What is the absolute latest time to return to ship at a port?

[JayneHL]

What time do you need to be back on the ship so one won't get stranded? I have a private excursion book in St Maarten, intinerary states port time is from 8am to 5pm, excursion time is 9:30 am to 4pm-the excursion is the number one rated excursion per Trip Advisor is it is known for getting cruise passengers back to the pier on time. Is a 4 pm return getting it too close to ship's all on board time?

[Clarea]

All aboard time is usually 30 minutes before scheduled departure.

[mspink98]

And St. Maarten traffic can be an absolute disaster. That would be closer than I'd feel comfortable with, personally.

[Paul65]

What time do you need to be back on the ship so one won't get stranded? I have a private excursion book in St Maarten, intinerary states port time is from 8am to 5pm, excursion time is 9:30 am to 4pm-the excursion is the number one rated excursion per Trip Advisor is it is known for getting cruise passengers back to the pier on time. Is a 4 pm return getting it too close to ship's all on board time?

 

There will be an all-aboard time posted in the Cruise Compass for each port. That is the absolute latest time. As stated, that is typically 30 minutes prior to sail-away time, so you can use that as a rule-of-thumb, but the time printed in the Cruise Compass is what you need to go by. Sometimes schedules may shift a little from what was originally advertised for the itinerary.

[holden0301]

I wouldn't take that risk.

[CaptainUnlucky]

I'm also considering the same situation for our upcoming cruise in September . I just emailed the company to see if they get a lot of people from the cruse ships. It also depends where it leaves from. I am looking into Bluesafari and it leaves from Bobbys Marina which is a 15-20 minute walk to port . It is kind of scary that we would be leaving ourselves a 15 minute cushion but as long at the trip gets back at 4 we should be good. I'm sure if they often take passengers from the cruise ships they are good about getting back in time.

[killtheump]

[runner15km]

Book with the cruise line, no worries mon. :)

[BillOh]

What time do you need to be back on the ship so one won't get stranded? I have a private excursion book in St Maarten, intinerary states port time is from 8am to 5pm, excursion time is 9:30 am to 4pm-the excursion is the number one rated excursion per Trip Advisor is it is known for getting cruise passengers back to the pier on time. Is a 4 pm return getting it too close to ship's all on board time?

 

It depends do you want to be a Youtube star? Kidding. Besides the advice given, most likely that tour operator (whom is it?) gets their high rating because of their customer service. Most of these tour operators are well aware of ship schedules. Just make sure they are aware which ship you are on. I'll be that operator is also good at email responses. If its Bernards, they show every arriving flight and cruise ship arrival and departure.

[BillOh]

And St. Maarten traffic can be an absolute disaster. That would be closer than I'd feel comfortable with, personally.

 

The tour operators are likely experts at this and the end of the excursion time is probably the drop off at the pier or downtown on the boardwalk.

[1ParticularHbr]

What time do you need to be back on the ship so one won't get stranded? I have a private excursion book in St Maarten, intinerary states port time is from 8am to 5pm, excursion time is 9:30 am to 4pm-the excursion is the number one rated excursion per Trip Advisor is it is known for getting cruise passengers back to the pier on time. Is a 4 pm return getting it too close to ship's all on board time?

 

By chance is it Bernard's tours? If so, no worries. We've used them twice and never felt rushed to get back on time. We've recommended them to many cruise friends who have also been 100% satisfied.

[CaptainUnlucky]

 

Haha, thanks for sharing. We always loved watching people run from our balcony. It's funny that I'd be possibly willing to think about an excursion cutting the time close.

[Paulette3028]

 

I love watching the 'runners' who are late getting back to the ship.....they are probably late for everything in their life and people wait for them....well the ship won't, unless you are on an excursion through Royal and the entire excursion has a delay getting back to the ship.

 

If you plan your own independent excursion, be careful with time....or you will be spending a lot of time tracking down transportation to the next port and people like me, will be laughing as we leave you behind at a port stop.

 

It happened everyday of our Navigator cruise this past November....and in the end, I think someone was left behind from a port....just no sympathy from me.

Edited April 12, 2016 by Paulette3028

[Hoopster95]

What time do you need to be back on the ship so one won't get stranded? I have a private excursion book in St Maarten, intinerary states port time is from 8am to 5pm, excursion time is 9:30 am to 4pm-the excursion is the number one rated excursion per Trip Advisor is it is known for getting cruise passengers back to the pier on time. Is a 4 pm return getting it too close to ship's all on board time?

 

This thread has leaned towards missing the ship and fear mongering at it's best. I have no clue why it's gone this direction.

 

It is well known by most all long time experienced cruisers that private tours are just fine (in fact preferred) and talked about often on Cruise Critic. The #1 tour on Tripadvisor for St Marten is Soualiga. These guys are pros and provide an awesome tour, as are all of the higher rated tour companies on all the Caribbean islands. They wouldn't be in business if they couldn't arrange for cruise passengers.Here's a full photo review of Soualiga

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=45026626&highlight=soualiga#post45026626

 

Have a fabulous and memorable day in St Marten and a great cruise! :D

Edited April 12, 2016 by Hoopster95

[Choozin Croozin]

I would be willing to bet that the majority of the passengers that miss the ship have not been on a private tour. It's because they were sitting in a bar too long, didn't plan well or misunderstood the time. We have booked most of our tours on our own (many) and have been fine. There are a few times (like the ferry over to St John because the public ferries are unpredictable) that we have taken ship's tours, but mostly because we had to. The cruise operator has a reputation to uphold. They know about CC (especially the popular ones) and they sure don't want to be bad mouthed as the majority of their business comes from cruise passengers. I will say that we took Capt Alan's tour to Anguilla recently and cut it a little close, but through no fault of theirs. Some other passengers held us up. But we still had 10 min to quick stop at the Guavaberry emporium to buy a bottle or 2.:rolleyes: FWIW, they will not let you carry on ANY drink you are drinking, except water. Fortunately we knew that.

