How late do we have to return the ship on a sailing day?

I am planning my shore excursion and want to know how late we have to return ship on a sailing day. For an example, on the second day of Maui, the ship is scheduled to leave Kahului at 6:00 pm. From POA's policy on their website, we should go back to ship before 2 hour of sailing time (6pm). Do we really have to go back to ship before 4 pm? How late do we have to return the ship on a sailing day?

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

The "2 hours before" rule is for the homeport sailing- where you start your cruise- Honolulu in this case. Port stops along the way are typically 30 minutes prior to scheduled sailings.

As this is a cruise line policy/procedure issue, I would be asking on the board for NCL, located here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=107

as I am sure NCL's policy is fleetwide and worldwide, not limited to Hawaiian cruises.

Thank you for your quick reply. Yes, you are right. 2 hour is only for embarkation at Honolulu. So for other ports, 30 min is the minimum before boarding, right? Many thanks!

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

The "2 hours before" rule is for the homeport sailing- where you start your cruise- Honolulu in this case. Port stops along the way are typically 30 minutes prior to scheduled sailings.

 

As this is a cruise line policy/procedure issue, I would be asking on the board for NCL, located here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=107

 

as I am sure NCL's policy is fleetwide and worldwide, not limited to Hawaiian cruises.

When you disembark at a port, look for the sign that tells you when you need to be back on board. That is a good habit to get into.:)

When you disembark at a port, look for the sign that tells you when you need to be back on board. That is a good habit to get into.:)

Thanks for your nice reminder:)

30 mins. PRIOR to sail away is the norm for ports of call.

30 mins. PRIOR to sail away is the norm for ports of call.

Thank you for your info. Very helpful!

Isn't Maui a tender port.........usually they want you at the dock before the 30 minute mark. In tender ports, many cruise lines say the last tender is 30 minutes before ship leaves and they recommend you being there little earlier.

But your ship news letter should tell you the exact times, plus there should be a sign near where you leave the ship with the same information.

Isn't Maui a tender port.........usually they want you at the dock before the 30 minute mark. In tender ports, many cruise lines say the last tender is 30 minutes before ship leaves and they recommend you being there little earlier.

 

But your ship news letter should tell you the exact times, plus there should be a sign near where you leave the ship with the same information.

POA docks in Kahalui, along with a small number of other ships. Most cruise lines tender into Lahaina.