Regal Princess & Grand Cayman Time Question

[StCroixGirl47]

I have read all the threads going back a couple of years and there does not seem to be any kind of consensus so I'm hoping someone who has recently been on the Regal Princess to Grand Cayman can help me.

 

We will be on the Regal in a couple of weeks. The ship arrives at 7:00 AM and the excursion (not a Princess excursion) leaves at 8:15 AM. We will not have priority tendering so I'm afraid we won't make it there by 8:15. When I asked the excursion company about this, their response was:

 

Since your ship is out of Florida, then you will be an hour ahead of Cayman. Your arrival time of 7:00 AM ship/Florida time is actually 6:00 AM local time.

 

If this is true then I would feel comfortable booking because we would have an extra hour to get there. Does anyone have recent experience on whether or not Regal keeps a different time or is it the same as local time on Grand Cayman?

 

Thanks again for your help! I apologize because I know time has come up A LOT on these threads but there are so many differing responses I thought I would ask about this particular boat and port.

[DonnasMom&Dad]

I have read all the threads going back a couple of years and there does not seem to be any kind of consensus so I'm hoping someone who has recently been on the Regal Princess to Grand Cayman can help me.

 

We will be on the Regal in a couple of weeks. The ship arrives at 7:00 AM and the excursion (not a Princess excursion) leaves at 8:15 AM. We will not have priority tendering so I'm afraid we won't make it there by 8:15. When I asked the excursion company about this, their response was:

 

Since your ship is out of Florida, then you will be an hour ahead of Cayman. Your arrival time of 7:00 AM ship/Florida time is actually 6:00 AM local time.

 

If this is true then I would feel comfortable booking because we would have an extra hour to get there. Does anyone have recent experience on whether or not Regal keeps a different time or is it the same as local time on Grand Cayman?

 

Thanks again for your help! I apologize because I know time has come up A LOT on these threads but there are so many differing responses I thought I would ask about this particular boat and port.

 

Princess ships keep local time, so you'll arrive At 7AM loal time :D

 

Cato :)

[Robinsoncruiseso]

Was on the Regal earlier this month and the ship time and local time were the same. Make sure the company you book with is aware of the ships arrival and will refund any deposit should the ship not be able to tender or moves to the other tendering spot on the Island. We were not able to tender at all due to the swells and missed the port completely.

[StCroixGirl47]

Thank you both! We can get our deposit back if we don't make it. My big concern is that we'll be there the busiest day in March with 8 ships so if we do make the port but miss the excursion we might be stuck in the crowds! [emoji33] thanks again!

[kendon]

Show proof of your excursion when boarding for the tender...I'm sure they'll put you in the first tender.

[j3000]

Does the Regal stop in Grand Cayman in March ? (I'm booked for April, which I thought was same itinerary, and I dont think we stop there????)

[StCroixGirl47]

Show proof of your excursion when boarding for the tender...I'm sure they'll put you in the first tender.

 

 

That's a great idea! Thank you!

[StCroixGirl47]

Does the Regal stop in Grand Cayman in March ? (I'm booked for April, which I thought was same itinerary, and I dont think we stop there????)

 

 

We are on the western itinerary which is Grand Cayman, Costa Maya and Cozumel. I know they change ports/itineraries often to make B2B more desirable.

[j3000]

We are on the western itinerary which is Grand Cayman, Costa Maya and Cozumel. I know they change ports/itineraries often to make B2B more desirable.

A-HA! we're doing Eastern Carib. in April. :)

[caribill]

Show proof of your excursion when boarding for the tender...I'm sure they'll put you in the first tender.

 

And I am sure they will not care one iota.

 

To be on one of the first tenders for non-Princess tours you will need tender tickets. The Patter will tell you where and when they will be handed out the day of arrival. They are handed out in order of arrival at the distribution place.

 

Be on line (with your complete party) at the designated place at least 20 minutes before the announced time of handing out the tickets. and you will get tickets for one of the first tenders.

