Newbie questions

[YoupDeBoer]

As a newbie I have a few questions where I can't find an answer on by searching this forum.

1) The arrive and depart times for an initerary are displayed on the RCL website. How does this correspond with the actual times you can spend on land?
For instance (see screenshot) day 2 we should arrive around 7 AM in Naples.
Which time you usually can leave the ship? 
And depart time is 6 PM. Which time at latest do you need to be back at the ship?
It is useful to know as we probably will book most excursions from 3rd parties are will do it on our own.



2) Does the soda package also contains normal (non flavoured) sparkling water? My wife usually drinks normal sparkling water. I know the bottles are only included in the Refreshment package but was wondering if the soda machines contain sparkling water on the Voyager as well. And if so...anyone has experience with it (I know this is really subjective but nonetheless good to know).

3) As I understood from this forum the Voyager does not have soda freestyle machines. What flavours can you get at the bar etc.? I can find pictures and movies of the flavours in a freestyle machine but as this is not available on the Voyager I was wondering if still the same flavours are available.
 

[gumshoe958]

1) Typically you can expect to be allowed off the ship around 30 minutes after arrival, although it’ll depend on how long it takes the local port authorities to clear the ship. And tendering adds an extra complication as priority for the first tenders will be given to people on RCL shore excursions and those in suites or who’ve bought the Key, for example.
 

All aboard time is normally 30 minutes before departure but for tender ports the last tender may well be earlier than that.

[YoupDeBoer]

Thnx @gumshoe958! I will take a absolut minimum of 30 minutes into account for the port days. And when we need transportation add at least one hour to be back to the ship on top of those 30 minutes as a safety margin. So basically you're 'losing' at least 2 hours of the advertised time.
And with the tenders in Mykonos and Santorini even more. Always good to know this in advance and incorporate this in the planning of the activities.

[Kellie in Texas]

There will be announcements made in the Cruise Compass (the nightly newsletter) if the paper version is delivered to your stateroom or in the app, if the ship isn't doing paper, so you'll know the night before, if not earlier than that about the times. Third-party excursion vendors will know what time your ship will be in port; their business depends on it. 

[Biker19]

6 hours ago, YoupDeBoer said:

3) As I understood from this forum the Voyager does not have soda freestyle machines. What flavors can you get at the bar etc.?

Very few, if any, flavors available at bars - expect the most common type of soda from both the soda gun and cans.

[Mum2Mercury]

6 hours ago, YoupDeBoer said:

1) The arrive and depart times for an initerary are displayed on the RCL website. How does this correspond with the actual times you can spend on land?

Your screenshot (the app?) only displays your sailing time.  I think you can see your total in-port time in your computer itinerary.  

Once you're onboard, ask your Cabin Steward to leave you a paper Compass (daily newspaper) in your room each evening.  This info is also on your phone app, but I like having a paper copy.  It'll tell you what time you'll arrive in port /what time you must be back on board.  And it'll give you the name of your land-based port agent, should you have any trouble.   

Say you're arriving in port at 8:00 am.  About 7:30 am people will start lining up to leave the ship.

Take all your things with you -- returning to the ship usually involves a long walk back, then going through security.  If your ship arrives at 8:00, you can count on having your feet on the ground as early as 8:30.  

Since you're new, you probably don't have a "comfort zone" yet, but my family likes to be back AT THE SHIP 2 hours before sail-away.  Not starting to head that way 2 hours before, but arriving at the ship 2 hours before.  That way, if we have any problems -- getting lost, a twisted ankle -- we have ample time to find our way, take a taxi, whatever.  

6 hours ago, YoupDeBoer said:

It is useful to know as we probably will book most excursions from 3rd parties are will do it on our own.

You may be new, but you're catching on quickly.  

4 hours ago, gumshoe958 said:

And tendering adds an extra complication as priority for the first tenders 

Definitions: 

Docked -- your ship ties up to a dock, they put out a wide gangplank, and you walk off the ship.  Easy and fast. 

