What time to be back onboard at a port please?

Hi,

New to cruising. I am starting to plan my port days and first port day is Nassua and I note it arrives at 07:00 and departs 14:30.

What time should I look to leave the ship? I was aiming to get up for breakfast at 07:30 and leave afterwards. Will I likely be waiting a long time to leave the ship? Is it better to get up and ready to leave as soon as you dock?

Also what time do I need to be back at the port before the boat leaves? What would happen if I missed the boat? Do they even do a 'head count' to check everyone is back onboard?

Sorry for the silly questions.

You should be able to leave the ship within about 30 minutes after arrival at Nassau.

Typical all aboard time is 30 minutes before scheduled departure. Yes, they absolutely do a head count, and the ship will leave without you if you don't show up in time.

Typically if you plan on leaving the ship about a half hour after it is cleared you won't encounter much of a line. You should be back on board at least a half hour before departure and maybe sooner depending on your comfort level. I like to be in the vicinity of the ship at least an hour before departure time. They do keep track of who is aboard and who is ashore. However, whether or not the ship will wait for any stragglers is up to the captain and you should not anticipate that the ship will wait as you may find yourself on the dock watching the ship sail away.

I'll start from the bottom. Don't be late. They WILL and have left without people. Yes, there's a "head count", you have to show your sea pass card when you disembark, it is scanned. It is then scanned again when you re-embark. They know who is missing.

Most times you can expect to be allowed to leave the ship very close to the time posted. If the ship is running behind, or if there is drama at the port (between the ship and the terminal), it can be delayed slightly.

As for when to leave, leave when you feel like it. There is generally always a lineup waiting to get off the ship. If you're tendering (small boat that takes you to the port) it's worse. We don't generally have much issue with getting on/off the ship, and just plan accordingly based on what we're going to do that day.

**Get back to the ship ON TIME! I'm always on board at LEAST 1/2 hour before they tell you to be back. If you're new to cruising, I'd bump that up to 1 hour just to be safe.

Hi,

 

New to cruising. I am starting to plan my port days and first port day is Nassua and I note it arrives at 07:00 and departs 14:30.

 

What time should I look to leave the ship? I was aiming to get up for breakfast at 07:30 and leave afterwards. Will I likely be waiting a long time to leave the ship? Is it better to get up and ready to leave as soon as you dock?

 

Also what time do I need to be back at the port before the boat leaves? What would happen if I missed the boat? Do they even do a 'head count' to check everyone is back onboard?

 

Sorry for the silly questions.

All the times are approximate. Ship arrives at 7 usually means it will be cleared within 30 minutes of arriving. It could already be cleared at 7:00 or maybe 7:30. On your daily papers, you will be told when all aboard is. You should always plan to be back before that time. Usually about 30 minutes before the departing time.

If you miss the ship, make sure you have a credit card, your phone, and cash. You will need it to purchase airline tickets to get back home and secure the necessary travel documents etc. if you left your passport on the ship. Yes, they do know you missed the ship, but it will leave without you. The only main exception is if it is a ship sponsored tour, than they will wait.

What would happen if I missed the boat?

You'll become good friends with the Port Agent.

Thanks so much for the replies!

I'll certainly aim to be back on the ship 30-60 minutes prior.

Another silly question, do I need to take my passport with me when leaving the ship?

Hi,

 

New to cruising. I am starting to plan my port days and first port day is Nassua and I note it arrives at 07:00 and departs 14:30.

 

What time should I look to leave the ship? I was aiming to get up for breakfast at 07:30 and leave afterwards. Will I likely be waiting a long time to leave the ship? Is it better to get up and ready to leave as soon as you dock?

 

Also what time do I need to be back at the port before the boat leaves? What would happen if I missed the boat? Do they even do a 'head count' to check everyone is back onboard?

 

Sorry for the silly questions.

Another consideration for Nassau is to look at how many ships are on port. Everyone who leaves the port area comes through the same security to get back in. If there are 5 ships on port add at least an extra 30 minutes to what you might think.

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Thanks so much for the replies!

 

I'll certainly aim to be back on the ship 30-60 minutes prior.

 

Another silly question, do I need to take my passport with me when leaving the ship?

