Ship time vs port times question

[First timer36]

We have an excursion booked in grand Cayman for February 10. Our ship is coming from Galveston and we should be there from 7 to 4. Is that grand Cayman time or ship time?

[Hawka]

Grand Cayman time they usually get the ship clocks the same time as where you are going they did for my cruise to NZ

[john watson]

In my experience the Captain will adjust the time on the ship to be consistent with the next port you are landing at making them the same. On Transatlantic voyages the Captain will adjust the time to match the area in which the ship is sailing which gives a 1 hour change daily so when you eventually arrive in say New York or Southampton it is correct and agrees with the local peoples watches etc. He will state the time the change is being made normally 2am in the middle of the night on many cruise lines but on Cunard Midday!

 

Regards John

Edited December 29, 2015 by john watson

[Keith1010]

If you are sailing Carnival often they don't change the time for local time.

 

What cruise line are you sailing?

 

Keith

[cb at sea]

Ship time is ALL that matters...so simply set your watch to whatever time the ship's clocks say...your guide will know how this works. If it's a ship's excursion , time doesn't matter at all.

[OCruisers]

If you are sailing Carnival often they don't change the time for local time.

 

What cruise line are you sailing?

 

Keith

 

Per the signature, First timer is on Carnival Triumph.

 

Agree with cb at sea ... the ship's time is all that matters.

 

LuLu

[john watson]

I infer from First Timers 36's post that an independent local excursion may have been booked direct with a local operator. If this is true, it would be important to rendezvous with the operator at an agreed time which the local operator will believe to be local time. How would locals know what time the ship perceives it to be at any instant?

 

Regards John

[zactak]

I have only been on one cruise in which the time on the ship changed to local time instead of ship time. We were notified in our staterooms on our dailies as well as on a little piece of paper near it. There was also a couple of announcements from the captain letting us know that was going to happen. I wouldn't worry too much about it. You'll most likely be informed, and if not, feel free to ask a crew member.

 

I hope you enjoy your cruise! I was in Grand Cayman many years ago and really enjoyed the island. You could see the other side of the water from the ship!

[dsrdsrdsr]

I infer from First Timers 36's post that an independent local excursion may have been booked direct with a local operator. If this is true, it would be important to rendezvous with the operator at an agreed time which the local operator will believe to be local time. How would locals know what time the ship perceives it to be at any instant?

 

Regards John

 

The local operator will know what time the ship is coming in, local time. If you're booking an all-day tour starting (say) an hour after the ship comes in, then it doesn't matter if the local guide thinks it's coming in at 8 am local time while the ship thinks it's midnight.

[kerryincork]

I have been on a Carnival cruise and they don't adjust their clocks. If tour company deals regularly cruise ship they would know that carnival doesn't change clocks.

[Sauer-kraut]

Just hope that the ship will actually get the passengers off the ship and into the tenders. My last Carnival experience at Grand Cayman (and of course the ONLY place I wanted to visit and do a local tour) we waited and waited for the judgement to be made if it was safe to tender. After waiting 2 hours it was decided that we'd not be getting off the ship and we had a sea day. Since I was booked on a local tour, I was pretty nervous that should we have been tendering I'd have missed our agreed upon meeting time.

[john watson]

The local operator will know what time the ship is coming in, local time. If you're booking an all-day tour starting (say) an hour after the ship comes in, then it doesn't matter if the local guide thinks it's coming in at 8 am local time while the ship thinks it's midnight.

 

This would seem logical for an all day tour where the operator was coming to the quayside but you might still be in a fix if you have to get other side of island to meet with an operator on his site running segways or dune buggies for example. I know under the pier runners threads people have actually been left behind and where a captain says you need to get back to the ship because it's leaving at 3pm what might be a legal position if the captain does not specify it's 3pm ship time which is 1 hour ahead of local time.

 

Regards John

Edited December 30, 2015 by john watson

[serene56]

We have an excursion booked in grand Cayman for February 10. Our ship is coming from Galveston and we should be there from 7 to 4. Is that grand Cayman time or ship time?

 

 

Grand cayman will be one hour ahead of Tx time.

 

I have yet to sail a carnival ship that changes time to reflect the island time.

 

the 7-4 will be ship time-- (even if they change the clocks ahead.)

set your watch to ship time and do NOT rely on cell phones for the time as this will change

[dsrdsrdsr]

This would seem logical for an all day tour where the operator was coming to the quayside but you might still be in a fix if you have to get other side of island to meet with an operator on his site running segways or dune buggies for example. I know under the pier runners threads people have actually been left behind and where a captain says you need to get back to the ship because it's leaving at 3pm what might be a legal position if the captain does not specify it's 3pm ship time which is 1 hour ahead of local time.

