What time do tenders start in Cayman for Carnival Magic?

[cravingacruise]

Now that I understand ship time vs. shore time in Grand Cayman, I have a question about tendering. According to Carnival Magic's itinerary, the ship is scheduled to be in Grand Cayman from 9:00-5:00. We have a non-Carnival excursion planned and the meeting time on the detailed instructions I received from the company is 9:45 a.m. Cayman Islands Time, which is EST. If the Magic is indeed on CST (time zone of originating port), then it doesn't seem possible for us to make it on time. For those of you who have sailed the Carnival Magic, what time does the tendering process generally start? Unfortunately, we did not purchase FTTF as we booked this cruise very last-minute. Thank you in advance for any info!

Edited August 11, 2015 by cravingacruise

[Crusin Hogs]

Usually about 30 minutes after dropping anchor , We went to deck 1 , there was a line over half the length of the ship waiting to get off . It get's stuffy waiting in the hall with so many people ,and on top of that , People who have rooms on deck 1 trying to get in and out of their rooms , We wait an hour or so and let the lines go down .

[love my grandkids]

Make sure tour company knows what time the ship comes in (they should know anyway) and that you will get off asap and they will wait for you as they dont get paid if you dont go on the tour

[robtoby]

From what i'm seeing, Grand Cayman time is the same as Central time/Ship Time (at least right now it is). We are going in October. Will it be the same then?

[HawksFan74]

Cayman Islands Time, which is EST. If the Magic is indeed on CST (time zone of originating port), then it doesn't seem possible for us to make it on time.

Actually, the time zone of the originating port is Central Daylight Time (CDT), which happens to be the same as Eastern Standard Time (EST). Cayman Islands do not observe daylight savings time.

 

From what i'm seeing, Grand Cayman time is the same as Central time/Ship Time (at least right now it is). We are going in October. Will it be the same then?

Yes, it will be the same until November 1, when those of us in the U.S. "fall back."

Edited August 11, 2015 by HawksFan74

[riffatsea]

If you are doing a private excursion then they will wait for you. The trouble is that without FTTF folks on Carnival led excursions will be allowed onto the tenders earlier and then you'll be able to get off so no telling when exactly that may be.

[ABQrobin]

NOT to worry.... the tenders are big and hold hundreds. You will be off the ship within a few minutes even if not on the first tender, plus they are using 2 exits for the tenders. Crazy fast for thousands to get off the ship.

[Shipbound]

FYI , If you read the fun times brochure each day all the information you'll need is there. The tenders usually start when the ship is cleared by local customs. The CD should make an announcement.

 

Gary

[lizardhowson]

Make sure tour company knows what time the ship comes in (they should know anyway) and that you will get off asap and they will wait for you as they dont get paid if you dont go on the tour

 

The excursion companies make a living off the cruise ships. They will absolutely know when your ship is scheduled to dock. There is no need to contact them.

 

If you are doing a private excursion then they will wait for you.

 

^^ This is exactly correct - and remember, no matter what time you arrive at the meeting point for your excursion, you will be waiting for someone else to arrive. The tours operators do this multiple days a week, and it is their livelihood - they have it perfected.