Published arrival times Intanbul - How accurate, trying to book an external conversion that meets 1 hour after arrival time

[Currybentley]

Hi:   The published arrival time is 9 a.m. and I am looking at booking an external excursion (not offered by NCL) that meets at a location close to Modern Art Museum in Istanbul at 10 a.m.    Will I be able to make it?    I don't know if the arrival time is the time the ship arrives or when it has cleared customs and we can exit the ship.   Thank you.  

[Homosassa]

Remember any times given as arrival times before the day of a actual arriving port are just projections of what will occur.

 

The ship may arrive earlier;  the ship may arrive latter; the ship may not make port that day for a variety of reasons.

 

Once the ship does arrive, it must receive clearance from local officials  to allow disembarkation 

 

If you decide to roll the dice and book a private excursion, make sure you know the cancellation and refund policy of the tour operator and have a way to contact them.

[European_CruiseGirl]

I personally wouldn’t feel comfortable with this schedule. Meeting at 10 at the Istanbul cruise port or very close to it (walking distance)? Yes. But anything that requires either taxi or public transportation in Istanbul is always a risk. You simply cannot trust Istanbul traffic to be anything else but horrible. Truly horrible or just horrible or if you are lucky only annoying. Something that looks on a map like a 10 minute drive can last 40-50 minutes very easily. Public transportation…well it works if it works. 

[TheDawg79]

Arrival time is NOT the same as the time the gangway goes down!! That can easily be an hour right there. Also even the arrival time assumes no delays with the ship, weather or at the port. 

[Currybentley]

Thanks to all of you for your advice.   I will reach out to the tour operator to see if they might change the starting time (not likely), but will also explore other small group day tours from reputable providers.