How Early Do You Have To Be Back On The Ship?

[sjwoody1167]

Traveling to Alaska on May 22: When it says that the ship is in port until 8 p.m. does that mean you have to be back on the ship at 8:00 or that you had better be back at 7 p.m. for whatever they have to do before they leave port? Not that I am planning to cut it close, but I am just curious how much time I have in port.

[Krazy Kruizers]

when it saids that the ship is in port until 8 PM -- that means that you have to be back on the ship at 7:30

in other words -- you have to be back on the ship 1/2 hour before it sails

we always make certain that if we are out on our own -- we are back on the ship at least 1 hour before it sails

[superoma]

you will always get two times posted. One will be an "all aboard" time and the other will be the sailing time. Ships have a time slot to leave and need to be within that time frame. All aboard is at least a half hour before sailing time. Passengers need to be onboard at the all aboard time.

[kazu]

Traveling to Alaska on May 22: When it says that the ship is in port until 8 p.m. does that mean you have to be back on the ship at 8:00 or that you had better be back at 7 p.m. for whatever they have to do before they leave port? Not that I am planning to cut it close, but I am just curious how much time I have in port.

 

 

From my experience you usually need to be back on board 1/2 hour earlier than the time the ship leaves.

 

The time will be posted in the daily Explorer and there will be a notice where you disembark. announcements will also remind you.

 

It's still lots of time, but they have to account for everyone.

 

It's a good idea to be back on board by then at the latest.:)

 

Not a big deal and then you get to watch as the ship leaves.

[Typhoon1]

All aboard is 1/2 hour prior to departure.

 

We are always back aboard well before departure time, The ship waits for no one.

[IRL_Joanie]

Sometimes the Departure changes with little advance warning!!

 

What the printed itinerary says may differ from the actual sail away time!!

 

Just because it might say in your paperwork and HAL's site that the ship will leave, let's say Juneau at 8:00 p.m., circumstances may change upon arrival at the port and the Captain may have to change the departure time. This has happened several times.

 

There wqill be announcements made, signs at the ship exit and you can always ask What Time is ALL ABOARD time.

 

Safest to be on board NOT LATER than 1 hour prior to the time the Captain/Sign board etc., tells you.

 

Joanie

[AZNative2000]

Traveling to Alaska on May 22: When it says that the ship is in port until 8 p.m. does that mean you have to be back on the ship at 8:00 or that you had better be back at 7 p.m. for whatever they have to do before they leave port? Not that I am planning to cut it close, but I am just curious how much time I have in port.

"woody" ... hope to see you aboard Ms. Oosterdam.:D:D

 

As others have said, ALL-ABOARD time is usually a half-hour before sail-away. And BOTH times are posted in the daily sheets AND as you exit the ship.:)

 

And again, I'm typing while Joanie is posting.:) And she's right, being early is WAY better than being late!:eek:

[cruz chic]

I was really amazed that so many people didn't know when all aboard time was on my recent Westerdam cruise. I'm surprised that more people didn't miss the ship.

[jcrandle]

You really don't have to be back on board at any particular time, as long as ...

 

1) you are willing to leave the cruise then ( and be responsible for any fines the cruise line might incur (( please research the Passenger Vessel Services Act, which forbids non-US flagged vessels from transporting passengers between two US ports, without a stop at a "distant" foreign port))

 

2) You are wiling to arrange transport at your own expense to the next port (assuming that your transport does NOT result in a violation of the PVSA in item 1 above.

 

3) You are prepared to pay an exorbitant fee to the pilot boat to transport you to the ship, and climb a jacobs ladder (No safety line unlike the wall climbing on RCL) to get back onto the ship.

 

4) You are lucky enough to arrive after on-board time, but before the gangplank has been removed, and ships security deems it safe to allow you to embark.

 

As for me, I'm too old and too poor to take advantage of the first three, and I'm just not *&^( lucky enough to wiggle thru number 4.:D

[Sandi3667]

One suggestion I found earlier, and I plan on implementing when we sail is to start off each morning w/ a fresh memory card in the camera. As you leave the ship, snap a shot of the board showing what time you have to be back. That way, you just look at the first image on the card, and you have an instant reminder.

 

I will start second-guessing myself as the day goes on, thinking maybe it was 7, or was it 8? As long as I don't fill up a memory card, I'll be good. :D

[Himself]

You MUST be on a half hour before she sails. Personally, I would shoot to be back on board an hour before she sails just to be safe and avoid the crowd getting on at the end.

