Ship time vs Port time

[PhotogrFrGal]

When looking at private tours - is the time the ship is in port the same time as the port? I thought I read somewhere that some cruise lines use port time and some use the same time zone for the ship the entire cruise. Can anyone out there more cruise savy tell me how to figure this out. I am trying to plan the shore stuff for our cruise in December.

Thanks!

[Sheffie]

Oh, my, this is a loaded question.. . or rather the answer is...."It depends."

 

It depends on the ports, it depends on what the captain wants to do.

 

I have found that the tour operators are really savvy about what time the ships come in. Their business depends on them knowing these things. I would ask them if it would work for your ship.

 

Good luck! Have a great cruise!

[celbercrz333]

Photo,

Check to see if any of these private tours have websites. If they do see if they have a "contact us" section. E-mail them ahead of time and ask them directly. The best way to cruise is to have all the information at your fingertips before you board. Do your homework. We even look for the location's chamber of commerce website to see what they suggest. We did this with Bermuda and we even found a Bermuda yellow pages online. We did the same planning for Nassau, but sadly never made it there because of hurricane Jeanne. Where exactly are you going on your cruise? Which cruise line? Why a private tour vs. a ship's excursion tour? Do you feel like you will get the feel of the local people better? My mom and her gang (sr. citizens) went to the Bahamas and simply took a taxi ride instead of a boring tour they were offered. It turned out better because those on the scheduled tour said they didn't miss anything.

[kitty9]

It's basically up to the ship's captain, and there's no way of telling beforehand what the ship will do. You will either change the ship's time to reflect the change in time zones, or you will stay on the same time as your port of embarkation for the entire cruise. Unfortunately, there's no way to tell you before you cruise what will happen.

[PhotogrFrGal]

Photo,

Check to see if any of these private tours have websites. If they do see if they have a "contact us" section. E-mail them ahead of time and ask them directly. The best way to cruise is to have all the information at your fingertips before you board. Do your homework. We even look for the location's chamber of commerce website to see what they suggest. We did this with Bermuda and we even found a Bermuda yellow pages online. We did the same planning for Nassau, but sadly never made it there because of hurricane Jeanne. Where exactly are you going on your cruise? Which cruise line? Why a private tour vs. a ship's excursion tour? Do you feel like you will get the feel of the local people better? My mom and her gang (sr. citizens) went to the Bahamas and simply took a taxi ride instead of a boring tour they were offered. It turned out better because those on the scheduled tour said they didn't miss anything.

 

We're on princess from San Juan to St Thomas, St. Kitts, Grenada, Margarita Isle, Aruba. I am looking at one on St Thomas - none of the ones the line offers appeals greatly to me. I have been to the VI twice and just would like to sail and snorkel with a small group rather than a packed tour. I am doing some research now for this.

Thanks for the advice!