On my last cruise to Alaska, our ship arrived at Victoria, British Columbia — home to the gorgeous Butchart Gardens and a beautiful downtown — after dark.
We visited Icy Strait Point just before sunset, limiting the departures of whale-watching tours and zip line adventures. Our Ketchikan stop was only a half day, meaning an eye-wateringly early kayak departure with no extra time for exploring downtown.
During the entire weeklong cruise, we only spent one day in port from morning until late afternoon.
Many of my shipmates did not expect this odd schedule of two evening calls, one midday arrival and one early morning visit. I heard many complaints, especially about the 8 p.m.-to-midnight visit to Victoria.
Why the surprise? They forgot to do one important thing before booking their cruise: They neglected to check the port arrival and departure times.
To be fair, most people don’t do this. But let me assure you that doing a deep dive into the itinerary before you book will help you choose the best cruise every time.
Always check your itinerary carefully before you book
Most vacation planners glance at the overall itinerary to see which ports are included. They use that list to determine whether or not they want to book that sailing.
But sometimes, the list of ports doesn’t tell the whole story. That’s especially true in Alaska, where limited ports and berths force cruise lines to get creative with itineraries across their fleet.
For example, a superficial glance at the port list for my Alaska cruise would reveal a satisfying itinerary. The ship was scheduled to visit five ports and spend a day cruising in scenic Glacier Bay (one of the best glacier-viewing spots available to Alaska cruise ships). Not bad for a seven-night sailing.
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Look closer, though, and you’ll notice a few things that might be less appealing.
It takes a day and a half of cruising for the ship to travel from Seattle to Juneau, Alaska, and the same from Ketchikan, Alaska, back to Seattle. That’s three days of a seven-day cruise, and we’ve already established the itinerary includes five ports and one day of scenic cruising. The math doesn’t work out without doubling up.
To fit everything in, the ship arrives in Juneau midday with a long call until 10 p.m. Realistically, most cruisers will come back to the ship for dinner, giving them only an afternoon in port.
The call on Icy Strait Point is actually the same day as scenic cruising in Glacier Bay. This makes sense, as the destinations are across a channel from each other. However, if a ship spends the day in Glacier Bay, it won’t reach Icy Strait until the late afternoon (5:30 p.m. in my case).
Come in June, and you’ll have plenty of light. Travel in September, like I did, and the sun will set during your visit.
The final days of our cruise also squeezed a lot into two days, with a morning visit to Ketchikan (6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.) followed by cruising all that afternoon and into the next day. That meant our call on Victoria was short and late (8 p.m. to midnight).
Why didn’t the ship simply skip Victoria? Since the ship is not U.S.-flagged and sails round-trip from Seattle, the Passenger Vessel Services Act requires it to stop in a non-U.S. port to be in compliance with the law. A Canadian stop is nonnegotiable on Alaska cruises.
Plus, that extra port is a selling point for vacationers who don’t read the itinerary’s fine print.
To compare itineraries accurately, you must look at the port arrival and departure times and decide if you’d prefer full days in port but potentially fewer ports or more port visits with shorter stays in each.
Don’t forget to factor in the time of year when you think about early mornings and late evenings. In June, you’ll get nearly nonstop daylight, so a 9 p.m. visit could feel like midday. By the equinox in September, Alaska’s sun is setting around the same time as in the Lower 48, and it will be dark in the evening.
Related: The best Alaska cruises for every type of traveler
It’s not just an Alaska cruise concern
Alaska is a cruise region where time in port can often vary widely. Because of the length of travel involved to get to Alaska and the limited number of ports available along the Inside Passage, cruise lines have to get creative.
For example, they regularly employ a practice known as “hot berthing,” in which two ships will share a dock for the day. One might arrive in the morning and depart in the early afternoon, with the second ship taking its spot and staying late. Sometimes the second ship will anchor offshore and tender guests to land in small boats until it can take over the first ship’s berth.
However, Alaska is not the only cruise destination where it behooves you to look at the itinerary carefully.
Related: 10 mistakes to avoid when booking your cruise
Hawaii cruises that sail round-trip from West Coast ports, like Alaska cruises, have to stop in a non-U.S. port to be compliant with the PVSA. Most will stop in Ensenada, Mexico, but often just for a few hours. Some might even call late at night and not let passengers off.
If you were hoping for a beach day in Mexico on the tail end of your Hawaii cruise, you’ll be disappointed when you see the actual times for the stop in Ensenada.
My TPG colleague Ashley Kosciolek was recently on an Odyssey of the Seas cruise out of New York that called on Port Canaveral for the day, and she was planning to spend the day in one of nearby Orlando’s theme parks. She didn’t check the port arrival time and only discovered once on board that the ship wasn’t docking until noon.
That meant she arrived at Universal Orlando during the midday crush (versus closer to park opening time) and didn’t get a full day in the park. Had she known, she might have decided on a different port day activity.
Related: The 10 biggest mistakes cruise ship passengers make on port days
Bottom line
The length of time you get to spend in each port on your cruise can dictate which activities you can do and which experiences you can have during your vacation. It’s not a good feeling when you’re looking forward to a day in port only to realize all you have is a few hours in town.
Get ahead of the problem by always checking the port arrival and departure times on your intended cruise itinerary before you book, whether you’re traveling to Alaska or anywhere else. That way, you can choose the cruise that gives you the time in port you desire — and eliminate any nasty surprises.
Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:
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