When to get to ship in comparison to departure time?

[quiescentlyfrozen]

Newbie question here... if we are in port (docked, not tendered), if the departure time on the iteniary lists X time, how much earlier than that do you need to be there? Ie, let's say I have a port where departure is 9p. Can I roll up at 8:30 and be comfortable? Do I need to be there by 7? Other?

 

Any insight would be appreciated :-)

[Peregrina651]

The cruise daily will tell you what time you have to be back on board in each port. Usually, it is about a half hour before the ship is due to sail.

 

In tender ports, it will tell you the time of the last tender.

[Wine-O]

Newbie question here... if we are in port (docked, not tendered), if the departure time on the iteniary lists X time, how much earlier than that do you need to be there? Ie, let's say I have a port where departure is 9p. Can I roll up at 8:30 and be comfortable? Do I need to be there by 7? Other?

 

Any insight would be appreciated :-)

 

Check with your cruise documents. Mine say you have to be checked in no later than 60 minutes prior to sailing.

[melgray13]

We usually target being back 1 hour before the ship is supposed to leave (ie 4pm for 5pm sailing) so we have some cushion in case anything goes wrong.

[Denny01]

As Peregrina651 stated, the ship sets a specific return time for each port, usually less than 1/2 hr prior to undocking. The crew return time is usually 1hr or 1/2 hr before that.

 

The return time is pretty firm and people are left behind. We kind of like being on a balcony that faces the port - that way we can watch who comes running back to the ship. Fun watching a taxi come pulling up people scrambling! I'm a chicken and am always back at least 1-2 hrs before.

 

Late tours made through the ship are waited for - private or 'on your own' tours are not covered so be aware of that. It can get dicey if you go off on your own and have issues getting back. Our daughter and son-inlaw got stuck in traffic in St Thomas, and got back JUST in time. Scarry.

 

One of the few times you hear the PA system on a Celebrity ship is when someone hasn't been accounted for, and they announce the name and cabin# and ask them to check it if onboard. Everybody chuckles except the people called and their friends.

 

As for the initial departure, you need to be on board much earlier. You need to be checked-in by about 90 min minimum. Homeland Security requires a completed manifest about an 1hr or so before releasing the ship. Anyway, as discussed on another thread, the initial depart day is a vacation day so get there as early as you can. It's fun to explore and enjoy getting organized. If the ship is departing at 4:00pm or so, we usually check-in at about 11:00am or so, and even for evening departures, we show up very early. Fun!

 

Hello Peregrina651 - we cruised together on the Infinity around the Horn. What a grand time, and thanks again for organizing us so well. Hope we can cruise together again! I've just got back to the 'boards' recently and haven't communicated with the cruise community much lately.

 

Denny

[CathyCruises]

The short answer is: before it sails!