Ship Time vs. Local/Port Time in Mexican Riviera

[emerald3582]

I've been researching several excursions in the MR and a lot of them state that ship time is not the same as local/port time. After more research, there's also Standard time vs. Daylight time. And, their Daylight time is not on the same schedule as US Daylight time. It's all very confusing. Does anyone know if the Royal Princess adjusts the ship time to local time when we're in port? If not, do I add an hour to get local time? We will optimistically be there in March.

[jennybenny]

It’s up to the Captain.

 

Daylight savings In USA happens March 14, 2021. Some States observe daylight savings in Mexico but it happens on a different date.  I think PV does observe it but it starts in April for the 2021 year 

 

Edited June 24, 2020 by jennybenny

[snoozecrooze]

I can also attest that captains have ultimate authority over if/when times are adjusted. During January 2020, we were all asked to be on ship time in Puerto Vallarta, which means you would be on the same clock as Cabo and Mazatlan.

[emerald3582]

I'm assuming the Princess website can't possibly predict what a captain will do, so are the times listed in the itinerary local time?

[jennybenny]

1 minute ago, emerald3582 said:

I'm assuming the Princess website can't possibly predict what a captain will do, so are the times listed in the itinerary local time?

No, I’d assume the times listed are the Hours they will expect to be in port, not necessarily local time

 

Vendors who work with cruise ships understand this 

Edited June 24, 2020 by jennybenny

[Schonert]

I also think it was PV that we did not go on local time.

It will not really affect anything.  If you are making your own trip arrangements they will know when the ship is coming in.
If they are going to do this they will make sure you know what they are doing.

It really make things on the ship MUCH easier when they do not change.  
If you are concerned wear a watch and keep it on ship time so you will not miss the ship.

 

[skynight]

With very few exceptions Princess changes their ship time to meet local port times.  The only exception I have encountered was for Puerto Vallarta. Puerto Vallarta is a different time zone than the other two Mexican ports, one hour later. The Captain choose to not change the ship's clocks for this one port of call. Just watch the Princess Patter. Keep tabs of the time with a watch, cell phones can give an incorrect time. Private shore tour guides will know when the ship arrives. Ship's tours will know the time.

[lstone19]

I've never had a Princess ship not switch to local port time, even if it meant lots of changes. On a Pacific partial Panama Canal cruise last fall, after leaving Los Angeles, it was ahead two hours for two Mexican ports, then back an hour for a Guatemalan port, then ahead an hour for Panama (even though we didn't dock or tender there), then back an hour for Costa Rica and Nicaragua, then ahead an hour for another Mexican port, then back two hours for the return to Los Angeles.

[caribill]

13 hours ago, lstone19 said:

I've never had a Princess ship not switch to local port time, even if it meant lots of changes. On a Pacific partial Panama Canal cruise last fall, after leaving Los Angeles, it was ahead two hours for two Mexican ports, then back an hour for a Guatemalan port, then ahead an hour for Panama (even though we didn't dock or tender there), then back an hour for Costa Rica and Nicaragua, then ahead an hour for another Mexican port, then back two hours for the return to Los Angeles.

 

Why would they change ship time for a port you were not stopping at?

[lstone19]

4 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Why would they change ship time for a port you were not stopping at?

 

I wondered that and asked! They wanted the ship on local time to avoid any confusion with the local port officials and canal pilots.

 

I asked this of one of the bridge officers (watch-standers) who work a 4 on / 8 off schedule. This was on Coral Princess which had just come from Alaska. I had incorrectly assumed that in Alaska the watch-standers stayed on Alaska time as Vancouver was the only port different from the other ports but he said they changed with the rest of the ship every cruise. The change for them is done by adding or removing 20 minutes to a watch making one 11 hour period where it's 3:40 on / 7:20 off or a 13 hour period where it's 4:20 on / 8:40 off.

[victory2020]

I've done this itinerary several times & sometimes they change times, sometimes not. I think Princess changes to local time & Carnival did not.

[satxdiver]

Every Princess cruise I have sailed the ship always changed ship time to agree with port time which made it easy to know when to be back aboard the ship.  The several Carnival ships I have sailed never changed ship time and only notified the pax that the shore time was different.  

[Plant]

The best thing to do is to check the Princess Patter and the sign when you leave the ship to see the ship's time.