Cruise ships usually visit a huge range of cities but one guest has been left shocked by the limited time they’ll get to explore on their cruise. They said the issue had left them thinking of “cancelling”.

A Reddit user said: “I have a Mediterranean cruise for the summer of 2024. I just noticed on the summary page that you have to be onboard two hours before sailing and disembarkation only begins two hours after docking.

“What the actual f**k? A lot of the places we’re visiting are only eight hours from arrival to departure.

“One of them only six hours. What the hell is the point of visiting these places if you only have two to four hours?

“How do people on cruises manage to enjoy the places they’re visiting if the only thing you have time to do is grab a meal and that’s it? Thinking of just cancelling due to this.”

Some of the world’s largest cruise ships will take hours to disembark passengers as there can be thousands of people onboard.

Guests will usually have around eight hours to explore the city but this may be cut short if disembarking takes a long time.

However another cruise guest said: “A cruise vacation is mostly about being on the ship and enjoying the facilities onboard.

“The port visits are just a small bonus on top of that. Don’t go into a cruise thinking it’s nothing more than a mode of transportation to get to various destinations, the experience onboard is way more than that.”

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Many cruise guests choose a cruise because they like to spend time on the ship, enjoying the facilities.

Modern cruise ships usually have a huge range of activities available from water slides to ice-skating.

Cruise ships will often have more than one restaurant as well so guests will have plenty to choose from.

‘3664shaken’ added: “Go on a cruise to see new places, meet new people and create lifelong friendships. The experience onboard is way more than the hunk of metal you are on.”

Some cruise guests even opt to stay on the ship when it’s in port, as some areas are quieter than normal.

Guests will have the best chance of enjoying the swimming pool or the spa when other passengers have disembarked.

‘Art-Vandelay’ said: “Cruises aren’t designed to give you a full cultural experience, you’re getting time on a luxury ship fully loaded with amenities, and a taste of a few spots along the way.

“If you are wanting to fully experience Europe, or specific cities, doing so before/after the cruise makes more sense.”

A cruise might not be the best choice for someone who wants to spend a lot of time exploring each destination.

‘Economy_Insurance_61’ said: “I don’t recommend cruising to people who are looking for a meaningful cultural exchange during their trip.

“You can get small bites of that, but generally speaking the cruise is the vacation and the ports are a sampler.”

Guests may get more time to explore on a river cruise where the smaller ships make disembarkation far quicker.

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