MSC excursions, is the time listed anywhere on the website?

[primadonut]

I am trying to figure out what time my excursions start and end at, but I can't see anywhere on the website, I am hoping I am just looking in the wrong location, can anyone point me in the right direction? Mainly concerned with my Stingray City/Starfish Point excursion on Grand Cayman as there is tendering involved :-) Thank you!

[nikkiw60]

The departure times for each cruise is listed on the daily newsletter which is no help if you have a private excursion.

However, If you have black status one if the perks is priority for the tender boats.

 

 

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Edited January 25, 2017 by nikkiw60

[AEckhardt]

I would think if you're booking an excursion through MSC, you'd be notified of departure times and meeting points once you're onboard and you have your excursion tickets.

 

 

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[Capricruiser]

You only get the excursion meeting point and time in the Daily program which you won't receive until the evening before. This info will be at the bottom of the front page of the Daily and will say, for example, "Excursion ABC12, Visit of Miami; meeting point Theatre, 08.15." This tells you that tomorrow morning you have to be in the Theatre by 08.15 where they will give you the group sticker for your excursion and then eventually escort your group out to to the tour buses. The time is set the day before when the shore-based tour operator notifies the ship's excursion office. Sounds a bit complicated but it's not. Unfortunately, as stated, you won't know the time until the evening prior.

p.s. The website description of the excursions does give the approximate duration of each excursion. Sometimes it will say if it's a morning or afternoon excursion. This info will also be in the tour magazine which you'll receive once on board. Hope this helps.

Edited January 25, 2017 by Capricruiser

[GOLDENBONNY]

I am trying to figure out what time my excursions start and end at, but I can't see anywhere on the website, I am hoping I am just looking in the wrong location, can anyone point me in the right direction? Mainly concerned with my Stingray City/Starfish Point excursion on Grand Cayman as there is tendering involved :-) Thank you!

 

If you book from MSC you will meet with your group on board and go together to tender.

[sverigecruiser]

Very disappointing that the time for the excursion isnt given when the excursion is booked. I really want to know that so I guess that we will stay on the ship in every port! That's nice too but still disappointing.

 

Can we get the time when we book if we book on the ship and if yes, are many excursions normally sold out and not possible to book on the ship? (We will be in the YC if that matters. )

[GOLDENBONNY]

Very disappointing that the time for the excursion isnt given when the excursion is booked. I really want to know that so I guess that we will stay on the ship in every port! That's nice too but still disappointing.

 

Can we get the time when we book if we book on the ship and if yes, are many excursions normally sold out and not possible to book on the ship? (We will be in the YC if that matters. )

 

What difference it's make to you? :rolleyes::rolleyes: 99% of excursions starts from 8-10 am .

[sverigecruiser]

What difference it's make to you? :rolleyes::rolleyes: 99% of excursions starts from 8-10 am .

 

For example, we will be in Messina from 8 to 18. A three hour excursion 9-12 is perfect but the same excursion 12-15 is not as good, it may be too hot and maybe we will miss the lunch. (I know that there is lots of food on the ship so we won't starve but I still prefer to eat when I want.)

 

We prefer not to miss any meals on the ship so we normally choose our excursions around that but if they don't tell us the time when we book an excursion we can not do that so the difference is huge.

[AEckhardt]

I don't see why this would be an issue. You know well in advance what hours the ship will be docked at your destinations. Your excursion will most like start within an hour of docking, and will most likely end an hour or more before sail away. Why would feel the need to stay onboard rather than take an excursion because you wouldn't know the exact time frame far in advance?

 

 

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[BermudaBound2014]

This is just another "Msc quirk". The shore excursion desk will be able to tell you the starting time. Since it does matter to you (it would matter to me also), I recommend going to the shore excursion desk first day onboard as I highly doubt all the stingray tours will be sold out prior to embarkation. This way you can also use your ObC too :). No worries, it all works better once on the ship but this is one example of how Msc differs from the other mainstream lines. Enjoy :)

 

 

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[sverigecruiser]

I don't see why this would be an issue. You know well in advance what hours the ship will be docked at your destinations. Your excursion will most like start within an hour of docking, and will most likely end an hour or more before sail away. Why would feel the need to stay onboard rather than take an excursion because you wouldn't know the exact time frame far in advance?

