During the recent International Cruise Summit in Madrid, a panel was held dedicated to multi-day port calls by cruise ships. The panel concluded that overnight stays in port benefit all parties involved, especially the destination, which increases the economic impact of cruises thanks to additional spending by passengers and crew.
Article from CruisesNews magazine no. 71 – December 2024
The panel also revealed that up to 80 percent of passengers and crew members go ashore during those extended overnight stays.
Passengers enjoy extra time to explore a destination if the ship stays longer at night, with the opportunity to discover new attractions in the port. For their part, cruise ship owners can reduce fuel consumption and emissions (especially if the port offers an Onboard Station), while also potentially increasing revenue by offering optional evening excursions or trips to destinations further from the port during an overnight stay, although port fees increase due to the additional time.
Overnight stays are as old as cruises.
Port calls with overnight stays are almost as old as cruises themselves. At the beginning of the 20th century, and especially during the interwar period, shipping companies primarily offered long cruises from ports like New York or San Francisco, including round-the-world cruises. On these cruises, it was relatively common not only to have two-day stops, but even three or four-day stops. It was normal to stop in Cape Town and go on safari while the ship waited. Or to visit the Taj Mahal while the cruise ship remained in Mumbai. Other times, the ship waited in Callao while passengers visited Machu Picchu.
But during those years, cruise lines also began offering short itineraries with overnight stops at the destination. Cruises from New York to Bermuda with two or more nights' stays began to be offered at the beginning of the 20th century; the same was true for cruises from Miami to Havana, with one or two nights in the Cuban capital. Interestingly, the brief period during which cruises to Cuba could be offered from US ports saw Havana once again become a popular port of call.
Some cruise lines market their cruises by emphasizing their itineraries and, consequently, their ports of call. These are primarily luxury cruise lines, such as Silversea Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, or upper-premium lines, such as Azamara and Oceania Cruises. The cruises offered by these lines feature longer itineraries than those of standard-segment ships, which can more easily accommodate extended stops and even overnight stays.
The epitome of longer itineraries are world cruises, which can last for months and therefore may include more than two-day stops. For example, Phoenix Reisen's Artania offered 69 stops on its 2023-24 World Cruise, 16 of which included one or more nights in port. Luxury cruise lines are generally all-inclusive, and some even include optional excursions in the price. They also offer planned evening activities for passengers with safety concerns at the destination, or even help them book local restaurants. On these ships, dining on board costs the same as dining ashore, but the destination benefits from this additional revenue from high-spending passengers.
For example, a premium cruise line like Celebrity Cruises offers more than 250 overnight options on its cruises. Princess Cruises offers 70 overnight stops in 16 ports. Meanwhile, Holland America Line offered 62 overnight stops in Europe alone during the 2024 season.
During an overnight stopover, passengers can spend several days exploring all that the port has to offer while their ship remains docked overnight. This increased flexibility multiplies your excursion and exploration options. Your ship essentially acts as a floating hotel during your nights in port.
Silversea Cruises' upcoming 2025/26 winter season offers approximately 200 overnight calls and 260 calls where the ship sails after dinner. Silversea's 149-day World Cruise in 2027 aboard the Silver Dawn features no fewer than 11 overnight calls.
Another ultra-luxury cruise line, Regent Seven Seas, launched a new travel initiative called “Immersive Overnight.” These new “Immersive Overnight” cruises include, as the name suggests, overnight stays in every port of call. Regent Seven Seas began with seven of these itineraries this year, and in the new season, it offers eight. The offering is risky, given that passengers who might visit six ports during a competitor's 10-day cruise will only be able to call at four ports on a Regent ship, but all the stops include overnight stays. This gives guests more time ashore for sightseeing, shopping, dining, enjoying cultural events, and so on. Nearly half of Oceania Cruises' itineraries (especially those ten days or longer) incorporate overnight stops in more than fifty ports around the world.
And having even just one extra day can change the dynamics of embarking and disembarking a cruise ship. Another option for cruise ship overnight stays is to link them to a specific event. For example, the Seville April Fair, which, although it has daytime hours, reaches its peak at night. Cruise lines market the ship as remaining in port for several days coinciding with the event. Passengers can enjoy it without worrying about having to be back by a specific time. They might even be tempted not to return until the next day, which increases passenger choice and changes their perspective on how to get to a port.
