Ship Time

This might be a silly question but how will I know what time zone the ship is on? Is there a way to look that up before hand.

I'll be on the Carnival Glory January 16th. The itinerary for that day says 9am-6pm.

I'm trying to book shore excursions privately (Belize) but there may be a time difference and I don't want to miss anything because of it.

Can anyone help?

They use Eastern time, just like where it sails from.

Private (non-Carnival) excursions are booked to accommodate cruise passengers. Your tour operator will make sure that you know what time/where to meet them and have you back in time to sail away.

Their reputation and livelihood depend on it.

The ship's time is base on departure port for the entire cruise. Be careful when using a non-Carnival vendor, verify times before booking.

Take a watch ashore..and make sure it's set to the ship's time..there are clocks everywhere! You must go by ship's time..no matter what!

Take a watch ashore..and make sure it's set to the ship's time..there are clocks everywhere! You must go by ship's time..no matter what!

I totally agree. Plus, don't trust your cell phone for the time. Buy a cheap watch.

I always ask, "What is ship's time, right now?" as I get off the ship. I had one cruise where the "ship's time" was changed at one port, then back again for the next.

I hope this helps....;)

Thanks everyone for the great tips. I'm definitely going to get a cheap watch to bring.

Belize is actually in the Central Time Zone, not Eastern. They do not observe daylight savings, although that is irrelevant in January. If you are sailing from the Eastern time zone and they don't change times, ship time will be one hour later than Belize time. That is extremely important to know, especially if you ask a local what the time is. You might think you have an extra hour that you don't actually have. But the watch is the better solution for keeping track of ship time, and keep an eye out for the slight possibility that your ship decides to change ship time to match Belize. Carnival typically never does this on roundtrip cruises, but it has happened before. FYI, timeanddate.com is an excellent resource for knowing what the time is & whether they observe daylight savings.

In regards to your private excursion, most of them will know what your ship time is, and they will make the adjustment for you. However, some of them do not. I have had experience with some that do not, even though they are excellent and very popular with great reputations. Others have had this experience too. So it's wise to check with them ahead of time instead of just assuming that they will adjust for you.

It's been our experience that the Captain makes the decision to change the clocks or not. Sometimes we've stayed on Eastern time all through the Caribbean, other times we've changed to local time.

It really is best to bring or buy a cheap watch (you can find a $10.00 watch onboard most ships) to wear ashore and check ship's time as you get off the ship.

Your private tour operator should know your time of arrival and departure. Be sure they'll have you back at least 30 minutes before sailaway.

Have a wonderful cruise,