AS READERS here know, I spend a lot of time on line on various sites that cover the cruise and travel agency. Not as a professional. As a consumer. Reading responses to a YouTube channel on cruising recently, I came across a comment that planted a seed for this blog. A "new" (to me, anyway) approach to cruising.
Most stops are for less than 12 hours
AS SEASONED cruisers know, the typical cruise is anywhere from 4 to about 14 days (with an average of about 7-12). There are longer ones, of course. But this is the norm. The usual itinerary, depending on distance between ports, has the ship cruising at night and stopping in ports by day. A typical 7-day cruise would have between 3 and 5 stops. Most stops are for less than 12 hours. Sometimes there is an overnight, but even those can abbreviate one of the 2 days you would expect an overnight to consume.
What if there were cruises designed with a smaller number of stops and more overnights or even multiple nights?
WHAT IF the cruise lines changed that up. One of my "negatives" about cruising as a form of seeing the world travel is the shortness of time spent in ports. There is not only not enough time, but we miss some of the best times for things to happen (sunrise, sunset and night time). What if there were cruises designed with a smaller number of stops and more overnights or even multiple nights?
THIS IS just a "raw" idea in my mind at this state. There are certainly going to be complications. For example, I do not know how the approach would change the cost structure. Port fees would most likely substantially increase. Ship revenues might be effected by lower on-ship consumption (shops and casinos closed more -but maybe some concessions could be made there, at least where shore stops don't have the shops and/or casinos). There might be lowered fuel costs, but I am not sure on this one, particularly when ships run engines while docked?
Managing passenger logistics would be a significant consideration
I SUSPECT some of the cruise logistics would be complicated by an approach like this - especially considering that cruise types (traditional and this approach) would be mixed. This could well effect and be effected by port availability. This approach could also change onboard staff management and logistics. Employee contracts would no doubt be different, or at least contain additional provisions.
ANOTHER POSSIBLE logistics problem would be managing passenger accounting. The ships all do - in my view - an amazing job of accounting for passengers who leave the ship and return. By the time I started cruising in the 2000's, we were already pretty much digitized. Our ship cards contained at least a magnetic strip that could be swiped and would show the ship management that you had gone ashore - and that you returned. Even on my first cruise, the efficiency of this process impressed me. I wonder how they did it back in the earlier days. Maybe some reader here is old enough to remember - and would share that with us in the comments?
WITH THIS approach, however, another -different - problem comes to mind. On our Celebrity "England and Ireland" cruise in 2019, we had a unique (for us) experience - very much like what I am proposing here. We ported in Le Havre, France. From there, it was only about a 90 - minute train ride to Paris. Our overnight was the longest I can remember, arriving in the early morning hours and then not departing until around midnight on the second day. Never having been to Paris, we took advantage of this (to us) extra-long stop and booked an overnight in a Paris motel. This gave us about a day and a half in Paris, including the evening. It was well worth it in my view (I was able to see - and photograph - the sunset over Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower - and photograph the tower at night). We had time to see a few of the main sights in the city (not nearly enough). We ate in a couple of the local restaurants. It was memorable and I remember thinking about this on many of our other unique stops.
It had never even occurred to us that the ship might depart early, leaving us "stranded" in Paris!
THERE IS, however, a logistics issue. It was really underscored when in 2022, we cruise on Celebrity's Apex in the Baltic. We had a planned overnight stop in Stockholm, Sweden. The port was not really within walking distance of the city, though it was only a short shuttle or taxi ride. It would have been another ideal spot to book an overnight hotel and take in parts of the city during the nighttime and early morning hours. We did not plan to do that this time, but I am sure some people did. At some point (I don't remember exactly when, but we were on board at the time), the ship captain came on the PA system and announce that because of predicted high winds, the overnight stay was being cancelled (maybe during dinner), and the ship would be departing around midnight (the passage in and out of Stockholm Port is narrow and winding and a few miles (it took a couple hours each way).
IT GAVE us a jolt when it occurred to us: what about people who were still ashore? What about people who had booked overnight stays in Stockholm hotels? How would they know? What are the mechanics of getting them back aboard? We immediately remembered our Paris adventure. It had never even occurred to us that the ship might depart early, leaving us "stranded" in Paris! We had not informed the ship that we would be overnighting in Paris. Nor had we given them our hotel name, reservation, etc. It is unclear to me what the resposibilities are in that case. I confess I haven't read a contract from end-to-end since our first couple cruises. Even then when I did that, I think I was in the huge minority of passengers. I am an attorney. I will be the first to tell you that these contracts are long, wordy, confusing and tedious. I think - like many large commercial ventures - they count on people not reading the so-called "fine print." In the future though, if I plan an overnight stay on shore, I will at least peruse the contract for that information. An even better approach, however, is to just voluntarily inform the ship of your overnight plans, including the name, telephone, address, and perhaps reservation number of your hotel. Just common sense (even though we didn't exercise it in 2022). 😓
Would there be enough demand for this kind of cruise?
THE THING is, this could become a major logistics headache for cruise ships. Would overnight stays onshore become a popular thing? I am not sure. I think it would partially depend on the port and how close amenities were. If it were easy to walk, shuttle or taxi/Uber, we probably wouldn't want to deal with the extra cost and hassle (some form of luggage would be an issue for most travelers planning to overnight) of booking a hotel when we have a great room right there back at the ship.
WOULD THERE be enough demand for this kind of a cruise? I honestly don't know. I do know that I would personally embrace it. There are - in my (perhaps myopic) view, some real cruise passenger pluses. Perhaps the biggest positive for all passengers who like to travel and get off the ship at stops (I suspect this is the majority) is the additional time to explore the port city and surrounds. It would likely create many more options and opportunities for excursions. It would allow passengers to take advantage of local cuisine and restaurants (though the cruise lines might see this a negative, considering the food planning logistics require, but lost revenue on upcharge items and alcohol). And of course many passengers are more about the cruising "experience" than the ports. There is certainly an argument that both of these could be accomplished though.
WHAT DO you think? Is this a viable approach to cruising? Would love to hear your thoughts.