That extra half hour is spent getting ready to sail. The gang way has to be lifted and the door closed, the mooring lines have to be cast off and rolled up, almost one by one. The crew does a lot of work in that half an hour before they sail.

[Tredebo]

One suggestion I found earlier, and I plan on implementing when we sail is to start off each morning w/ a fresh memory card in the camera. As you leave the ship, snap a shot of the board showing what time you have to be back. That way, you just look at the first image on the card, and you have an instant reminder.

 

I will start second-guessing myself as the day goes on, thinking maybe it was 7, or was it 8? As long as I don't fill up a memory card, I'll be good. :D

 

What a brilliantly simple idea!! Thanks :D

[DutchByAssociation]

Traveling to Alaska on May 22: When it says that the ship is in port until 8 p.m. does that mean you have to be back on the ship at 8:00 or that you had better be back at 7 p.m. for whatever they have to do before they leave port? Not that I am planning to cut it close, but I am just curious how much time I have in port.

 

The GENERAL rule of thumb is 30 minutes prior to departure for guests (in your example, 7:30pm) and 1 hour for crew (7:00pm)

 

This can be based on weather conditions that day, docked or tender and other factors though so ALWAYS read the sign posted at the gangway/tender platform EVERY time you head off the ship.

[DutchByAssociation]

All aboard is 1/2 hour prior to departure.

 

We are always back aboard well before departure time, The ship waits for no one.

 

RE: red - I usually add half an hour to whatever it says personally.

 

RE: green - Not always the case. Shore excursions booked through the ship accommodate for tours that may be a little late due to traffic or other situations.

[Copper10-8]

Crew and pax 1/2 hr prior to departure time, unless tendering when it's still pax 1/2 hr prior but crew 1 full hour before departure time. Watch that sign on the gangway and taking a pic of it is a great idea! One of the things the security crew does at a port of call just prior to arrival, is to update that sign prior to the ship being cleared for pax & crew!

Pay attention to it! Captains can take off as soon as that all aboard time expires. Always give yourself some extra time in case of unexpected delays! Last Fri in FLL, we had a pax stuck in a car with local friends because there was a problem with the 17th street bridge which caused a huge delay. It's not worth missing the ship for! It pays to be on time!:cool:

[jcrandle]

Crew and pax 1/2 hr prior to departure time, unless tendering when it's still pax 1/2 hr prior but crew 1 full hour before departure time. Watch that sign on the gangway and taking a pic of it is a great idea! One of the things the security crew does at a port of call just prior to arrival, is to update that sign prior to the ship being cleared for pax & crew!

 

Pay attention to it! Captains can take off as soon as that all aboard time expires. Always give yourself some extra time in case of unexpected delays! Last Fri in FLL, we had a pax stuck in a car with local friends because there was a problem with the 17th street bridge which caused a huge delay. It's not worth missing the ship for! It pays to be on time!:cool:

 

Many years ago, we were on a Carnival cruise, and the cruise director asked, "For whom will the ship wait?" The response from passengers was "The Captain." "Wrong, said the cruise director, for the Staff Captain is fully accredited and the ship can leave with him in command."

 

The correct answer, we were told was the ship's physician, as ships with a passenger count of more than X are required by international law to have a physician on board.

 

Several years later, we were on the Prinsendam for the Amazon cruise. We were lucky to be seated at the table with the ship's doctor. I recounted my story, and told him that I planned to shadow him on the shore excursions. "It won't do any good", he replied, "We have a second doctor on board whose primary responsibility is treating the crew, but since we back each other up, the ship can legally leave ME behind."

 

Another ship's doctor story. We were dining one evening on a HAL ship, and suddenly a nearby table burst into very loud and continuous laughter. DW and I wondered what joke or story had elicited such a response. Later we had the fortune to meet one of the members of that group. It turned out that they had been seated with one of the ship's officers. One of the group asked the officer what his position was. He responded, "I'm the ship's physician." Well with the usual background noise, and age related hearing loss, one of the guests said, "The ship's magician? Well, show us some tricks!"

 

Needless to say, the situation either deteriorated, or improved, depending on your point of view, and the diners (though likely not the doctor) had a hilarious evening.

