Ship Time -vs- Local Time?

[JolleyRoger]

I've read that ship time may vary from pier/destination time. I've read about people missing their ship because of this.

 

I have an excursion booked in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica by a local tour guide company. I have a meeting time of 8am and I don't want to miss that because of a silly time difference.

 

What is ship time set at? Eastern? Costa Rica?

 

Thanks for any input!

[JolieMadam]

Some ships do not set their clocks according to local time at the ports. You should always make yourself aware of the change in time zones. Any time change will be posted in the little newspaper with all the day's activities.

 

Check when you are on the ship to see if their time is different from the country you are disembarking in and you shouldn't have any problems.

[vmom]

Most ships stay at the same time as the oringinal port of departure. If you are leaving out of Florida or any where on the East coast this would be Eastern time. Costa Rica is on central standard time. Most cruise stops/ports do not use daylight savings time which is another factor to consider. If daylight savings time is not a factor, duing the time period you are traveling, then 8am Costa Rica time would be the same as 9 am ships time (unless the ships is one of those that changes time with the port they are in).

 

Some ships change their time to match the same time as the port they are in. Most do not. if they are changing time with the port it will be announced on the ship. If no announcement is made, assume its Eastern time. I would recommend talking to the excursion operators since it their business to help you make the appropriate adjustments for time. Also call your cruise company since this is a question that comes up often. However, in the end it is your responsiblity.

[Sheffie]

I have been on ships that DO change time, and I have friends who went on some that DID NOT change to local time.

 

The local tour company should know what time (locally) your ship usually docks. They want your money and don't want you to miss their tour. Ask them if there will be a problem.

[ladycaveat]

I just learned that on my cruise to the Mexican Riviera, ship's time will be changed. Duh! Why? It was so easy in the Caribbean to just add or subtract an hour or two from "local time" (whatever time your ship was on when it left your home port). I have a tour scheduled in Puerto Vallerta for noon which I've been told is on Central Time. My ship leaves out of Long Beach (which is Pacific Time) . . . however, I've been told that sometime during the cruise they change to Mountain Time. I feel like Alice in Wonderland falling through the hole. I was a flight attendant for over twenty years and I never changed my watch . . . I just added or subtracted according to the time zone I was in. Can anyone explain why a ship would change time zones from it's home port . . . especially when you visit numerous ports which are on different time zones? :confused:

[JolleyRoger]

Most ships stay at the same time as the oringinal port of departure.

 

We are sailing on the Coral Princess out of Ft. Lauderdale. Oct. 23rd '06.

 

Thanks for all the info vmom.

 

I geuss I really shouldn't worry too much... it's just all these things that pop into my head which I hadn't thought out... amidst all the others I haven't thought out. :rolleyes:

 

The Coral tenders in Limon at 6:30am(Eastern/Ship time I presume)... so if Costa Rica is on Central time zone, we should have plenty of time to make the connection.

 

Thanks again.

[vmom]

When we were on the Carribean Princess last year, the ship changed time to match local time of the port we were in. I don't know if that was a decision by the captain or if it is a policy of the Princess cruise line. Someone told me that Princess allows the decision to be made by the captain of the ship...but I'm really not sure.

[LHT28]

I just learned that on my cruise to the Mexican Riviera, ship's time will be changed. Duh! Why?

 

I find it easier to change my watch to match port/ship time.

 

If I have figure out the time from EST to Pacific time , central time & mountain time I would not go ashore for fear of missing the ship.

 

Maybe that is what happened on our cruise ...2 couples missed the ship & had to find their own way to the next port of call.

[wrp96]

We are sailing on the Coral Princess out of Ft. Lauderdale. Oct. 23rd '06.

 

Thanks for all the info vmom.

 

I geuss I really shouldn't worry too much... it's just all these things that pop into my head which I hadn't thought out... amidst all the others I haven't thought out. :rolleyes:

 

The Coral tenders in Limon at 6:30am(Eastern/Ship time I presume)... so if Costa Rica is on Central time zone, we should have plenty of time to make the connection.

 

Thanks again.

 

Puerto Limon is a docking port. When I did the RCCL Brilliance Panama Canal cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale, the ship did change time to the same as the ports we visited. And the Coral Princess docked at about the same time as we did which was around 7am. You might want to ask specifically on the Princess board to see if the Coral Princess changes to the port times.

 

Can anyone explain why a ship would change time zones from it's home port . . . especially when you visit numerous ports which are on different time zones? :confused:

 

On the ships I've been on where the ship changed time when we entered a new time zone, it usually was because the ship spent more time in the new time zone than in the one from it's home port. So on a Mexican Riviera cruise where the only time you are in the time zone as the home port is when you are actually at the home port, it sort of makes sense to change to the time zones of the ports you visit.

 

Of course, I know on RCCL whether the ship stays on home port time or changes with the time zones depends on the Captain.

[gailc]

On our Oct. 2005 Explorer cruise, we changed time because of daylight savings. Then in March 2006 on the Brilliance, we changed time again because of daylight savings. We also changed time while in Costa Rica. It can get very confusing on some cruises when you change the time more than once. It should be listed on the 1st page of the daily newsletter if the time changes.

 

Gail