Time zone change on disembarkation morning (Caribbean sailing)

[MisterBill99]

I just got off Koningsdam today. We visited Half Moon Cay, Amber Cove, Grand Turk and the ABC islands. They moved the clock ahead one hour after HMC but did not move it back until this morning, which meant that if people did not adjust their clocks (or sleep schedules) they got up an hour early on disembarkation day. I asked the captain about this at the Q&A session and he said that they found passengers prefered it this way since it gave them an extra hour on the last night of the cruise. He added that when they visit HMC at the end of the sailing, they move the clock that morning so passengers have an extra hour there. That makes sense, but I did not find anyone who I spoke to on the ship who agreed with changing it the last night of the cruise. And mind you, we had two sea days at the end of the cruise, so changing the time after the first sea day (also a gala night) would have been the natural thing to do.

 

Anyone else think this was an odd this to do? Is this normal for HAL or is it up to the captain?? The only good thing was at least the clock wasn't moving in the other direction, or you could have had people missing their flights or oversleeping (in which case there was no way they could have done it)

[Alberta Quilter]

IIRC, this happened on our last Caribbean cruise in Feb/19.  I didn't like it at all.  I would prefer to "absorb" the time change on a sea day as you suggest.

[MisterBill99]

3 minutes ago, Alberta Quilter said:

IIRC, this happened on our last Caribbean cruise in Feb/19.  I didn't like it at all.  I would prefer to "absorb" the time change on a sea day as you suggest.

 

Exactly! And especially with the stuff going on that last gala night (chocolate surprise at 10pm). I found it odd that the captain said that passengers preferred it that way.

 

You have many people flying or driving long distances on disembarkation day, the last thing they need is another hour awake.

Edited January 12, 2020 by MisterBill99

[Gigi1977]

Very odd.  I know it’s at the captain’s discretion but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.   😐

[catl331]

Sounds to me like a ploy to get debarking passengers off early! 

[MisterBill99]

1 hour ago, catl331 said:

Sounds to me like a ploy to get debarking passengers off early! 

 

Except that you can't leave until they call your number (or in the case of self-carry, when they clear immigration, which is still based on the new time). It's not like they start sending people off based on the old time.

[wdw1972]

This is how it's always been when I did that itinerary with the 2 sea days at the end.  I would prefer it not being the final day, but it is what it is.  My last time had the order flipped, so we started with 2 sea days, then ended with HMC on the final day.  That's how it'll be next time as well...starting with 2 sea days, then ABC, then the local ports on the way back.

 

Sue/WDW1972

[VMax1700]

Thanks for the warning! We embarked today and it is the same itinerary. I hate that last morning shuffle and now it will be even longer.

[Djptcp]

We were also on this cruise and I don't get the problem. We heard the Captain announce the time change last night that it would be done this morning. Obviously we knew we had to change our watches back an hour before the cruise was over, so big deal it was this morning. One couldn't debark until his/her color code was called anyway.

[MisterBill99]

24 minutes ago, Djptcp said:

We were also on this cruise and I don't get the problem. We heard the Captain announce the time change last night that it would be done this morning. Obviously we knew we had to change our watches back an hour before the cruise was over, so big deal it was this morning. One couldn't debark until his/her color code was called anyway.

 

The problem (for me, at least) is that most people go to sleep at the same time they normally would, and then wake up after the same amount they would normally sleep. But it's the morning of disembarkation, so all you have to do is go to breakfast and wait for them to call your number. If you wake up an hour earlier than planned, you have another hour of sitting around doing nothing.

 

Now, if they scheduled an extra hour of events the previous evening, to encourage people to stay up an extra hour later it could be a decent idea. But they don't And BB King's wasn't even playing last night (and the DJ they had there was not very well attended when I walked past at 10:45).

[RuthC]

2 hours ago, Djptcp said:

We were also on this cruise and I don't get the problem.

I don't either. Sounds to me like you just get an extra hour of sleep on the morning when you have to get up earlier than normal to get going. 
Works for me. 

[MisterBill99]

19 minutes ago, RuthC said:

I don't either. Sounds to me like you just get an extra hour of sleep on the morning when you have to get up earlier than normal to get going. 
Works for me. 

 

To each their own, I guess. I'd rather have the extra hour when there are events other than "wait for my number to be called".

[billbunger]

Wow what a waste of time this thread is.

[AncientWanderer]

6 hours ago, MisterBill99 said:

I just got off Koningsdam today. We visited Half Moon Cay, Amber Cove, Grand Turk and the ABC islands. They moved the clock ahead one hour after HMC but did not move it back until this morning, which meant that if people did not adjust their clocks (or sleep schedules) they got up an hour early on disembarkation day. I asked the captain about this at the Q&A session and he said that they found passengers prefered it this way since it gave them an extra hour on the last night of the cruise. He added that when they visit HMC at the end of the sailing, they move the clock that morning so passengers have an extra hour there. That makes sense, but I did not find anyone who I spoke to on the ship who agreed with changing it the last night of the cruise. And mind you, we had two sea days at the end of the cruise, so changing the time after the first sea day (also a gala night) would have been the natural thing to do.

 

Anyone else think this was an odd this to do? Is this normal for HAL or is it up to the captain?? The only good thing was at least the clock wasn't moving in the other direction, or you could have had people missing their flights or oversleeping (in which case there was no way they could have done it)

 

 

We had the same time change arrangement this week on Oosterdam, disembarking in San Diego after Mexican Riviera cruise.  This was the first time we had experienced a time change on the last night of a cruise, so we did sit and ponder pros and cons for a few minutes, but finally decided that it's kind of a nice day to get that extra hour of sleep. And who knows -- maybe it makes the busy "turnaround" day easier for crew members.  

Anyhow...different and new, yes, but A-Ok.

Edited January 13, 2020 by AncientWanderer