Rouen, in France, is another river destination that can accommodate maritime cruises.
Another aspect to consider is the target audience of each ship. Cruise lines that aim to attract families don't usually include overnight stops. However, cruise lines, or rather, ships exclusively for adults, are the ones that most frequently offer these stops. Virgin Cruises is a prime example.
Bermuda, a destination where almost 100% of port calls include an overnight stay.
Multi-day stops in a destination are sometimes unavoidable when selecting it for an itinerary. There are cruises with only one destination to offer, where the port stay is necessarily extended due to a lack of other options. One of the most common itineraries to offer a multi-day stop is in Bermuda. Due to Bermuda's location, near New York but in the middle of the Atlantic, there aren't many options for port calls other than sailing along the US East Coast (something prohibited by the Jones Act for ships flying flags other than the US) or south to the Bahamas. Thus, most itineraries include at least one night in Bermuda, but some even offer two. Furthermore, it's a seasonal stop because regular cruises only run during the summer months. The destination has prepared itself to offer attractions for these multi-day stops, and passengers can spend the entire day and night exploring this small island. Even the most popular cruise lines, such as Royal Caribbean, Carnival, NCL, etc., offer cruises to this destination, which has also opened up to new homeports such as Boston, Baltimore, and even Cape Canaveral in Florida.
Another possibility is an overnight stop to allow for a longer optional excursion. A common example is Haifa, now removed from itineraries due to the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. It is often part of one of the most culturally immersive Mediterranean itineraries, which includes overnight stops in Israel. With up to three days in Israel, cruise ships can see all the historical sites in cities like Nazareth, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem. With so many places to see, most of which are located outside the port city, it is necessary to set aside several days to explore Israel while the cruise ship serves as your home port each night. Haifa and Ashdod are two of the most common cruise ports for Holy Land itineraries in Israel. These port cities provide access to some of the most visited biblical sites, while also offering easy access to Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities.
There's no need to rush back to the ship for an early departure, which means more time to savor every moment.
One of the biggest drawbacks of cruises is the lack of time in each port; in fact, this is often cited as one of the main reasons why people choose not to take cruises and opt for land-based vacations instead. Conversely, one of the advantages of cruises is the opportunity to see several cities and countries in a single trip. Combining a variety of destinations with reasonable port calls is a true art.
Maximizing the experience of an overnight stopover requires research, getting to know the local culture and its culinary customs, seeking authentic experiences beyond typical tourist attractions, and prioritizing safety during nighttime experiences.
River cruises from ocean-going cruise ships:
Certain cruise destinations require sailing upriver to reach them. And the tide is usually used to avoid draft issues. The logical consequence is an overnight stop. In Europe, the most popular destination of this type is Seville. Every year, dozens of cruise ships sail up the Guadalquivir River to reach the Andalusian capital, and most offer an overnight stay. They are almost always ships from luxury or premium cruise lines, some of which, like Azamara, return year after year. Seville's extensive array of historical monuments is a real draw for extending the length of these stops.
Rouen is another example, with a high number of overnight stops. This past season, it was visited by cruise lines such as Azamara, Crystal, and Hapag-Lloyd. After sailing up the Seine, Rouen offers a rich combination of history, art, gastronomy, and more, and is also close to some of France's most sought-after destinations, such as Versailles and Paris. Another prime overnight destination is London, accessible after sailing up the Thames and passing under Tower Bridge, to dock alongside HMS Belfast.
Outside of Europe we have overnight stops in Manaus, after traveling up the Amazon, and in the former Saigon, a very fashionable destination lately.
Up until now, we've associated overnight stops with culture, gastronomy, and so on. But some destinations offer other nighttime attractions, such as Ibiza and Mykonos, and many passengers are delighted to enjoy their nightclubs. For example, last season, and again next year, Virgin Voyages offered a cruise that arrived in Ibiza at 6:00 PM and departed at 5:00 PM the following day, allowing ample time to enjoy the island's charms. The AidaStella, from Aida Cruises, also offered an overnight stop in Ibiza with a similar schedule. In Mykonos, Windstar ships and, again, Virgin Cruises ships offer overnight stops to enjoy the leisure activities of this famous Greek island in the Aegean.
Seville receives dozens of cruise ships each year, and most of them offer an overnight stay.
