Waiting times in ports stops

[Shay13]

I cruise for the first time end march with The Carnival Valor ship ;).

 

I am so excited planning the activities and tours in each port we will stop.:D

 

But I have some questions : Carnival sent me a confirmation with an itinerary. In this itinerary they wrote, for example : Isla Roatan, arrive 12:00 pm and depart 07:00 pm.

 

What I want to know is how much time I need to get out the ship. Do you think that a tour starting at 12:30 pm is ok ?

And how much time before departing time do I have to go to the port ?

 

And the time mentionned in the itinerary is Miami time or the port of call time ?

 

Thanks !!!!! :p

[kitty9]

A lot depends on whether you're docked or if you have to tender. If you're tendering, and not taking Carnival's tour, you won't be able to just get on a tender---those on ship's tours get the first tenders and then the rest will have to get a tender ticket and wait until that number is called.

 

If you're docked, it all depends on how long it takes the local officials to clear the ship and for the crew to get everything set up for passenger to leave the ship. But I think you need to put a bit more time for your departure---so I wouldn't make a reservation for at least 45 minutes after departure.

 

As for departure time, if you're docked they want you on board no later than 30 minutes before departure time, and if you're tendering, you must be on the last tender, which is usually 45 minutes before departure time.

 

No way to tell how the ship will handle the time change. You won't know until you're on board because the captain is the one who decided whether or not to change clocks. Some will and some will remain on Miami time.

[paul929207]

Any tour guide you are dealing with will be familiar with the time on the ship.

[Shay13]

Thanks for advice.

 

I e-mailed Carnival to ask for the stop-time and they told me that the time shown in the itinerary it's "the ship time".

 

Does it means that it's same as Miami time, as I leave from Miami ?. If my information is right, in Rotatan, Belize, Cozumel and Cayman, is - 1 hour than Miami time.

 

I would be gratefull to someone who has recently travelled with the valor ship to tell me if it's right.

[soozles]

Yea, generally ship time is the same as the place you depart from, even if other islands are different. Which is why you need to be careful depending on where you go, if you are thinking on ship time, and you tell a cabbie to pick you up at 4 to get you back by lets say 5, but then they're on local time and they pick you up at 4 local time which is really like 5 ship time, then you're outta luck and miss the ship. But if you're booking through Carnival, then its' nothing to worry about.

[idraconis]

You are always on ship time. So set your watch for that time. Isla Roatan is on central time that's one hour behind.No worries you'll make it.Cheers!:D

[serene56]

Thanks for advice.

 

I e-mailed Carnival to ask for the stop-time and they told me that the time shown in the itinerary it's "the ship time".quote]

 

 

thats kinda scarey to do that-- you can sometimes get information directly from the cruiselines that is not true at all.

 

Also remember that if the port time on your itinerary says 12noon til 5pm you MUST be back onboard 30 minutes before that 5pm time

[amapola]

You are always on ship time. So set your watch for that time. Isla Roatan is on central time that's one hour behind.No worries you'll make it.Cheers!:D

 

Not necessarily. On the Jewel western Caribbean/Panama this month, we changed time four times!! (1 hour back when we got to Roatan, forward one hour the next day, back one hour for Costa Rica, forward one hour the next day). However, it was always well advertised ahead of time.

 

The independent tour operators know the time the ships will be in port, so if you make arrangements they know when you'll be there. If you're going off on your own, make sure you check and double check whether you're keeping ship's time or local time, and make sure you're back on board by the specified time! :)

[bumbles]

Thanks for advice.

 

I e-mailed Carnival to ask for the stop-time and they told me that the time shown in the itinerary it's "the ship time".

 

Does it means that it's same as Miami time, as I leave from Miami ?. If my information is right, in Rotatan, Belize, Cozumel and Cayman, is - 1 hour than Miami time.

 

I would be gratefull to someone who has recently travelled with the valor ship to tell me if it's right.

 

If you're going AFTER daylight savings time (March 14) - Roatan, Belize and Grand Cayman are all central time but they do not use daylight savings - so port time will be 2 hours earlier than ship time.

[uppitycats]

I cruise for the first time end march with The Carnival Valor ship ;).

 

I am so excited planning the activities and tours in each port we will stop.:D

 

But I have some questions : Carnival sent me a confirmation with an itinerary. In this itinerary they wrote, for example : Isla Roatan, arrive 12:00 pm and depart 07:00 pm.

 

What I want to know is how much time I need to get out the ship. Do you think that a tour starting at 12:30 pm is ok ?

And how much time before departing time do I have to go to the port ?

 

And the time mentionned in the itinerary is Miami time or the port of call time ?

 

Thanks !!!!! :p

 

You DO know that you don't actually have to get off the ship? Some people stay on board and enjoy the amenities of the ship, while others are off on excursions and such.

 

You HAVE to be back on board no later than 30 minutes before the ship is due to sail away, so as everyone here has said: once on board, pay attention to the SHIP time, not the port time. There'll be all kinds of notices, both announced, in your newsletter, and as you step off the ship. Set a watch to the SHIP time, note when you need to be back, and have a good time.

