Question on when to get back to ship

[calweiss]

Hello,

If a cruise is scheduled to leave the port at six would it be comfortable to get back at 5 or will they tell us when we have to get back.i assume it depends on the port etc.

Thank you

 

[BklynBoy8]

41 minutes ago, calweiss said:

Hello,

If a cruise is scheduled to leave the port at six would it be comfortable to get back at 5 or will they tell us when we have to get back.i assume it depends on the port etc.

Thank you

 

 

The ship will inform the passengers the time the ship will leave the port.

 

At the same time over the PA and also in the Daily Programme, they will state the time when the gangway will be pulled on board and passengers need to be on board. Normally an average of a half hour prior to departure. This will also apply if it is a tender port.

 

Ships try to be kind but will leave passengers behind at the decision of the Captain. And unfortunately passengers have been left to make their way to the next port.

 

Best to be on board by and before the final time advised.

Edited December 14, 2022 by BklynBoy8

[sparks1093]

All of the above plus make sure that you keep your devices on ship time. If you use a smart phone instead of a watch make sure that you turn off the feature that changes the time automatically.

[Mary229]

The ship details time of departure and the time the all aboard time.  If tendering they will inform the last tender time.  How generous the leeway is up to the Captain.   If he is trying to outrun bad weather or other condition he may not be generous at all

[Nebr.cruiser]

We like to plan on getting back to the ship at least one hour before departure, better yet one hour before passengers have to be on board, which is usually about 30 min. before the ship departs.

 

We had one very close call, last people on board, and never want to do that again!  

[John Bull]

You've had good advice above.

Normally if the ship is tied up at the pier the latest time to board is 30 minutes before sailing time.

A few ports are "ashore by tender" (the itinerary usually advises of ports that are "by tender" or an anchor motif), usually you have to be at the tender pier 60 minutes before sailing time. That's 60 minutes before sailing at the tender jetty, you don't have to be on the ship 60 minutes before sailing.

 

Most folk allow half an hour or so extra in case of any hold-up - how much extra time depends on how far you stray from the ship & how reliable any necessary transportation might be

 

Note Sparks' comment about local time vs ship's time. "Back on board" will be ship's time - on the rare occasions that local time is different, don't go by local clocks.

 

JB 🙂

[BklynBoy8]

Most of the passengers we sail with do get back and never had to wait for passengers late.

 

Many come early back to settle in back from shore and want to watch the ship depart.

[Mum2Mercury]

If the ship's all-aboard time is 5:00, we'd aim to be back onboard at 3:00.  

 

- If any problem ensues -- traffic, sprained ankle, lose our way, whatever -- we'll have time to deal with it.  We've never been delayed in returning, but it could happen.  

- We tend to "get up and out" and have our island fun in the morning -- then we're back on the ship for a late lunch.  So we'd typically be back on the ship before the hypothetical 3:00 anyway.  This seems to be pretty typical.  

[jsn55]

Grateful for the reference to ship time vs port time.  I had no idea.  If it's a tender port, try not to catch the 'last one' back to the ship.  Lounging on deck with a glass of champagne watching everyone else return is much more enjoyable.  Always verify the reboarding deadline as you leave the ship, there will be a sign as you depart.  I've heard of last-minute changes after the news is out the evening before ... nobody wants to be a 'pier runner' although they are funny to watch.  

Edited December 14, 2022 by jsn55
thought

[Blondilu]

One of my favorite things is hanging out on the promenade deck above the gangway and watching people return to the ship.  Sometimes local musicians will be on the dock giving a farewell concert.

 

I have seen at least one couple run to catch the ship.  They were actually late by quite a bit (and lucky we could wait) and got a good talking to by the officer at the gangway.  Funny from my vantage point but not something I ever want to personally experience.

 

 

[ontheweb]

We were way late once (on our second cruise). But we were on a ship's excursion, so the ship waited. I had been worried, but there were actually members of ship's cruise director's staff on the cruise who when I asked, assured me that the ship would wait. This is one of the few advantages of ship excursions.

[calweiss]

Thank you Everyone for the great advice. My nervous and smart Husband will make sure we are back in plenty of time🙂

[sparks1093]

15 hours ago, ontheweb said:

We were way late once (on our second cruise). But we were on a ship's excursion, so the ship waited. I had been worried, but there were actually members of ship's cruise director's staff on the cruise who when I asked, assured me that the ship would wait. This is one of the few advantages of ship excursions.

We had the same experience in Freeport. For some reason the excursion ran late and the ship was on the radio to the bus as we were returning. We arrived back at the port 30 minutes after the all  aboard time and very close to our scheduled sail away. DW and I were the last across the gangway, which they promptly pulled up. I know that the ship's excursions are a bit pricier than what you can get if you roll your own but I do like the peace of mind associated with them.

[ontheweb]

26 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

We had the same experience in Freeport. For some reason the excursion ran late and the ship was on the radio to the bus as we were returning. We arrived back at the port 30 minutes after the all  aboard time and very close to our scheduled sail away. DW and I were the last across the gangway, which they promptly pulled up. I know that the ship's excursions are a bit pricier than what you can get if you roll your own but I do like the peace of mind associated with them.

Our similar experience was in Cozumel with an excursion to Aztec ruins followed by swimming. Those far away excursions are the ones that should have you considering ship's excursions to deal with the possibility of running late.

[cruisemom42]

I've observed in a number of ports that the ship excursions are back late, especially in Europe on day-long tours. I suspect the operators take advantage of the fact that they CAN be late. If they knew the ship would leave them, they'd be there on time. 

 

 

[Z'Loth]

I suggest checking out Google Maps Parking Feature. While intended to mark where you parked your car, you can also use it to mark where your ship or tender is "parked" as well. Very handy when multiple ships are docked at port. It is normal for the cruise line to advise passengers to be on board 30 minutes prior to sailaway time, and I usually shoot for 30-60 minutes. Just make sure your watch is set to ship time, not shore time, as sometimes that adjustment isn't made.

