Help with time zone question

[mintjulip123]

I wrote to Carnival regarding the time zone for the Valor on Oct 18 - they wrote back that they are on EST and in port from 8:00 am - 5:00 pm. Sounds easy enough right? Ok the excursion I booked is:

 

Meeting Time: 8:50am ** LOCAL TIME ** SAME AS USA MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME ZONE **

 

Excursions Departure Time: 9:00am

 

HELP - will this be 2, 3 or only 1 hour(s) difference? I know that it is their business and they would not want to miss the last tender etc however, I am traveling alone and

am somewhat concerned about this - hence the posting :)

The tour is 6 hours --- man I have a headache...lol.

 

Karen

[Eliot Ness]

.......HELP - will this be 2, 3 or only 1 hour(s) difference? I know that it is their business and they would not want to miss the last tender etc however, I am traveling alone and

am somewhat concerned about this - hence the posting :)

The tour is 6 hours --- man I have a headache...lol.........

Karen, I tried to answer your question in the other thread but here it goes again.

 

During DST (Daylight Savings Time) the Valor (last June) set the ships clocks back 1 hour so we were only 1 hour ahead of Belize time. I'm not sure if Oct. 18 will still be DST or not (since the dates are changing)....... if it is and you set your clocks back you'll be 1 hour ahead of Belize time. If DST ends before your cruise then you won't set the ships clock back and will still be 1 hour ahead of Belize time (because we set our clocks back 1 hour when DST ends). So in summary (because it does get confusing):

 

1. During DST the Valor will be 2 hours ahead of Belize time unless the ship sets the clocks back an hour like they did on our cruise last June.

 

2. When DST ends the Valor no longer sets the ships clock back and you will only be 1 hour ahead of Belize time.

 

It doesn't really matter a whole lot since the tour groups deal with the same cruise ships on an almost weekly basis so they are familiar with what time they arrive and leave.

 

The first thing you want to do when you meet the tour operator is tell them what time you need to be back to make the last tender and make sure they know what your "ship time" is compared to what their time is. Not all ships set the clocks back, and the Valor might change the way they handle time. That's why you want to make sure they understand what your ship time is compared to their local time.

 

Otherwise, with that taken care of I wouldn't worry too much about making it back on time. These guys understand this and they know if they get a group back too late the word will spread rapidly and ruin their business. These guys deal with the same ships all of the time so they know what they're doing, but a gentle reminder on the time wouldn't hurt.

 

On our cave tour with Yhony last June we were on the Valor (1 hour ahead of Belize time), but there were some from the Miracle (that ship didn't change the time so they were two hours ahead of Belize time). Yhony took all of that into consideration and we skipped lunch so the folks on the Miracle would make it back in plenty of time. We even got a late start leaving the city but everyone made it back in plenty of time.

 

I haven't read a single review here on CC where someone missed their tender because of cave tubing....... there was one guy who was close because of a bus problem, but he made the last tender. Those operators all know each other and if there is a problem with a bus or something they all pitch in to help each other out and get the passengers back in time.

 

Relax and enjoy the caves, it is a very cool thing to do! The Valor is a wonderful ship and you have four great ports so enjoy your cruise!

 

John

[mintjulip123]

Hi John,

 

You were very kind to reply in the other post. I guess I am/was confused about the EST (standard time) and Mountain Daylight savings time. These time zones were specifically noted by both parties for that date. I thought that everyone changed the savings time thing at the same time. I also don't want to spoil it for others if my departure time is 3 hours different than the rest of my excursion. Ultimately the best would be a 1 hour difference from Belize time to the ship.

 

I will take your advice and relax. I guess I can always spend a few days in Belize if we don't make it back <insert grin here>!

 

Thanks again!

 

Karen

[Eliot Ness]

.......I guess I am/was confused about the EST (standard time) and Mountain Daylight savings time. These time zones were specifically noted by both parties for that date. I thought that everyone changed the savings time thing at the same time. I also don't want to spoil it for others if my departure time is 3 hours different than the rest of my excursion. Ultimately the best would be a 1 hour difference from Belize time to the ship.

 

I will take your advice and relax. I guess I can always spend a few days in Belize if we don't make it back <insert grin here>! .........

It does get confusing, and not everyplace observes DST, but here is a site that will help. It will tell you the local time in the country that you choose. For example right now Belize is 2 hours behind us (EST). If the Valor still sets the clock back an hour during DST then it will only be one hour ahead of Belize time. As your cruise draws closer you can use this site to find out what the time difference is in Belize:

 

http://www.worldtimeserver.com/current_time_in_BZ.aspx

 

Have a great cruise!

 

John