Why do cruise ships not stay in port?

Simple. Most tourists stop spending money in each port after a couple days. So the ports want docked ships out after a short stay for other ships to take their place and spend money again. We're doing a Canada/NE coast cruise that spends the first night docked at the port, Quebec City.



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The choice is totally yours. You can go ashore on a tour, explore the cruise port on your own or stay onboard and relax by the pool, book a (usually discounted on port days) spa treatment or take advantage of other activities on your ship during the day.

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Many factors go into this including operational considerations such as how far the port is from other ports and if we stay later would we still be able to reach the next port of call. Usually if we spend more time in one port then we will spend less time in another port.

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Most cruise lines have port agents stationed in the port area to assist if your ship has left without you. In cases when cruisers are late returning to the vessel, the ship's crew will often remove the passengers' essential items -- passports, cell phones and medication -- from the ship to leave with the port agents.

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How much are port charges and taxes? You should usually find that port charges and taxes together come to around 10–20% of the base cruise fare. However, this isn't a hard and fast rule — some cruises have been known to have port charges and taxes totaling nearly half of the base cruise fare.

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All big ships come alive at night -- expect theater shows (ranging from Las Vegas-style revues to Broadway musicals), live music, crew talent shows, stand-up comedy, themed parties on the lido deck or in the dance club, dinner theater, ship wide scavenger hunts, feature films or even renditions of The Dating Game.

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Cruise lines typically follow strict departure times at all ports of call. While exceptions may be made for passengers participating in excursions organized by the cruise line, the cruise ship generally does not wait for late passengers.

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Ships can be fined for not leaving at the scheduled time, especially if it's a busy port. Also, if a ship is delayed leaving port, they often have to speed up to get to the next port on time, which can burn through a lot of fuel.

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Cruise lines drain their swimming pools at night to discourage guests from trying to enter the pool when it is closed. Draining the swimming pools each night also allows the cruise lines to replace the water with clean water and a drained swimming pool is safer if the weather is rough.

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The vast majority of cruise lines don't publish official curfews, though they do rely on parents to exercise good judgement. Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, the very kid-friendly Disney Cruise Line does not have an official policy regarding curfew for underage cruisers.

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To preserve night vision of the crew on the bridge. It is not just the bridge but the entire bow of the ship is kept dark for the same reason. If you are on a cruise and want to go to the darkest place possible to see the stars in the open ocean go to the open decks at the bow below the bridge.

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Disembarking at the end of a cruise is a bit more complicated, this can take a few hours, depending on the cruise size. At the end of your trip, you will need to take care of paying the bill for purchases made on board, checking out your room and, in some cases, passing through customs and immigration.

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All the major cruise lines have the same pregnancy policy: Guests are allowed to cruise through their 23rd week of pregnancy.

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There are no official figures for how long it takes a cruise ship to stop and it can depend on a number of factors. Most estimations suggest at least a mile with many saying further.

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As soon as an incident happens, cruise ship crew will activate a button that pinpoints the place where the person went into the water. The ship will then stop and turn back to that area. The ship and its crew will perform a lengthy search and rescue operation, lasting several hours.

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The easiest way for ships to do this is to liquefy the leftover food in an industrial grinder. The food is blended with water until it's a smooth mixture and then either disposed of in port, incinerated, or pumped out to sea when the ship is deep water and away from the coastlines. Simple as that.

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Many first-time cruisers don't realize that they won't be able to go directly to their staterooms upon boarding. Pass the time while you wait for your room to be ready and for the ship to set sail by enjoying lunch on the Lido Deck of the ship.

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If you sail with Princess, Cunard, or Holland America you can go to your room as soon as you get on board your ship, but with the big 3 like Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, and Carnival Cruise Line you will just have to enjoy walking around the ship for a while until your room is ready for you.

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