General NCL Policy on All-Aboard Time?

[3Fluffies]

Here's a question from an inexperienced NCL cruiser - the cruise itineraries say what hours a ship will be in port (e.g. 8 am-5 pm), but is 5 pm generally the all-aboard time, or is that the sail-away time with the all-aboard likely to be earlier?

 

I'm thinking about this with regard to planning excursions. My only cruise was to Bermuda where we were in port for 3 straight days, so managing excursion time really wasn't an issue. On one of my planned days in my upcoming Alaska cruise, I have an early excursion that returns about 5 hours before the "end time" at port, and I'm wondering when I should assume my cutoff time is to get back to the ship. (I like to plan to be back on board early, but if all aboard time is actually 5 pm, then I can plan on an excursion until 4, but if the actual all-aboard time is earlier, that's an important thing to know.)

 

Halp? :o

[Victress2007]

All Aboard time is 1/2 hour before the announced time.

 

Check out the dailies (from last year) they are listed on the header every day.

 

Vic

[Keith1010]

5:00 PM will mean the ships departure time so in this case all guests will need to be back on board at 4:30 PM.

 

We pad the time we get back when we are on our own and not with a ships excursion because things happen such as a vehicle breakdown, accident or heavy traffic.

 

Keith

[triptolemus]

Also, there will be many conspicuous signs posted as you leave the ship indicating all aboard time.

 

Make sure your WRISTWATCH (not a phone) matches the ship's time when you leave.

[Demonyte]

 

Make sure your WRISTWATCH (not a phone) matches the ship's time when you leave.

 

 

Correctly configured phone works just as fine, people with problems with their phone's clock are the ones that do not know how to use it properly.

Edited March 29, 2016 by Demonyte

[3Fluffies]

Yeah, I know the Dailies always have the all-aboard time and that phones aren't reliable, I was just thinking in terms of pre-cruise planning what the general rule was.

 

1/2 hour prior to the departure time was pretty much what I was guestimating.

 

(I have an excursion in Juneau that returns at 4:30 pm, and was debating whether I'd have time to get to Mendenhall Glacier and back since the departure time is 9 pm. If I have to be back onboard no later than 8:30, I'm thinking a shuttle or cab to and from Mendenhall is very doable.)

[mking8288]

Bermuda sailings used to return to homeport (NYC, at least - and, I'm reasonably sure - same for the Dawn out of Boston, MA) at 5 PM (all abroad @ 4:30 PM) - it has been switched to earlier sailing @ 3 PM (all abroad @ 2:30 PM) - please double check the itinerary and the ship's printed Freestyle Daily, as well as signs on the gangway(s) if going ashore on that last island days. When in doubt, ask the crew and/or security officer stationed there before stepping off.

 

Otherwise, welcome to the pier runner's club & be sure you are traveling with your passport(s) for missing the ship by 2+ hours. Ship captains do wait sometimes (15 minutes at most) and they also don't and will start pulling away - part of the reason is the narrow ship channel in Bermuda & changes in tide ... the Dawn went into the coral reefs last season & ended up staying longer once it was freed in the morning.

 

Allow extra time for transportation back to Dockyard, in case the ferry and/or bus is full - and you can't get on until the next scheduled run. Or, the taxi got a flat tire on its way to King's Wharf.

[3Fluffies]

Bermuda sailings used to return to homeport (NYC, at least - and, I'm reasonably sure - same for the Dawn out of Boston, MA) at 5 PM (all abroad @ 4:30 PM) - it has been switched to earlier sailing @ 3 PM (all abroad @ 2:30 PM) - please double check the itinerary and the ship's printed Freestyle Daily, as well as signs on the gangway(s) if going ashore on that last island days. When in doubt, ask the crew and/or security officer stationed there before stepping off.

 

Otherwise, welcome to the pier runner's club & be sure you are traveling with your passport(s) for missing the ship by 2+ hours. Ship captains do wait sometimes (15 minutes at most) and they also don't and will start pulling away - part of the reason is the narrow ship channel in Bermuda & changes in tide ... the Dawn went into the coral reefs last season & ended up staying longer once it was freed in the morning.

 

Allow extra time for transportation back to Dockyard, in case the ferry and/or bus is full - and you can't get on until the next scheduled run. Or, the taxi got a flat tire on its way to King's Wharf.

 

Heh! Joining the pier runner's club is one thing I'm determined to avoid! :-D

 

The cruise I have coming up isn't Bermuda - it's Alaska. Bermuda was the cruise I did in the past with a multi-day stay in port, hence the "all aboard" time not really being an issue then. In Alaska, I'll be juggling the usual multi-stop itinerary with different departure times each day.