 

Regards John

 

Never having travelled on a ship where they use this weird habit of keeping the clocks deliberately wrong, I wouldn't know. But if you want to book a tour on the other side of the island, you need to leave a fair bit of leeway in the booking anyway; and I can't believe any captain, knowing that the clocks are set deliberately wrong, wouldn't make a point of explaining.

[navybankerteacher]

Never having travelled on a ship where they use this weird habit of keeping the clocks deliberately wrong, I wouldn't know. But if you want to book a tour on the other side of the island, you need to leave a fair bit of leeway in the booking anyway; and I can't believe any captain, knowing that the clocks are set deliberately wrong, wouldn't make a point of explaining.

 

'WRONG" is an unfortunate term to use in discussing ship's time - unless you believe that all time zones everywhere must conform with neighbors. Look at any time zone map and you will find local anomalies.

[Lionesss]

As you exit the ship you will see a bill board welcoming you to that port of call with any important information.

 

Usually says......Welcome to Jamaica, be on board by 4:30pm. Ships time.

 

 

Enjoy

[serene56]

Never having travelled on a ship where they use this weird habit of keeping the clocks deliberately wrong, I wouldn't know. But if you want to book a tour on the other side of the island, you need to leave a fair bit of leeway in the booking anyway; and I can't believe any captain, knowing that the clocks are set deliberately wrong, wouldn't make a point of explaining.

 

 

especially during that time of year-- where you are entering various times- some are one hour some are two hours. some are the same time

 

Its just better to leave the clocks alone.

[dsrdsrdsr]

'WRONG" is an unfortunate term to use in discussing ship's time - unless you believe that all time zones everywhere must conform with neighbors. Look at any time zone map and you will find local anomalies.

 

I think "Wrong" is fair enough. Obviously there are specific locations where the people on the next street have a different time zone; that's inevitable. But they're permanent anomalies, not anomalies that change from day to day.

 

Most people, apart from Arizona residents, are very much used to changing the clocks now and then. Few people are used to the idea that they have to pretend the time they are living in is different from the time everyone around them is using.

 

I reckon I'm reasonably bright, but when it comes to working out times of baseball and/or American football matches start, after the US clocks have changed and ours haven't, it takes a bit of thinking; and while 99% confident is fine for a TV football game, it won't do for this. It should be done the easy way. Almost every time a ship leaves Britain, it has to change the clocks. It isn't difficult.

Edited January 1, 2016 by dsrdsrdsr

[leaveitallbehind]

As I'm sure it is understood, the decision as to whether to remain on ship time or adjust to local time on a closed loop cruise is exclusively at the discretion of the Captain on each itinerary. (Trans ocean or single direction re-positioning cruises clearly will adjust for each time zone transited).

 

Regardless of that decision, the correct time that needs to be understood and adhered to by the passengers will be well posted and communicated prior to that port of call and will be reinforced by the crew with the passengers at disembarkation. Local tour operators will typically understand the time as well - especially those contracted by the cruise line.

 

One itinerary in particular where our experience has always shown an en route time change to local time is with Bermuda single port of call overnight docking itineraries, as you are in that single port for a number of consecutive days.

 

Often the Captain's decision to remain on ship time with multiple en route port of calls is with deference to the crew in that the Captain will want them to remain on a fixed work schedule throughout the cruise v having to adjust their time with different ports of call.

Edited January 1, 2016 by leaveitallbehind

[whataboutport]

I infer from First Timers 36's post that an independent local excursion may have been booked direct with a local operator. If this is true, it would be important to rendezvous with the operator at an agreed time which the local operator will believe to be local time. How would locals know what time the ship perceives it to be at any instant?

 

Regards John

They should know, but not always.

 

It's very important to talk with the tour operator and they know what time the ship is coming in, even if it's a well established tour operator. I had an issue with Bernard's tours on St. Maarten. We were told that others were still coming and to wait for them. Not true. They messed up our tour time and we missed half the tour. Still paid the same amount. Add into that, not only the time difference from ship to local, but also a few days prior was the end (or was it the beginning) of that dreaded Daylight Savings Time. :rolleyes:

 

When you leave the ship, quickly ask one of the crew what is the ship time and check it with your watch. Don't use your cell phone. Make sure you watch is on ship time.