 

 

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If most excursions are full day excursions I agree that the time isnt that important, I just assumed that they had short excursions too, 2-3 hour, and then the time matters for us.

 

Most of our ports are not interesting enough for us to book full day excursions so if that's what they offer we probably stay on the ship most days, no problem.

[Bra_BE2014]

Very disappointing that the time for the excursion isnt given when the excursion is booked. I really want to know that so I guess that we will stay on the ship in every port! That's nice too but still disappointing.

 

 

 

Can we get the time when we book if we book on the ship and if yes, are many excursions normally sold out and not possible to book on the ship? (We will be in the YC if that matters. )

 

 

If you cross check the time the ship will remain in a certain port with the lenghth of the excursion (half day, full day) then you can pretty accuratly guess the time of the excursion ;-)

 

 

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[sverigecruiser]

If you cross check the time the ship will remain in a certain port with the lenghth of the excursion (half day, full day) then you can pretty accuratly guess the time of the excursion ;-)

 

 

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Full day is no problem but half day can be both first half, second half or something in the middle.

 

I think that it's amazing that not everyone think that the time of the excursion is important but people are different and I have no problem with that.

 

For us the time is important but it's no problem for me if other people don't care.

[Bra_BE2014]

Full day is no problem but half day can be both first half, second half or something in the middle.

 

 

 

I think that it's amazing that not everyone think that the time of the excursion is important but people are different and I have no problem with that.

 

 

 

For us the time is important but it's no problem for me if other people don't care.

 

 

I've done lots of msc excursions and never seen one lasting less then 4 hours. I'm sure you will be able to manage your schedule. Happy cruising!

 

 

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[nikkiw60]

I know you are referring to a different island but this is just to give you an idea of tour timings. This is from Divina for Tuesday this week, it was a short stop (half day) at Philipsburg with all aboard at 1.30. You have plenty of time to go to Buffet when you get back. We did the St Marten island tour we left at 8.45 ish and were back at ship at 12.30.

 

 

 

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Edited January 26, 2017 by nikkiw60

[where to next?]

This is just another "Msc quirk". The shore excursion desk will be able to tell you the starting time. Since it does matter to you (it would matter to me also), I recommend going to the shore excursion desk first day onboard as I highly doubt all the stingray tours will be sold out prior to embarkation. This way you can also use your ObC too :). No worries, it all works better once on the ship but this is one example of how Msc differs from the other mainstream lines. Enjoy :)

 

 

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I agree, I want to know our times too....never known ships own excursions not to have a time stated when booked. Our first time with MSC but 20th cruise. Its all about prior planning and getting the most out of the day in each port.

 

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[sverigecruiser]

I've done lots of msc excursions and never seen one lasting less then 4 hours. I'm sure you will be able to manage your schedule. Happy cruising!

 

 

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I looked at the excursions for our cruise and they are between 2.30 and 7 hours long.

 

I'm sure that I will be able to manage my schedule but if I can't know the time, we will probably not book any excursions except for a full day somewhere we haven't been before. I can miss one lunch on the ship but not more!

 

As I said, even if we stay on the ship we will be happy!

[sverigecruiser]

Its all about prior planning and getting the most out of the day in each port.

 

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This is how it is for me, I prefer to do things I can plan. If I can't plan because I don't know the excursions time I rather plan to stay on the ship!

 

We get some extra time to try all drinks on the ship, that's not bad!

[primadonut]

Thanks for all the help guys, glad I wasn't the only one confused! I already booked stingray city because the tour we are doing had limited spots left and we arrive in port after the set times that most of the private tours leave at. I didn't want to be stuck in a situation where we didn't do it because it's a bucket list one for me. I was hoping to do 7 mile beach the same day (but via public bus, we like to do our own thing usually) but if the tour group has to meet on the boat and it starts around lunch that might be more stressy than I want on my vacation :p I am really hoping our tour is a morning one so we can have the rest of the day to chill and do what we like, but it sounds like I won't be able to find out that info until we board. Anyone know if I give MSC a call if they will be able to tell me? I love planning, planning is 50% of the fun of cruising :D