Is the ship "open" while in port?

[jobythebay]

We don't think we want to do an excursion in Freeport. Nothing stands out and it is the day after the Liberty leaves.

 

Is everything open - the casino, pool, activities, etc. while at dock?

 

Also for a 4:00pm cruise time what time should we get there. Thanks. :)

[Capt_BJ]

shops and casino will be closed - that competes with what the port wants from you....

 

 

pools, bars, food etc all normally open, on a 'normal' schedule

 

 

 

most times the spa services are also available, but that varies by line

 

What time to arrive? Well some will say 8AM so you can be first in line... But I prefer to wait for the mad rush to end and I'd arrive around 1pm.

[CruzAllNight]

I know the casinos close, but I thought it was due to regulations. Since you are at port you are under jurisdiction of said country and I'm assuming the boats don't have necessary license to operate a casino while in their country.

[jobythebay]

I know the casinos close, but I thought it was due to regulations. Since you are at port you are under jurisdiction of said country and I'm assuming the boats don't have necessary license to operate a casino while in their country.

 

I remember 11 years ago having to wait but it's been a long 11 years. So if we were to go at 8:00a.m. when do you think we'd get onboard? Our room may not be ready, correct? What do most people do who are on the board? Anyone??? :confused:

 

Thanks for the help.

[wrp96]

I remember 11 years ago having to wait but it's been a long 11 years. So if we were to go at 8:00a.m. when do you think we'd get onboard? Our room may not be ready, correct? What do most people do who are on the board? Anyone??? :confused:

 

Thanks for the help.

 

Boarding usually doesn't start until 11 or 12, they typically don't let you into your rooms until after 1pm. If you get there at 8, you won't even be allowed into the terminal.

[CruzAllNight]

Boarding usually doesn't start until 11 or 12, they typically don't let you into your rooms until after 1pm. If you get there at 8, you won't even be allowed into the terminal.

 

Yep, you have to understand that 7-8 am is when the boat is coming into dock and letting out the passengers that were on that boat. These cruise ships don't take a day off. They dock at 8am, let passengers out, than let oncoming passengers in and leave at 4pm and do the same thing all over.

[walkswife]

When we went to the Bahamas last year from Port Canaveral we arrived around 11:00am and were boarded and eating lunch on lido by 12:15pm. Rooms were not ready until about 1:30 worked great.

 

Never spent a day on the ship when in port. When we were in freeport we did the Kayak and Snorkel at Petersen Cay and had a blast. Lots of exercise but the snorkeling was great. We went around the island not out farther and it was cool. Of course it was my first time snorkeling.

[jobythebay]

What do we do with our luggage while waiting in line. Gosh I am glad I found you all!

[Trevoli]

As for staying on the ship when it's in port, and what is open, the spa very often runs specials on those days. The treatments are not cheap, compared to day spas in my area at least, so this is a great time to get a decent price on a facial or massage.

 

Make your appointments as soon as you're able upon boarding, though, as they fill up very quickly.

 

T

[PurpleCow]

What do we do with our luggage while waiting in line.

You watch it travel on a conveyor belt into the bowels of the ship. :p

[wrp96]

What do we do with our luggage while waiting in line. Gosh I am glad I found you all!

 

If you get there around 11, you just give your luggage to the porters who will take it onto the boat for you. You don't have to carry all your luggage around while you wait in line. Remember to keep all your valuables, electronics, medicines, etc. with you and just carry those onto the boat in a small bag.

[serene56]

You watch it travel on a conveyor belt into the bowels of the ship. :p

a conveyor belt?? I saw my luggage get put into a very large cart and hoisted on.

 

When you arrive at the pier you give your luggage up to a porter--tip a buck a bag. (make sure the porter knows what ships its going on.)

[Richard Parker]

Your checked luggage will be taken by a porter when you arrive at the pier. They will load it onto a palate with other luggage for your area of the ship and it will be loaded onto the ship together. This checked luggage will be delivered to your stateroom sometime that afternoon and left in the hall outside your door. Usually this happens fairly quickly, but it is not uncommon for different bags to arrive at different times and a bag or 2 not to show up until later in the evening. I have had very good luck getting my checked bags fairly early in the afternoon in the past.

 

You can keep your carry-on luggage just like you do in an airplane. You can sometimes get in to your room fairly soon after you board, but you may have to carry this carry-on with you for a while. You can go up by the pool and have a drink or eat something while you wait. Most people recommend taking at least a swim suit, if not a full change of clothes in your carry-on in case your checked luggage does not arrive until later in the evening.

[1cat4jan]

One ship I was on used front end loaders with metal crates. They loaded luggage into a crate, closed it up and lifted it with a front end loader into the side of the ship.

 

Of course, that was also the time I watched one of the crates open up and the luggage go into the water. It was an awesome sight watching them "fish" the luggage out of the water with grappling hooks.

 

Needless to say, ship management was standing there looking quite

peeved at the staff responsible.

 

Boy, was I relieved when my luggage arrived at my room.

 

I spent the rest of the cruise wondering how those people fared with their wet luggage. And I wondered how much of the luggage they actually were able to "rescue."

[Max Circus]

Getting back to the OP's original questions:

 

As others have said, the casino will be closed while you are in port. Most of the time this is due to regulations restricting casinos in that port or country. The ship needs to be a certain distance into "international" waters before the casino can be open. I'm guessing that if the port you're visiting allows casino gambling, they make an agreement with RCCL so they aren't competing for your "donations".

 

Everything else onboard will be open except shops. I think you'll find the ship-sponsored activities won't be as plentiful on port days since they have a limited audience. Great time to use the pool - most of the chair hogs will be in port. :D You might find reduced hours for lunch in the dining room. We had one port day where the dining room was closed for lunch. Windjammer was always open for lunch. As others suggested, they will often have "port specials" in the spa.

[jobythebay]

We might end up doing something in Freeport but we didn't choose this cruise for the itinerary. We really wanted the Belize/Panama/Costa Rica one but it was full and another 10 day cruise was on the line (??) that is old and they are redoing the ship this year. So we decided to go with a new ship with balconies. We've been to Cozumel and Freeport neither of which I was impressed with. :mad: