Sail away and muster drill timing

Does anyone remember how long after sail away that the muster drill takes place? I don't know if it would be reasonable to schedule a "Meet and Greet" after the muster drill or will people be off to dinner?

Thanks for any help

Mia

Muster usually happens 30- 45 min prior to sailaway

so if you are departing at 6pm Muster will be 5:15 or 5:30 PM

In the case of a late sail away, like ours from NYC last Saturday at 11PM, the muster was held at 5:30PM. Then people could go ashore again or make it to their on board dinning which usually starts at 6:30PM.

We are scheduled to sail away at 10:00pm and curious what time we had to be on board. We will be heading out to a neighbouring city the day we depart and don't want to rush back if we don't have to (sailing out of Lisbon, we will be visiting Sintra which appears to be about a 30 minute train ride). Based on previous experience, if we are at the ship by 4:30 are we good?

We are scheduled to sail away at 10:00pm and curious what time we had to be on board. We will be heading out to a neighbouring city the day we depart and don't want to rush back if we don't have to (sailing out of Lisbon, we will be visiting Sintra which appears to be about a 30 minute train ride). Based on previous experience, if we are at the ship by 4:30 are we good?

If the Cruise departs at 10pm, they will want everyone to be on the ship by 7pm at the latest.

Page 4 of your cruise Vacation Guide, which is where you will also find the address of the Cruise Terminal, shows the exact time.

That's interesting, Jim, because it goes a bit against my memory of our 10pm departure from Civitavecchia in Oct '11. (No doubt it is my memory that is faulty!)

In our case we shuttled from Rome around 3pm and got to the ship around 4-4:30. The muster was around the usual 5:15-5:30 as I recall. But I don't remember being told we needed to be there by 7 at the latest.

I don't doubt your statement, and perhaps if we had planned a later arrival we would have discovered our error.

I had just assumed that there were probably some people who missed the boat drill because they planned on showing up at 8pm. (I just looked at my file from that cruise but I have no info about that since I no longer have the "blue book".)

In the future I will go by your recommendations, although most of our cruises have left by 6 ... which just tells us to be on board 2 hours prior to departure.

Best plans I suppose are to be circumspect about when you arrive at the ship and not push things to the limit.

Mura

If the Cruise departs at 10pm, they will want everyone to be on the ship by 7pm at the latest.

Page 4 of your cruise Vacation Guide, which is where you will also find the address of the Cruise Terminal, shows the exact time.

Find it impossible to believe that they would require you to be on the ship 3 hours before departure at a mid cruise port when at embarkation, people only need to be on board about 1 1/2 hours prior to departure when a manifest has be compiled and provided to the authorities.

Why would they require the strange 3 hours early arrival and then just sit at the dock?? Seems late departures are there to allow people to spend part of their evening in the port city and not to sit at the dock for 3 hours. Also similar to when arrival/departure times were cut after final payment to possibly allow the ship to travel at a lower speed departing earlier than the 10 PM in this example would save on fuel by allowing a slower cruising speed.

Find it impossible to believe that they would require you to be on the ship 3 hours before departure at a mid cruise port when at embarkation, people only need to be on board about 1 1/2 hours prior to departure when a manifest has be compiled and provided to the authorities.

 

Why would they require the strange 3 hours early arrival and then just sit at the dock?? Seems late departures are there to allow people to spend part of their evening in the port city and not to sit at the dock for 3 hours. Also similar to when arrival/departure times were cut after final payment to possibly allow the ship to travel at a lower speed departing earlier than the 10 PM in this example would save on fuel by allowing a slower cruising speed.

Sadly, it's you who "missed the boat", this time Dave.

In your zeal to prove that I was wrong, you misread the question.

This thread refers to an Embarkation port, not a "mid cruise stop".

Better luck next time.

While you are correct in my thinking you were talking about a mid cruise port Jim or Stan, I still stand firm on your saying that one has to be on board no later than 3 hours prior to departure.

All of the rationale supporting 90 minutes before departure vs. your 3 hours remains valid as the error you pointed out is only an extremely small part of my post.

While you are correct in my thinking you were talking about a mid cruise port Jim or Stan, I still stand firm on your saying that one has to be on board no later than 3 hours prior to departure.

 

All of the rationale supporting 90 minutes before departure vs. your 3 hours remains valid as the error you pointed out is only an extremely small part of my post.

For the sake of accuracy, Dave, Embarkation versus mid cruise Port is a HUGE part of the equation.