Another popular stop, frequented by major cruise lines, is Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Cabo is renowned as an electrifying destination with a vibrant nightlife, located in Baja California. Carnival, Princess, and Royal Caribbean offer overnight stays on some of their Los Cabos cruises, allowing passengers to party all night long in the nightclubs, sipping margaritas, sampling Mexican cuisine, or dancing the night away. During the day, you'll have two full days to explore the city on foot and by sea.
These overnight port calls can occur midway through the voyage or at the beginning/end of the itinerary. Often, the port of embarkation or disembarkation are worthwhile destinations, and in some cases, giving travelers a day to explore these places can enhance the overall cruise experience. However, on a conventional itinerary, these are places passengers wouldn't see because they travel directly from the airport to the ship and vice versa. Cruise lines offer the option of adding time in port of embarkation/disembarkation by booking a pre- or post-departure hotel stay. But this option (which is preferred by local hoteliers) is limited by both the schedule and the passengers' budgets, but not by the cruise itinerary. This situation is changing. In the Caribbean, large ships from P&O, TUI, Marella, or Aida (carrying around 4,000 passengers) spend two days in their home port (usually Barbados or Jamaica, but also the Dominican Republic) and offer one- or two-week cruises, from Friday to Friday and Saturday to Saturday. So on Friday night, half of the passengers are at the end of their cruise and the other half are at the beginning. This extends homeport operations over two quieter days and makes the use of charter flights and airport-ship transfers much more efficient.
Ultimately, overnight stops allow cruise passengers to immerse themselves more fully in the culture of a destination.
This option can also be found in the Persian Gulf, where practically all ships, from all shipping companies (Costa, MSC Cruises, TUI, Celestyal) offer stops of at least two days in Dubai so that passengers can get to know the city, spend money, and make better use of charter and regular flights.
Other cruise lines, especially those in the premium and upper-premium segments, use this model in Barcelona, such as Viking, Windstar, and Azamara, which also use it in other Mediterranean homeports like Istanbul, Venice, Trieste, and Piraeus. Next January, there will be three overnight calls in Barcelona: two by Viking and one by Windstar. In February 2024, there were five overnight calls, interestingly all by ships from these same cruise lines. And it seems this trend will become more established in the near and medium term.
To offer more flexibility and time to explore ports over several days, major cruise lines (Royal Caribbean, MSC, etc.) have begun incorporating more overnight stops into their itineraries, although never on their most popular routes, such as the Western Mediterranean or the Caribbean.
Benefits of overnight stays: Overnight
stays on cruises offer a tapestry of benefits that transform a simple vacation into an unforgettable trip.
Unlike the traditional cruise format, where ships dock for a few hours before setting sail for the next destination, overnight stays immerse travelers in the heart of the cities they visit. With more time, passengers can delve deeper into the local culture, cuisine, and landscapes.
Cultural immersion is perhaps the most significant advantage. As night falls, tourists can experience the cities like locals. They can dine in quaint restaurants, attend traditional performances, and even participate in local festivals, gaining a more authentic glimpse into the daily lives of the residents. This immersion provides a more genuine experience than rushed daytime visits.
The culinary exploration possible during these stays is unparalleled. Mediterranean cuisine, renowned for its diversity and flavors, is best experienced in local restaurants serving traditional dishes beyond the typical tourist menus. Overnight stays mean visitors can enjoy dinners and evening snacks in different locations, sampling the region's culinary delights.
The culinary exploration possible during these stays is second to none.
Sunsets are also a good excuse for an extended stopover, or for spending the night at the destination that offers them. Perhaps the most famous are those of Santorini, and those of Florence, with the iconic photo of the Ponte Vecchio and the Arno River from the steps of the Pitti Palace. Historical monuments and natural landscapes come alive at dusk, or under the moonlight, offering unforgettable views, only possible on a cruise if the ship is waiting in port. The opposite extreme is summer stopovers in the Arctic, without sunsets, but with the midnight sun that allows you to visit, for example, the North Cape, combined with overnight stops in Honningsvåg.
Better time management. There's no need to rush back to the ship for an early departure, meaning more time to savor every moment. Most cities come alive at night, and locals often dine out later than many travelers are used to. This cultural nuance allows cruisers to enjoy a leisurely exploration of the city before dinner.
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