Ship time vs. Port time

[K.T.B.]

Mt next cruise is on Silhouette. While I am fairly certain I know the answer, I just want to verify because my wife and I meeting a friend in Cozumel at specific time.

 

While in port, does the ship go by the current time of the port? In this case, we're supposed to arrive at 7am. Is that 7am local time or does this operate on a different time?

 

I am fairly certain the ship time always matches the port time, but I just wanted to be 100% sure! :)

[RickT]

Every cruise I have been on, the ship time has matched the local time. That being said I've read a number of reports that it is up to the Captain to decide and that matching of times may or may not happen.

 

You may want to look up the port information and see if the time listed matches your time in port for the ship.

 

Worst case scenario is you are one hour off.

[AlanAllyn]

I have been on cruises where they do not change the ship's clock.

 

You leave and return on EST. Cozumel is on CST. You will know which time you are on; they will tell you to turn back your watch an hour when and if they are changing.

[blueboro]

On Solstice in Grand Cayman a couple of years ago they did not match port time. Some ran into problems when they booked independent excursions. For example, if they were to return at 2:30 but ship time was 3:30 it left little time to make it back to the ship.

[Lsimon]

Most Celebrity cruises maintain ships time to equal port time in most cases. But I have been on cruises where they did not adjust ship's time if it would have involved a time change one night with the opposite change the next night and this could possibly happen on some itineraries which call on Cozumel.

 

Your best bet is to arrange to call, text message, and/or email your friends once on board. You should be able to get information on the time changes and if there are any ship/port time differences by checking with guest relations as soon as you board.

[David Owl]

I've never been on a ship which has stuck with it's own time and not changed according to the location.

I can't imagine how confusing that would be for passengers having to work out when to be back on board !

[wallie5446]

meeting a friend in Cozumel at specific time.

 

:)

Just have em watch for the ship to dock and meet ya at the end of the pier! :D

[CRUZBUDS]

Almost all of our Celebrity cruises were west coast and we changed time, the same is true with Carnival -- we stayed on local time ( Who would have thought Acapulco is Central time? :)

 

Carnival in the Caribbean stays on ship's times, I found that interesting.

 

We were at a Carnival private excursion resort in Roatan and there were 2 clocks in several locations, one labeled Conquest and the other was labeled Dream. We were on the Conquest and stayed on New Orleans time and the Dream was on Florida time -- I have no idea what the local time was ;)

[Fouremco]

I'm of the understanding that the times given on the published itinerary are always given as local time, irrespective of changes made or not made to ship's time by a given captain or cruise line.

 

We usually seem to be cruising during the arrival of DST, which always makes things interesting as not all islands make the change, but the itinerary is always spot on with local time.

 

[Lsimon]

I'm of the understanding that the times given on the published itinerary are always given as local time, irrespective of changes made or not made to ship's time by a given captain or cruise line.

 

We usually seem to be cruising during the arrival of DST, which always makes things interesting as not all islands make the change, but the itinerary is always spot on with local time.

 

 

I've found that on those rare times when the ship does not adjust to local time that the published itinerary is ship's time and not local. It is most important to keep track of ship's time. Local time is only important for coordinating with private excursions and knowing if it is the same as ship's time or different. The ship definitely will leave at the published ship time whether or not you're on it!

 

As far as I know, none of the Caribbean islands observe daylight savings time. All of the islands in the eastern/southern Caribbean from Aruba to the Virgin Islands are on Atlantic time which is one hour ahead of Florida's standard time, and the same as Florida daylight savings time. So Celebrity always matches ship time with Island time when cruising to the Eastern/Southern Caribbean. There is at most only one time change when leaving Florida and one when returning with no time changes during daylight savings time or when sailing from Puerto Rico.

 

In the Caribbean, it is only the Western Caribbean that poses numerous potential time changes and possible ship/port differences as the itineraries cover 2 or 3 time zones.

Edited November 11, 2013 by Lsimon

[Gianni15]

Ship time and port time have always been the same on our cruises

[Fouremco]

I've found that on those rare times when the ship does not adjust to local time that the published itinerary is ship's time and not local. It is most important to keep track of ship's time. Local time is only important for coordinating with private excursions and knowing if it is the same as ship's time or different. The ship definitely will leave at the published ship time whether or not you're on it!

 

As far as I know, none of the Caribbean islands observe daylight savings time. All of the islands in the eastern/southern Caribbean from Aruba to the Virgin Islands are on Atlantic time which is one hour ahead of Florida's standard time, and the same as Florida daylight savings time. So Celebrity always matches ship time with Island time when cruising to the Eastern/Southern Caribbean. There is at most only one time change when leaving Florida and one when returning with no time changes during daylight savings time or when sailing from Puerto Rico.

 

In the Caribbean, it is only the Western Caribbean that poses numerous potential time changes and possible ship/port differences as the itineraries cover 2 or 3 time zones.

Larry, I spoke of "the islands" without restricting them to the Caribbean. Cuba, Haiti, the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos all observe DST, although we can ignore the first two for the purposes of this discussion.

 

On the issue of time changes, look at the following example:

Leaving Florida on the last Saturday of EST and sailing to the Turks and Caicos, the time goes ahead 2 hours, one for AST and one for DST. Continuing on to St. Martin, the clocks fall back an hour (AST, no DST). Stopping in the Bahamas on the return home a number of days later, the clock goes ahead an hour (AST + DST), then finally goes back an hour returning to Florida.

