Are the times listed all aboard or departure?

[justjim9510]

I'm trying to plan a couple of excursions and making sure I give myself enough time. Are the times listed below the time we actually leave and we will be required to be back onboard an hour before this?

 

[BND]

Depart, just like it says.  All aboard will be 30 min before departure time.

[Norwich Cruiser]

11 minutes ago, BND said:

Depart, just like it says.  All aboard will be 30 min before departure time.

They are the departing times from port.

[PhillyFan33579]

17 minutes ago, justjim9510 said:

I'm trying to plan a couple of excursions and making sure I give myself enough time. Are the times listed below the time we actually leave and we will be required to be back onboard an hour before this?

 

I would highly recommend booking any excursions thru RCI. You can find lots of videos online of people being left at the port as the ship is sailing. Trying to save money by booking third party excursions is not worth the risk in my book. 

[BND]

7 minutes ago, Norwich Cruiser said:

They are the departing times from port.

That's what I said.

[LeeW]

Normal port all aboard is 30 minutes before departure.   Tender ports may be 45 to an hour.   Initial departure port in US is generally 90 minutes  (depends on when they submit final manifest).

 

Times can change even from the time posted at the gangway.   If weather is coming in ships leave early.  Rare, but they have even left ship excursions. 

[smokeybandit]

1 hour ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

You can find lots of videos online of people being left at the port as the ship is sailing.

This rarely happens. There are plenty of good, reputable 3rd party tour agencies that will ensure you're back in plenty of time.

[cruiseguy1016]

5 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

I would highly recommend booking any excursions thru RCI. You can find lots of videos online of people being left at the port as the ship is sailing. Trying to save money by booking third party excursions is not worth the risk in my book. 

 

To each their own.

 

3 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

This rarely happens. There are plenty of good, reputable 3rd party tour agencies that will ensure you're back in plenty of time.

 

^^^This^^^. The 3rd party tour companies know the cruise ship schedules. Their reputation and future business depend on them being reliable.

[leaveitallbehind]

4 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

This rarely happens. There are plenty of good, reputable 3rd party tour agencies that will ensure you're back in plenty of time.

I agree completely - their reputation is on the line with their timing. And while there are videos of the occasional cruiser who have missed their ship, there are any number of reasons why that may not necessarily be due to an independent tour operator.  In 50+ cruises we have witnessed it twice on a ship we were on.  It is indeed rare.

 

I also realize there is a first time for everything and I will never say never, but that being said, we haven't booked a ship sponsored tour in 30 years and have never missed or been close to missing our ship's departure from a port of call.  But as said by others, to each his own.

Edited April 23 by leaveitallbehind

[vjmatty]

On 4/23/2024 at 12:58 PM, smokeybandit said:

This rarely happens. There are plenty of good, reputable 3rd party tour agencies that will ensure you're back in plenty of time.

Agreed…most times those passengers running back to the ship were not on an independent tour, but at a nearby bar getting tipsy enough to lose track of the time. 

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

On 4/23/2024 at 3:45 PM, cruiseguy1016 said:

The 3rd party tour companies know the cruise ship schedules. Their reputation and future business depend on them being reliable.

Plus, many of them also guarantee that they will pay your expenses to catch you up with the ship or get you back to the home port if they don't get you back on time. They are really, really motivated to ensure that doesn't happen.

[S.A.M.J.R.]

On 4/23/2024 at 11:24 AM, PhillyFan33579 said:

I would highly recommend booking any excursions thru RCI. You can find lots of videos online of people being left at the port as the ship is sailing. Trying to save money by booking third party excursions is not worth the risk in my book. 

How are you able to get to the airport (for your flight to the cruise), or to the port (to catch the cruise) without a "cruise excursion" to get you there on time?

[GTO-Girl]

On 4/23/2024 at 12:58 PM, smokeybandit said:

This rarely happens. There are plenty of good, reputable 3rd party tour agencies that will ensure you're back in plenty of time.

Happens more than you know.  We have seen it happen 3 times and it is not a pretty sight…

[c-leg5]

20 minutes ago, GTO-Girl said:

Happens more than you know.  We have seen it happen 3 times and it is not a pretty sight…

They were on excursions or just got back to the ship late?

[leaveitallbehind]

18 hours ago, c-leg5 said:

They were on excursions or just got back to the ship late?

As you suggest and as I mentioned before, there could be many reasons not related to a non-ship excursion for those who have been late to get back and have missed the ship. While that situation would certainly be in the mix, it's an unverified assumption to make that videos of those who missed the ship were the result of an independent excursion being late.

Edited April 25 by leaveitallbehind

[Tree_skier]

I have been late getting back to the ship twice... Both times I was on a ship sponsored excursion and they waited.  That being said, I don't hesitate to book a non-ship excursion.  I just make sure I have a little extra time between all aboard and the expected end of the excursion.  If your are booking with a reputable excursion outfit I wouldn't have any fears.   

[Ourusualbeach]

On 4/23/2024 at 11:24 AM, PhillyFan33579 said:

I would highly recommend booking any excursions thru RCI. You can find lots of videos online of people being left at the port as the ship is sailing. Trying to save money by booking third party excursions is not worth the risk in my book. 

I would bet that most of the people that are late are not booked with 3rd party excursion providers but have just gone on their own by renting a car or taking a taxi somewhere.  The vast majority of 3rd party providers are very reputable and will get you back to the ship on time...their business depends on it.  

[wdwkings]

While the topic of missing the ship is valid and even possible in Nassau, with this itinerary it really would be hard to miss the ship.

There are only 3 opportunities.  If you miss initial boarding it is sad but not a logistical problem, just go home.  Royal will not leave you behind on Cococay, even though many of us wouldn’t mind that situation.  
 

That leaves Nassau and in reality you can get from one side of the island to the other in 30 minutes so you really have to not be paying attention or have extenuating circumstances to miss the ship.  So the OP should not really have too much to worry about.  Also the ship has a short trip from Nassau to Coco, so if the ship would have to delay departure it isn’t as pressed for time to get to the next port.  
 

In general discussion about missing the ship are valid.  Realistically, with this itineraries, the risks are low. It would really take poor planning or just disregard for your timetable to miss the ship.  Port times do change so the only reliable source for actual Archer time would be the listed time as you depart the ship the day of.

[GTO-Girl]

On 4/24/2024 at 10:29 PM, c-leg5 said:

They were on excursions or just got back to the ship late?

I have no idea if they were on a private excursion or just late.  All I know is they were standing on the dock as the ship sailed without them.

 

In one case the couple was on another ship that was docked next to ours and that ship jad

been gone at least 20min before they showed up!!!