Arrival times in ports?

[Tintown]

When the itinerary says: arrival 7am, dep.6pm. what time are you able to get off the ship, and what time must you be back aboard? We are just wondering whether the time stated is the actual arrival in port, or the time you are able to disembark, so that we can book our shore excursions, or at least work out what we have time to see and do. Thanks.

[paul929207]

The port authorities control when you can get off. Generally, the ship must clear customs before any passengers are allowed off. This can be a few minutes or an hour or more.

 

If the port is a tender port, remember that passengers on ship excursions have priority for the tenders.

 

Most lines ask you to be onboard 1/2 hour before departure. From other posts I have scene recently, you must be on 1 hour before depart at the begining of the cruise.

[dennbr9]

As Paul stated, times may vary but if it is a docking port you can "usually" start off the ship in a 1/2 hour or so, maybe less as the ship will sometimes dock a little early.

 

Tendering Ports, best to plan on an hour or so unless you are on a ships tour.

 

Return to ship time is pretty much always 1/2 hour before departure. Most times, when the ship says it sails at 5:00, it will pull up the gangway, cast off the ropes, and be pulling away from the dock at 5:00.

 

I target getting back to the ship at least a 1/2 earlier than the time they give you. Better to lose a little time on shore than find your own way to the next port.

[Pam in CA]

When the itinerary says: arrival 7am, dep.6pm. what time are you able to get off the ship, and what time must you be back aboard? We are just wondering whether the time stated is the actual arrival in port, or the time you are able to disembark, so that we can book our shore excursions, or at least work out what we have time to see and do. Thanks.

That's the estimated time of arrival; don't forget that it takes time to secure the ship, put out the gangway(s), set up the dockside, etc. However, no one is allowed to disembark the ship until the local port authorities say you can. Usually, that's about half an hour after arrival but could be later. If it's a tender port, allow for at least an hour because the tenders have to be lowered, sent to the dock, set up the receiving area on the dock, and set up the tender platform. Not only that but if you are not on a ship's tour, you have to go get a tender ticket and wait for a tender; the ship's excursions have priority on the first tenders.

 

You should ALWAYS allow at least 30 minutes to get back onto the ship. The disembarkation procedure is repeated in that the gangways have to be taken onboard and the dockside secured. If tendering, always allow at least 60 minutes.

 

Not only plan on being at the dock 30 or 60 minutes ahead of time but if you're on an independent tour or on your own, always, always allow at least another 30 minutes for traffic jams, mechanical problems, delays and whatnot.

 

The Patter will have the time you should be back onboard the next day. They will have the port's contact info in the Patter so if you're on your own, be sure to bring that with you. You may need it.

 

Ships have schedules to meet when leaving. They have a pilot onboard and if they don't sail at approximately the planned time, they lose the pilot and have to reschedule. Sometimes, the ship has a departure slot if there are several ships in port and they have to leave in a particular order. Keep that in mind as sometimes, the ship will not wait for you if you are late.

 

When we were in Montevideo last February on the Golden, there were three cruise ships in port. We were scheduled to leave at a particular time but a few minutes before we were to leave, the Captain came on the PA to say that the other ship had to leave first since it was closest to the harbor entrance, she was delayed and we couldn't go around her. He said, "This is good news for those passengers who can't tell time." Sure 'nuff, about 20 minutes later, two separate cabs raced up to the gangway and 4 out of one and 2 out of another raced onboard. They just made the ship and were very lucky as we had two days at sea to the Falklands (never guaranteed) and then several days cruising around Cape Horn.

[konatyme]

If you're not going on a ship's excursion & need tender tickets, can one person go get them early for a group of 4, or does the whole group need to go get them?

Thanks!

konatyme

[Desert star]

If you're not going on a ship's excursion & need tender tickets, can one person go get them early for a group of 4, or does the whole group need to go get them?

Thanks!

konatyme

 

On the Sapphire, all 9 of us had to be there there to get tender tickets.

[caribill]

If you're not going on a ship's excursion & need tender tickets, can one person go get them early for a group of 4, or does the whole group need to go get them?

Thanks!

konatyme

 

The only way they can be sure that everyone is ready for the tender is for all to show up for the tickets. They usually enforce this very well.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Another thing to know about tender ports is that the line to return to the ship gets very long near the end of the stay. We always plan to get into the line at least an hour before the boarding time (which is an half hour before sailaway).

[seattleadjuster]

All your ideas are great. However, I always like to stand on the top deck and watch the people come running to the ship at the last minute. I've seen more than my fair share last minute adventures. Never seen anybody miss the ship, however. Its interesting watching the departure procedure, and the pacing of the crew members waiting for late arrivals. You can always tell when they know somebody is late.

 

Personally, I get back to the ship 2 hours before it departs . . . I get too nervous if I'm any later. Once in Alaska our train tour was late getting back (cruise line excursion fortunately), and I was very nervous.

[MercedMike]

As long as you are booked with a reputable tour company, they will be very aware of the arrival and departure times, and the necessary "cushion", and see that it is taken care of. Of course it is YOUR responsibliity, but they will be very helpful to you.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[geoherb]

We were on the Emerald Princess this past Christmas. The Emerald's itinerary is different from most ships in that arrives in Barbados later in the morning. The scheduled time is 9 a.m.

 

When I was looking into an independent shore excursion, most companies said it would not work out--that their excursions all left at 9 a.m. One company said we could make it. I thought better and did not book with them. It turned out a good thing I didn't. The ship wasn't docked until after 9 a.m. and it was almost 10 a.m. before they started letting passengers off the ship.