 

Having stopped in the Bahamas twice and the Turks and Caicos once during our most recent cruise, which spanned the change to DST, I'm quite familiar with the requirement to make multiple time changes during a cruise.

 

[Gonzo70]

The itineraries are always ship time. Ship time often is changed to match port time, but this is not always the case (I have had multiple cruises where ship time and port time differed). The decision to change is at the discretion of the Captain and will be well advertised if it occurs. Always have one member of your party bring a watch to port and set it to ship time before going ashore.

[turning46]

Hoo boy. So, apparently, ship time = port time, except for when it doesn't. I have a potential issue with a private excursion in Grand Cayman Island. The excursion leaves at 11:30 am (meet at 11:15 am). The itinerary says that the ship is in port (a tender, no less) from 10 am to 6 pm.

 

If the ship is in port at 10 am local time, no problem. If it is in 11 am local time, there is no way to make this excursion happen. If I email Celebrity, do you think they can tell me for sure? The excursion site stated that they don't know, because different ships vary.

 

I just want to snorkel, gosh darn it! :D

[turning46]

Hoo boy. So, apparently, ship time = port time, except for when it doesn't. I have a potential issue with a private excursion in Grand Cayman Island. The excursion leaves at 11:30 am (meet at 11:15 am). The itinerary says that the ship is in port (a tender, no less) from 10 am to 6 pm.

 

If the ship is in port at 10 am local time, no problem. If it is in 11 am local time, there is no way to make this excursion happen. If I email Celebrity, do you think they can tell me for sure? The excursion site stated that they don't know, because different ships vary.

 

I just want to snorkel, gosh darn it! :D

 

I just confused myself. Might the ship come in at 9 am local time? I hope Celebrity answers my email.

[Redtravel]

Most of the time, local time is the same on the ship. However, I have had a few places where times vary. Read your daily sheet and note any time changes.

[dkjretired]

Mt next cruise is on Silhouette. While I am fairly certain I know the answer, I just want to verify because my wife and I meeting a friend in Cozumel at specific time.

 

While in port, does the ship go by the current time of the port? In this case, we're supposed to arrive at 7am. Is that 7am local time or does this operate on a different time?

 

I am fairly certain the ship time always matches the port time, but I just wanted to be 100% sure! :)

 

I was on that cruise two weeks ago on the Silhouette. You will be told to put your clocks back one hour when you get to Cozumel. The next day you will have them go forward one hour when in the Cayman islands.

Edited January 5, 2014 by dkjretired

[dkjretired]

Hoo boy. So, apparently, ship time = port time, except for when it doesn't. I have a potential issue with a private excursion in Grand Cayman Island. The excursion leaves at 11:30 am (meet at 11:15 am). The itinerary says that the ship is in port (a tender, no less) from 10 am to 6 pm.

 

If the ship is in port at 10 am local time, no problem. If it is in 11 am local time, there is no way to make this excursion happen. If I email Celebrity, do you think they can tell me for sure? The excursion site stated that they don't know, because different ships vary.

 

I just want to snorkel, gosh darn it! :D

 

If you are on the Silhouette, read my previous post, I was just on it two weeks ago. If not, I guess it will depend on where you are coming from the day before.

[Lsimon]

Hoo boy. So, apparently, ship time = port time, except for when it doesn't. I have a potential issue with a private excursion in Grand Cayman Island. The excursion leaves at 11:30 am (meet at 11:15 am). The itinerary says that the ship is in port (a tender, no less) from 10 am to 6 pm.

 

If the ship is in port at 10 am local time, no problem. If it is in 11 am local time, there is no way to make this excursion happen. If I email Celebrity, do you think they can tell me for sure? The excursion site stated that they don't know, because different ships vary.

 

I just want to snorkel, gosh darn it! :D

 

Grand Cayman is on Eastern Standard Time - the same time as Florida before Daylight Savings Time change in March. So if the ship never changes time it should still the same as local time at Grand Cayman.

 

I've been to Grand Cayman 4 or 5 times on Celebrity. Every time the ship time and local time were the same - either because the were anyways or because the adjusted the ship time to local time depending on the itinerary and time of year.

 

I would always have the phone number of your tour company including the cell phone number you can contact them at the day of your arrival in case you will be late for one reason or another or if you have some other issue.

 

Some of the best snorkeling I've seen in Grand Cayman, if conditions are right, are at Eden Rock a 10 minute walk from the tender pier. No excursion necessary and they rent equipment there.

Just go to the Eden Rock dive center (google them) and not Paradise restaurant - be sure to ask the guy to point out the buoys that mark the reef about 100 yards from shore.

Edited January 5, 2014 by Lsimon

[cruisestitch]

Just some more information. We are on Connie, arriving in Cozumel tomorrow. The ship will NOT be changing to local time.

 

The front page of tomorrows Celebrity Today says

 

"Please notice that the local time ashore today in Cozumel will be one hour behind ship's time. Please do not adjust your timepieces as Celebrity Constellation will remain on Ship's time."

[blueboro]

Just some more information. We are on Connie, arriving in Cozumel tomorrow. The ship will NOT be changing to local time.

 

The front page of tomorrows Celebrity Today says

 

"Please notice that the local time ashore today in Cozumel will be one hour behind ship's time. Please do not adjust your timepieces as Celebrity Constellation will remain on Ship's time."

 

I hate it when they do this. It can get very confusing.