Getting Response From Captain Marvin's

[mmboogie107]

Hello All

For those of you who have done a tour with them I e-mailed them today and was wondering when they usually repsond back. Are they good with responding promptly? Also, which tours do you recommend, I am thinking about the short or half day tour. Thanks for all your help.

[DENNAS]

3 times, and I believe on all 3 they responded by the next day.
Which tour you take depends on the amount of time you are in GC, how much snorkling you enjoy doing, and if you want to do anything else while in GC.
I booked the "short" excursion last week. We are sailing on the Star Princess in April. 2 Stops on the short excursion is enough for our family. The 3 stops tour is approximately another 1/2 hour, but for us, since we aren't avid snorklers, is overkill.
I'd like to leave time for shopping and strolling, so thought the short excursion (Stingray City Sandbar and one other "deeper" snorkling stop) would be just perfect. We have never done this before and are very excited !

Denise

[Buffettfan 225]

I agree with Denise (Dennas) post 100%. I have also booked the short tour with Capt. Marvin's on April 4th. For those wondering about getting off ship in time I posted this on "Tendering GC":

What day is your cruise for? Our ship is due to arrive April 4th, and this is right after daylight saving time is sprung forward on Sat-Sunday night. This is a cut & paste I received from Capt. Marvin's:

We are on Eastern Standard time, so if your ship is on Eastern Daylight time (which starts the weekend before you arrive), your ship's time will be one hour AHEAD of local time. If your ship arrives here at 7 AM local time, you would be able to take our early trip at 8:30, with check-in no later than 8 AM local time (9 AM ship's time if it's on Daylight time).

So anyone planning tours after April 2nd may have to take into account the time change--especially to get back on time for tenders. IT helps that we arrive early, so as not so rushed to meet tour in morning, but those that may take the Rum point snorkeling tours may be getting back later as you are ending tour on island time. So tour may end at say 2:30 but it may really be 3:30 "ship time" Confusing yes??

[DENNAS]

interesting.... Now you have me thinking.
I am booked on the 1:45 short excursion. We arrive in GC around 11 ish. This info is from prior recent Star Princess Cruisers. If, and that is a big IF, the ship is "ahead" in April, I have no problem with "going" on the excursion, but now I am worried about getting back on board in time. Supposedly, we get back at 3:45. Let's, for arguments sake, say 4:15, even 4:30. ( we have to walk back from town so need to add a little time....) So, based on what you are saying, the ships time is 5:15 (5:30). Someone posted that the Star leaves at 6, which means we have to be back on board perhaps, by 5:00 ?? That is what I am trying to find out. So I posted on the main board.
My itinerary says we leave GC at 7 p.m. That would be great timing. But someone recently commented on the boards that Star left GC at 6. So although I booked the excursion already, not realizing the "time change" situation in April, I am trying to gather more info to see if I am going to have to cancel. I didn't want to do the ships excursion, too crowded, and more expensive, but if it's my only option, then I'll have to. Thanks.

[larie]

I am having this same problem with time zone issues for my May cruise. Is there a general rule for the ship's time zone procdure? We are going on Carnival and they say they will be on Eastern time since they are departing out of Florida. (I assume they will have adjusted to daylight like the rest of the US eastern time zone.) Do they keep their times on Eastern daylight for the whole cruise? (The rep says they do, but I was not 100% with that.) We went on Princess 2 years ago and I remember facing this same problem. It seems to me their port arrival times were adjusted to the local island time, but I could be wrong. Anyone know what Carnival does??? This is driving me crazy! When I checked with my travel agent, she told me it varies by the captain and not to pre-book with anyone and do it at the port. I hate to go this route....

I just got off the phone with a Carnival Supervisor (different reps have given me various answers). She says Carnival stays on the time zone from wherever you are leaving from the whole cruise. Since I am leaving out of Miami, the ship will stay on Miami time the whole cruise.

[larie]

FYI - Sharon at Nativeway has been awesome in responding to all my various questions. She told me Carnival and Royal Caribbean will stay on the time zone of the city they originated from for the whole cruise.

[twinkletoes4445]

We've used CM's both times we were in GC, and had a great time. They were prompt in answering all my questions. There's a cute little gift shop right next door to CM's. They have a nice assortment of things.

[CruisinDawn]

My last email only took an hour for a response. Love Captain Marvins and can't wait to spend my birthday with them.

The time zone issue is weird for those of us not familiar with eastern standard & eastern daylight. Is it safe to say that April 2nd to Oct 29th 2006 the island is 1 hour less then the ship? So if ship arrives at 9am ship time it's 8am on the island? Checkin for our tour is 10:15 so really 11:15 ship time.

BonVoyage
Dawna

[twinkletoes4445]

Originally Posted by CruisinDawn

Is it safe to say that April 2nd to Oct 29th 2006 the island is 1 hour less then the ship? So if ship arrives at 9am ship time it's 8am on the island? Checkin for our tour is 10:15 so really 11:15 ship time.

BonVoyage
Dawna

That is the way I see it. I think somewhere on the GC threads I may have posted it wrong. You are right.

It is very confusing.

[Scorpiorose]

Let me get this straight....the miracle (buffetfan) docks at 7:00 so it will be 6:00 GC time? That's actually great right, we'll be earlier. Does CM have an 8:30 tour? Do you get your money back if we end up skipping the port? How many ppl do they take on a tour typically? I"ve canceled the carnival one and was wondering if I should go CM, CB or Sotos. I emailed yesterday and no response yet, but Soto answered. Any advise?
Scorpiorose 4/2 Miracle...thanks

[twinkletoes4445]

I don't know about the others, but CM's won't charge you if the ship skips the port. But I would imagine they all do that. CM's does have an early one, but I'm not sure of the exact time.

[CruisinDawn]

Originally Posted by Scorpiorose

Let me get this straight....the miracle (buffetfan) docks at 7:00 so it will be 6:00 GC time? That's actually great right, we'll be earlier. Does CM have an 8:30 tour? Do you get your money back if we end up skipping the port? How many ppl do they take on a tour typically? I"ve canceled the carnival one and was wondering if I should go CM, CB or Sotos. I emailed yesterday and no response yet, but Soto answered. Any advise?
Scorpiorose 4/2 Miracle...thanks

Yep, NO charge if they skip the port. However if they make port but Royal announces that they are not going to Stingray city does not mean the Captain Marvins cancelled theirs. Last time there were several no shows and we were given a private tour in the glass bottom boat we had schedualed. They were so nice and didn't treat us as an inconvience since they were just taking 3 of us and sure not making much if any money off us (about $40 total for 3) He even took us places not on the tour. When my husbands RayBans flew out the back of the boat he circled & circled looking for them until we asked him to stop looking. Amazing what you can see in 10 feet of water in a glass bottom boat, good chance of finding them but nope. Those that showed up for Stingray he gave them the option to cancel and explained the current conditions. Everyone went except one family with very small children. Have a great time, can't wait to see them in Sept.

BonVoyage
Dawna

[melissamorris]

because I'm really stupid, I guess, we are on the conquest in May. We arrive in GC at 7:00---ship time, I'm assuming...what time will it be in GC?

[QueenofEverything]

Since the Conquest sails out of Galveston, it will be on Central Daylight time. That would be the same as Grand Cayman's time, Eastern Standard time. So the ship should be on the same schedule as the island (from April to October)

[melissamorris]

Thanks so much!!

[flamingos]

We're looking at taking a stingray city trip. The first trip of the day is at 8:30 a.m., with check-in by 8. The first tenders leave the ship at 7, filled with people from the ship's tours. Is there any chance we'd make it, or should we book the second trip at 11:15?