Early Excursion ... how not to miss it?

[MA_Serendipity]

I just booked a cruise on Harmony OTS for next fall. One of the excursion choices in Roatan (Turquoise Bay Horseback Riding) is something my daughter really wants to do. The thing that worries me is that the itinerary lists the ship arriving at 7:00am in the morning. However the excursion lists the van pickup at 7:30am.

 

So how does that work? Other than the obvious of getting up really early and heading to the exit (gangway ?), and trying to be one of the first off the ship... I'm just not sure how to plan things, or what to anticipate.

 

Any advice would be welcome and appreciated!

 

Thanks :)

[MA_Serendipity]

Oh... forgot to mention... the excursion was listed and booked via Royal Caribbean web site.

[firefly333]

Not sure but my tickets are usually laying on my bed when I board with directions. Like meet in the theater and go as a group to a waiting mini bus which takes you to the excursion.

 

I set my alarm for a wake up call. 

[MA_Serendipity]

Thank you! That actually makes sense. Hopefully it ends up being that way.

[bouhunter]

Yes your tickets will say where to be and when.  It couldn't be any simpler.  Normally you meet either on the pier or somewhere onboard like the theater.

 

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

8 hours ago, MA_Serendipity said:

Oh... forgot to mention... the excursion was listed and booked via Royal Caribbean web site.

I was having a mini-panic attack on your behalf until I read this part! 😁

 

If this were an independently booked excursion, it would be quite a gamble to meet them on shore by 7:30 if the scheduled arrival is 7:00. There are far too many moving parts to consider that a sure thing.  

 

However, since you booked through Royal, your arrival would have to be really delayed for your excursion to be at risk. Just follow the directions on your tickets and you're good to go. 🙂 

[1025cruise]

I would guess that since it's an early departure, you will be given a spot on the ship to meet, and then escorted out.

[Den7Cruiser]

Royal lets their excursion folks off with the first wave once you clear customs. The others are correct, you just do whatever it says on your ticket. Make sure you are at the designated meeting place on time and you won't have any problems making your excursion.

And if your ship is late, they communicate with their excursion partners to let them know. 

[wendyinvt]

I would also suggest ordering room service breakfast for that morning, since the other venues won't be open before your scheduled meeting time. 

[MA_Serendipity]

Thank You all :) ... I think we'll be good as long as I can get the 13 y/o out of bed.

 

[firefly333]

1 minute ago, MA_Serendipity said:

Thank You all :) ... I think we'll be good as long as I can get the 13 y/o out of bed.

 

Lol when i first read your post I thought you were worried about waking up on time and over sleeping.

 

I have a 730 excursion next January and I'm thinking .. do I really want to do it this early? Lol. 730 am is early to me. 

[Jasukkie]

Sometimes they have you sit in the theater with your excursion group and they escort you off together. Other times you just meet in the pier area. There will be plenty of staff to help you get where you need to be. Shore excursions staff have hours on the boat if you want to check in with them as to what to expect ahead of time.

[1025cruise]

I did a Royal excursion in Pt Canaveral. Even though we didn't get there until noon time, I assume the process is the same. All the people on excursions that needed to leave quickly met in the theater. We were then escorted to a reserved gangway for excursions only and out to the waiting buses.

[MommaBear55]

You can set up a wake up call on your in room phone. I find it more reliable than my cell 9hk e because sometimes the cell sets to a different time zone.

[klfrodo]

Since you bought the excursion, your tickets will tell you to meet at a certain location (usually the theater), at a certain time, and the crew members will corral you into your excursion group.

Then, they will escort your group off the ship and hook you up with your tour guide.

[perfect match]

7 hours ago, firefly333 said:

Lol when i first read your post I thought you were worried about waking up on time and over sleeping.

 

I have a 730 excursion next January and I'm thinking .. do I really want to do it this early? Lol. 730 am is early to me. 

I’m a night owl and getting worse the older I get. 7:30 AM is way too early for me, too!

 

I have found on our recent cruises that some excursions with really early start times have added later start times closer to our sail date, or even after we were on board. I have been able to switch my early excursion times to later ones or book excursions I Han not booked previously when these later start times opened up. 

[broadwaybaby123]

If it was booked through Royal, you won't miss it.  They call you by groups once you meet at the designated spot for Shore Excursions and the tour won't start until everyone in that same tour group is together with the tour guide.

[nolimits]

Before you get to meeting place

The room service is great for wake-up call plus nourishment 

[Bocker3]

18 hours ago, wendyinvt said:

I would also suggest ordering room service breakfast for that morning, since the other venues won't be open before your scheduled meeting time. 

I have always been able to have breakfast in the WJ before an excursion purchased through RC.  I believe they will tweak the times if an extra early port arrival.

It would crazy to send a large percentage of passengers ashore without feeding them??

[nolimits]

Room service that early is about the call there coming then the knocking at the door 

especially if the night before was a late one 

[wendyinvt]

1 hour ago, Bocker3 said:

I have always been able to have breakfast in the WJ before an excursion purchased through RC.  I believe they will tweak the times if an extra early port arrival.

It would crazy to send a large percentage of passengers ashore without feeding them??

That was not the case for my cruise this past May. My full day excursion tour left at 7:30am and the tickets had us meeting in the theater at 7 to disembark and get to the bus to head out at 7:30. The windjammer opened at 7 that morning. 

[gail-s]

We had 2 early morning excursions through RCI in europe.  We were in a suite so after a crappy breakfast in the WJ one day we talked to our waitress in Chops and had breakfast there before the next excursion.  They knew we were in a time crunch and got the food to us quickly when we walked in.  Like others said, you'll receive your tickets telling you where to meet and when. 
Something to keep in mind if you're planning on doing an excursion with a bunch of people - let the staff know.  We had a mom who lost her mind on an excursion because they were part of a big group and all scheduled the same trip but didn't tell anyone.  So half the group was with one tour guide and half were with another.  Instead of handling it on the boat she berated our poor tour guide who did everything in her power to help right the situation.  Her kids were mortified by her behavior.