[Arwenmark]

Thanks for advice.

 

I e-mailed Carnival to ask for the stop-time and they told me that the time shown in the itinerary it's "the ship time".

 

Does it means that it's same as Miami time, as I leave from Miami ?. If my information is right, in Rotatan, Belize, Cozumel and Cayman, is - 1 hour than Miami time.

 

I would be gratefull to someone who has recently travelled with the valor ship to tell me if it's right.

 

You need to confirm how they do there "TIME" every ship I have been on has changed time zones as we traveled and so ship time was also local time. Others report no time change.

 

Do you know if you need to tender at any ports? if so that may screw you up if you are not on a ship sponsored excursion.

 

anything thing is to look at the ship excursions and see what time they begin.

[Cuizer2]

I cruise for the first time end march with The Carnival Valor ship ;).

 

I am so excited planning the activities and tours in each port we will stop.:D

 

But I have some questions : Carnival sent me a confirmation with an itinerary. In this itinerary they wrote, for example : Isla Roatan, arrive 12:00 pm and depart 07:00 pm.

 

What I want to know is how much time I need to get out the ship. Do you think that a tour starting at 12:30 pm is ok ?

And how much time before departing time do I have to go to the port ?

 

And the time mentionned in the itinerary is Miami time or the port of call time ?

 

Thanks !!!!! :p

 

There are three important issues that affect this:

 

1) Is this a tender port or a port where you are docked. If a tender port, it takes a while to get from the ship to the shore (figure at least 30 minutes). If docked, it can take from a few seconds to a few minutes.

 

2) Is this a ship sponsored tour or an independent tour? If ship sponsored, then don't worry about it. The early tours meet on the ship (usually in the main show lounge). If an independent tour, and if docked, and if the time is right (see number three) then 30 minutes if fine.

 

3) This only applies to independent tours. There may be a difference between ship time and local time. Ship sponsored tours are always listed with ship's time. Independent tours are always listed with local time. If there is a difference between the ship's time and local time, you will have to allow for that.

 

As for returning to the ship, if docked, you must be on board 30 prior to leaving. If it is a tender port, you will be told when the last tender will leave.

[Cuizer2]

Thanks for advice.

 

I e-mailed Carnival to ask for the stop-time and they told me that the time shown in the itinerary it's "the ship time".

 

Does it means that it's same as Miami time, as I leave from Miami ?. If my information is right, in Rotatan, Belize, Cozumel and Cayman, is - 1 hour than Miami time.

 

I would be gratefull to someone who has recently travelled with the valor ship to tell me if it's right.

 

On all my Caribbean cruises (five) the ship's time has always remained the same as the home port's time. However, I have heard of Caribbean cruises where the ship's time changes to match the local time. I have not traveled on the Valor.

[Shay13]

Thanks for your kind advice !

[broberts]

• All times stated on itineraries and in the daily Capers (the ship's daily newspaper) will be "ship time".
  
• Ship time at departure is always port-local time.
  
• It is unclear, but seemingly the ship's master (captain) decides if ship time changes or not. Regardless, Capers will tell you and there will likely be announcements as well.
  
• If ship time is going to be different from port-local time, Capers will tell you that.
  
• If ship time is going to change, Capers will tell you that.
  
• If you book ship excursions don't worry at all about time. They will do it for you. Just follow their directions. Ship booked excursions will depart after the ship clears the port authorities, regardless of the originally scheduled time so you don't have to worry about that.
  
• If you are booking a private excursion don't be sure that it will wait if the ship is late. Establish this as fact before booking. Also note that if a ship misses a port, many pre-paid private excursions will not provide a refund. (Ship booked excursions will be refunded.)
  
• If you are booking a private excursion be explicit with the tour operator and make sure that they understand that all times you are giving them are ship's time. In my experience some operators don't fully appreciate this fact. If local and ship time differ, it's your responsibility to get back to the ship on time, not the private tour operator.
  

[xxoocruiser]

You need to be aware that if the tour was booked through the cruise line's Shore Excursions Department, the tour company will get you back on time. As all tour times have been approved by the cruise line to meet the ship's schedule. If for some reason there is an unexpected delay , the Ship will be notified of the delay and they will delay departure within a reasonable time. This is at the descretion of the Captin and is also dependent on what ships are coming into port that are slotted for that dock and required travel time to next port.

 

If you are booking tours independently and not through the cruise line, though the guides generally know departure time and try very hard to stay within a certain time frame, things do at times cause delays. The cruise line is under no obligation to delay departure if for some reason the tour is delayed. As it's not a tour the cruise line contracted. You're on your own to make certain you get back in time .

 

I've heard of cruise passengers that left a tour in process and taken a taxi back to the ship because the tour was delayed. If they stayed with the tour, they would have missed the ship. You can't always be certain that you'll be in a area where cabs are readily available.