How precise are the times on the itinerary?

[felixdrylock]

I'm cruising on NCL in May. Do the ships usually arrive and leave at the ports EXACTLY at the times specified? Do the ships ever get there like a half hour early or late and do they ever LEAVE late?

[eandj]

I'm cruising on NCL in May. Do the ships usually arrive and leave at the ports EXACTLY at the times specified? Do the ships ever get there like a half hour early or late and do they ever LEAVE late?

 

Do they ever leave late? YES!

 

Do they usually arrive and leave EXACTLY at the times...not so much.

 

Depends on many things.

[simplelife]

The times may vary, depending on sea conditions, problems arising on the ship, other ships in the areas, etc.

[yogi2929]

I would not plan for a ship to wait for you at any port. Always be there by the time stated.

 

Don't let this be you

 

[paul929207]

Ships are generfally punctual. That doesn't mean that if the schedule says you will arrive at 7:00am that they get there at 7 am to the minute.

 

Yes, they do usually leave about the scheduled time. As mentioned above, do not push your luck hoping that the ship will sail late. You will likely be watching her sail out of port from the pier.

[felixdrylock]

I would not plan for a ship to wait for you at any port. Always be there by the time stated.

 

Don't let this be you

 

 

wow that was crazy. The description said the ship waited TWO HOURS for them before finally leaving. Those people weren't just late, they were super crazy late.

 

I'm just a worrier, you never know what circumstances could arise. They keep track of who is on and off the ship so they always know right? I was just hoping that if something happened and I was 30 minutes late, the ship would wait. Not that I plan on it, I plan on being an hour early, but I often have bad luck with public transportation. Maybe that's just because I live in Boston ;)

[cb at sea]

If you're 2 mins. late, they may wait...do NOT count on them waiting 30 mins. for you!

[grandmato4]

No, do not think that the ship will wait for you if you are 30 minutes late. You must be back to the ship at the time they give to you which will usually be 30 minutes prior to the departure time of the ship. It takes time to prepare the ship to leave port so don't think that 30 minutes is a cushion time for you to return to the ship. Now, reality says things happen and the ship doesn't always leave on time but that has nothing to do with your needing to be back to the ship at the scheduled time. If you are doing a ship sponsored excursion we'll be fine but if you booking an excursion on your own or going off on your own using public transportation ALWAYS plan to be back to the ship way before you need to be because as you've said, things do happen that are out of your control and you do not want to be standed in your port needing to pay and make arrangements to catch up with your ship at the next port. Nor is it fun to be that passenger that everyone is jeering at from their balconies as they run down the pier while the crew members encourage them to hurry in a not so nice tone of voice because they are holding up the proceedures for departure. Although as one sitting on our balcony watching it can be some of the best entertainment of the entire cruise!;):D

[toberman]

Will they arrive in port on time?? Mostly - yes, if not before the schedule. But as others have posted there can be things outside of the ship's control that will dictate if they can actually dock on-time. With todays computer systems (ie GPS) the ship can make up speed, or slow down speed to meet their time requirements.

 

Do they leave on time?? Almost always - yes, if not before. We always make sure we are back to the ship (not necessarily on it) at least 1 hour before scheduled departure. You can always look around the shops, or sit at a bar within walking distance (15 mins) of the ship up til the posted time to be back on. If everyone is back on before scheduled departure time, they will leave early.

 

Don't worry about things like - will our tour leave without us if the ship is late - the tour will wait. But do worry about if the ship will leave before you are back from a tour that got delayed!! If you didn't book a ship's tour, they will leave!!

[felixdrylock]

Thank you all for your responses! My cruise isn't for another 6 weeks, but it has been a cold past few days in New England. It's sad that half of my free time is spent planning/day dreaming about this cruise. I already know so much about the cruise and ports from sites like this, tripadvisor, and Google Maps that I think once I get there I'll feel like I've already been there!

 

One of the ports is Nassau, Bahamas . The ship leaves at 6 pm. I think I'll leave Cable beach at 4 pm hopefully getting us to the ship by 5 pm, probably more than 1 hour cushion time. I'm trying to strike the right balance of squeezing out every minute of vacation time vs giving myself a large enough time window.

[toberman]

It's sad that half of my free time is spent planning/day dreaming about this cruise.

 

That's not sad - that's excitement!! Been there, done that !

Don't forget that the ship is a very big part of the cruise experience and you just have to be on it to enjoy it!! Enjoy your cruise.

