure-cruising but service the cruise ships today. Some of them may not be what we have grown accustomed to or expect. That is the "perception" part.

Port of Barcelona, Spain - Copyright Andy Richards

WE STARTED cruising in 2010. Our first cruise was the Alaska "Inside Passage" cruise on the Princess Cruise Lines Diamond Princess. Princess has always had a "lead" on the Alaska Cruises. They have their own lodge in Denali and the cruise terminal in Whittier. It stands to reason that they have pretty good ports of call. I know, though, that Holland America seems to have pretty much equally good stops (which might be connected to the fact that they are owned by the same parent company). We haven't been back since 2010, but from what I read those do not seem to have changed much.

Princess' "dedicated" Cruise Terminal - Whittier, AK - Copyright Andy Richards 2010

CARIBBEAN PORTS (and the Bahamas) appear to be going strong. There appears to be no waning of good ports, set up for, and welcoming to, cruise ships. A couple of the cruise lines own their own "island" stops in the Bahamas. Those are obviously very cruise-friendly and won't likely change. They are nice beaches, but you are captive there, with only "ship" activities (mostly beach and water oriented). Of course, "fun and sun" is pretty much the theme of a Caribbean vacation. But other port choices are continually expanding. In the western Caribbean, from what I can see, there is not much new. Cozumel, Belize and Cayman seem to be the most popular. Perhaps a stop in the Bahamas on the way or on the way home. The one expansion seems to be Roatan, Honduras; an island off the mainland. And there, from what I read, it really depends on the cruise line. Our only time in Honduras was on Celebrity, which docks at Gravel Bay, and it just isn't a very inviting port stop. It is essentially undeveloped. On the other hand, I am told that Princess and some of the others use the Mahogany Bay cruise port just north (and north of the airport), which is much more developed in the fashion of the other established ports. Of course, this means "trinket" stores, but also generally makes it more inviting to get off the ship and explore. I wouldn't want to get off at Gravel Bay without a pre-established excursion (and indeed we did not leave the ship when we stopped there in January of 2022).

Gravel Bay "Cruise Port" - Roatan, Honduras - Copyright Andy Richards 2022

IN THE eastern and southern Caribbean, however, in addition to the established stops like San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, both the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos; and to the south the Dutch, "ABC" Islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao) there are a few newer and then much newer "players," who are for the most part, trying to get some of the tourist trade. Some, like St. Kitts, have been around for at least 10 years. Our first Caribbean Cruise on the Ruby Princess stopped at St. Kitts. It was relatively obvious that it was just getting established as a sought-after cruise destination. I think they have succeeded, as they have been a stop on almost every one of our eastern or southern Caribbean cruises. In 2023, we stopped there aboard the Celebrity Equinox. There was evidence of substantial expansion and improvement of the cruise piers. The "trinket town" that extends from the pier onto the island is about 3 times the size it was when were there in 2012, and at least double what it was on our stop on the Celebrity Summit in 2014. We also stopped in Dominica and St. Lucia in January 2023 (aboard the Equinox). In both cases, things were substantially expanded in terms of commercial development at the cruise piers. It is clear that these destinations are virtually all built to attract and support cruise ships.

the concept of "port-friendly/not port friendly" is partly perception on my part

OF PARTICULAR note to me was St. Lucia. While there was a well-established pier area, the island is behind some of the others in terms of development. However, all of these places (old and new) have non-cruise-based beach resorts. Many of them are pretty high end. And this has been in spite of the several catastrophic hurricanes that have passed through parts of the Caribbean over the past few years. Our guide noted, for instance, that crime was a serious problem in St. Lucia (some independent research of my own confirmed this - perhaps the worst crime of any Caribbean vacation island).

Castries, St. Lucia - Copyright Andy Richards 2023

EVERY CARIBBEAN port appears to be seeking and courting tourism (and of course, the significant money it brings in, both directly and indirectly). The reason: Tourism. Historically, virtually every Caribbean destination was once invaded and controlled by a European, African, or American power. For the most part, the motive was to exploit the areas' significant resources, from its climate acclimated to grow crops like sugar and coffee, to natural resources like minerals and even oil in some cases. For many reasons, most of these once exportable resources are no longer a sustainable source of income for the people who live there. When we ask: "what is your island's number one economic resource?" we are universally told: "tourism."

