Are Cruisemapper schedules pretty accurate for arrival and departure times?

[zitsky]

We’re on a Celebrity cruise on the Millennium trying to coordinate plans with family while visiting Penang, Malaysia.  It’s a two day stop.  I know schedules change but in general, how accurate is Cruisemapper?

[GeezerCouple]

41 minutes ago, zitsky said:

We’re on a Celebrity cruise on the Millennium trying to coordinate plans with family while visiting Penang, Malaysia.  It’s a two day stop.  I know schedules change but in general, how accurate is Cruisemapper?

We haven't used Cruisemapper.

Does this give different information than the Arrival and Departure times stated by your cruiseline (Celebrity in your case)?

GC

[leaveitallbehind]

I would rely solely on arrival and departure times indicated by Celebrity for your itinerary.  That will be the most real time accurate and the only one I would go by.

 

If you won't be in communication with your family and they would be the ones using Cruise mapper for their planning on when to meet you, then I would guess it would be a fairly accurate source.

Edited May 27 by leaveitallbehind

[zitsky]

2 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

We haven't used Cruisemapper.

Does this give different information than the Arrival and Departure times stated by your cruiseline (Celebrity in your case)?

GC

They are similar but not exactly the same.  Example Cruisemapper says arrival at 10:00am, Celebrity says 10:30am.  Departure is the same.

 

Now that I know where the Celebrity times are we’ll use those.  When I don’t cruise for a while I forget where to look.

[leaveitallbehind]

Just now, zitsky said:

Now that I know where the Celebrity times are we’ll use those.  When I don’t cruise for a while I forget where to look.

Your full itinerary with arrival and departure times is listed on your boarding documents and booking confirmation.  It will also be published and announced daily on board with each port of call.

[zitsky]

5 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

Your full itinerary with arrival and departure times is listed on your boarding documents and booking confirmation.  It will also be published and announced daily on board with each port of call.

Thanks.  Normally I just pay attention to excursion times but it’s more important now since we’re meeting friends.

[Donald]

Different cruise lines and different websites have different definitions of “arrival” and “departure”.

Some claim “arrival” means the time when the ship arrives at the pilot station.

Some claim it means the time when the ship reaches the pier.

Some claim it means the time when the lines are secured.

Some claim it means the time when the ship is cleared and the gangway is set.

 

Departure.

Some claim it means the time when the gangway is pulled.

Some claim it means the time when the lines are loose.

Some claim it means the time when the ship departs the pier.

[edinburgher]

7 hours ago, zitsky said:

trying to coordinate plans with family while visiting Penang, Malaysia.  It’s a two day stop

I think the most accurate port timings would be found on the OFFICIAL port websites wherever they are in the world, in this instance, the Port of Penang.  Try internet searching something like "Port of Penang" or that plus the word Malaysia and look for "cruise ship schedule" or "cruise ship calendar" or similar. 

 

That failing their website should have contact info.and you could contact port authorities by e-mail or through social media and ask.

Edited May 27 by edinburgher

[CruiserBruce]

I would think the cruise line times are the most important. After all, they are the one that might determine if they leave without you.

[zitsky]

3 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

I would think the cruise line times are the most important. After all, they are the one that might determine if they leave without you.

Yes I am happy to follow the schedule laid out by the cruise line.

[Canuker]

In addition to a cruise line's own itinerary, it might be helpful to 'cross-reference' that with the cruise traffic schedule of each particular port.

The ports can also provide additional information, e.g. which particular dock is scheduled to be used, whether you can 'walk off' the dock area or not, shuttle buses, etc.

Keep an eye out for ports which will involve tendering, too.

 

[zitsky]

4 hours ago, Canuker said:

In addition to a cruise line's own itinerary, it might be helpful to 'cross-reference' that with the cruise traffic schedule of each particular port.

The ports can also provide additional information, e.g. which particular dock is scheduled to be used, whether you can 'walk off' the dock area or not, shuttle buses, etc.

Keep an eye out for ports which will involve tendering, too.

 

Do I just Google “port name” schedule?  Is it that simple?

[Canuker]

17 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Do I just Google “port name” schedule?  Is it that simple?

zitsky: Try it.

I just googled "cruise port schedule San Juan" (San Juan being the Caribbean's busiest cruise port). Here's the first 3 listings:

 

Cruise Mapper: "San Juan (Puerto Rico) cruise port schedule".

Cruise Timetables: "San Juan Cruise Ship Schedule".

San Juan Cruise Port Terminal (the port's own website): "San Juan Cruise Port Schedule By Year and Month".

There were others listed by google too.

But here's why it's best to check more than one third party source: the ship I'll be on in that port in August showed up on only 2 of the 3 websites. San Juan's own site (the third one) does NOT show my ship in port the day she's there. The reason: she's not scheduled to dock at the usual "Cruise Port Terminal" but will tie up at another cruise ship dock nearby.

So it's not always straightforward, which is why it's a good idea to visit more than one site. Don't use these a gospel - use them to check against what your cruise line (the cruise line, not just the TA) is saying.

And finally, zitzky, despite all the research, it still may not happen. The final decision is that of the captain (along with the port authority); there are a number of reasons why a change may happen close to the planned docking time. One is to switch the vessel to another dock or terminal. Southampton, UK, for example, has no less that four cruise ship terminals, up to 1.5 miles apart. I have been on a cruise there that switched terminals.

[njhorseman]

2 hours ago, Canuker said:

San Juan Cruise Port Terminal (the port's own website): "San Juan Cruise Port Schedule By Year and Month".

No, it's not the "port's own website". There is no official site for the port of San Juan.

2 hours ago, Canuker said:

San Juan's own site (the third one) does NOT show my ship in port the day she's there. The reason: she's not scheduled to dock at the usual "Cruise Port Terminal" but will tie up at another cruise ship dock nearby.

It doesn't show up because this is some private website masquerading as something official. There are numerous cruises that don't show up on this site. it's basically a worthless junk site.

 

Of the three sites you cited this is  the last one I would rely on.

 

Why you would think that any third party site should be used over the cruise line's own published itinerary that is listed on your cruise confirmation and boarding documents is beyond me. Yes, times can and sometimes do change with little or no notice, but unofficial sites won't have access to this information. In fact even official sites may not have it in advance because changes can be made right up until docking time.

[edinburgher]

On 5/27/2024 at 10:20 PM, edinburgher said:

 

 

17 hours ago, zitsky said:

Do I just Google “port name” schedule?  Is it that simple?

Not quite.  Referring you back to my post #8 where I gave  the suggested  way to find it. And do include the word OFFICIAL in your search.

 Once you have it, you then look for any link which would hopefully give you the daily arrival and departure times of the different ships..  Good luck

Edited May 29 by edinburgher

[ldubs]

The "whats in port" site usually has a link to the official port site.   Additionally, I'll sometimes simply search for "Port of _____" to get to the official site where there is usually a selection for cruise ships.