Tendered -- your ship cannot come in close to land, so small boats zip up to the side, and you load into them 40-50ish at a time.  This is much slower:  entering the boat is slower than walking across the gangplank, and you must account for travel time across the water.  

Go back to your computer cruise itinerary.  It was say Docked or Tendered for each stop.  

4 hours ago, YoupDeBoer said:

So basically you're 'losing' at least 2 hours of the advertised time.

Well, it's not really a problem.  Few people stay on shore the entire time anyway, and many ports have small vendors or bars RIGHT AT THE PORT.  You could hang around at those places until maybe 30 minutes before sail-away without danger. 

This makes me think about safety ashore rules: 

- Wear a watch.  Your phone may switch back and forth between time zones, but your watch remains constant. 

- Understand ship's time vs. island time.  It's okay to say to the security people as you leave, "It's 9:00 now, right?  And we sail away at 5:00?"  

- Do not allow your party to split up.  Take care even for something so simple as a bathroom stop; once we had a minor snafu in which our teenager went into a bathroom, and none of us realized it had two exits. 

- Have a plan for what happens if you get split up.  Obviously phone communication is #1, but just in case it fails, agree that you'd meet back at ___. 

2 hours ago, Kellie in Texas said:

 Third-party excursion vendors will know what time your ship will be in port; their business depends on it. 

Oh, yes, you're not their first tourists. 

Edited October 13, 2023 by Mum2Mercury

[Thesandman12]

Amen to the 2 hours before

[SilkySal]

I've always been a fan of the Refreshment package, which allows ALL drinks without alcohol. I enjoy the specialty coffee in the morning, smoothies or frozen drinks out by the pool, and all of the sparkling water I want! Cheers!

[SRF]

There is a clock at the exit from the ship showing ships time.  And a sign that has the all aboard time.

 

As has been mentioned, phones and smart watches may switch times automatically, and local time may not match ship's time.  BE CAREFUL.

 

If you stop for a drink at the port just before getting back on, pay attention to the time.  Although many of us to enjoy to watch pier runners.  Yes, those are people running to catch the ship.  You can see some on You Tube.  Don't end up on You Tube.

[Engineroom Snipe]

Worth it to buy a moderately priced watch that you can set to ship's time.

 

So few people use a standard stand-alone watch nowadays. I got it. We all have cellphones and smart watches which are directly linked to cellphones.

 

I have a watch which is independent of any time source except to what I set it.

 

Much great advice on this post to set your stand alone watch to ship's time before you leave and set a timer for one hour before the gang plank is removed.

 

Sometimes, simple is better and more reliable.

 

When you get back onboard the ship, you can take the watch off until your next adventure.

[YoupDeBoer]

Thnx for all the replies so far. To summarize what I learned:
- Buy an oldschool watch that does not change time automatically when it detects a new timezone. Although in this initerary the time travelling will only be one hour it's not worth the risk. So many mentioned it so will not skip this advice.
- Extend the safety margin to two hours. Maybe spend some additional time on land but only when it's close to the ship.
- We have 2 tenderports (Santorini and Mykonos) in our initerary so here we have even less time on land and need to build in extra safety margin in Santorini if we will make use of the cable cars for our return.

[Engineroom Snipe]

1 hour ago, YoupDeBoer said:

- Extend the safety margin to two hours. Maybe spend some additional time on land but only when it's close to the ship.
 

This is a great way to work your way back to the ship while still enjoying the local flavor. Start further away in the beginning but make sure you are local for two hours before the last gang plank.

 

If you want to imbibe a bit onshore, make sure that you migrate your bar every half-hour closer to the ship. Many ports have local hotpots very close to the ship just for these jaunts.

 

You have the most important fact in your head already, DO NOT BE LATE FOR THE SHIP! DO NOT BE A PIER RUNNER!

 

Other than that, enjoy your cruise.

 

😁