Please help clarify boarding times

[Kelmn07]

Hello,

 

I just want to clarify what I believe are boarding times. I read that you do not leave the ship for two hours after arrival and must return 2 hours before departure. Is this just the initial boarding and final departure, or for each stop? I am trying to figure out exactly how much time I have for shore excursions.

 

Thanks,

Kelly

[travelnap]

Hello,

 

I just want to clarify what I believe are boarding times. I read that you do not leave the ship for two hours after arrival and must return 2 hours before departure. Is this just the initial boarding and final departure, or for each stop? I am trying to figure out exactly how much time I have for shore excursions.

 

Thanks,

Kelly

Kelly, That will vary by the port you are in. Many times the ship will actually arrive earlier than the posted time, so as soon as the ship is cleared you can leave the ship. Very seldom is that two hours. I have seen as short as 20 minutes but I can't remember having to wait over an hour. As far as the sail-a-way time, they usually want everyone back aboard ship an hour before the ship's departure time. Happy Sailing

[tfrcal]

Hello,

 

I just want to clarify what I believe are boarding times. I read that you do not leave the ship for two hours after arrival and must return 2 hours before departure. Is this just the initial boarding and final departure, or for each stop? I am trying to figure out exactly how much time I have for shore excursions.

 

Thanks,

Kelly

 

You can leave the ship pretty close to the stated arrival time, however, it is all contingent on clearing customs at each port. As far as being back onboard, the ship will post a time as you leave the ship as to when you need to be back on board but in my experience it is usually an hour before the stated departure time.

 

Regardless, private excursion companies will know the times but do not cut it tight getting back as the last thing you want is some situation to arise that causes you to miss the ship.

[www3traveler]

Hello,

 

I just want to clarify what I believe are boarding times. I read that you do not leave the ship for two hours after arrival and must return 2 hours before departure. Is this just the initial boarding and final departure, or for each stop? I am trying to figure out exactly how much time I have for shore excursions.

 

Thanks,

Kelly

Boarding times vary. On Embarkation day (leaving your original port) you are required to be on board 2 hours prior to the departure. That allows time to clear all the paperwork for each cruise and to do whatever ever security details need to be done. At each port of call on your cruise, when you will be allowed to leave the ship will depend on how long it takes the ship to clear Customs in each location ( more paperwork). As a rule you are asked to be back on board one hour prior to the scheduled departure time. This gives Security enough time to make sure that everyone passengers and staff are back on board. If you are on an excursions purchased through NCL and it is late getting back to the ship will wait. However if you have gone off on your own and do not return in time, the ship will not wait. Upon returning to your original port, how soon you can leave will depend on how soon the local Customs agents clear the ship. I hope this answers your question.

[fridaythe13th]

All of our cruises except one have been to be back on board 1/2 hour before sailing and that one was 15 minutes before which I thought was cutting it way too close.

[garycarla]

rules and reality often to not meet

 

First off, the 2 hours is ONLY for the first day, so they can comply with Homeland Security crap. And even with that, reports of people showing up at the last minute.

 

In most ports outside the U.S. you can usually get off very soon after they FINISH docking.

 

They will also ask that you be back a half hour before the ship leaves. Again, if you get there at the very last minute and the gangplank is still in place, you can board.

 

All of this is what can happen. Hopefully you would RISK the "last minute" thing. But, you surely do not need to do the 2 hour thing either.

[Kelmn07]

Great thanks this is very reassuring!

[garycarla]

... Hopefully you would RISK the "last minute" thing. But, you surely do not need to do the 2 hour thing either.

 

bad by me... meant to say: Hopefully, you would not RISK the....

[jetskier]

The ship is required to submit a passenger manifest ONE hour prior to sailaway on embarkation day. Once submitted they are not allowed to make any additions to it. (Airlines are allowed additions up to 15 minutes prior to the flight)

 

You have to be checked-in prior to that not necessarily on the ship. NCL gives itself a two hour window.

 

At the ports of call, usually you will have to be back onboard 30 minutes if the ship is docked at a pier. If you are tendering, it is 45 minutes. The time will be posted on a sign as you exit the ship.

 

Also DO NOT depend on your cell phone for the time. It automatically assumes the time of the local area which might not be the time on the ship.

 

Dave

[NMLady]

The be onboard time for each port is usually 1/2 hour before departure. The time you need to be aboard will be given in the previous night's newsletter, will usually be announced on the intercom when the Okay to Go Ashore is announced, and will also be written on a chalkboard next to the gangway as you depart the ship. So you will always know what time you need to be back aboard in each port. On all of our cruises, it's been 1/2 hour before departure, not one hour.

However, personally we're usually back an hour before departure in order to miss the long line re-boarding.

[Novastar]

Also DO NOT depend on your cell phone for the time. It automatically assumes the time of the local area which might not be the time on the ship.

 

Not sure what you mean by this statement. The ship's time is always local time of wherever the ship happens to be. However, not all cell phones (like my Blackberry), adjust to different time zones automatically.

[Hikini]

It's always fun to watch the runners coming back to the ship at the very last minute (sometimes too late) bags in one hand, waving wildly with the other!

 

In that case, hearing the ships horn would be the most awful sound!

[2inTul]

Not sure what you mean by this statement. The ship's time is always local time of wherever the ship happens to be. However, not all cell phones (like my Blackberry), adjust to different time zones automatically.

 

Ship time and local time MAY not always be the same.

 

There are a few ports in Mexico that the local and the ship time is different depending on cruise line. This has been pointed out many times on this board. There was a long rant on this forum recently from a couple that missed the ship because of this.

 

Always use ship time when you go ashore.

[Novastar]

Well, since this is the NCL board I was referring to NCL. Can't speak for other lines. If that is truly the case I am not surprised more passengers don't miss the ship.

[LizG12]

Not sure what you mean by this statement. The ship's time is always local time of wherever the ship happens to be.

 

Not always - when we cruised (half of) the Panama Canal, (I don't remember if it was NCL or not) the ship went through at least 2 different local timezones but the ship time only changed for the first one. They told us it was because it would be too hard on the ship's crew to have that many timechanges per week. The tour companies knew the ship time wasn't their local time.

[Tuxman22]

On the EPIC in October everything went by ship time. So if you are told to be back by 430pm this was ship time and not local time (which could have been an hour difference).

[jetskier]

Not sure what you mean by this statement. The ship's time is always local time of wherever the ship happens to be. However, not all cell phones (like my Blackberry), adjust to different time zones automatically.

 

 

No, the ship's time can be different from the local port. A good example is when the US switches to Daylight savings time before or after Mexico does.

Dave

[2inTul]

Well, since this is the NCL board I was referring to NCL. Can't speak for other lines. If that is truly the case I am not surprised more passengers don't miss the ship.

 

This is the case on NCL and other lines ;)