In most cases, a cruise ship docks in a port around 8 a.m. and leaves it by 4 p,m. That’s very little time to actually get to see a place, and it means you should make every effort to make sure that what you’re seeing is what you should see.
That does not mean you should try to pack your port day. It’s more important to find the one thing you don’t want to miss instead of trying to cram everything in.
Related: Royal Caribbean passenger shares vital warning for all cruisers
It’s also perfectly OK if the thing you want to do is be lazy and spend time on the beach or by the pool. It still counts as a visit even if you didn’t see a museum or do something cultural. It’s also okay to skip the famous whatever if that’s not interesting to you.
In a cruise port, it’s important to find the activity that’s going to make the best use of your time. That might be very different from what other people want to do.
You might be in search of the perfect Mojito or on an endless quest for the hottest hot sauce. At the end of the day, you are only beholden to yourself and the people you’re with.
If you want to spend your time in tourist traps or walking around the cruise port, but if you’re looking for something more, Come Cruise With Me Executive Editor Daniel Kline and PostCard Travel Planners Dennis Post has some advice for you.
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How to decide what to visit in a cruise port (1:25)
How to find the best cruise port stops
Transcript:
Daniel Kline: Hello, cruisers. I am Dan Kline, executive editor of the most read cruise site in the world, Come Cruise With Me. That is comecruisewith.com.
We know the URL and the name aren’t great. We are working on that.
I am here with Dennis Post. Dennis is the co-owner of Postcard Travel Planning, and he is the reason I am standing here on this amazing beach in the British Virgin Islands
You have to take a charter boat to get here, but most destinations are kind of hidden. Dennis, there is a way to find out, sort of a secret way to find out what the best place to visit is in each port.
Dennis Post: What do you do to find that out? So if you don’t know and you get on a cruise and you are thinking about what you want to do, talk to some of the crew.
The crew get off, they get opportunities to get off the cruise ship at certain ports at certain times, but they know the locals and they know the local spots to go to, like Joseph Van Dyke where we are in the British Virgin Islands.
Kline: So the best people to talk to are the musicians. So, solo musicians, ice skaters, and people like that get time off during the day. They have drills, they have other things they have to do, but many days they have time off, so they know the hidden restaurants, they know the secret beach to go to.
So ask those people; they will be willing to share, they will be willing to tell you. Now, maybe when you get there, if one of them is there, buy them a drink. If you see a crew member, these people work very, very hard, but they have all the insight.
I am Dan Kline. He is Dennis Post. Come cruise with us soon. See you soon.
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Make a free appointment with Come Cruise With Me’s Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at [email protected] or call or text her at 386-383-2472.
