When to be back on the ship during port days?

[First Time Cruiser1]

Hi, it is my first time on a cruise. I am doing a Mediterranean cruise on the MSC seaview. 

On the 4th day we have a port day at Barcelona, and I want to do a hop-on-hop-off bus, but dont know if I will make it back on time. I want to do both the routes (Takes approx 2 hours each if you dont climb off). Our port times are from 08:00 - 17:00. At what time should I be back on the ship?

[9tee2Sea]

usually its no later than 30 min before sail away. Please keep in mind traffic.  I was on a hop on hop off on Athens, and there was a demonstration that shut down all the major roads in the area.  The bus driver had to go thru narrow streets, and zig zag around town.  The 1.5 hour route took 3 hours ( luckily we were staying the night in Athens).  There was one person who was on a cruise, and she had to get off at the earliest stop, then had to get a taxi to take her back to port.   Lots to see in Barcelona.  Strolling Las Ramblas, having Tapas and wine for lunch, La Familia Segrada Church ( climb the stairs in the towers to the top... unless y are claustrophobic ).  There is a very old public market on a side street of Las Ramblas ( cant remember the name, but it is HUGE).  Also keep in mind, that some cruise lines no longer dock at the port right in town.  They now dock some distance away.  

[BklynBoy8]

Walk back on board - 30 to 45 minutes.....

Tender back - should safely be back on board 45 minutes to an hour before. Be aware of tender timing.

[edinburgher]

34 minutes ago, First Time Cruiser1 said:

At what time should I be back on the ship?

it depends on the cruiseline, but latest is usually 30 mins before sailing although it could be an hour, but even if only 30 mins, for peace of mind you might want to plan for an hour before to avoid any last minute panic caused by a delay somewhere along the way.

You will be in port from 0800, and once the ship is cleared by the authorities, you will most likely be able to leave around 0830. Depending on when the HOHOS begin running,you could be off early, do both loops and be back on board for a lateish lunch or leave the HOHO route somewhere along the way and enjoy some sightseeing on foot before making your way back  to the port by taxi (plenty of them and reasonably priced)or see below.

 

As it is your first cruise and probably first time visiting Barcelona,  you may not already know that there should be a port shuttle bus which picks up passengers when  leaving and returning to their ships.  It runs to a timetable and follows a route.  Try internet searching something along the lines of "Barcelona cruise port shuttle bus" for info.

Barcelona is a wonderful city to visit, but very popular, ie busy. Remember that if you decide to visit the Sagrada Familia, you will need to pre-book an entry time.

 

Post #3 mentions tenders.  Barcelona is not usually a tender port but others on your itinerary may be, and tendering can take a lot of time, with bigger ships taking longer to move large numbers of passengers off and on to the ship than smaller ships do. You will know which ports are tender if the words "at anchor" are mentioned or if there is an anchor symbol next to the name, or whichever notification MSC use, although I have no knowledge of the way they work. And yes, if tendering you need to allow a lot more time which will reduce your sightseeing time ashore.

Edited February 28 by edinburgher

[wcook]

You will be told - in the daily program and on signs when exiting - what the “all aboard time” is. Usually a half hour before the ship is scheduled to leave. 

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, First Time Cruiser1 said:

Hi, it is my first time on a cruise. I am doing a Mediterranean cruise on the MSC seaview. 

On the 4th day we have a port day at Barcelona, and I want to do a hop-on-hop-off bus, but dont know if I will make it back on time. I want to do both the routes (Takes approx 2 hours each if you dont climb off). Our port times are from 08:00 - 17:00. At what time should I be back on the ship?

 

The "All Aboard Time" is at the discretion of the Master, but in most ports, when alongside, it is normally 30 minutes before departure.

 

Haven't sailed with MSC, but I expect the "All Aboard Time" is published in the daily paper. However, the definitive time is that posted on the gangway sailing board, which should be readily visible close to the gangway. Other cruise lines also include this information in the lifts.

 

On rare occasions, you may see 2 all aboard times, one for the crew and one for pax.

 

That is the latest time you can return to the ship, but what time you actually return is based on your personal risk tolerance, as if you are late, the ship normally doesn't delay departure.

[cruiseryyc]

Just make sure whatever you are using to tell time (watch, cell phone) is set to SHIP time not port time.  Some cruise lines always change their time to port time; but some don't.

[Mum2Mercury]

Your sail-away time may vary from port to port, but it'll always be announced the day before in your daily newsletter and/or app.  

I personally aim to be back on the ship two hours before sail-away -- not to start heading back to the ship, but to set foot on the gangplank two hours before sail-away.  That way, if anything goes wrong, I have time to deal with it and still return in time.  

[Mum2Mercury]

9 minutes ago, cruiseryyc said:

Just make sure whatever you are using to tell time (watch, cell phone) is set to SHIP time not port time.  Some cruise lines always change their time to port time; but some don't.

I suggest wearing an analog watch.  Cell phones may switch back-and-forth between time zones, but your analog watch won't.  

[simplelife]

If you book your excursion through the ship, they will get you back in time or the ship will wait for you. 

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, simplelife said:

If you book your excursion through the ship, they will get you back in time or the ship will wait for you. 

Not an absolute certainty —- there are some ports where tide or weather conditions or berthing space commitments might not allow ships to wait.   I was on a ship which left Hamilton, Bermuda a day earlier than posted time because of approaching hurricane.

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, simplelife said:

If you book your excursion through the ship, they will get you back in time or the ship will wait for you. 

 

When booking Shore-ex, there is no guarantee the Master will delay departure for late arriving tours. While the Master will endeavour to delay for late shore-ex, operational requirements such as wind, tides, longshoremen, berth space, time to make next port, etc. take priority.

[ontheweb]

3 hours ago, simplelife said:

If you book your excursion through the ship, they will get you back in time or the ship will wait for you. 

And IF the ship is waiting for a ship's excursion to get back, it will also allow any other passengers who would be late to get back on. Note, this is NOT to say you should avoid being vigilant about getting back on time when on a private excursion or doing it yourself, just an observation.

[BklynBoy8]

4 hours ago, simplelife said:

If you book your excursion through the ship, they will get you back in time or the ship will wait for you. 

 

We were once on the QE2 and was late on a ship excursion by 45 min to an hour and the ship waited.

 

Once the last foot was on the gangway, they pulled it in and ship started to move right away.

 

Of course we had two ship staff on each of the two buses.

[TheOldBear]

Back in 2017 QM2 was delayed leaving LeHavre by about 90 minutes waiting for the Ship's tour to return from Paris [mechanical breakdown]. The extra incentive to wait for the tour was that the next port was Brooklyn.