 

Do not confuse arrival time with the time that the first tenders will be able to start bringing passengers to shore. Once arriving, the ship must receive clearance from local authorities to allow passengers to go to shore. Also, Princess will first set up on shore the necessary security at the dock before passengers can go to shore. The ship may or may not arrive early enough that this can all be done by the official arrival time.

 

I do not know if Grand Cayman is a port that Princess uses local tenders or ship's tenders. If they use local tenders, they tend to hold more people, but then also take more time to fill up before heading to shore.

[StCroixGirl47]

And I am sure they will not care one iota.

 

 

 

To be on one of the first tenders for non-Princess tours you will need tender tickets. The Patter will tell you where and when they will be handed out the day of arrival. They are handed out in order of arrival at the distribution place.

 

 

 

Be on line (with your complete party) at the designated place at least 20 minutes before the announced time of handing out the tickets. and you will get tickets for one of the first tenders.

 

 

 

Do not confuse arrival time with the time that the first tenders will be able to start bringing passengers to shore. Once arriving, the ship must receive clearance from local authorities to allow passengers to go to shore. Also, Princess will first set up on shore the necessary security at the dock before passengers can go to shore. The ship may or may not arrive early enough that this can all be done by the official arrival time.

 

 

 

I do not know if Grand Cayman is a port that Princess uses local tenders or ship's tenders. If they use local tenders, they tend to hold more people, but then also take more time to fill up before heading to shore.

 

 

Thank you for your insights. We will be sure to do our homework and be there very early!

[riclop]

I have read all the threads going back a couple of years and there does not seem to be any kind of consensus so I'm hoping someone who has recently been on the Regal Princess to Grand Cayman can help me.

 

We will be on the Regal in a couple of weeks. The ship arrives at 7:00 AM and the excursion (not a Princess excursion) leaves at 8:15 AM. We will not have priority tendering so I'm afraid we won't make it there by 8:15. When I asked the excursion company about this, their response was:

 

Since your ship is out of Florida, then you will be an hour ahead of Cayman. Your arrival time of 7:00 AM ship/Florida time is actually 6:00 AM local time.

 

If this is true then I would feel comfortable booking because we would have an extra hour to get there. Does anyone have recent experience on whether or not Regal keeps a different time or is it the same as local time on Grand Cayman?

 

Thanks again for your help! I apologize because I know time has come up A LOT on these threads but there are so many differing responses I thought I would ask about this particular boat and port.

 

There is no change of time.

[caribill]

There is no change of time.

 

Sunday, those in the USA Eastern time zone will switch to daylight savings time.

 

The Cayman Islands does not do DST.

 

So starting Sunday, the Cayman Islands will be an hour behind Florida time.

Edited March 9, 2016 by caribill

[StCroixGirl47]

I appreciate everyone's responses and willingness to help. I just wanted to come back and report our experience. The Regal Princess kept local time. We got to port at 7AM and tenders started soon after. We very easily got on the first tender and made it to our excursion meeting place by 8:15 with plenty of time to spare.

 

Also, we took Cayman Eco Adventures to Stingray City, snorkeling and Starfish beach and had a great time. We were so happy they limit the boat to 25 people when we saw some boats out there so packed with people that the boats literally looked like the bow was going to plow underwater at any moment! [emoji33]

[caribill]

I appreciate everyone's responses and willingness to help. I just wanted to come back and report our experience. The Regal Princess kept local time. We got to port at 7AM and tenders started soon after. We very easily got on the first tender and made it to our excursion meeting place by 8:15 with plenty of time to spare.

 

Also, we took Cayman Eco Adventures to Stingray City, snorkeling and Starfish beach and had a great time. We were so happy they limit the boat to 25 people when we saw some boats out there so packed with people that the boats literally looked like the bow was going to plow underwater at any moment! [emoji33]

 

Thanks for coming back and reporting what happened.