[mariner]

Go for it:

 

[bet410]

One suggestion I found earlier, and I plan on implementing when we sail is to start off each morning w/ a fresh memory card in the camera. As you leave the ship, snap a shot of the board showing what time you have to be back. That way, you just look at the first image on the card, and you have an instant reminder.

 

I will start second-guessing myself as the day goes on, thinking maybe it was 7, or was it 8? As long as I don't fill up a memory card, I'll be good. :D

 

This is a fantastic idea! When you consider the number of ports some of the cruises visit, it can be very easy to forget what time you need to be on at each port.

 

If you have a camera that will allow you to sort pictures by the day, that will work rather than using a new memory card every day. All the cameras (each a different make) I've had recently has this feature. It can usually be found by going to "review pictures" and using the "zoom out" feature until you have the option of choosing the date.

 

Back to the OP's question: if you're stopping at Ketchikan, be very careful to be back on time. We were told that there's absolutely no "wiggle room" for that port, and they have to leave on time to make the next port. The captain had stressed it in his daily announcement, yet someone got left behind. As one passenger commented, "That lady just bought a very expensive souvenir mug!"

[Sandi3667]

This is a fantastic idea! When you consider the number of ports some of the cruises visit, it can be very easy to forget what time you need to be on at each port.

 

I can't take the credit for the idea....found it somewhere else on the board, and thought it was brilliant.

[Copper10-8]

Many years ago, we were on a Carnival cruise, and the cruise director asked, "For whom will the ship wait?" The response from passengers was "The Captain." "Wrong, said the cruise director, for the Staff Captain is fully accredited and the ship can leave with him in command."

 

The correct answer, we were told was the ship's physician, as ships with a passenger count of more than X are required by international law to have a physician on board.

 

Several years later, we were on the Prinsendam for the Amazon cruise. We were lucky to be seated at the table with the ship's doctor. I recounted my story, and told him that I planned to shadow him on the shore excursions. "It won't do any good", he replied, "We have a second doctor on board whose primary responsibility is treating the crew, but since we back each other up, the ship can legally leave ME behind."

 

Another ship's doctor story. We were dining one evening on a HAL ship, and suddenly a nearby table burst into very loud and continuous laughter. DW and I wondered what joke or story had elicited such a response. Later we had the fortune to meet one of the members of that group. It turned out that they had been seated with one of the ship's officers. One of the group asked the officer what his position was. He responded, "I'm the ship's physician." Well with the usual background noise, and age related hearing loss, one of the guests said, "The ship's magician? Well, show us some tricks!"

 

Needless to say, the situation either deteriorated, or improved, depending on your point of view, and the diners (though likely not the doctor) had a hilarious evening.

 

You're right on! Every HAL ship carries two doctors, one for pax + one for crew! The one for pax has to be a North American practising E.R. and/or trauma doc. If the crew doc fits that bill also, the ship can sail with one doc but never without one!

[rajkr74]

I was really amazed that so many people didn't know when all aboard time was on my recent Westerdam cruise. I'm surprised that more people didn't miss the ship.

 

You missed the "runners" in St. Maarten the week before the Panama cruise. We pulled the gang plank at 3:00pm, the ship departure time, with a 2:30 all aboard. They put the gang plank back at 3:03 for two passangers. However, a crew member did not make it back on board......ouch.

Did you see the 3 crew members running for the ship in Puerto Vallarta at 4:40PM when sail away was set for 5:00pm. Due to these many late arrives of the crew, the all aboard time for crew at Cabo was then set at 3:00pm with a sail away at 4:00pm.

It seems there were more of these late passengers and crew this year than we had 2 years ago on the same panama cruise.

[cruz chic]

You missed the "runners" in St. Maarten the week before the Panama cruise. We pulled the gang plank at 3:00pm, the ship departure time, with a 2:30 all aboard. They put the gang plank back at 3:03 for two passangers. However, a crew member did not make it back on board......ouch.

 

Did you see the 3 crew members running for the ship in Puerto Vallarta at 4:40PM when sail away was set for 5:00pm. Due to these many late arrives of the crew, the all aboard time for crew at Cabo was then set at 3:00pm with a sail away at 4:00pm.

 

It seems there were more of these late passengers and crew this year than we had 2 years ago on the same panama cruise.

I missed all the fun. I was out on deck in Puerto Vallarta but I was talking to some fellow Canadians lounging in a chair so I missed it. I'm surprised that so many crew would cut it so close. Maybe they just wanted a few days of R&R;).