St. Kitts, West Indies - Copyright Andy Richards 2023

THE POINT here is that though there are still many (often developing) substandard ports of call in the Caribbean, I would expect them to continually improve, assuming there are enough "draws" for tourism on the islands. They are all working hard on that. Most have similar things to offer, like rainforests, beaches, and in some cases dramatic, mountain views.

Port of Naples, Italy - Copyright Andy Richards 2013

WHEN IT comes to the rest of the world, however, I see things very differently. Again, our first time was in 2013. Our actual ports of call were Venice, Kusadasi (about 30 minutes from Ancient Ephesus National Park and other "Roman" sites), Istanbul, Athens (port is very close), Mykonos, Naples, Rome and Barcelona. Our second one started in Barcelona, and had port stops in Marseille, and Livorno. Both are close (within 30 minutes) to sought after sites (Provence from Marseille and Pisa from Livorno). That cruise also stopped in Messina, Sicily and Athens, Greece. Our next couple Mediterranean cruises all had good ports. Mostly close and accessible to attractions (Athens may be the exception, with the port 30 minutes or so away from the city, but transportation is good, and the multi- terminal port is modern and nice).

Port of Piraeus (Athens) - Copyright Andy Richards 2013

MORE RECENTLY, it seems like some of our stops have been less than optimal. While this has been particularly true during and immediately after the 2020-2021 worldwide pandemic, it is not wholly because of that. There are a number of reasons, in my view, for these "lesser" port experiences. Economics, ecology, ship size, and pandemic all have played a part in this trend, in my view.

It is the intimation by the cruise lines and their itineraries that this is a port for Florence and Pizza, that I find off-putting

ECONOMICS IS probably the most obvious, and broad-reaching culprit. Port fees and taxes can be a very high-cost item against the cruise lines' bottom line. If they are able to negotiate better fees with alternative ports, they stand to be more profitable overall (and it might be part of the solution to keeping them from going out of business altogether). Port fees can also be a way for certain destinations to regulate the traffic. Charging higher fees can drive the cruise lines to look for more economical ports. Economics may also mean that there will not be enough cruise ship traffic in a particular area to sustain a developed cruise terminal. The port of La Spezia, Italy seems to me to be a good example of this. La Spezia is a medium sized, industrial city, with a good port and a large shipping presence. But it isn't a spot that is a great hub for tourism (like Naples, for example). There is only one truly convenient tourism destination in La Spezia: Cinque Terre. It is only speculation on my part, but I believe the cruise lines (especially Celebrity - for American lines), have tried hard to make it a cruise destination. I think that is likely driven by port costs (but I emphasize that I do not have any hard data about this). But they are disingenuous, in my view, in how they market it. Their typical itinerary lists it as "La Spezia: for Pizza, Florence, and Cinque Terre." The latter is the only sensible excursion from here in my opinion. In years past, cruise ships (we know Princess did - we were there), ported in the nearby port of Livorno, which is much closer to Pizza and Florence, and makes those both "doable" one-day cruise stop excursions. Don't misunderstand what I am saying here. I like La Spezia, and I don't mean to denigrate their port by any means. They do have a small cruise terminal at the port entrance. You have to take a shuttle to get there, and more recently, Celebrity has been charging a fee for that. It isn't bank-breaking but is kind of off putting for a "cruise terminal." If you plan appropriately, Cinque Terre is well-worth the stop, though. And you will need the entire day to see it. In fact, I would strongly recommend that you take at least one cruise that stops in La Spezia, just for the opportunity to visit Cinque Terre.

