Does the ship anchor or dock?
It can take a long time to disembark from a large ship if it is anchored offshore. I’ve spent an hour getting off and an hour getting back on again. Since passengers are asked to be on board at least 30 minutes prior to departure, the on-and-off process can seriously cut into your sightseeing time. When a small ship uses a tender, it’s typically not a time waster because the distance is short and the tender usually gets you to the center of town. If the ship docks, which pier does it use? Some large cities have multiple portsone centrally located, the other way out of town. While a small ship bound for London might park itself on the Thames, for instance, a large ship must dock in Dover or Southampton. How rough is the water? If you are prone to motion sickness yet prefer a small ship, you need to sail in calm waters. Generally, the more closely a ship hugs the coast, the less motion there will be. Say you want an Alaska cruise. A seven-day Inside Passage sailing from Vancouver to Skag
