Docking & Ports

[Cruising Mom1]

Quick question...

 

If the ship is scheduled to dock at a large pier at 8 am (no tendering required)... can we get off the ship at 8:05 am or does it take a few minutes for the crew to get things established? Should we be prepared in the disembarkation area 15 - 20 minutes in advance? I know scheduled cruise line excursions have 1st priority but in 2 ports, we want to be off the ship prior to any scheduled excursions.

:D

[paul929207]

You will need to wait for the local authoritites to clear the ship. In your example this could be done before 8am, or in culd be 8:30 or 9:00 before people an get off.

 

In ports where we have docked, I have never seen priority for passengers on ship's tours.

[smeyer418]

Quick question...

 

If the ship is scheduled to dock at a large pier at 8 am (no tendering required)... can we get off the ship at 8:05 am or does it take a few minutes for the crew to get things established? Should we be prepared in the disembarkation area 15 - 20 minutes in advance? I know scheduled cruise line excursions have 1st priority but in 2 ports, we want to be off the ship prior to any scheduled excursions.

:D

you will join the line of all those wanting to get off. It just holds everyone one up. everyone wants to be first. On some cruise lines certain passengers do get priority(suite passengers and VIPS) and then sometimes passengers with a cruise line tour. there are always some people lined up sometimes for an half hour(or more) before but if its an 8 am disembark its not normally that bad. But finally sometimes it takes some time to "clear" the ship for anyone to get off. Normally after the rush it becomes pretty easy so your best bet is to plan for something at about an hour after the official docking time or plan to join the maddening crowd...

[alcpa1]

The ship will be cleared by local authorities before any passengers are permitted to disembark period.

Most cruise lines do permit priority passengers to disembark first and then cruise excursion groups. This does not necessarily mean that they will all disembark through the same portal or line to go through exit security.

Some cruise lines have a system for the passengers to get a disembarkation number usually the day before or earlier the same day and wait for their group to be called from a central holding area. Perhaps you cannot imagine a couple of thousand passengers trying to get off at the same time but it's not pretty and it can be very dangerous when passengers clog the stairways and halls. Almost everyone wants to get off the ship so pay attention to the instructions that are given on board for disembarkation. Please be patient with the process and you can safely leave the ship.

[Keith1010]

Two items. No two ports are the same. How long it takes for the ship to be cleared will vary by port.

 

And related to that when they make the announcement that the ship has been cleared and passengers can go ashore how long it takes to get off the ship will depend on the size of the cruise ship and even what time the shore excursions are running. You can try to get on line sooner rather than later to be one of the first ones off the ship. Of course others may have the same idea.

 

Keith

[LindaKE]

We have ship's excursions that start 30 minutes after arrival time. Since the timing is that close, will they let the tour group get off earlier than other passengers? I'm guessing that we will dock during the night since none of the distances between ports are very long (Canada / New England).

[Keith1010]

Linda, if you have a ships excursion you'll be fine. They will have you meet in one area and you will be taken off the ship in your group.

 

Keith

[paul929207]

For ship's excursions, they will usually have you meet in one of the public rooms. They will then lead each group off and to the start of the tour.

[navybankerteacher]

There is usually an immigration/customs delay of at least 15-30 minutes after scheduled docking time before passengers are allowed to leave the ship -and while preference is usually given to passengers with ship-sponsored tours, the process generally moves well -- not like when you have to wait for tenders. However, unless you like standing in line, you may as well just hang out in your cabin or some public area until you hear the announcement.

[smeyer418]

We have ship's excursions that start 30 minutes after arrival time. Since the timing is that close, will they let the tour group get off earlier than other passengers? I'm guessing that we will dock during the night since none of the distances between ports are very long (Canada / New England).

ships tend to dock at the time listed on the schedule(with some minor(half hour or so exceptions)...they have to pay extra to dock earlier....but they will wait for the passengers or meet inside and then escort you out(there is almost always more than one way to get off).... They do this every week and have the times well planned...

[peterv]

In my experience when a ship is docked at a port, instead of tendering, the ships tours usually met on the dock instead of on ship. So in this case it is every one for themselves to get off. I do not think I have ever seen a priority disembarkation when docked at a port call.

 

Cheers,

Peter

[beachchick]

We have ship's excursions that start 30 minutes after arrival time. Since the timing is that close, will they let the tour group get off earlier than other passengers? I'm guessing that we will dock during the night since none of the distances between ports are very long (Canada / New England).

 

Even if the local port authorities take a while to clear the ship, ship excursions will not be a problem because they are generally contracted to wait to start as necessary. That's one reason some people book through the ship. However, ship excursion passengers will not be allowed off the ship until it has been cleared by the local authorities; they will not allow any passengers off (except medical emergencies) until then. If there are delays, it's possible that ship excursion passengers would be escorted to the front, but for docked ports, there is usually no priority. It's a much faster process than when tendered, where ship excursions are usually/often given priority.

 

Extremely unlikely that you will dock at night if your itinerary says that arrival time is, for example, 8 am. It costs them more to dock earlier, especially at night I'd think because port authorities are not likely to be available on a regular basis. When the distances between ports are short, the captain will generally slow down the ship (saves fuel; usually smoother cruising) and/or "weave" around out on the ocean.

 

In any case, don't worry about the timing too much with ship excursions. The ship crew will ensure you get where you need to be.

 

beachchick

[AmoMondo]

On MSC, passengers booked on the ship's shore excusrions always get prioity over the rest of the passengers for getting offthe ship. They still have to wait until the local autjorities clear the ship though and that isn't an exact science. Sometimes it is quick and sometimes not so quick. With 8am dockins I have been off on one occasion just before 7 (ship made good time and was cleared right away) and on the other extreme about 9.30 and countless other times in between