What time to be back on ship (Fortuna)?

[Middleager]

Where Fortuna's port time is 8am - 2pm, does it matter whether if it's docking or tendering, for the time to be back on ship?

 

For NCL, if they are docking, it's 1/2 hr before that you need to be back (i.e. back by 1:30pm). If it's tendering, need to be 1 hr before (i.e. 1pm). What is it for Costa Fortuna?

 

Thanks.

[Cruise4Andy]

A rule of thumb, the final boarding time and latest time to be back on the ship is 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time. So if you're in port from 8 am to 6 pm, you must be back no later than 5:30 pm.

 

Costa will post any departure times and the times you have to report back on the ship in the "TODAY", the onboard news pamphlet. They will also have a sign when you are leaving the ship, reminding you about the time, when you have to be back.

 

FYI: Depending on which itinerary (Eastern/Western) you are sailing, just make sure that you adjust your watch with any time changes you may have along the way. We have seen it first hand, that passengers almost missed the ship in St. Thomas, as they forgot to adjust their watches to the local time, which is one hour EARLY (compared to EST, Ft. Lauderdale). Always check the clocks in the staircases, before departing and leaving the ship, to make sure you got the correct time.

[Middleager]

A rule of thumb, the final boarding time and latest time to be back on the ship is 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time. So if you're in port from 8 am to 6 pm, you must be back no later than 5:30 pm.

 

Costa will post any departure times and the times you have to report back on the ship in the "TODAY", the onboard news pamphlet. They will also have a sign when you are leaving the ship, reminding you about the time, when you have to be back.

 

FYI: Depending on which itinerary (Eastern/Western) you are sailing, just make sure that you adjust your watch with any time changes you may have along the way. We have seen it first hand, that passengers almost missed the ship in St. Thomas, as they forgot to adjust their watches to the local time, which is one hour EARLY (compared to EST, Ft. Lauderdale). Always check the clocks in the staircases, before departing and leaving the ship, to make sure you got the correct time.

Thanks. On Mar. 14 we are doing the W. Caribbean, docking in 3 ports (Nassau, Ocho Rios, Cozumel) and tendering in Cayman.

 

In your E. Caribbean, did you dock at all ports? So it sounds like for docking, it's 1/2 hr before. Wondering if it's the same for tendering or if it's 1 hr before.

 

I'm also trying to find out the ship time vs port time, especially since Sun. Mar. 14 is the start of EDT for us.

[Cruise4Andy]

Yes, on most of Costa's Eastern and South-Eastern Caribbean itineraries, the ship will dock. That would include San Juan, Grand Turk, St. Thomas, Nassau, St. Maarten and Tortola. If your stop includes Catalina Island, you will be tendered. Exceptions may happen, if any of the ports are extremely busy that day... then it depends on when you arrive.

 

Don't be alarmed about the time zones and the daylight saving time. All that information will be provided to you while onboard on numerous occasions. Like I said, just double check your watch and the onboard clocks before you step off the ship... and you'll have nothing to fear.

 

Have a wonderful cruise! ;)

[Middleager]

Don't be alarmed about the time zones and the daylight saving time. All that information will be provided to you while onboard on numerous occasions. Like I said, just double check your watch and the onboard clocks before you step off the ship... and you'll have nothing to fear.

I need to know beforehand. I'm arranging excursions. In Nassau, one dive op says they can get me back to ship by 1pm. Ship is in port 8am-2pm. So if it's 1/2 hr before, that 1pm would be good enough.

 

In Cozumel, we get there 10am, and there's one dive/snorkel trip that leaves at 10am. I need to find out what is ship time vs local time there. If the ship is on EST, then it really arrives at 9am CST, and we can make that 10am trip. Not if the ship is on EDT, and doesnt' do time change when at Cozumel.

[Cruise4Andy]

The ship will start with the current local time of the departure port. As you'll be leaving out of Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale), the ship's current time will be the same as the local time in Fort Lauderdale.

 

Now the question remains, if Mexico (Cozumel) is actually switching to daylight saving time or not, or at a later time. I know most European countries are switching at a later time, for example.

 

Wish I could help you further with this...

[Middleager]

The ship will start with the current local time of the departure port. As you'll be leaving out of Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale), the ship's current time will be the same as the local time in Fort Lauderdale.

 

Now the question remains, if Mexico (Cozumel) is actually switching to daylight saving time or not, or at a later time.

The question is will the ship stay on EDT of FLL, or does it adjust time according to the ports. Someone else who had only sailed Costa in Europe said the ship always adjusts to the port time. When I asked, the response is that's the way it is in Europe, and thinks it's the same in N. American sailings.

 

I know for a fact, for Carnival ships, even sailing out of the same ports, some ships always stay on the original port time, while some ships would adjust time depending on the port. So it is not all ships within Carnival or even home ports have a consistent rule.

[Cruise4Andy]

Costa does in fact adjust to local port times. That's why you always have the information posted in the "TODAY" onboard information, as well as reminders on TV.

 

During our recent Eastern Caribbean cruise, we adjusted +1 hour on our way to St. Thomas, and got the hour back when we returned.

 

I remember several time changes when we cruised the Western route.

[Middleager]

Costa does in fact adjust to local port times. That's why you always have the information posted in the "TODAY" onboard information, as well as reminders on TV.

 

During our recent Eastern Caribbean cruise, we adjusted +1 hour on our way to St. Thomas, and got the hour back when we returned.

 

I remember several time changes when we cruised the Western route.

Just curious. When does Costa adjust to the local time. Is it the night before, or around midnight? For some ports (Nassau, Ocho Rios), it gets in at 8am, and if needing to adjust one hour ahead to be the same as local time, then we lose 1 hr of sleep.

[Cruise4Andy]

Correct... usually the time gets switched forward or back in the middle of the night (2am if you adjust forward, 3am when you adjust backwards).

 

And yes, you will either lose or gain an hour of sleep...

 

By the time you get back to Port Everglades, you'll be back to EST or EDT.