During their voyages, cruise ships enter and leave port under what are called "yachting privileges" whereby Ports let them come and go with minimal screening, provided that they are swilling to swear to sailing out with the same number of passengers that they sailed in with. The crew, knowing that Passengers have left all their belongings (and sometimes Passports :eek: ) on the ship, feel comfortable in certifying that information on a tight deadline.

At an Embarkation Port, the actual count Passenger manifest must be compiled and submitted to the local Port Authority in order to obtain departure clearance which is similar to an Airliners flight plan.

Perhaps I'm old fashioned, but leaving all of that until the last ninety minutes seems irresponsible to say the least. ...

Perhaps Playalover will post the actual time listed in his blue book, and solve this, for once and for all. I'd love to hear. :D

Didn't make up the 90 minutes time frame. It is based on my cruising experience with close to 10 different cruise lines as well as an internet search providing the times we are discussing from several different cruise line and the consensus seems to be 60 minutes with a recommendation to make sure you arrive 90 minutes ahead of departure time. And, it is more than reporting to the port authorities, at least in the US. The list has to go to the Government. And, if you think about it, the same reporting has to come from airlines departing the US and oftentimes the plane arrives at the departure airport an hour or even less before departing for a foreign country and the airlines provide the reports so why would a computerized cruise line need 3 hours to file that report??

Wondering why you are waiting for one specific person to report back. Would think based on all your knowledge and cruise documents of cruising and Oceania specifically, you would have piles of blue books around from recent cruises that you could easily look at within a very few minutes.

Also, there are hundreds or thousands of people on this board who also have these blue books and could provide their confirmation of the proper times extremely quickly rather than waiting for the specific person who asked the question as this time is really not port specific and a general time frame should work for most everyone.

Highly doubt for a 4 or 5 PM departure, people have to be on board by 1 or 2 PM especially based on numerous postings on this and other CC boards of peoples arrival times. True, most people arrive toward the beginning of the embarkation window but, many have posted that they wait until later to avoid the rush and not 3 hours before sailing.

For the sake of accuracy, Dave, Embarkation versus mid cruise Port is a HUGE part of the equation.

 

During their voyages, cruise ships enter and leave port under what are called "yachting privileges" whereby Ports let them come and go with minimal screening, provided that they are swilling to swear to sailing out with the same number of passengers that they sailed in with. The crew, knowing that Passengers have left all their belongings (and sometimes Passports :eek: ) on the ship, feel comfortable in certifying that information on a tight deadline.

 

At an Embarkation Port, the actual count Passenger manifest must be compiled and submitted to the local Port Authority in order to obtain departure clearance which is similar to an Airliners flight plan.

 

Perhaps I'm old fashioned, but leaving all of that until the last ninety minutes seems irresponsible to say the least. ...

 

Perhaps Playalover will post the actual time listed in his blue book, and solve this, for once and for all. I'd love to hear. :D

Could you please explain "yachting privileges" as I must admit my days since doing a degree in maritime law are long gone. I would be interested in your definition.

Could you please explain "yachting privileges" as I must admit my days since doing a degree in maritime law are long gone. I would be interested in your definition.

I explained them in the same paragraph in my original post, but I'll try again:

As long as the ship is willing to certify to the local authorities that they are bringing in the same number of "legally Passported" tourists as they will later take out when they leave (and, it should be noted, that the ship is not carrying cargo for a fee) they enter port under so called "yachting privileges", which is advantageous for both sides because red tape, taxation liability, and Customs & Immigration scrutiny are minimized.

Every so often we see a thread here on Cruise Critic which questions why passengers may not leave the ship at their pleasure, i.e. in a port which is scheduled before the official end of their cruise.

It seems a logical question, because -if a Passenger is willing to voluntarily forego days on the ship for which they have already paid, why would that be anyone elses' business?

Loss of Yachting Privileges is the big concern there; if two or four passengers jump ship, the Port may make an exception; but if the number climbs into the dozens, the status of the ship becomes questionable.

For that reason, I always suggest that early departures get their plans OK'd in writing by the Cruise Line, first.

Early departure is not universally prohibited, but neither can they allow it on a too frequent basis.

Hola all,

My original post was at the cottage, thus no blue book. I turned to page 4 as requested and do not see a cut off time for embarkation. Here's what I got:

DEPARTURE INFORMATION:

Port: Lisbon

Embarkation Date: July 10

Embarkation Time: 1:00 PM

1:00 PM is the only posted time anywhere on page 4.

Hola all,

 

My original post was at the cottage, thus no blue book. I turned to page 4 as requested and do not see a cut off time for embarkation. Here's what I got:

 

DEPARTURE INFORMATION:

Port: Lisbon

Embarkation Date: July 10

Embarkation Time: 1:00 PM

 

1:00 PM is the only posted time anywhere on page 4.

