Here's a stupid question

[jlbconsul1]

I don't know if this has been asked before but I couldn't think of what to search for. If our ship says it will be in port from 12-9, does that mean we will be able to "leave" the ship by 12. Or does that mean the ship will start docking at 12 and it will be later to get off. I am trying to plan around those hours (they stink by the way) and there doesn't seem much to do in the evening. Any help on the time to leave th ship and evening ideas would be appreciated.

[The Big Booper]

I don't know if this has been asked before but I couldn't think of what to search for. If our ship says it will be in port from 12-9, does that mean we will be able to "leave" the ship by 12. Or does that mean the ship will start docking at 12 and it will be later to get off. I am trying to plan around those hours (they stink by the way) and there doesn't seem much to do in the evening. Any help on the time to leave th ship and evening ideas would be appreciated.

 

We were on the Explorer at the end of May. The ship pulls in at noon and it takes 15-20 minutes to clear the paperwork. Everybody is ready to stampede off the minute the ship is cleared. The gangway is on deck 1 so I would suggest being close to that, on deck 2. Aside from the gangway corridor, deck 1 is off limits to the pax so we all waited by the stairway on deck 2.

 

Since the ship is docking at noon, everybody is up and alert and trying to get off at once so the pier area is very crowded with tour group pickups, etc. It will take longer than usual to snake thru the crowd if you are headed for the cab stands or the water taxi.

 

Phillipsburg starts shutting down at 5:30 PM. The stores by the pier stay open later varying from 6 to 8 PM. The public bathroom by the water taxi pier near the courthouse square is locked up at 6 PM. Unless you were off in Marigot, Maho or Grand Case most passengers returned to the ship by 6 PM.

 

RCI has to rethink the itinerary for the future and either put a faster ship (i.e. Radiance) on this route or rejiggle the order of the stops (but that would cause multiple customs sessions.) The Explorer does the 2 foreign stops first, Bermuda and St Martin, and then does all US stops later, VI and PR. We re-entered the US at St Thomas early in the morning on Wed. and that was that.