[eandj]

One of the ports is Nassau, Bahamas . The ship leaves at 6 pm. I think I'll leave Cable beach at 4 pm hopefully getting us to the ship by 5 pm, probably more than 1 hour cushion time. I'm trying to strike the right balance of squeezing out every minute of vacation time vs giving myself a large enough time window.

 

 

I plan ahead before too and find it great fun. But... by the time the actual day comes for those well laid plans, we might change our mind, cut things short, decide to stay onboard till after lunch or return before lunch , skip a beach to sit and people watch and shop in town etc. You get the idea. DOn't try so hard to super manage the trip from home. If you have info in hand, you are a step ahead of MANY people who look lost when they arrive a a port.:D

 

By the way, if you say you "hopefully" will get back to the ship....you should leave earlier!:eek: Give yourself plenty of time.

 

Happy cruise!!

[felixdrylock]

By the way, if you say you "hopefully" will get back to the ship....you should leave earlier!:eek: Give yourself plenty of time.

 

Happy cruise!!

 

well, I've read about 20 minutes for the bus ride, i figure 20 minutes for the walk from the bus to the ship, and I estimated a 20 minute wait for the bus. That's an hour from the point we walk off the beach to the point we get on the ship. some of those times could be less, or more. But I figure it can't be any more than an hour, and I'm giving myself 2.

 

Ya the planning stage is fun. That's my personality too though, I'm a planner. I know I won't end up sticking to EVERY plan, but I figure by stressing out about all the details NOW, I will feel confident and stress free once I'm on my actual vacation. If there's information out there, I want to absorb it so I can make good, easy decisions!

[sparky-elpaso]

If you plan to arrive back at the port area by 5:00 that's only 30 minutes "cushion time" - not an hour. The time you need to know is "boarding" time not "departure" time. Boarding time is generally half an hour before departure. It will be posted in the ships newspaper, as well as at the gangway.

[BroncosFan2010]

I have found that the ships tend to get into port earlier than stated, but they do not usually let you off the ship until the time stated. The ship RARELY leaves late, mostly because they have to pay for their time in port, and it cost money to be docked. Don't count on being able to board the ship later than 30 minutes prior to departure time.

[felixdrylock]

I have found that the ships tend to get into port earlier than stated, but they do not usually let you off the ship until the time stated. The ship RARELY leaves late, mostly because they have to pay for their time in port, and it cost money to be docked. Don't count on being able to board the ship later than 30 minutes prior to departure time.

 

Thanks for the info. How often do you think ships are LATE to dock at a new port in the morning? very rarely? I want to make sure if it says "arrival: 8 a.m.", I will be able to physically by off the ship by like, say, 8:15.

[BruceMuzz]

Thanks for the info. How often do you think ships are LATE to dock at a new port in the morning? very rarely? I want to make sure if it says "arrival: 8 a.m.", I will be able to physically by off the ship by like, say, 8:15.

 

The answer to your question has a great deal to do with the port and the country it is in. Some port officials are notorious for arriving late to clear the ship.

If the ship is not cleared, you are not getting off.

 

In some countries they clear the ship via radio before it even gets to the pier. As soon as the gangway is down, passengers can disembark.

 

In some countries the officials are able to clear the ship in 5 minutes and you can go ashore immediately after.

 

In other countries it can take an hour or longer to clear the ship after arrival. Everybody waits.

 

In some ports, with many ships arriving at the same time, there are not enough officials to clear them all at the same time. It can sometimes take 30 to 60 minutes for the officials to get over to clear your ship in these situations.

 

If your ship is tendering, the officials may need to wait for your ship's tenders to be lowered, pick them up at the pier, and bring them out to the ship to do the clearance procedures. This can take a very long time in some ports.

 

In other ports, the officals or agent have their own boat to speed up the process.

[cruisemom42]

If you plan to arrive back at the port area by 5:00 that's only 30 minutes "cushion time" - not an hour. The time you need to know is "boarding" time not "departure" time. Boarding time is generally half an hour before departure. It will be posted in the ships newspaper, as well as at the gangway.

 

Let me expand on this because it's very important.

 

The "all aboard" time is the time by which you MUST be back on board the ship. If the "all aboard" time is 5:30 and the gangplank is raised, you will in all likelihood NOT be able to board the ship if you arrive back at 5:45, even if the ship's scheduled departure time is 6:00. It's critical that you understand this.

 

Think of it as being like a flight -- once they close the gate door, you will not be getting on that aircraft, even if it is still at the gate.

 

Here is a recent thread started by someone who "missed" his ship by being late. He thought the captain should've let him board. He got no sympathy:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1157383

[yogi2929]

wow that was crazy. The description said the ship waited TWO HOURS for them before finally leaving. Those people weren't just late, they were super crazy late.