Manarola, Cinque Terre, Italy - Copyright Andy Richards 2022

ANOTHER PORT stop that seemed to us to be likely economics-based, was Cannes, France. While Cannes could be considered a "destination," most cruisers are not really interested in spending their day stop there. It is small. And the cruise lines (Celebrity at least), tout it as "for" Nice, Eze, and Monaco. You have to tender in. Villefranche, in Nice is closer and really a better, more sheltered port. It too is a tender port. It is also possible to anchor off of Monaco and tender in there (we have done both). The problem with Monaco (and really, any of the tender ports) is that weather can mean cancelling the stop altogether. Still on the French Riviera, Toulon was another less cruise-friendly port. Marseille is very nearby. We ported there back in 2o15 with Princess. It is a deepwater port and cruise friendly. Toulon, not so much. We were able to pull alongside a pier. But we were at the back of the port, out of the way, in a very industrial area. Our private tour guide told us we were fortunate to find any guide that was willing to drive to that port, as it was so much easier to work with the other ports. Our only conclusion: economics.

I am not placing any blame on the ports. My comments are directed at the choice of ports and the way they are "marketed"

THEN THERE are what, for lack of a better description, I will call "reverse-economics." For many years, Amsterdam, Netherlands, has been a premier and sought-after cruise stop. They have a very nice, modern cruise terminal, near a transportation hub, and very close to the inner city. Their tram lines (including the central railroad station, is a short walk from the cruise terminal, and there are great hotels very convenient to the terminal (on our last trip we stayed at the Movenpick Hotel - essentially adjacent to the terminal). As well as large ship berths, substantial river cruise traffic also ports and stages up in the same Amsterdam harbor. For the past couple years, however, the cruise traffic has fallen out of favor with the "city fathers" of Amsterdam and the topic has become controversial. In 2023, the city council voted to ban the large cruise ship from Amsterdam. They have so much tourism in the city - which is easy to reach by air and by train - they are overburdened. The current infrastructure (and geography) saturated even before a couple cruise ships dump 8,000 passengers for a day (or overnight), not to mention the influx of embarking and departing passengers. Santorini in Greece is feeling the same crunch, as a 2 plus cruise ship day grossly overcrowds a small (albeit) beautiful island. As you view Santorini from (a cruise ship deck in my case) below, it is obvious that there is a finite "space" for tourists. Like Amsterdam, Santorini already has a brisk stay-on-the-island tourist business.

Santorini, Greece - Copyright Andy Richards 2017

THESE CURTAILMENTS are not unprecedented. A few years back, Venice shut down all but very small cruise ships to their port. We began our first European cruise on the largest, newest (at the time) Princess ship, right from the port on the western end of the island. It was not only convenient after spending several days seeing Venice, but the ride out was in the middle of the Grand Canal, with spectacular views of Venice all the way along its southern coast. But alas, not only the overcrowding, which was exacerbated by cruise ships, but also the damage the deeper draft, large screw ships were doing to the canal, put an end to that. Now cruises (again, disingenuously in my view) that have "Venice" on the itinerary, don't really dock in Venice. The ships either dock in Ravenna (approximately 2 hours south of Venice by car or train), or Trieste, across the water to the east of Venice (also a 2-hour trip). Unfortunately, economic success from tourism - one of the metrics of which is numbers - can morph into many negatives, including overburdening the infrastructure, crowding to the point that there is really no enjoyment for the visitors, and environmental/ecological problems.

Venice, Italy from our cruise ship - Copyright Andy Richards 2013

ECOLOGY HAS emerged more recently, but really is a problem. It may be the most "real" and lasting one. Since we started to cruise, Venice has now banned all but a few very small cruise vessels from entering and porting in their Grand Canal. I am reading that ports like Barcelona, Santorini, and Amsterdam are actively, or considering curtailing cruise ship traffic. There are a couple reasons for this. In Venice, the most pressing has been the damage that the huge screws and their cavitation does to the canal beds. But a second (probably not as direct and maybe not even admitted) is that Venice (as well as the others mentioned) suffers from just too many people visiting each year. This has placed stress on the infrastructure of these destinations, as well as their ability to endure over time. As well, as cruise lines compete for more passengers and offer more itineraries, there is only so much space available in any of the ports.

THE MUCH more environmentally focused Scandinavian countries are also jumping on the curtailment bandwagon. To the best of my knowledge, Norway, for example, will no longer let large cruise ships cruise up into their many fjords (and for that matter, it is my understanding, even into Oslo). Others will certainly follow suit. This doesn't mean you cannot see the fjords. It does mean you will have to find means other than a cruise to Norway.