 

Of course, if you want some pre-cruise amusement, you can watch "Pier Runners" on YouTube, Of course, you don't want to earn the ire of Carnival's John Heald on your cruise for being perpetually late. Heaven help a crew member who misses the ship. 

[sparks1093]

35 minutes ago, Z'Loth said:

I suggest checking out Google Maps Parking Feature. While intended to mark where you parked your car, you can also use it to mark where your ship or tender is "parked" as well. Very handy when multiple ships are docked at port. It is normal for the cruise line to advise passengers to be on board 30 minutes prior to sailaway time, and I usually shoot for 30-60 minutes. Just make sure your watch is set to ship time, not shore time, as sometimes that adjustment isn't made.

 

Of course, if you want some pre-cruise amusement, you can watch "Pier Runners" on YouTube, Of course, you don't want to earn the ire of Carnival's John Heald on your cruise for being perpetually late. Heaven help a crew member who misses the ship. 

That is a good point about having multiple ships in port. I did read a thread where the OP was at Senor Frogs (Nassau I believe) and kept looking at his ship thinking "I still have time". Eventually he realized it was another Carnival ship that was in port and his had sailed. Of course had he been mindful of the time as well he would have made the ship.

[John Bull]

1 hour ago, sparks1093 said:

That is a good point about having multiple ships in port. I did read a thread where the OP was at Senor Frogs (Nassau I believe) and kept looking at his ship thinking "I still have time". Eventually he realized it was another Carnival ship that was in port and his had sailed. Of course had he been mindful of the time as well he would have made the ship.

 

Never had a problem finding my ship.🙂

But lots of folk have problems finding their bus or van at stops on a tour.😄

 

"I'm pretty sure mine was one of the white ones. Or was it grey ?"

 

"Did it have any signwriting?

"Dunno"

 

"Did it have any number or sign on the windshield?"

"Dunno".

 

What did the driver look like?"

"Dunno"

 

"No worries - it'll be one of the two dozen over there. Or in the parking lot at the back". 🙄🤣🤣🤣

 

JB 🙂

[ontheweb]

4 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Our similar experience was in Cozumel with an excursion to Aztec ruins followed by swimming. Those far away excursions are the ones that should have you considering ship's excursions to deal with the possibility of running late.

OOPs, that should of course by MAYAN ruins , not Aztec.

[Smokeyham]

A related hint....... Take a picture (or make a note) of the name and telephone number of the ship's agent.  This is the person/company ashore that you can contact if you are having difficulties (such as a delayed return to the ship, or missing the ship).  Note that just calling them won't mean that they will hold the ship but at least they can communicate to the ship that you are on your way.  You can find that in the ship's daily newsletter (or perhaps on the app for the daily schedule).

As others have noted, do check the sign at the gangway as you leave the ship (and you might take a picture of that as well).   The all aboard time for a stop on our latest cruise was earlier than we had seen on the TV in our cabin so we went with the earlier time and did fine.

[Turtles06]

4 hours ago, Smokeyham said:

A related hint....... Take a picture (or make a note) of the name and telephone number of the ship's agent. 

Excellent advice. We do the same thing. 

[sparks1093]

5 hours ago, Smokeyham said:

A related hint....... Take a picture (or make a note) of the name and telephone number of the ship's agent.  This is the person/company ashore that you can contact if you are having difficulties (such as a delayed return to the ship, or missing the ship).  Note that just calling them won't mean that they will hold the ship but at least they can communicate to the ship that you are on your way.  You can find that in the ship's daily newsletter (or perhaps on the app for the daily schedule).

As others have noted, do check the sign at the gangway as you leave the ship (and you might take a picture of that as well).   The all aboard time for a stop on our latest cruise was earlier than we had seen on the TV in our cabin so we went with the earlier time and did fine.

And related, related if you do end up missing the ship don't just head to the airport if you have your passport with you, make contact with the ship's agent. You'll need to coordinate your plans with the agent so the cruise line knows what your plans are. If you were just going to fly back to the States the cruise line would need to advise CBP that you will be returning that way instead of with them. (It wouldn't be the end of the world but you would probably spend time in secondary inspection since CBP records show you are on a cruise ship.) The agent would probably have good info about flights and hotels as well.

[wowzz]

2 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

And related, related if you do end up missing the ship don't just head to the airport if you have your passport with you, make contact with the ship's agent. You'll need to coordinate your plans with the agent so the cruise line knows what your plans are. If you were just going to fly back to the States the cruise line would need to advise CBP that you will be returning that way instead of with them. (It wouldn't be the end of the world but you would probably spend time in secondary inspection since CBP records show you are on a cruise ship.) The agent would probably have good info about flights and hotels as well.

Why fly back to the US ? Fly on to the next port and rejoin the ship there. 

[Turtles06]

If you want a good example of how important it is to be in contact with the port agent if you are late getting back to the ship, check out comment 109 (with photos) in my review here of a NE/Canada cruise on Celebrity in 2019.  We never expected to see pier runners in Quebec City. Yet, as the all-aboard time passed, calls went out over the ship’s intercom for two missing guests. After some time, there were lots of animated phone calls going on between the port agent and, presumably, those missing guests. They were so late, a security officer went up to their cabin and handed their passports over to the port agent.  The Captain needed to sail because of speed limits in the St. Lawrence River, and the missing guests were almost left behind. 
 

 

[sparks1093]

2 hours ago, wowzz said:

Why fly back to the US ? Fly on to the next port and rejoin the ship there. 

If it's an option sure but the cruise line will still need to know that and the port agent would be the one to tell them.