Departure Time changes for port days after Viking Daily is published?

[Reaniel]

Is it really common for Viking to change the departure time at a port AFTER the Viking Daily is published?  I'm just curious since the sailing we just completed was our first ocean cruise, and we'd like to know if this is more common than not.

 

We were on Saturn in Valletta, Malta on 02 Dec, with a back on ship time of 7 PM and departure time of 8 PM, according to the Viking Daily.

 

Since it was a full free day for us (and we've done the included tour plus a paid excursion on the day before), we decided to spend our time exploring Gozo on our own.  We had a great time.

 

Long story short, we missed our originally planned fast ferry back to Valletta because of public bus delay, and we were forced to take the next one an hour later, which will arrive in Valletta at 6:30 PM.  The walk from the fast ferry dock to the cruise terminal was a 10~15 minute walk.  We made it back to the ship at 6:43.  We were told that we're the last ones back on board (they even showed us the computer screen, which displayed there are zero outstanding guests after our return).

 

The crew member mentioned that it wasn't so bad since we still have 45 minutes until departure.

 

I was like, wait, isn't the departure time 8 PM?  And, sure enough, it's 8 PM in the Daily when I checked again, but then it was changed during the day into 7:30.

 

I mean, in the end, as long as you're back on board on time according to the back on board time, you'd be ok.  But still, I'd just like to know, if it's actually pretty common to have the departure time modified after the Viking Daily info is out?

[millybess]

Where did you see that it had changed?  Was the change posted in the elevator?  We’ve experienced early departures several times, but the back on board time didn’t change. 

[Reaniel]

20 minutes ago, millybess said:

Where did you see that it had changed?  Was the change posted in the elevator?  We’ve experienced early departures several times, but the back on board time didn’t change. 

 

It wasn't stated anywhere really.  But it was what the crew member said to us after we're back on board, and that the ship left dock at 7:30.

[millybess]

1 minute ago, Reaniel said:

 

It wasn't stated anywhere really.  But it was what the crew member said to us after we're back on board, and that the ship left dock at 7:30.

Actually, I like it when they depart a bit early. It gives me a cozy feeling that nobody missed the boat. 😊

[vnb2003]

The best place to see the correct time is next to the door when you are leaving ship and right before Viking tent on the ground. The letters and numbers are very large.

[Heidi13]

4 hours ago, Reaniel said:

Is it really common for Viking to change the departure time at a port AFTER the Viking Daily is published?  I'm just curious since the sailing we just completed was our first ocean cruise, and we'd like to know if this is more common than not.

 

We were on Saturn in Valletta, Malta on 02 Dec, with a back on ship time of 7 PM and departure time of 8 PM, according to the Viking Daily.

 

Since it was a full free day for us (and we've done the included tour plus a paid excursion on the day before), we decided to spend our time exploring Gozo on our own.  We had a great time.

 

Long story short, we missed our originally planned fast ferry back to Valletta because of public bus delay, and we were forced to take the next one an hour later, which will arrive in Valletta at 6:30 PM.  The walk from the fast ferry dock to the cruise terminal was a 10~15 minute walk.  We made it back to the ship at 6:43.  We were told that we're the last ones back on board (they even showed us the computer screen, which displayed there are zero outstanding guests after our return).

 

The crew member mentioned that it wasn't so bad since we still have 45 minutes until departure.

 

I was like, wait, isn't the departure time 8 PM?  And, sure enough, it's 8 PM in the Daily when I checked again, but then it was changed during the day into 7:30.

 

I mean, in the end, as long as you're back on board on time according to the back on board time, you'd be ok.  But still, I'd just like to know, if it's actually pretty common to have the departure time modified after the Viking Daily info is out?

 

Since the Viking Daily is proof read, approved and printed the previous day, it may not include any last minute changes, which are often driven by the local authorities.

 

The key metric isn't the departure time, it is the pax all-aboard time, which is posted on the sailing board in the vicinity of the gangway. This is the latest information and supersedes anything in the Viking Daily.

[Reaniel]

15 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Since the Viking Daily is proof read, approved and printed the previous day, it may not include any last minute changes, which are often driven by the local authorities.

 

The key metric isn't the departure time, it is the pax all-aboard time, which is posted on the sailing board in the vicinity of the gangway. This is the latest information and supersedes anything in the Viking Daily.

 

I understand.  LIke I said, the back on board time wasn't changed, and we made it back on time (even though we were the last ones back).  It was the departure time, and I was just curious if this happens quite often or not.

 

I mean, previously, I assumed that the ship departing earlier than the original scheduled time is a result of having everyone back earlier.  Apparently, that isn't the case, at least not in this particular case.

[CurlerRob]

2 hours ago, Reaniel said:

 

I understand.  LIke I said, the back on board time wasn't changed, and we made it back on time (even though we were the last ones back).  It was the departure time, and I was just curious if this happens quite often or not.

 

I mean, previously, I assumed that the ship departing earlier than the original scheduled time is a result of having everyone back earlier.  Apparently, that isn't the case, at least not in this particular case.

In our experience, the actual departure time has frequently varied - sometimes early (assuming past the all-aboard time or if all pax aboard early) or sometimes later (often for last-minute supplies or once, delayed entertainers). 
 

As you observed, the critical time is our all-aboard time. We always take a pic of the posted info at the gangway, as that has often fluctuated a bit from the daily info as well. 🍺🥌