Why do cruise ships depart port so early?

Question

I'm looking at taking a 14 day cruise to the Mediterranean, but it seems as though the ships leave every port by 6pm. And it's not just one cruise line, multiple boats have the same departure itinerary. Why is that?

Answer 1

simple answer is money.  when ships are in port they can't run they casino.  but when they are out to sea they can open the casino and the more time they are at sea the more money they make.

Answer 2

Thats a good question...some of the islands in the caribbean aren't the safest at night so that might be an answer, but in the mediterranean? idk.  A good possibility is because when the ship is in port they are losing money.  They want to get out into international waters so they can open the casino and the shops, again i dont know if this is an issues when in the mediterannean.  Also, for a cruise i think they want you to spend a lot of time on the ship so you can buy other things like drinks.  They dont want you to get drunk on the islands so you don't buy their booze.  Also, who knows maybe the cruise lines need the time to get to the next port by morning and are restriced by laws of these countries.  your guess is as good as mine....

Answer 3

All cruise ships are on a pretty tight schedule all of the time.  They allow a certain amount of time for each port stop and then they know about how long it takes to get to the next port.  In addition, some places where there are port stops many of the activities close for the day early, so there's not much reason to stay in a port so a few people can go to one or two places.

If a ship is late leaving one port it will generally shave time off of the next port.  I have been on cruises when that happened.  Also, things like passengers getting gravely ill (like a heart attack) or passengers falling over board can cause the ship to decrease the time in a port.

Remember all ship are run 24/7, meaning that they have  every tight schedule every day and even have built into the port stops arrangements to take on fuel and supplies while passengers are enjoying the port.

Answer 4

It is a combination of factors.  Time it takes to get to the next port and some ports require cruise ships to be out by a certain time.

Answer 5

so people dont change their minds when their on the ship.

Answer 6

Well most cruise ships sail every single day.  So in the morning people depart the cruise ship, then they clean everything, fill supplies and then out to see again.

Answer 7

Most likely it is so the ship can make it to the next port at a reasonable time.  One disadvantage of a cruise ship is that even a fast one moves at less than 30 miles per hour.  So, if it is 250 miles to the next port, a cruise ship might require 13 hours to make the trip, even though your car could make it in four hours.

Answer 8

normally it is to achieve a desired arrival time at your next port of call

Answer 9

to make sure that you can get to the next port on time, without having to speed during the travel which can make it rocky.

Idid a 7 day cruise of the mediterranean 3 weeks ago, and it is alot of work.

Every morning getting up at 530 to tour, and gettng back on the ship at 530.  It is along day.

Answer 10

It really is a simple ansaw, Its so that there desired destination on time, Although they leave at about 6PM, They also dock at about 7AM, so you've got a whole day there so really you cannot complain !