Port Time vs. Ship Time for Excursions - Montego Bay, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel

[DrHfuhruhurr]

Hi all! We're cruising to the ports in the subject header on the 11/13 - 11/20 trip aboard the Breeze. All of the excursions we've selected are third-party, direct bookings, and I'm concerned about ship time vs. local time. Is there a handy chart somewhere I can use to know what time to book my excursions?

 

Carnival provides a certain time for arrival and departure at each port in the cruise itinerary, but I'm not sure if that's adjusted to match the relevant local time or not. Thanks for any tips you can provide!

[cb at sea]

Your guides understand how the "time issues" works....all that matters is SHIP'S TIME! Not all ships change time....

[DrHfuhruhurr]

Your guides understand how the "time issues" works....all that matters is SHIP'S TIME! Not all ships change time....

 

Heh. You seriously overestimate my level of "carefree." I would not be comfortable letting someone else worry about the time. ;)

 

Even if I were, I need to figure it out in advance so I can book excursions at the right times. For example, I don't want to book one at 11am based on Carnival's arrival time of 10am, only to find out 10am=11am in that port.

[Nic6318]

Heh. You seriously overestimate my level of "carefree." I would not be comfortable letting someone else worry about the time. ;)

 

Even if I were, I need to figure it out in advance so I can book excursions at the right times. For example, I don't want to book one at 11am based on Carnival's arrival time of 10am, only to find out 10am=11am in that port.

 

Hi

 

It is true, these companies have been doing this for a long time and depend on having happy customers for their livelihood. If people were missing their excursions or missing the ship on return, they wouldn't be in business very long.

 

If you are concerned about the time at any given port on your itinerary, you just have to ask online "what time is it in Cozumel now"...it will tell you. Now you would know if it is the same time as the ship. There are times when like now we are changing our clocks "back", not all places will be doing that, or not at the same time, so you do have to be aware. While you are on the cruise, just remember to stay on the ships' time.

 

Another easy way to feel more confident, is to just call the company you at considering. Explain your concerns and let them reassure you over the phone, they should be able to help you determine which excursion time you should book. Most of these companies are very accommodating. If they can't reassure you over the phone, frankly, I wouldn't deal with them.

 

hope this helps

have a great cruise

[maldenmusic]

We are doing an excursion in GC in December with an independent operator. They told us to go by ship's time. They've been in business for a long time and have a high rating with Trip Advisor so I assume they know what they are doing.

[luvtovaca]

It is my understanding that the port times on your Carnival itinerary are the "island/actual time at that port" not necessarily "ship time" (although they are often the same). If you look at one of the websites that show which ships are in port at what times, it should coincide with the actual Carnival itinerary times. My advice is to be in contact with your tour operators about timing. We have always done that. They are very dependent on the cruise passengers for their livelihood, so they will not want anyone missing their ship!