 

I'm just a worrier, you never know what circumstances could arise. They keep track of who is on and off the ship so they always know right? I was just hoping that if something happened and I was 30 minutes late, the ship would wait. Not that I plan on it, I plan on being an hour early, but I often have bad luck with public transportation. Maybe that's just because I live in Boston ;)

 

 

They do know who is off the ship. You will 'ding' your card when you leave and when you get back onboard.

 

A story---We were in Sitka. DD and I went back to the ship early and left DH onshore. At 5:00 DH still isn't back (5 was the time we were supposed to set sail). I go running thru the halls to the gangway to see if he made it on the ship. The security officer was able to tell me that he and 200 crew and passengers were still onshore. Turns out one of our tenders broke down which delayed the whole process.

[Cruisin' Chick]

And here's some more info to mull over: sometimes the port times can change. That's happened on our last two cruises, and both times we discovered that at the last moment or even on the ship. In one case, the sailaway time was moved up an hour. We were on a late afternoon excursion, but fortunately we had booked it thru the ship as it took longer than scheduled. The ship did wait for us as the driver kept in touch with the ship.

 

On our last cruise, we were given an extra hour in one port than originally scheduled. Turned out to be moot as we had to skip that port due to high waves.

 

As others have stated, be aware that you must be back on the ship at least an half hour before sailaway. Always bring your ship's newsletter with you as it will have that time listed, as well as the contact info for the port agent just in case you do miss the ship. And be sure to check the ship's time against your watch and everyone in your party (helps to have a timer on someone's watch too) as sometimes a ship is not on local time.

 

As for tender ports (as mentioned above), only so many people could be tendered over to the pier at a time. I know with Princess, those on excursions booked through Princess will get priority for those tenders (along with those with elite status and those in full suites) over other passengers. You meet in the lounge or theater and a crew member will escort you to the front of the line. Other passengers have to consider they'll get off the ship about an hour or so later.

 

For some docked ports, there could be a line to get off the ship as each person must slip their cabin card into the machine that keeps track of who's off the ship and that could take some time.

[jaybird from SC]

I'm cruising on NCL in May. Do the ships usually arrive and leave at the ports EXACTLY at the times specified? Do the ships ever get there like a half hour early or late and do they ever LEAVE late?

Doesn't matter if they do or don't. The fact is YOU better arrive on time.

[jaybird from SC]

Thank you all for your responses! My cruise isn't for another 6 weeks, but it has been a cold past few days in New England. It's sad that half of my free time is spent planning/day dreaming about this cruise. I already know so much about the cruise and ports from sites like this, tripadvisor, and Google Maps that I think once I get there I'll feel like I've already been there!

 

One of the ports is Nassau, Bahamas . The ship leaves at 6 pm. I think I'll leave Cable beach at 4 pm hopefully getting us to the ship by 5 pm, probably more than 1 hour cushion time. I'm trying to strike the right balance of squeezing out every minute of vacation time vs giving myself a large enough time window.

"Hopefully" ? Remember problems can occur on the way back to the ship and if you miss it, you'll hopefully have means to get yourself home or to the next port of call....Allow plenty of time...

[SantaFeFan]

I'm cruising on NCL in May. Do the ships usually arrive and leave at the ports EXACTLY at the times specified? Do the ships ever get there like a half hour early or late and do they ever LEAVE late?

 

The cruise line pays for the services of the dock crew that handles securing the ship during arrival and departure, plus the rental of the dock space. They will try to be punctual if at all possible, arriving at the designated time, and leaving on time. Otherwise, they have to pay additional for the extend service hours of the dock crew, and the adjusted dock rental time. They also pay for the services of a harbor pilot. During busy port times, if they miss their slot for entry or departure, they may lose the services of the very busy pilot until he becomes available again.

 

On every cruise I have been on, the arrival and departure times were within minutes on almost every occasion.

[okbowler]

On every cruise I have been on, the arrival and departure times were within minutes on almost every occasion.

 

It seems that the MSC Poesia on its Eastern Carib. ports of call is almost always two or three hours early. We went on Jan.23rd. and was true for us and seems to be a regular occurrence for this ship. Otherwise I agree with above poster. Bill

[DizzyDallasDi]

I'm cruising on NCL in May. Do the ships usually arrive and leave at the ports EXACTLY at the times specified? Do the ships ever get there like a half hour early or late and do they ever LEAVE late?

 

I can't think of any mode of transportation that arrives and departs "EXACTLY at the times specified." :confused: