Returning to boat after an excursion

[canaderek]

As a first time cruiser, I naturally filled up every port day with an excursion, but there are some ports where I'd like to walk around and get to know too.

 

Once my excursion is over, usually around 1pm, do I have to get back on the boat (Royal Caribbean) or do I have the option to stay in the port city until final boarding time (usually 6PM)?

 

If I can stay in the port, does that hold true for tendered dockings too?

 

If I have to board and hang around on the boat for 6 hours, I'll likely cancel the excursions. 

 

Thank you

[Mum2Mercury]

You're a free person.  You can go on an excursion or not go on an excursion.  When that excursion's over, you can return to the ship or wander around town.  

 

You should not wait until the last minute to return to the ship though; our comfort level is returning to the ship 2 hours before all-aboard time, so if the ship's going to sail at 6:00, I'd want to be back no later than 4:00.  

[sparks1093]

Just be mindful of the all aboard time/last tender time and remember what time zone the ship is in. As long as you are back before the stated time you are fine. 

[bbwex]

As has been said by the last two answers.  We have done just what you are suggesting: taken a ship's  tour (usually we take private tours), and then go back and wander around town on our own.  Our own guideline is to be back a full hour before the all aboard time.

 

It's really not a big deal, and lots of people do ports entirely on their own.  Just be aware of the time -- the local time, and the ship's  time.  Those are usually, BUT NOT ALWAYS, the same.  The boarding time is on ship's time. 

[canaderek]

wow, those were quick answers, thank you all!

[leaveitallbehind]

Your time in port is yours.  You can come and go rom the ship as you please with the only caveat that RCCL wants you on board 30 minutes prior to departure from ports of call.  If you are late they will not wait for you.

 

Just on a side note, as you become a more experienced cruiser you may likely be more comfortable with tours and excursions on your own and with independent operators v through the ship.  There are lots of discussions about this on these boards and to each his own as to an opinion.  But, while the "safest" in terms assuring a ship awaiting your return, the cruise lines charge a significant premium for their tours which IMO tend to be rather impersonal.  There are many independent options that will provide similar or better experiences. 

 

We, too, filled our days on our first cruise or so with ship tours, but in the 30 years since have done so almost exclusively independently.  Agan, just my opinion.

 

Enjoy your first cruise - it will with almost certainty not be your last and will be followed by many others!

Edited August 24, 2023 by leaveitallbehind

[YourWorldWithBill]

One more note, since you asked if the answers apply when tendered: be sure to consider that you might have to wait a bit to get the tender back to the ship.

[mom says]

When tendered, pay particular attention to the time for the last tender return. I always try to be back on board before then. There kpcan be long lines waiting for the tenders, depending on how many are in service that day.

 

And please, please do not call it a boat. You cruise on a SHIP, but tender on a boat.

[John Bull]

Good advice to date, just a few add-ons.

 

If the ship is berthed," back-on-board" time is normally 30 minutes before the advertised sailing time.

If it's a tender port, "last tender" time is normally 60 minutes before advertised sailing time. But that's when you must be back at the tender pier, not when you must be back on the ship, so you don't need to worry about a line at the tender pier - if there's a line the tenders will continue past last-tender time until they've mopped-up the line.

 

As others have said, don't cut your timing too fine - it's usually a long swim to the next port 😏

We usually give ourselves a spare 30 minutes, others are more cautious. It also depends on how far you are from the port, whether it involves transportation & potential delays

 

JB 🙂 

[K32682]

+1 on giving yourself plenty of time. I almost learned this the hard way in Bora Bora. Our excursion ended at Bloody Mary's (highly overrated) and instead of going back on the bus my brother-in-law and I went exploring. We barely made it in time to catch the last tender going back to the boat. 

[new_cruiser]

You might reconsider filling every port day with an excursion. I usually book excursions for about half the port days at most. On our first cruise when cruising restarted after COVID, it wasn't clear whether ports would still be requiring a ship excursion to leave the ship so we booked excursions for every port. By the time our cruise started, all but our 3 port stops in Italy had opened up to allow passengers to leave the ship normally. I found having a ship excursion every day to be constraining so ended up canceling some of them. It was much more enjoyable to just explore on our own in some of the ports. 

 

You could go to the port of call board(s) for your ports and see which ports have things you would want to do on your own instead of on an excursion.

[Host Kat]

5 hours ago, canaderek said:

As a first time cruiser, I naturally filled up every port day with an excursion, but there are some ports where I'd like to walk around and get to know too.

 

Once my excursion is over, usually around 1pm, do I have to get back on the boat (Royal Caribbean) or do I have the option to stay in the port city until final boarding time (usually 6PM)?

 

If I can stay in the port, does that hold true for tendered dockings too?

 

If I have to board and hang around on the boat for 6 hours, I'll likely cancel the excursions. 

 

Thank you

 

Hello @canaderek and welcome to the Cruise Critic message boards!

 

If you have stopped wearing a watch and rely on your mobile phone for the time, know how to manually set the time zone on your phone. Sometimes ship time and port time are not the same. Pay close attention to the usual signage where you depart the ship showing the ship's time for passenger return. You do not want to be a pier runner watching the other passengers waving bye-bye to you as the ship sails without you! 

 

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Happy sails,

 

Host Kat

[donaldsc]

14 minutes ago, Host Kat said:

 

Hello @canaderek and welcome to the Cruise Critic message boards!