This is a disclaimer: I am not telling you what to do either way, but I will continue using trusted private tour operators, but do my research and have clear understanding between me and said operator.

MHO

[Royal2464]

If there is even a remote chance you will not get back in time, be prepared. Take the following wth you:

1. Passport

2. Credit card

3. A reasonable amount of cash

4. Cell phone, with charger

5. The name and phone number of the Royal Caribbean contact person in that port.

6. Royal Caribbean number in Miami. You will need to keep them apprised of your plans to either rejoin the ship or arrange to have your luggage shipped to your home.

 

Missing the ship is not a vacation enhancement. By all accounts it is a personal and logistical nightmare. GET BACK ON TIME!

[cruisegirl1]

What time do you need to be back on the ship so one won't get stranded? I have a private excursion book in St Maarten, intinerary states port time is from 8am to 5pm, excursion time is 9:30 am to 4pm-the excursion is the number one rated excursion per Trip Advisor is it is known for getting cruise passengers back to the pier on time. Is a 4 pm return getting it too close to ship's all on board time?

 

Are you doing Soualiga Capt. Bob's speed boat tour? If not, you may stop reading :)

 

If so, he will get you back in time BUT make sure you get the time/clocks correct. On our excursion we had some on one ship on eastern time , some staying in St. Maarten on island time, and some from another ship on central time. Get it straight from the beginning. He got us back according to those who had the earliest "all aboard'' . His place is a 10 -15 minute brisk walk back to the ship so if you are the first ship to leave, you will have little or NO time for any port shopping. A small price to pay for one of the most memorable island excursions.

 

enjoy

M

Edited April 12, 2016 by cruisegirl1

[hancogran]

By chance is it Bernard's tours? If so, no worries. We've used them twice and never felt rushed to get back on time. We've recommended them to many cruise friends who have also been 100% satisfied.

 

I totally agree with this too! We've also done Bernard's twice and have been back to the ship with time to spare. :) No worries !

[cruisegirl1]

 

Thanks for the video. Many have stated that the cruise will wait! We left 2 behind in Cozumel on a recent Brilliance cruise. There were several announcement for a handful of passengers, and then finally down to just two names. They were paged many times to contact guest services if they were on board. We learned later that they never boarded back on the ship.

 

M

[Retired LEO]

There is no need to panic until you hear the ships horn blow.

[3happyferrets]

We've not done "excursions" so to speak, but we've done the all inclusive hotels before that shuttles us to and from the ship. I read reviews on them beforehand and they have always gotten us back in plenty of time. That being said, we had our credit cards and documents with us just in case, cuz man wouldn't that suck [emoji33]

 

 

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[betmust]

Oh my - I can't imagine being those people on the pier.

 

Another vote for Bernards. My first time using a private tour was with Bernards and I was very nervous but he kept reassuring me that I would be back with time to spare and I was. I would use him again...

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

What time do you need to be back on the ship so one won't get stranded? I have a private excursion book in St Maarten, intinerary states port time is from 8am to 5pm, excursion time is 9:30 am to 4pm-the excursion is the number one rated excursion per Trip Advisor is it is known for getting cruise passengers back to the pier on time. Is a 4 pm return getting it too close to ship's all on board time?

 

If it's Soualiga Destinations (Captain Bob Cass), the day is AWESOME! It is about a 15 minute walk from the dock. I was on the Disney Fantasy when I did it, and it stayed in port a bit longer than some of the other ships so I had no issues. I think he did try to group people by ship in the smaller boats so that if there was a possible time crunch with one of the ships, that group could speed up as necessary without someone from another ship feeling cheated. I'm not positive about that, but I know the people on my smaller boat were either from the Fantasy or staying on the island.

[Tripper10]

What time do you need to be back on the ship so one won't get stranded? I have a private excursion book in St Maarten, intinerary states port time is from 8am to 5pm, excursion time is 9:30 am to 4pm-the excursion is the number one rated excursion per Trip Advisor is it is known for getting cruise passengers back to the pier on time. Is a 4 pm return getting it too close to ship's all on board time?

 

I would 100% book the excursion. You will be back on time barring some accident.

[bigque]

We did Bernard Tours also. When we left Maho Beach from watching the planes the traffic around the airport was complete stop and go and our tour guide said if we would stay in the traffic we would never make it back in time to the ship. So he got out of the traffic and wound up going some back routes through neighborhoods. We had time to stop and take some photo shots of the ship and got dropped off in Phillipsburg to walk around in the town shops at about 2:30. We then took a ferry back to the port and back on the ship at 3:45. The key to the whole thing was the our guide knowing the back roads back to the town and port and not having to be stuck in the traffic. :cool: