On Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:27:59 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

If you can dock a 692 footer like the Empress of the Seas with a
couple of joy sticks, why not an 80 footer?

Maybe so, but I bet it still has " No Tug " warnings signs on the
outside door[s]. The signs for that, and the bow bulb and the
thruster are intended for tugs. On the other hand, even I you want a
tug, a thruster might save paying for two or three. I have been on
cruise ships half a dozen times, and I don't remember any tugs. It was
never very windy, however.

Casady