That has been a topic of discussion around here for years. You probably don't need to take it with you and many people will tell you to leave it on the ship so you don't lose it or have it stolen. I mostly don't leave the ship without it except for port calls at cruise line private places like Labadee. I feel better having it with me just in case.

Read this: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2121215

VERY interesting.

Also Google "pier runner" some Youtube videos of successful and not successful attempts to catch the ship at the last second.

Then YOU decide what time to be back.

Thanks so much for the replies!

 

I'll certainly aim to be back on the ship 30-60 minutes prior.

 

Another silly question, do I need to take my passport with me when leaving the ship?

2 schools of thought. neither any more valid/relevant than the other. at the very least you should bring a color photocopy of it. just makes EVERYTHING easier 'just in case'

Thanks so much for the replies!

 

I'll certainly aim to be back on the ship 30-60 minutes prior.

 

Another silly question, do I need to take my passport with me when leaving the ship?

A couple of comments.. MAKE SURE YOU ARE ON SHIPS TIME! Some ports, Cozumel for example, are on Central Time. If the ship leaves from Florida, it's on Eastern Time so it's an hour ahead of the port. Some ships will shift to local time, some won't. So be sure you know. And be careful of using your cell phone for time. Cell phones will automatically go onto the time of the tower it's on. So if you get off the ship, your cell phone will likely be local, not ships time.

I would advise NOT setting 30 minutes as your comfort on board time. 30 minuted prior to sailing is the LAST on board time set by the ship. So if you arrive at the port 30 minutes before sailing, you're already late as you still need to clear security and get down the pier, sometimes a lengthy process, to get to the ship. If you really want to stay off the ship until the final moment, I'd recommend you at least be in the port area where you can watch the security lines etc. well before the 30 minute cut off.

You'll develop a "comfort time." Mine is 1.5 to 2 hours before sailing. I've seen many people running down the pier 5 minutes after sailing, madly waving and yelling as the ship leaves port. And the ship doesn't come back.

Another recommendation to make sure you are aware of ship's time, which may be different than local time. Your cruise compass, which is an explanation for daily activities, will tell you all the information you need.

It's a good idea to have a watch set to ship's time. Your cell phone will automatically adjust to local time, which may not be the same.

Some ports require a photo ID. If you prefer not to take your passport, or if a passport is not required, a photo ID such as a driver's license is all you need.

In addition to our DLs, we bring a copy of our passport but leave the originals in our safe.

Read this: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2121215

 

VERY interesting.

 

Also Google "pier runner" some Youtube videos of successful and not successful attempts to catch the ship at the last second.

 

Then YOU decide what time to be back.

Wow! Thanks for sharing that post. Very eye opening! I'm a cruise newbie, too, and missing the ship makes me anxious, now even more. I will definitely take his lesson as a lesson learned for myself.

If it's a tender port and you are in the line for a tender at the appropriate time, they won't leave you behind.

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If it's a tender port and you are in the line for a tender at the appropriate time, they won't leave you behind.

 

 

 

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I would still be stressed. I much prefer being on the ship at the appropriate time.

Why are people afraid to carry a passport? I carry mine all the time, and I also carry money, DL, and Credit Cards.

I would still be stressed. I much prefer being on the ship at the appropriate time.

Same here.

IF you get left behind, they KNOW who is missing, and will go into your safe and leave your passport with the port authority people. The best thing is to make sure your WATCH is set to "ship's time", so there's no confusion....not all ships change their clocks to match the port...so don't rely on your cell phone for "ships time"....there are MANY clocks on the ship...make sure your WATCH is set to the same time as the ship's clocks!

We always get back on board an hour before the time that is posted to be back on board.If you plan on getting back to the ship at the time posted for all aboard you may watch the ship going out the harbor.The only time they will wait is if you are on an excursion booked with the ship

Just be on board before the ship departs!!

You can set your phone to not update the time automatically and instead set the time manually. That's what I do as I can't stand wearing a watch.

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You better check your itinerary. Depending on the date you are sailing and the ship

, your departure time may have been changed to 1:00 pm.

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I always get back to the ship at least 1 hour before time, but I prefer 2 hours. Only exception is when I am on a ship sponsored excursion.

At times the ship has not left and people come wandering back late acting all proud and arrogant. I would love to see us pull away sometime when that happens and leave their arrogant little (or big) butts on the dock!