ship time vs island time

[db777]

Forgive me for asking this as I know there is something regarding this on n this website somewhere, but I must not be using the best words to search....so here goes...We are traveling at the end of November in the carribean (no daylight savings time) do the ships stay on eastern time???? Then how will ships time compare to the time in Grand Cayman??? We are trying to figure out excursions.

[Esme]

Ship time and island time will always be the same.

 

Before you will get to GC you will turn your clock either forward or back - there will be a note in the daily program and a card left on your pillow telling you what to do.

 

Well, I should have checked out this site before I posted. Looks like Eastern US and GC are on the same time. That's very interesting.

 

http://www.timezoneconverter.com/cgi-bin/tzc.tzc

[Grumpy1]

Ship time and island time will always be the same.

 

Before you will get to GC you will turn your clock either forward or back - there will be a note in the daily program and a card left on your pillow telling you what to do.

 

Well, I should have checked out this site before I posted. Looks like Eastern US and GC are on the same time. That's very interesting.

 

http://www.timezoneconverter.com/cgi-bin/tzc.tzc

Since the Cayman Islands are due south of Florida, it makes sense that they would be in the same time zone.

[Esme]

Not necessarily. To-day and until we turn back the clocks on October 30th , we are one hour ahead of GC. Check out that web site I listed in my first post.

 

19:06:48 Saturday October 8, 2005 in Canada/Eastern converts to

18:06:48 Saturday October 8, 2005 in America/Cayman

 

 

19:10:02 Saturday October 8, 2005 in US/Eastern converts to

18:10:02 Saturday October 8, 2005 in America/Cayman

[db777]

Thank you....the last time I sailed...the ship stayed on Eastern time...as for the Caymans being directly south of Florida (the panhandle that is) I can still get confused because as you know Pensacola is on central time...Adding to my confusion is that some of the shore excursions sponsored by Holland lists times to start such as 3:00 when the ship is due to leave at 4:00???

[bookworm0911]

Since the Cayman Islands are due south of Florida, it makes sense that they would be in the same time zone.

You can't figure out time zones with what "makes sense", between countries or even within the same country. In the U.S. itself states can choose to be on daylight time or not, so you can have a state within a time zone have a different time than the rest of their time zone for 1/2 the year- i.e. Arizona. :eek:

[Grumpy1]

Not necessarily. To-day and until we turn back the clocks on October 30th , we are one hour ahead of GC. Check out that web site I listed in my first post.

 

19:06:48 Saturday October 8, 2005 in Canada/Eastern converts to

18:06:48 Saturday October 8, 2005 in America/Cayman

 

 

19:10:02 Saturday October 8, 2005 in US/Eastern converts to

18:10:02 Saturday October 8, 2005 in America/Cayman

 

I did check out the link... And they are in the same time ZONE. The US Eastern Zone may or may not be modified by DST, but it is still the same basic zone, when referenced to GMT, as the Cayman Islands.

[Grumpy1]

Thank you....the last time I sailed...the ship stayed on Eastern time...as for the Caymans being directly south of Florida (the panhandle that is) I can still get confused because as you know Pensacola is on central time...Adding to my confusion is that some of the shore excursions sponsored by Holland lists times to start such as 3:00 when the ship is due to leave at 4:00???

 

My map program shows Georgetown, Grand Cayman, as being just a few miles East of my home in Naples, FL... a bunch of miles south, though. It is not south of the panhandle.

[db777]

I guess my rationalization of a potential time difference does not explain why the excursions have a "start" time that will result with an ending time at or past sail time...may be a misprint....I will contact Holland...thanks..

[Grumpy1]

You can't figure out time zones with what "makes sense", between countries or even within the same country. In the U.S. itself states can choose to be on daylight time or not, so you can have a state within a time zone have a different time than the rest of their time zone for 1/2 the year- i.e. Arizona. :eek:

True, but you can get a fair idea by using the rule of thumb that time zones are 15 degrees wide, but often modified close to the edges of the time zone. As far as daylight savings time... that's not really a time zone, but a modification of a zone for a portion of the year. So, I'll stay with what "makes sense" and I'll be pretty close just by looking at a map. Unless we're talking the Kiribiti Islands or a few other major exceptions:)

[Esme]

Thank you....the last time I sailed...the ship stayed on Eastern time...as for the Caymans being directly south of Florida (the panhandle that is) I can still get confused because as you know Pensacola is on central time...Adding to my confusion is that some of the shore excursions sponsored by Holland lists times to start such as 3:00 when the ship is due to leave at 4:00???

 

That's impossible - HAL wouldn't begin an excursion at 3pm when the ship is due to leave at 4pm. If the ship leaves at 4pm the latest you would have to be back on board is by 3:30pm.

 

I do see one excursion (Kirk's Glass Bottom Boat) on the 10/29/05 Veendam cruise that leaves at 3pm, but then the ship doesn't leave GC until 5:30pm .

 

What date is your cruise and what excursion are you referring to? :confused:

[RuthC]

The bottom line is that you should know what time it is when you board the ship.

From there on out you will be informed whenever there is to be a time change: it will be announced at the show; there will be a card under your pillow chocolate telling you to change your clock (by how much and in which direction!); it will be listed in the Daily Program.

The HAL ship will change times according to where it is in the world.

[db777]

That's impossible - HAL wouldn't begin an excursion at 3pm when the ship is due to leave at 4pm. If the ship leaves at 4pm the latest you would have to be back on board is by 3:30pm.

 

I do see one excursion (Kirk's Glass Bottom Boat) on the 10/29/05 Veendam cruise that leaves at 3pm, but then the ship doesn't leave GC until 5:30pm .

 

What date is your cruise and what excursion are you referring to? :confused:

 

I truly have not lost my mind....based on what I see on the excursion page. On Dec 1, Westerdam is at Grand Cayman...and Kirks glass bottom boat is listed for 3 departures with the last at 3:00....the Ship is due to leave at 4:00...

[Grumpy1]

I have no explanation for the discrepancies on the shore excursion times. As you say, you may need to contact HAL. In November GC will be the same as eastern US.

 

Apparently some lines do not coordinate ships time to local time, but the best information I have so far agrees with ESME... the ships time and the port time will be the same on a Holland America ship.

[Grumpy1]

I truly have not lost my mind....based on what I see on the excursion page. On Dec 1, Westerdam is at Grand Cayman...and Kirks glass bottom boat is listed for 3 departures with the last at 3:00....the Ship is due to leave at 4:00...

 

Is the glass bottom boat going to deliver you directly to the ship instead of to the tender dock?:D

[db777]

Wouldn't that be the greatest!!!! I was trying to get as much into the day as I could at Grand Cayman (it is my favorite place)... but I think it might be cutting it close...I have sent HAL an e-mail...has anyone been on Kirks glass bottom boat???? Db

[Esme]

db - it could be, as Grumpy said, that the tour boat will drop you off at the ship and not the pier - I've seen this done before, in fact, happened to us once. However, I'd be a little leary booking an excursion that leaves at 3pm when the ship leaves at 4. It could be that an error has been made.

 

I'd call Ship's Services at 1-800-541-1576 and ask them if in fact there is still a 3pm excursion. They are not very swift in answering e-mails. :)