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In a very popular video, I spoke about
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the reasons why smart cruisers are
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staying on board the ship on port days
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more than ever these days. It sparked a
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lot of arguments and discussion, which
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got me wondering if maybe I was wrong
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about not getting off the ship. Welcome
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aboard. I'm Gary Benbridge, and after
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wondering if staying on board a ship in
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port could lead to the biggest cruising
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regret you and I could have, here's what
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I discovered. Many cruisers I meet tell
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me a main reason they don't get off in a
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port is they've been before or are due
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to come back on another cruise and
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they'll explore it then. However, what
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they don't consider is it could be their
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last chance to ever explore that port.
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As we've seen in recent years in an
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increasingly volatile world, amazing
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ports can quickly become offlimits due
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to unrest and wars. For example, wars
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meant the incredible port of St.
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Petersburg and others around Israel in
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the Middle East, Red Sea and Sew Canal
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area disappeared off cruise itineraries,
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while Haiti in the Caribbean has
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disappeared due to gang warfare, making
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it impossible to call on. Natural
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disasters can also make ports suddenly
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unvisitable, too. In a recent Alaska
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season, a landslide in Skagway stopped
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some ships calling there. Recently,
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earthquakes stop ships calling into
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Santorini, for example. Too also
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increasingly with signs it may grow is
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more countries, islands, and port cities
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are placing bans and restrictions on
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cruise ship visits. These range from the
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much publicized Venice changes, total
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bans by various ports in Canada, limits
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on how many and which types of ships can
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go to Santorini, Mkos and other Greek
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islands, the same in Palmer, Athera, and
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mayors in cities like Nice and Barcelona
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are pushing for more bands. So that port
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you don't get off in may not be
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available to be visited again. Also,
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even if you've been to a port before,
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things are always changing. There may be
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new museums, attractions, sites,
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restaurants, and seasonal activities
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like festivals, markets, or events
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unique to that core that you will miss
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out on even if you've been to the port
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before. And of course, there may be a
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weather issue stopping a call like
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happened to friends as I made this where
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due to hurricane Eron, they missed four
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Caribbean ports on their planned island
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princess cruise out of New York. Life
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events may also get in the way like your
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ability to travel at all, unplanned
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family changes and so on. So before
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staying on board, consider you may never
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return to that particular port again in
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your lifetime and ask if you will regret
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it. Another reason many like staying on
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board is the ship is quiet and they have
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the venues to themselves. However great
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that is, it can be argued that the
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experiences on board can never match the
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potential of those in a cruiseport.
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Things like I did standing in front of
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the coliseum in Rome, walking around the
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leaning tower of Pisa, soaring through a
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rainforest on an aerial tram in Costa
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Rica, snorkeling among fish, sharks, and
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stingrays in Bora Bora, or cruising
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through the blue seas in the Caribbean
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on a catamaran to go snorkeling, tasting
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wine in a vineyard where it was made,
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and so on. Those are the things I
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personally remember and talk about after
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those trips. Not that I was able to get
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a lounger by the pool or got to have a
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go on the flow rider without a line on
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the days that I stayed on board. Also,
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ports have local shops and markets with
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authentic crafts, souvenirs, and unique
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products that the ship shops simply do
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not offer. For example, in the
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Caribbean, I always hunt for local
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vanilla essence in the markets, which
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beats anything I can buy anywhere else.
