Pearl Itinerary question re: ship's arrive / depart times

[Sherrica]

Hello -- I've tried searching and can't quite find the answer to this crazy question. I'm going on NCL Pearl and I'm wondering if the times presented in the Itinerary for "arrive" times are the times we actually arrive in port or the time we can get off the boat in port. It seems like it must be the actual disembarkation time since some excursions start a half hour later than the stated time.

 

And for the "Depart" times -- is that the time we have to be back on the ship or is that the time the ship actually leaves port (meaning we have to be back on the ship 2 hours earlier than what is listed)? It can't be, right? Some excursions don't end until one hour prior to the stated "depart" time.

 

Example: For Ketchikan the Arrive time is 6:00am and depart time is 1:30pm. The ship would leave at 3:30pm, correct?

 

I know this sounds like a ridiculous question to all of you who have been there before, so thank you in advance for your help!

[Northern Aurora]

On embarkation day cruise lines generally want all passengers on board ninety minutes before departure. However, on port calls (ie, all remaining stops) cruise lines generally ask that passengers be back on board fifteen to thirty minutes before departure. In your example, for a 3:30 PM departure from Ketchikan the cruise line would want passengers back on board somewhere between 3 PM and 3:15 PM.

 

Every cruise line that I am familiar with delivers a daily newsletter (different names for different lines, but often called a "daily" on Cruise Critic) during the final room/turn down service. That newsletter will have a time for passengers to be back on board. There also will be signs on the gangway as you leave the ship while at port.

 

I hope that you enjoy your cruise to my state. Those of us who live here think that we live in a very special place.

[donaldsc]

Hello -- I've tried searching and can't quite find the answer to this crazy question. I'm going on NCL Pearl and I'm wondering if the times presented in the Itinerary for "arrive" times are the times we actually arrive in port or the time we can get off the boat in port. It seems like it must be the actual disembarkation time since some excursions start a half hour later than the stated time.

 

And for the "Depart" times -- is that the time we have to be back on the ship or is that the time the ship actually leaves port (meaning we have to be back on the ship 2 hours earlier than what is listed)? It can't be, right? Some excursions don't end until one hour prior to the stated "depart" time.

 

Example: For Ketchikan the Arrive time is 6:00am and depart time is 1:30pm. The ship would leave at 3:30pm, correct?

 

I know this sounds like a ridiculous question to all of you who have been there before, so thank you in advance for your help!

 

If the ship arrives at 6:00, this is an estimated but fairly accurate time. Since there are no customs to deal with, you should be off the ship soon after that. However, you do need to understand that occasionally problems occur and you may arrive into port late.

 

I do not understand your logic that a depart time of 1:30 means that the ship leaves at 3:30. If you come back to the ship at 3:30, it will not be there. If the ship departs at 1:30, you should be on board about 1/2 hour before departure time or at 1:00.

 

If you take a ship tour and they get back to the ship after the scheduled departure time, they will do their best to hold the ship but they can not guarantee that they will hold the ship, regardless of what they say in their brochures. If you take a private tour and they get back late (which rarely happens), you will see an empty dock.

 

DON

[Sherrica]

I do not understand your logic that a depart time of 1:30 means that the ship leaves at 3:30. If you come back to the ship at 3:30, it will not be there. If the ship departs at 1:30, you should be on board about 1/2 hour before departure time or at 1:00.

 

DON

 

Ok, so you are saying the "Depart" time is the actual time the ship is leaving the dock. The reason I asked about the 2 hours is because it states on the itinerary "Due to security reasons, all guests must be on board 2 hours before sailing. Disembarkation usually begins 2 hours after docking". Are they only talking about the first and last day of the cruise?

 

If an excursion doesn't end until 12:30pm, there's only one hour left before departure (not 2).

[Northern Aurora]

At a port call the "depart time" is the time the ship is scheduled to actually leave the port. At port calls most cruise lines ask passengers to be back on board thirty to fifteen minutes before the scheduled departure time. I've re-read your original post, and if your ship is scheduled to depart a port at 1:30 PM they will want passengers back on board at either 1:00 or 1:15 PM. There will not only be information in the "daily" delivered the night before to your stateroom, but there also should be a sign posted at the gangway. The need for passengers to be physically on board the ship two hours before departure only applies to the first day of the cruise (referred to as the day of embarkation). Hope this helps.

[donaldsc]

Ok, so you are saying the "Depart" time is the actual time the ship is leaving the dock. The reason I asked about the 2 hours is because it states on the itinerary "Due to security reasons, all guests must be on board 2 hours before sailing. Disembarkation usually begins 2 hours after docking". Are they only talking about the first and last day of the cruise?

 

If an excursion doesn't end until 12:30pm, there's only one hour left before departure (not 2).

 

They do want you on 2 hours before you leave on the first day. That is so TSA cab examine the passenger ship for baddies.

 

DON

[bonvoyagie]

Last summer the Pearl's captain was in NASCAR mode :D.

 

Juneau - we arrived at the docks around 1:30 and were ready to leave the ship shortly after 2:00 PM - our tour returned shortly after 9:30 PM and we were the last pax onboard - shortly thereafter we were on our way to Skagway.

 

Skagway - I woke up at 6:00 and we were already fully docked along with the Jewel and a Princess ship - I left for my 7:00 tour with no problems. We left around 3:30 PM.

 

Ketchikan - We were again docked and ready to go before the advertized time -and once again we left as soon as all were back onboard around 1:30 PM - Then we made a mad dash at near full speed for Victoria.

 

We passed the HAL ship that left 1/2 hr ahead of us as well as two Princess ships and were the first to dock in Victoria. We sustained 20+ kts on this leg.

 

In Victoria we again left around 11:30 - and again we were docked when I woke up the next morning. They started debarkation around 7:30 AM and expected all to be off by 10:00.

 

Things could vary if she has a different captain - but in general they have tight port schedules to keep esp with all of the ships in AK.

[Budget Queen]

Ok, so you are saying the "Depart" time is the actual time the ship is leaving the dock. The reason I asked about the 2 hours is because it states on the itinerary "Due to security reasons, all guests must be on board 2 hours before sailing. Disembarkation usually begins 2 hours after docking". Are they only talking about the first and last day of the cruise?

 

If an excursion doesn't end until 12:30pm, there's only one hour left before departure (not 2).

 

You are mixing up initial embarkment- in Seattle, and port times. Completely different. Departure times listed are the actual time, with you being required to be on board 30 minutes prior to this. There will be a post at the gangway when you leave with the times.

 

Ship excursions have the ability to adjust their times, and usually the time on the tour is a meeting time on the dock or lounge.

 

IF you are looking at independent tours- ALWAYS disclose your ship and accurate port times to the vendor and go with their recommended scheduling.

[Budget Queen]

Since there are no customs to deal with, you should be off the ship soon after that. However, you do need to understand that occasionally problems occur and you may arrive into port late.

 

 

No customs, but clearances, since the cruiseships are not US flagged.

[Sherrica]

Thank you so much everyone! I am really looking forward to seeing Alaska!