I almost always find some nice shots as a photographer though, wherever we end up

THE PANDEMIC, is of course, often quickly blamed for all of our current issues. While it most certainly caused some major issues and has changed our world, it really isn't the culprit. A contributor, yes. There is little doubt though, that some popular locations were already feeling the pressure and reacting to increased tourism. Venice banned the large ships well before Covid. I read that Santorini has been considering a quota on tourists for some years now. The travel business is one of the biggest worldwide industries.

LaVerdon-sur-Mer - Copyright Andy Richards 2021 (from our cruise ship)

WE PERSONALLY experienced the after-effects of the 2020 pandemic. It of course, stretched well into 2021. From 2020 until November of 2021, we had a series of scheduled cruises postponed, moved up, and eventually cancelled. They were clearly statistics of the pandemic. We tried several times to find a cruise that would work, only to have it cancelled as the effects of Covid proved to be further reaching than the world anticipated. We finally did get one booked in November of 2021, on Princess, out of Southampton, England. Originally scheduled for a stop on the Isle of Guernsey, and LaRochelle, France and Bilbao, Spain, (both cities with lots to do and see - including the famous Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao) we were hit with last-minute (just weeks prior to sailing) itinerary changes. Guernsey was closed to tourist traffic. There was some kind of a problem with LaRochelle (we suspect it was about money but are only speculating). Likewise, Bilbao was also suddenly off the list. Our stops changed to a'Coruna, Spain, a medium to small city that was kind of non-descript (every city will have some things to see - best seen with a local guide who can show you places - we didn't do that this trip), and a middle-of-nowhere stop: LaVerdon-sur-Mer in France. It is a beautiful peninsula that is largely unpopulated, but apparently a popular vacation spot. The port was far from anywhere. The only option was a shuttle to the nearby beach town of Sulac-sur-Mer, which we did take. There were enough other factors on this cruise (including the mere fact that we were once again cruising) that we were happy enough. But had we been counting on things for this cruise, we would have been disappointed. Neither of the substitute ports were much to write home to mom about. I almost always find some nice shots as a photographer though, wherever we end up. Unlike the others above, I chalked this one off solely to the pandemic. And as we began to ramp up our cruising again, I think that played itself out.

A'Coruna, Spain - Copyright Andy Richards 2021

IRONICALLY, WHAT influences and affects one destination can become a boon for another. Our most recent European cruise - on the Celebrity Apex - was originally slated to begin in Amsterdam. Having spent some time in Amsterdam - and becoming familiar with transportation and landmarks - we looked forward to arriving there a day or so early, and in all probability staying in the same Movenpick Hotel, adjacent to the terminal. But couple months before we were due to board, we received notice of a change. The ship would be departing out of nearby Rotterdam. Looking into it a bit, we learned that this was not an isolated instance (and was most likely related to the issues I mentioned earlier regarding Amsterdam). We feel certain that Celebrity got a better port deal in Rotterdam. It wasn't really angst-inducing for us, as the same airport and trains service Rotterdam, as Amsterdam. We made reservations in Rotterdam, and actually embraced it as a chance to see the city. We are very glad we did. Rotterdam is a very cool city. Our impression was that the city embraced the cruise ships as a positive addition to their economy and they were certainly ready to handle the traffic. The Rotterdam cruise terminal was modern and spacious and appeared well-suited to accommodate additional new cruise passenger traffic.

Rotterdam, Netherlands - Copyright Andy Richards 2023

I AM not sure this rambling post (aren't most of them rambling? 😁) stays relevant to the title or answers the question. What is certain though, is that there are many different ports and port experiences throughout the world. In April, we embark on yet another new adventure, sailing on the Holland America Westerdam, from Yokohama, Japan, and circling the entire island country. It will be our first experience with Asian ports (I don't include Istanbul, even though it is technically an Asian port). We are looking forward to a new adventure, on a new (for us) ship, in a new part of the world.

Rotterdam, Netherlands - Copyright Andy Richards 2023