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While cruise ships offer much, and some
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of are in floating resorts, ports make
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the unique, irreplaceable experiences
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that we will all remember and talk
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about, and you may regret missing out if
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you don't experience those when you hear
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about those from people who did go out
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and actually experience them. Another
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argument for staying on board is saving
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money on excursions and not buying food,
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drinks, and paying for activities in the
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port. However, consider that many travel
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memories are actually priceless. Years
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later, you're not going to remember and
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treasure that you saved $50 on a spa
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treatment, got a lower price special
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meal, or got more value from your drinks
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package by staying on board. But you
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will remember despite the cost as I do,
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flying onto say glacias near Juno to go
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dogsledding, riding on the historic
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White Pass in Yukon Railway in Skagway,
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eating genuine Italian pizza in the
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heart of Florence, or cycling through
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pineapple groves and up a massive hill
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on ebikes in Maria, or even soaring up a
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cable car in Olden to look down the
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fjords. Those are the things that you
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will remember. But there is another more
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pressing issue when it comes to spending
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that could actually help keep ports
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welcoming us. If we get off in a port
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and spend, we're helping local
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businesses and communities. Many where
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cruise tourism is essential to the
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livelihood of craftsmen, shops, store
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owners, tour guides, drivers,
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restaurants, bars, and even beach
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vendors. getting off the ship and
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spending in ports may also help keep
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cruising's ability to keep calling on
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them. Why do I say that? Well, I
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mentioned earlier about how an
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increasing number of ports want to
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restrict cruise ships. This is often
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driven by local politicians, but we've
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seen those bans cut back or even
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scrapped by pressure from those that
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rely on our spending in ports. For
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example, in Juno, Alaska, it was
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lobbying and pressure by those local
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businesses and people relying on our
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spend that threw out the proposed severe
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restrictions on the size and number of
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ships calling there. The same pressure
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that forced the new mayor of Nice to
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actually scrap plans to restrict cruise
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ships significantly. So, by getting off
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in a port and supporting local
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businesses and local people, we can
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hopefully help ensure that they keep
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making the case that cruise ships should
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still keep coming when politicians try
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to restrict and ban us going. Another
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reason many have for staying on board is
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that many ports are so busy these days
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and they can avoid battling crowds when
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they're out in the port. However, the
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ports, no matter how busy they are, can
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still create the most incredible
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experiences. And having to deal with
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crowds is a small price to pay for
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seeing those sites and having those
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experiences. For example, on a recent
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Japanese cruise, I decided, despite the
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reputation of big crowds, to get off the
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ship and go on an excursion to Coyoto to
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see the Golden Pavilion. There were
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crowds. Absolutely. But I don't remember
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that. and just remember the beauty and
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the importance of visiting that place. I
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also remember the unique experience of
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lying enjoying the beach and having a
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Mexican lunch in Cab San Lucas despite
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the crowds and it being busy. The memory
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of these outweighs anything I've ever
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done on a quiet ship day in port. And of
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course, a well-chosen excursion can even
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help dodge the crowds often, too.
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Another reason cruisers tell me they
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prefer to stay on board rather than
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getting off in port, especially when on
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a big mega ship resort style ship is
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they see the ship itself as the
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destination. There's so much to do on
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those ships, they argue. Of course, I
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agree many cruise ships like that are
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absolutely amazing, but it's still all
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there on a sea day and in the evenings,
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but ports are often more fleeting
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experiences. We visit them for a couple
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of hours and then we leave. Once the
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ship sails, the opportunity to
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experience them is gone. Unlike what's
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on the ship, getting off in a port is
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probably better for our body and minds,
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too. Going ashore will have more
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experiences. It will introduce us to new
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cultures, foods. We'll meet some locals.
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And of course, because it often involves
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walking, swimming, snorkeling, or
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cycling, it's definitely healthier as
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well. even if just helping to walk off
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some of those added indulgence calories.
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All that is likely to beat a day on
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board. I think it is worth considering
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at least if trading that possible once
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in a lifetime experience on a shore day
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for something that you can do on a
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cruise in the evening or on a sea day is
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actually a good trade-off at all. The
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ship itself is a wonderful destination,
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but the ports and experience in the
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ports are what makes each cruise truly
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unique. When you get back and talk about
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your trip, you're not going to think
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about or talk to your friends about that
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great nap or the quiet time you had
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around the pool. You are going to talk
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about those incredible port experiences.
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However, there is of course a case to be
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made for staying on board, which I'll
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make over in this video. See you over
