Are You A POSH Cruiser?

By this I mean do you always cruise POSH – ie Port Out Starboard Home?

it is always important to check your itinerary to see if there is a ‘good’ side of the ship to be on

The old saying of POSH does not always apply!

I’m pretty sure you know this but just in case you don’t – when looking forward, toward the bow of a ship, port and starboard refer to the left and right sides, respectively.

Passengers often ask about sun in the morning or the evening, it is definitely worth checking the map to see if there is a definite land side to your cruise or a definite sunny side – some itineraries go north so you would want to be on the port side or south and so starboard side and some do a figure of 8 so it doesn’t matter which side you choose your cabin!

Generally speaking if your cruise starts and finishes in the same port you will have equal sun in the morning and evening either cruising out or cruising back BUT if your itinerary starts and ends in a different port the chances are there is a ‘GOOD’ side to be on

It will also depend on where you are cruising, most people want to be on the land side to cruise into port especially New York and Venice for the spectacular views when coming in to or leaving the port

Typically the land side is preferred for the Sailaway parties so you can wave as you depart for your cruise

If you are cruising North or anti clockwise the land side is usually on the port side, if you are cruising South or clockwise generally speaking the land side is on the starboard side!

Then you have the decision to make – do you prefer the Sunny side or the land side as this can often be opposite….

If you cruise left from the UK toward the US the sun will be South facing and will go from right to left so the port side is the sunny side and , if you are cruising from the US back to the UK then the right side is best

You will have a pretty similar experience regardless of the side of the ship on which your cabin is located. Standard cabins will be identical whether they’re on the port or starboard side. When you’re in the open ocean, the view is pretty much the same, and when docked, a ship can tie up on either side, so one side does not consistently have better views in port, sometimes this can depend entirely on the Captain based on the space, weather and tidal conditions and how many other ships are in port.

Another thing to consider is what is above and below and where the smoking areas are in relation to the cabin you are thinking of booking

If in doubt book an Aft facing cabin with panoramic views then you will have all views on both sides with sun in the evening and the evening (I think!)