RUBY - Is boarding time after returning from drydock any earlier?

[mkerner]

We are on the 12-23 sailing next Friday. The Ruby will be coming out of a dry dock. Does anyone know when she will actually get to Fort Lauderdale and if boarding will be any earlier since there is not a ship load of passengers getting off. I am assuming the majority of the cabins will be ready before she hits the pier.

 

Thanks.

[Rockymountainsparky]

I'm assuming that it would be at the normal time. Remember, all the workers are staying in the cabins during drydock.

[Gibby]

After the Grand drydock, we could not board till after 2 pm.

[Pam in CA]

Regular time. It has more to do with check-in staffing and porters than the time the ship arrives or whether it's ready earlier.

[Wild Bill]

I think if the time is different than normal, they would let you know with e-mails or messages in your cruise personalizer.

[sun&sea]

After the big dry dock a few years ago on the CB, we could not board until around 7:30pm because they were still working on it!!! I think each situation is different though, so it would be hard to tell.

 

Janet

[BruceMuzz]

We are on the 12-23 sailing next Friday. The Ruby will be coming out of a dry dock. Does anyone know when she will actually get to Fort Lauderdale and if boarding will be any earlier since there is not a ship load of passengers getting off. I am assuming the majority of the cabins will be ready before she hits the pier.

 

Thanks.

 

Booking a Christmas Cruise on a mass market ship just after a drydock takes a very brave - or very adventurous character.

 

Assuming that the majority of the cabins will be ready before she hits the pier was your second mistake.

 

I have taken 14 ships through dry-docks in my career. 13 of them were not ready on time, and boarding was delayed.

On most of them, even when boarding started, contractors were still working around the ship.

 

Your first mistake was booking a cruise directly after a dry dock.

 

Typically, the dry dock work is so rushed that errors are made, short-cuts are taken, and there is no time to test and properly fix all the new equipment and materials.

So this gets done during your cruise - and sometimes several cruises after as well.

If you are really lucky, the testing and fixing will not be happening in or near your cabin during the cruise.

 

Of course, since it is a Christmas Cruise, there will no doubt be some sort of competition between the contractors and the 700 children sailing with you, to see which group can upset the greatest number of passengers.

 

Best of luck to you.

[mkerner]

Everyone - thanks.

 

BruceMuzz - thanks for your opinion too...cannot agree with you, but it I did ask for info.

[releck97]

Booking a Christmas Cruise on a mass market ship just after a drydock takes a very brave - or very adventurous character.

 

Assuming that the majority of the cabins will be ready before she hits the pier was your second mistake.

 

I have taken 14 ships through dry-docks in my career. 13 of them were not ready on time, and boarding was delayed.

On most of them, even when boarding started, contractors were still working around the ship.

 

Your first mistake was booking a cruise directly after a dry dock.

 

Typically, the dry dock work is so rushed that errors are made, short-cuts are taken, and there is no time to test and properly fix all the new equipment and materials.

So this gets done during your cruise - and sometimes several cruises after as well.

If you are really lucky, the testing and fixing will not be happening in or near your cabin during the cruise.

 

Of course, since it is a Christmas Cruise, there will no doubt be some sort of competition between the contractors and the 700 children sailing with you, to see which group can upset the greatest number of passengers.

 

Best of luck to you.

 

Mike,

 

This drydock is minor. My bet is that it will be spiffy and ready for all us looking forward to our Christmas Cruise (children included!).

 

See you at the meet and greet!

 

Capt. Rick