Question about getting on/off the ship in port

[caribill]

I suppose that with so many people coming on the ship there will be the occasional malfunction with the card readers. If you get off the ship, they know it from scanning your cruise card, and they know if you come back when you have to scan it again. Then I would assume just as much malfunction when getting off of the ship. If they do not know when some people have reboarded, they may not know some passengers were off of the ship.

 

OP wants to get on and off at will, and they need to remember to take that cruise card each and every time.

 

No problem about remembering the cruise card when leaving the ship. They will not let you off of the ship without it.

[Times Prince]

In 15 cruises to many different time zones I have NEVER seen the time on any island to be different than the time posted on the ship

and we've seen it several times. When it is different they are clear in communicating this fact in the Princess Patter (a daily newsletter on ship's activities) the night before, and will have signs as one exits the ship.

 

For most of the cruises in the Caribbean ship's time will be synchronized with island time. The operative word is "most".

[UpcountryTravelers]

Ship time is island time. ;)

 

Nope. Not always. The last time we were in Bermuda the (RCC) ship stayed on Eastern time, causing lots of confusion (and missed excursions.) We missed a local ferry due to the difference, and some friends of ours missed a sunset excursion.

 

Check it very carefully before you go ashore.

[Pmorton3360]

Carnival Dream stayed on the same time. We docked at Costa Maya at 6am island time one day. We just stayed on ship time. It's not hard to know what time it is. It's just planning for traffic. I prefer the way Princess does it.

[jsiegel]

Another thing to consider in timing for getting on and off the ship, even when docked, is dock-side security (non-Princess). Sometimes many different ship passengers are trying to get through one security check point at the same time. Honolulu took a long time to get through security if you returned at a peak time. Same with a couple of other ports. You then go through Princess security on boarding the ship.

 

Jackie

[highheel girl]

Nope. Not always. The last time we were in Bermuda the (RCC) ship stayed on Eastern time, causing lots of confusion (and missed excursions.) We missed a local ferry due to the difference, and some friends of ours missed a sunset excursion.

 

Check it very carefully before you go ashore.

 

On our cruises PRINCESS cruises ship time has been island time.

[Pam in CA]

Nope. Not always. The last time we were in Bermuda the (RCC) ship stayed on Eastern time, causing lots of confusion (and missed excursions.) We missed a local ferry due to the difference, and some friends of ours missed a sunset excursion.

 

Check it very carefully before you go ashore.

For some odd reason, RCCL and Carnival (that I know about) don't change to local time so what happens on them has no bearing on a Princess cruise.

 

Like Highheelgirl, I've never had a Princess ship not be on local time. It may happen but it's not usual.

[FritzG]

That is so not true.

I have watched many times people re-board within minutes ot the ship leaving.

I have seen them actually drop the lines 10 seconds after the last guy was on..

 

If they were on ship's tours that may be true. Once all tours have returned, and it's time to sail the ship leaves. They can and do leave passengers behind.

[beg3yrs]

If they were on ship's tours that may be true. Once all tours have returned, and it's time to sail the ship leaves. They can and do leave passengers behind.

 

It's a real experience to return late from a ship's tour at a tendering port. We got to take the tender with the remaining shore staff and the last of the equipment.

[UpcountryTravelers]

On our cruises PRINCESS cruises ship time has been island time.

 

That has been our experience on Princess as well. Which contributed to our confusion when on RCC. :o

[Cruisin' Chick]

That is so not true.

 

I have watched many times people re-board within minutes ot the ship leaving.

 

I have seen them actually drop the lines 10 seconds after the last guy was on..

 

Do you want to be the one who discovers first hand that it won't be true on your next cruise?

[shofer]

Nearly always there will be an announcement as the ship prepares to leave asking "Joe Smith" or someone to call a certain number (passenger desk?) You don't hear about him after that, as a rule. One time we were talking to some people when there was an announcement for "Jane Smith." They knew her and said she had reboarded just before them. We never heard her name again, either. I suppose that with so many people coming on the ship there will be the occasional malfunction with the card readers. If you get off the ship, they know it from scanning your cruise card, and they know if you come back when you have to scan it again. OP wants to get on and off at will, and they need to remember to take that cruise card each and every time.

 

DH had a card malfunction on our Panama Canal cruise. He had lost the original and then the first replacement. Coming back from a tour in Costa Rico we all checked in just fine. During dinner and at sea, I heard them page him. When he called Customer Service, they said they were checking to see if he was on the ship as his newest card had not registered his presence.

 

We had a good laugh about it saying what were they going to do if he wasn't there and we were already sailing? Like I wouldn't notice he was absent?

 

Sue