Disney Bahamas Cruise-Does ship just drift?

[BLTAaron]

First time cruiser question:

Going on 4 night DCL Bahamas cruise from Port Canaveral. Noticed that the itinerary for this particular cruise, unlike the other 3-4 trips that month, has the "at sea" day between Nassau (day 2) and Castaway Cay (day 4). I was going to already ask how the cruise line buys time to only go 60-70 nautical miles from 6p to 830a the next day when the at sea day is day 1 or 4, but is it just sitting out there for an additional 24 hours, or does it sail around somewhere with this itinerary?

 

[JM_97]

Pretty sure it just goes in circles to kill time

 

[OKW Lover]

The ship will sail away to be basically over the horizon (say 30 miles) from the port and then just drift. The captain will use the engines or thrusters if the sea conditions (mostly wind) is moving the ship very far from there.

 

[Marc D]

They need to be outside of Bahamian territorial waters in order to open the shops and not be responsible for collecting taxes. Once they are there, they go around in circles, according to currents and weather and eventually make their way towards CC during the night.

 

[cvjw]

We were watching the bridge report on a 4 day Bahamas cruise on the dream. It showed the whole cruise route - lots and lots of circles in the ocean.

 

[BLTAaron]

Interesting. Thanks everyone.

 

[TRTRguy]

The ship really needs to maintain a minimum speed for the water filtration and other systems to operate properly.

 

[Cheburashka]

The ship is always sailing when she's not at port. You can't tell that she's sailing in circles, though. You won't get dizzy or be able to tell by looking that you're not sailing straight. It's kind of analogous to driving all the way around the perimeter of a large city. They're very wide circles.

 

[Dfoerch]

Can I ask if anyone knows of a decent place to stay near Fort Lauderdale, for a reasonable price the night before the cruise?

 

[auntlynne]

@Dfoerch -

We stayed at Tru Downtown in October. I have stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in Dania Beach.

Most recently, Bahia Mar on Ft Lauderdale Beach (because of a good price on Hilton points; probably wouldn’t pay cash for it - I think there would be a resort fee, then. Watch for that if staying at a beach - or any - property, especially if you are just needing a place to sleep). Years ago, I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express or similar.

There are so many hotels in Ft L. You just need to shop for price and your preferences. Book early in hopes of a good rate - there are so many cruisers, waiting for a good rate can mean paying a lot! (Of course, if you don’t do pre-pay rate, you can look for a better deal. I like to have something booked when I find a good price. I have been burned by waiting - sometimes even a day - or hours. Cancelling reservations made online at the big chains is usually a snap.)

(Both of those stays were actually for cruises from Miami - I prefer using FLL for flights - and then catch the Brightline train.).

If the hotel does not offer a free airport shuttle, rideshares are easy to get. And most places are < 15 minutes to the port.

 

[it398]

We did a UK staycation on the Disney Magic just as we came out of all the Covid restrictions. The 3 night cruise had no stops. Here’s a photo of where we went. Guessing your sea days will be similar

 

[Calantha]

Can I ask if anyone knows of a decent place to stay near Fort Lauderdale, for a reasonable price the night before the cruise?

We're staying at the Hilton Homewood Suites by the airport in January. Shuttle from the airport (free) and to the cruise terminal (additional cost). They generally have a good product and aren't nearly as expensive as some of the Hilton options by the beach!

 

[Dfoerch]

@Dfoerch -

We stayed at Tru Downtown in October. I have stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in Dania Beach.

Most recently, Bahia Mar on Ft Lauderdale Beach (because of a good price on Hilton points; probably wouldn’t pay cash for it - I think there would be a resort fee, then. Watch for that if staying at a beach - or any - property, especially if you are just needing a place to sleep). Years ago, I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express or similar.

There are so many hotels in Ft L. You just need to shop for price and your preferences. Book early in hopes of a good rate - there are so many cruisers, waiting for a good rate can mean paying a lot! (Of course, if you don’t do pre-pay rate, you can look for a better deal. I like to have something booked when I find a good price. I have been burned by waiting - sometimes even a day - or hours. Cancelling reservations made online at the big chains is usually a snap.)

(Both of those stays were actually for cruises from Miami - I prefer using FLL for flights - and then catch the Brightline train.).

If the hotel does not offer a free airport shuttle, rideshares are easy to get. And most places are < 15 minutes to the port.

Thanks