Itinerary Times

[nwcruisemamma]

Hi,

 

When looking at my itinerary how much time do I knock off each end for disembarking and boarding with Celebrity?

 

I am trying to book a charter in St Thomas but am nervous about the timing.

 

So for example if my itinerary says St Thomas 8-5 what time will I actually be able to get off the boat and what time will I be required to re-board?

 

Thanks!

[ghstudio]

Hi,

 

When looking at my itinerary how much time do I knock off each end for disembarking and boarding with Celebrity?

 

I am trying to book a charter in St Thomas but am nervous about the timing.

 

So for example if my itinerary says St Thomas 8-5 what time will I actually be able to get off the boat and what time will I be required to re-board?

 

Thanks!

 

We always plan for a one hour on arrival and 90 minutes on departure window when planning private tours. For ports with long tendering, you have to leave a little more time at arrival because ship tours get the first tenders.

Edited January 5, 2015 by ghstudio

[4774Papa]

If you book a private tour, they usually have dealt with cruisers and will not push the limit on getting you back to the ship.

 

We did have a private tour in Scotland that made it back the exact drop dead time, which made us all nervous. Just make sure your tour guide is aware of when you want to return. I agree that one hour should be good.

[Caribbean Chris]

If you are tendering in, you have to allow even more time (Unless you are in some grouping that gets priority port disembarkation such as tour passengers, suite guests, etc.)

 

Usually, you'll dock in St. Thomas and walk off fairly soon (Celebrity seems to use the West Indian Co. Dock at Havensight Mall). Another dock for some cruise ships is the Crown Bay dock around the harbor to the west.

 

...but ships have been known to tender there in the winter season when there are many, ever-larger ships converging on the same days. The January 28 schedule, for example, shows Reflection on an anchorage in the harbor.

 

Bring your cell phone - you should have no trouble using it on St. Thomas, and get the charter operator's cell so you can call if a delay looms. Assume you have told him/her you will be arriving by ship, and they will know the scenario. Everybody on St. Thomas knows where and when ships are docking since much of the economy is based on shoppers and tour guests.

[cle-guy]

As you are scheduled to dock, not tender, you will likely find your ship arrives somewhat earlier and you can walk off promptly at 8 unless there are any unplanned issues.

 

I'd suggest you tell your planned tour company you are arriving on Eclipse scheduled for 8 am, and have then tell you when and where to meet, they should have a good handle on how these things go and better know which pier you will be at than you will. If they don't maybe look for an operator who truly has experience.

 

End of the day, these operators know cruise ships and the issues with them, and want to bend over backwards to make all work, known many will post bad reviews on the review websites causing them to lose business. They want good and positive reviews, and nothing negative.

Edited January 5, 2015 by cle-guy

[vulcan1971]

Hi,

 

When looking at my itinerary how much time do I knock off each end for disembarking and boarding with Celebrity?

 

I am trying to book a charter in St Thomas but am nervous about the timing.

 

So for example if my itinerary says St Thomas 8-5 what time will I actually be able to get off the boat and what time will I be required to re-board?

 

Thanks!

 

nwcruisemamma -

 

You have received sound advice from all of the above posters. I have little experience in booking my own excursions, but I have taken plenty of private tours planned by my friends and shipmates. Short of an unavoidable change that comes last minute due to circumstances out of your control (weather, ship emergency, etc), just provide what you know to be true (listed on Celebrity website or cruise documents) to the tour operator and let them tell you how/where to meet the tour operator. The rest of it works out.

 

And... if you have concerns about your tour operator, you can usually find plenty of reviews about them on Trip Advisor provided by past passengers. This will provide you with knowledge that they are trustworthy (or not).