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HAL and Guatemala Time


sr5242
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  • 2 months later...
does anyone know if HAL uses ship time or local time in guatemala? want to plan a private excursion... thanks!!!

 

The only time that really matters is what time all aboard is, and that is ship time. ;)

 

We were there when DST was not in effect in the U.S., so there was no issue, I guess. The ship time changed from EST to CST during the night after the sea day. It does not appear Guatemala follows DST.

 

I suspect that the ship time will be adjusted to match the local time.

 

However, even though the official ship time changed, the clocks in the lido pool area were not changed to match it on our Ryndam cruise last week. Confusing!!!! :confused:

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We stopped at Santo Tomas last week on the Ryndam. Local time and ship's time were the same, Central time. We left from Tampa and turned back the clocks the night before we arrived at Roatan...stayed that way at Santo Tomas and Costa Maya and then returned to Eastern Standard on the way back to Tampa.

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  • 5 weeks later...
  • 1 year later...

We were on the Ryndam for 21 days--Tampa/Key West/Roatan/Santo Tomas/Costa Maya/Tampa, and then 14 days Eastern/Southern Caribbean. Ryndam is starting to show her age just a little, but the crew and staff work hard and keep the ship, ... well, ship-shape. We had early seating for dinner. Our wait staff and wine steward were attentive without smothering, were knowledgeable about what was on the menu, and they quickly determined how the menu items met our individual tastes. I had some doubts initially about our cruising experience on the Ryndam, but we have another cruise booked for next November, on that same 7-day itinerary. Obviously, my doubts were nothing to be concerned with.

 

Regarding the ports: with the exception of Key West, they're small, several of them are relatively new (in comparison with such well-established, commercially active ports as Cozumel). If you're looking for high-end shopping, you're going to be disappointed--it's pretty limited. But, if you're more of an eco-cruiser, more interested in local color, you'll find a number of different offerings at each port that will likely suit your wants.

 

We first visited Roatan 20 years ago, and we were interested in how the island had changed over that time. Parts of the island are very much like we left them 20 years ago, other parts are shiny-new and touristy. When we were there 20 years ago, I don't think there was a golf course on the island--now it's one of the ship's excursions.

 

My wife and her mother visited several of these same ports a few years ago. At Santo Tomas, be sure to be on deck when the ship casts off. It's a small port, and the locals appreciate the business the ships bring with them. When the ships leave, the locals show their appreciation in a fairly unique way.

 

As usual, you'll find what you're looking for: if you're looking for something to be disappointed with, you'll find it on this itinerary; if you're looking for local color and things you're not going to see at home, you'll find that, too, and in abundance.

 

My wife and I enjoyed the ship, the itinerary, and the ports. If you book this cruise, I hope you do, too.

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