It's odd, because most people who are asking about Embarkation time are interested in getting onto the ship as early as possible.

As regards latest Embarkation, I must apologize. The three hour requirement which I remembered is for International flights, and not for Cruises.

My Travel Agent marks my blue booklets, with reminder stickers, and I misinterpreted what one of them was for.

Upon further research into the Blue Book (thanks for the suggestion, Dave) I find the pertinent information in Section 8 of the Terms and Conditions:

To wit:

You are required to be at the Airport Departure Gate at least two (2) hours to the scheduled departure of Air Transportation, and are required to be on the Ship at least one (1) hour before scheduled departure time.

Sorry for the error, and I'm glad that Playalover will have the extra time needed to explore Sintra! Enjoy!

Upon further research into the Blue Book (thanks for the suggestion, Dave) I find the pertinent information in Section 8 of the Terms and Conditions:

To wit: Quote:

You are required to be at the Airport Departure Gate at least two (2) hours to the scheduled departure of Air Transportation, and are required to be on the Ship at least one (1) hour before scheduled departure time.

Sorry for the error, and I'm glad that Playalover will have the extra time needed to explore Sintra! Enjoy!

Thanks for the correction that will avoid people rushing to the ship unnecessarily.

Unfortunately your quote from the terms and conditions from O "requiring" people to be at the gate at least two (2) hours to the scheduled air departure is completely absurd. Realize you are quoting from the T's and C's however, how can people be required to be at a gate where only two things are possible; the gate area is completely empty of airline personnel since they only arrive at a gate for the next flight a maximum of 1 hours prior to scheduled departure or a previous flight is at the gate and the airline personnel are working that earlier flight and will most probably leave the gate area once their flight departs.

There is absolutely no way for O to know if people meet that requirement and it is a complete waste of time for people to be at the gate that early. Believe the airlines require people to be in the gate area a minimum of 15 to 20 minutes before scheduled departure and am completely positive that the 2 hours is in error.

Thanks again for clearing up the latest arrival time at the ship and hope people don't start arriving at either an empty gate area or a previous flight 2 hours before their scheduled flights.

We have had late departures on a few cruise some people were arriving well into the dinner hour

Now you may have to handle your luggage (no porters) & check in may be on the ship instead of the terminal after a certain hour

If you miss Muster at 5:30 they usually had a make up drill in the morning for those people

We usually like to arrive mid afternoon check in & then we may go exploring after dinner but usually we have been in the departure city a few days prior to sailing

I know not everyone has the time to arrive a day or more early so they like to explore as much as they can before sail away

My memory like some is getting faulty but I never recall seeing a latest check in time EXCEPT for US ports

I, too, have been wondering what time our all aboard would be, and what time our muster drill would be for our cruise out of Monaco. The Riviera leaves at 11pm, and the next day is a port day (8am - 6pm). So, I emailed Oceania. This is the response I received from Valerie, Special Services Coordinator: ”Kindly be advised that all guests must be on the ship at least 2 hours prior to the debarkation time from the port. As for the muster drill, we only know that it will take place within 24 hours of the departure and do not have a set time.”

As Playalover mentioned, the blue book only mentions your embarkation time, and ship departure time, but not an all aboard time. I hope this helps marylovestotravel and others!

STUDENTOFTHEWORLD

I am not sure how much credence I would give to Valerie

if she does not know the difference between embarkation & debarkation :eek:

STUDENTOFTHEWORLD

 

I am not sure how much credence I would give to Valerie

if she does not know the difference between embarkation & debarkation :eek:

Good point, LHT28!

I guess she was thinking a ship debarks a port the same way a passenger debarks a ship!

Mura

I guess she was thinking a ship debarks a port the same way a passenger debarks a ship!

 

Mura

That makes sense. Let's hope you're right.

Our recent Marina cruise left NYC at 11:00 PM. Drill was at 4:45 ish. Mandatory, but if you were not aboard there was a make up.

Our recent Marina cruise left NYC at 11:00 PM. Drill was at 4:45 ish. Mandatory, but if you were not aboard there was a make up.

Thanks, sitraveler. I suspect this will be the case on our cruise, too. How did you like Lisbon? We finish our cruise there, and I'm looking forward to exploring the city.

Not sitraveler but we were also on the NY-Lisbon cruise. The first muster drill was held at 4:45. Another make-up drill was announced at 8:30 and the third and final was held the following morning after sail away.

Lisbon is wonderful - spent three days there and that was enough to make us want to return.