Breeze-Getting off ship at Ports?

[Gatordad815]

Hi all! If we would like to be ashore relatively quickly after the Breeze is cleared at our ports of call, are we looking at long lines and back-ups to get off the ship or is it a relatively streamlined process? 

 

We we are considering plans for St.Thomas specifically on the Eastern itinerary. The ship doesn’t arrive until 11:30 AM and we will have a 6:00 dinner time back onboard, so the time on shore is somewhat limited. In a perfect world we’d just skip MDR dinner and spend more time ashore, but our daughter must eat gluten free so eating in the Dining Room really is best for us. 

 

Any insight into what it’s like getting off the Breeze in St. Thomas appreciated! Thanks!

Edited July 10, 2019 by Gatordad815

[PhillyFan33579]

We just got off Breeze this past Saturday. There were pretty long lines for roughly an hour or so getting off the ship at every port    

(Amber Cove. Saint Thomas, San Juan and  Grand Turk). My wife and I waited every day for about 90 minutes before leaving the ship. The lines were short for every port except one by this time. I can’t remember what port it was (I think it was San Juan but not certain), but it took us maybe 15 minutes at the most to get off the ship that day. 

[Lee Cruiser]

We were not on the Breeze when we got off in St. Thomas, but it was a longer line.  On the Breeze this past April most of the lines were not too bad, but all of the arrivals were relatively early (7-9).  From our past experience anytime a ship is arriving later (10 or later) the lines are very long.  This has been the case regardless of the ship. Everyone is up, had time to eat and is ready to get off.  So for your arrival at 11:30 you can probably expect the lines to be very long unless you wait a little while to go ashore.

[13cheermom]

Yes have to agree with above, have been to St. Thomas many times as well as the Breeze, and usually a long wait at that port.  My only suggestion is to do a ship excursion which gives you priority to leave with that group or wait awhile for all the traffic to clear, lol.  Since there is so much do to do right their at the dock area, a lot of people like to disembark just to walk around and look.  Fortunately our last trip was to go to St. John and we literally just walked off to the boat that was taking us over.  I understand about the gluten allergy, my oldest daughter (30) has one and it is challenging at times when we want to eat out.  At least restaurants are getting more intune with these allergies and providing more choices to be available.  Good Luck!

[hotsauce126]

Breeze is the longest I've ever taken to get on and off in the ports of call 

[Gatordad815]

Thanks all for the replies. It’s disappointing (but not surprising) this process is a slow process-especially with late arrivals. Do they typically have 2 gangways open, or just one? If 2, is there any difference in wait time between the two?

 

We are thinking about Secret Harbour in St Thomas. If anyone has any tips on maximizing the time there with a late arrival and early dining, I’d appreciate any input!

 

Thanks!

[moondog73]

We were on the Breeze in April and were always off the ship very quickly as soon as it was cleared by the port customs.  A little planning goes a long way.

[Gatordad815]

24 minutes ago, moondog73 said:

We were on the Breeze in April and were always off the ship very quickly as soon as it was cleared by the port customs.  A little planning goes a long way.

 

Any tips on how you managed this? Did you have to line up far ahead of time to get off quickly? I’m happy to plan if I know what I’m working with! Any input appreciated!

[moondog73]

Just plan to be in a strategic location early enough to beat the rush once the crew allows people to leave the ship.  If you port at 11:30am, you can't be on the lido deck and expect to take the elevator down when they make the announcement.