Time to get off ship

[CJWSLP]

Hi!  Traveling from Rome to Lisbon starting July 21st on Getaway.  Trying to figure out conservative estimates for when we will be off ship and when we will need to be back.  For example, if we have a port time of 10:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m., when will we actually be able to get to transportation area to go on excursions?  We are doing all excursions on our own NOT through NCL.  I am not having luck finding this info and cannot imagine how thousands of people disembark quickly.  I asked NCL customer service and they were not helpful at all.  Any info appreciated.

[ollienbertsmum]

All of the cruises I have been on, (none of these bigger than RCI Voyager of the Seas) announcements have been made that we can leave the ship within 20 minutes of stated arrival time - sometimes it might be earlier.   If the arrival is early in the morning, the exodus of passengers is staggered by many still eating breakfast.   If  the arrival is later, I still do not recall there being unmanageable queues to get off the ship.  If you are tendering off the ship it is harder to predict because it can depend on what time you can get tender tickets.  Recently tickets have been distributed the day before (announced in the cruise daily).  

 

All of the ships I have been on have required you to be back 30 minutes before designated sailing time.  So for your example you need to be back on board at the latest by 6.30 pm.  Don’t mess with this time.  Two weeks ago I watched a couple arrive 25 minutes after sailaway time in Rijeka, the gang plank was already up.  They had to make their own way to Dubrovnik.  This was a long trip.   I usually DIY all of my port stops, but I am usually back on board 90 minutes before time.  I am risk averse.  

[KeithJenner]

Unless it is a tender port then you should be able to get off the ship at around the time stated and all aboard will be 30 minutes before departure (but check that when you leave the ship). There are, in my experience, rarely delays in these ports.

 

I’m not sure if you have any tender ports (Cannes for example), but it will take longer to get off the ship and you will need to be back earlier (last tender if often 1hr before departure).

 

If you have a tour booked then your guides will have a good idea on timescales and should be able to pick you up from the ship. If you are making your own way then be aware that in some ports (ie Livorno) you have to use port shuttles, which may take extra time.

[CJWSLP]

Thank you so much!  This is very helpful!

[luv2kroooz]

I will just add that it could depend on your arrival time. Our recent call in Lisbon was one of the ports where NCL shortened the time in port. Our times were shortened to 1030 to 400, with all aboard 330. Due to the shortened time, everyone was trying to get off the ship at 1030. Long lines had formed throughout the ship and there were long delays. In this example, unless you were at the front of the line, you were not off the ship within 20 minutes of arrival time. Also, everyone came back to reboard at 330, so again long lines to reboard. We waited over an hour and we ended up leaving after 500.

 

Of course, this was not the case in ports were the ship arrived at say 7am, as there was low demand to disembark at 700. Things were much smoother in this case.

 

 

[CruiserBruce]

Your itinerary should be very indicative. If the schedule says they dock at 7am, you should be able to get off within a few minutes of that time, certainly no later than 7:30, unless there are unexpected delays. It is a misconception that everyone...ship's excursions or not, tries to get off within 5 minutes of the gangway opening. Ship's excursions are frequently spaced out, and some even have scheduled later departures, like 10, or noon or later.

 

A tender port is a different issue. That is much more complicated. Tendering the bulk of the people off most ships can take 90-120 minutes.

[MBP&O2/O]

I suppose it depends on the efficiency of the debark protocols. There was a  complaint some months ago that people were queueing for over an hour just to get off the ship. Many missed excursions. Needless to say it was the passengers fault for not getting in the queue earlier🙄

One gangway, one exit point from the ship ... how many security stations will there be?

[CruiserBruce]

To answer the other question about when you need to be back on board,  most cruise lines have the policy requiring you be back on board 30 minutes prior to scheduled sailing. Last tender is usually 30 minutes prior to scheduled sailing. This will usually be clearly posted and announced. 

[Essiesmom]

You have to be back onboard 30 minutes before scheduled departure time.  EM

[ollienbertsmum]

5 hours ago, luv2kroooz said:

I will just add that it could depend on your arrival time. Our recent call in Lisbon was one of the ports where NCL shortened the time in port. Our times were shortened to 1030 to 400, with all aboard 330. Due to the shortened time, everyone was trying to get off the ship at 1030. Long lines had formed throughout the ship and there were long delays. In this example, unless you were at the front of the line, you were not off the ship within 20 minutes of arrival time. Also, everyone came back to reboard at 330, so again long lines to reboard. We waited over an hour and we ended up leaving after 500.

 

Of course, this was not the case in ports were the ship arrived at say 7am, as there was low demand to disembark at 700. Things were much smoother in this case.

 

 

That is a really good point.  It would make a lot of difference.

[Reese15233]

In general this has never been a problem for us with Norwegian but we were on Getaway in January and it was a really bad. They had us lined up across two decks to disembark at multiple ports and it took 30-40 minutes on good days, over an hour at the first port. The line did start forming before we were given clearance to disembark but not much before the scheduled time. In Puerto Rico we were late getting off and our twilight zipline excursion started after sunset. As a result most of the excursion took place after dark. It was still fun but not the same experience. I had to adjust my thinking after the first two stops because my frustration was interfering with the overall experience and the decompression needed after a long miserable 2022. There were also uncharacteristic service issues in the main dining rooms. Hopefully whatever the problems were, they have been resolved but I won't book Getaway again soon without checking recent reviews.