 

If you have stopped wearing a watch and rely on your mobile phone for the time, know how to manually set the time zone on your phone. Sometimes ship time and port time are not the same. Pay close attention to the usual signage where you depart the ship showing the ship's time for passenger return. You do not want to be a pier runner watching the other passengers waving bye-bye to you as the ship sails without you! 

 

 

 

Host Kat

 

I always suggest that if you normally depend upon a smart watch that you buy a cheap dumb watch for cruising just in case your smart watch does somethong too smart while you are off the ship.  You can buy a dumb watch on Amazon for Aas low as $15.

 

DON

[Sekhmet]

I'd add one more thing concerning staying in the port after an excursion, rather than returning to the ship with the rest of the tour group.  If you choose to do this, it's a good idea to let the tour guide and/or coach driver know that you're leaving and not wanting transporting back to the ship.  This way, they don't have to worry about bringing back fewer passengers than they started off with, and saves the rest of the group from an unnecessary wait.

[ontheweb]

6 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

I always suggest that if you normally depend upon a smart watch that you buy a cheap dumb watch for cruising just in case your smart watch does somethong too smart while you are off the ship.  You can buy a dumb watch on Amazon for Aas low as $15.

 

DON

Even lower at Walmart, $10.

[Honolulu Blue]

17 hours ago, canaderek said:

As a first time cruiser, I naturally filled up every port day with an excursion, but there are some ports where I'd like to walk around and get to know too.

 

Once my excursion is over, usually around 1pm, do I have to get back on the boat (Royal Caribbean) or do I have the option to stay in the port city until final boarding time (usually 6PM)?

 

If I can stay in the port, does that hold true for tendered dockings too?

 

If I have to board and hang around on the boat for 6 hours, I'll likely cancel the excursions. 

 

Thank you

You've been given wise advice by my colleagues.  One thing I'd like to add is that some excursions in some ports offer the option of being dropped off downtown or some area that's close to the ship.  It can be a good option for exploring the town after a tour without having to go back to the ship first but be aware that you're on your own and still have to be onboard in time for the sailaway.

 

Enjoy your cruise and its excursions.

[Mum2Mercury]

I'll echo a very good point made by another poster: 

- Know the difference between ship's time and island time.  If you're at all unsure, ask the person who processes you out of the ship, "It's 9:00 ship's time now, right?  And we sail at 6:00 ship's time?"  They don't want you to be late any more than you want to be late.  

 

And I'll add some common-sense safety ideas: 

- Yes to wearing an old-fashioned dumb watch.  Your smart phone may jump back and forth between time zones (or it may not).  Your watch's time will stay where you put it.  We have small carabiner watches (analog) that stay clipped on our small day packs.  

- Use the Google Maps parking feature to remember "where you parked the ship".  Just as it would lead you back to your car, it'll lead you back to the ship.  Be sure of your battery.  

- Do not allow your party to split up.  Be clear on your movements -- especially if you have children (or worse, teens) in your group.  Something so small as a rest room with two exit doors can cause you a small panic.  It's best to say, "We're all going into the rest room.  Meet back under this tree."  If you do split up, be crystal clear on your plans:  "We're going to shop.  You're going back to the ship on your own.  We will see you again on the ship."  You'll rarely be wrong by being too specific with the whole group. 

- If you're any distance at all from the port, carry cash money for a taxi, even if you don't plan to use it.  If someone twists an ankle, for example, you might be glad to have it. 

- Be sure you know which port you left from; for example, Cozumel has two ports.  So does Roatan.  Don't let a taxi drop you at the wrong one!  Similarly, know what ship you're on.  On a recent cruise, I was waiting to re-board and all the bad sirens went off when the woman ahead of me put her card into the machine.  The security officer said to her very politely, "M'am, you are a passenger on Liberty of the Seas, which is docked over there (he indicated with a point of his finger).  You are attempting to board Explorer of the Seas."  

- Your daily Compass (or other ship's newspaper) will list each island's port authority phone number.  We like to take a phone photograph of that information.  We've never even come close to needing it, but we've always felt secure having it at our fingertips.  

[YourWorldWithBill]

3 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

And I'll add some common-sense safety ideas: 

Just a note to say, great advice! Details are always so useful.

[Szt]

This advice is all wonderful. I want to stress the part about letting the tour operator know you’re not returning. You don’t want to be the reason dozens of others have to sit on a hot bus waiting. 
Also, before you plan to explore on your own- be sure you know how far you are being left from where you have to return. Many excursions take you hours from the pier. Getting back on your own may not be that easy. Make sure the area around the port is safe for you to on your own. 
Just make sure, before you leave the ship you have ALL the info you need to return safely and on time. Also be sure to have cash in the local currency. 
But the two most important things to enjoy any travel 1. Be a citizen of the world. Be kind, humble, embrace the unexpected and remember not everyone thinks like you. 
2. GOOD SHOES!

[lisiamc]

On 8/24/2023 at 10:42 PM, YourWorldWithBill said:

One more note, since you asked if the answers apply when tendered: be sure to consider that you might have to wait a bit to get the tender back to the ship.

At least once you have joined the tender queue, the ship will keep sending tenders until everyone in the queue is back on board. The wait can be very tedious and hot if the queue is long, though. Coming back a bit early can be a good idea.