Most cruises, to provide the maximum of sightseeing or shore excursion time, arrive in the early morning at each port and depart in the evening, sailing overnight to the next destination. Early on we realized that end cabins on lower decks can result in disruptions to one's sleep when the thrusters at the bow and stern that ease the ship sideways to the dock are switched on and off.
Our midship suite on the Seabourn Pride had spared us any such disturbances, but one morning we were awakened by hoofprints in the hallway! There seemed to be a pony, or perhaps a procession of them, because the parade continued for five minutes or so. Of course, when we opened the door there was nothing to be seen in either directon – perhaps they were Ghost Riders?
Several mornings later it happened again, with the same mystifying results. When it occurred the next time, I was prepared and recorded the sound. (Click on the return arrow at the top left when you've heard enough.) However, that morning Betty Lou was in the laundromat at the front of the ship and determined that it was the sound of the anchor being lowered!
It hadn't registered that the ponies only appeared at ports where we would anchor offshore and take tenders in.