NCL ports of call timing

[StanleyStanley]

I am looking into tours that are NOT provided by my cruise line.  The NCL website says that one must embark 2 hours before sailing, and that disembarcation begins 2 hours after arriving.   That doesn't leave much time as some ports of call. Is that referring to the initial boarding and final port?   When do I need to be back on a normal port of call, and how long does it generally take to get off at a stop?

 

Edited February 19 by StanleyStanley

[navybankerteacher]

1 minute ago, StanleyStanley said:

I am looking into tours that are NOT provided by my cruise line.  The NCL website says that one must embark 2 hours before sailing, and that disembarcation begins 2 hours after arriving.   That doesn't leavce much time as some ports of call. Is that referring to the initial boarding and final port?   When do I need to be back on a normal port of call, ad how long does it generally take to get off at a stop?

 

I am pretty sure those times only apply at port of embarkation/debarkation.  Generally at a port of call you can be off the ship within half an hour of arrival - and the recommended back-on-board time is also 30 minutes before ship sails..

[ontheweb]

Thirty minutes before the ship departs the port sounds about right. They will post the time you must be back by. Do not ignore that.

 

As for when you can first get off the ship, that may depend more on how quick the ship clears immigration. Usually there is not much of a holdup.

[SoloAlaska]

30 minutes is the rule of thumb but I would aim to return 1hr before sail away just in case unless your staying really close to port. 

[SbbquilterUT]

Another consideration - if you are at a tender port it will take longer to get off and on the ship.  

[ontheweb]

7 hours ago, SbbquilterUT said:

Another consideration - if you are at a tender port it will take longer to get off and on the ship.  

And in the case of having to tender, the cruise line will give priority tendering to those who bought their excursions from the cruise line.

[leaveitallbehind]

8 hours ago, SbbquilterUT said:

Another consideration - if you are at a tender port it will take longer to get off and on the ship.  

 

1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

And in the case of having to tender, the cruise line will give priority tendering to those who bought their excursions from the cruise line.

Agree.  But for clarity, in either case the 2 hour guideline as questioned by the OP would not apply, as ports of call would typically have disembarkation commencing as soon as  the ship has cleared immigration at the port of call, and return embarkation typically 30 minutes prior to scheduled departure, as others have said.  

 

Agree, as suggested by others, that the 2 hour guideline is, in particular, for initial departure, and final disembarkation.

Edited February 21 by leaveitallbehind

[StanleyStanley]

Well, I have now spoken to NCL, and have been told to plan on returning to the ship 2hours before we leave EVERY stop, and it may take up to two hours to disembark.  So I said this means each port of call schedule is really four hours less than indicated.  They said yup!   This seems crazy to me, but… there you have it!   This certainly puts a damper on some plans. 

[leaveitallbehind]

29 minutes ago, StanleyStanley said:

Well, I have now spoken to NCL, and have been told to plan on returning to the ship 2hours before we leave EVERY stop, and it may take up to two hours to disembark.  So I said this means each port of call schedule is really four hours less than indicated.  They said yup!   This seems crazy to me, but… there you have it!   This certainly puts a damper on some plans. 

I have never cruised with NCL but have to say that in 50+ cruises I have never heard - nor experienced - that. That just makes no sense to me. It has always been as described by myself and others on this thread.  And if that is the case then that is one reason I likely will never sail with them.  IMO whomever you have talked with is incorrect and I would call back to reconfirm. 

 

I would also post this question on the NCL board to get responses from other NCL cruisers to hear their experiences.  Here is that link:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/64-norwegian-cruise-line/

Edited February 21 by leaveitallbehind

[njhorseman]

18 minutes ago, StanleyStanley said:

Well, I have now spoken to NCL, and have been told to plan on returning to the ship 2hours before we leave EVERY stop, and it may take up to two hours to disembark.  So I said this means each port of call schedule is really four hours less than indicated.  They said yup!   This seems crazy to me, but… there you have it!   This certainly puts a damper on some plans. 

The person you spoke to has no idea of what they're talking about. 

The two hours refers to the initial embarkation port and the final disembarkation port.

Telephone customer service agents are typically clueless about such matters.

[njhorseman]

1 minute ago, leaveitallbehind said:

I have never cruised with NCL but have to say that in 50+ cruises I have never heard - nor experienced - that. That just makes no sense to me.  And if that is the case then that is one reason I likely will never sail with them.  IMO whomever you have talked with is incorrect and I would call back to reconfirm. 

 

I would also post this question on the NCL board to get responses from other NCL cruisers to hear their experiences.  Here is that link:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/64-norwegian-cruise-line/

I've cruised on NCL many times and i can assure you that the customer service agent the OP spoke to is dead wrong.

[leaveitallbehind]

Just now, njhorseman said:

I've cruised on NCL many times and i can assure you that the customer service agent the OP spoke to is dead wrong.

Agree!

[StanleyStanley]

I’ve been told by NCL that I must plan to be back on board TWO HOURS before scheduled departure at every port of call.  This severely limits tour options (non-NCL) at each port.  This seems ridiculous.  Thoughts/experience?

[rebeccac]

That has never been my experience on any cruise line including NCL.  Usually, you must be back on board 1/2 hr. before departure.  In tender ports, the important time is whenever the last tender happens which can vary somewhat depending on the port, but even there I have never seen it 2 hrs. before departure.  

[ColeThornton]

14 minutes ago, StanleyStanley said:

I’ve been told by NCL that I must plan to be back on board TWO HOURS before scheduled departure at every port of call.  This severely limits tour options (non-NCL) at each port.  This seems ridiculous.  Thoughts/experience?

 

The "2 hour rule" is for the embarkation port at the beginning of the cruise only.  🙂

[StanleyStanley]

That’s what thought.  But called for clarification. They said EVERY PORT!

[DCGuy64]

24 minutes ago, StanleyStanley said:

I’ve been told by NCL that I must plan to be back on board TWO HOURS before scheduled departure at every port of call.  This severely limits tour options (non-NCL) at each port.  This seems ridiculous.  Thoughts/experience?

"I've been told by NCL." Can you define the telling? Was it a letter, an email, a phone call, etc.? I'm curious how it was worded. 2 hours seems excessive.

[ontheweb]

56 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

The person you spoke to has no idea of what they're talking about. 

The two hours refers to the initial embarkation port and the final disembarkation port.

Telephone customer service agents are typically clueless about such matters.

Basically, the person at the call center has never been on a cruise. All they really know is what is on the script they are given. If asked something off script, they can put you on hold and ask their supervisor or they can make something up.

[Asawi]

1 hour ago, StanleyStanley said:

That’s what thought.  But called for clarification. They said EVERY PORT!

Call again! And if they tell you the same thing again, ask them to make an extra check with some sort of supervisor. Because that is just not true!

 

[Asawi]

Just adding to my previous comment: It is however good to PLAN to be back very early if doing non-NCL excursions. For example two hours. Even if all aboard time is for example 30 minutes. That way you have a healthy margin in case anything goes wrong.

It may be that your wording when asking the question made the person reply this way for that very reason.

[kitkat343]

1 hour ago, StanleyStanley said:

That’s what thought.  But called for clarification. They said EVERY PORT!

I've found the call reps on all the cruise lines to occasionally give out misinformation.  It has been my experience that only the initial embarkation requires you to board 2 hours before departure, and as others have noted above you only need to return a half hour before sailing in. a port.  The information will be printed in the daily schedule left in your room, and you should take a picture of the return time and the contact info for the port agent in case you have an emergency.  If you run behind on an independent excursion, please contact the port agent immediately.  The ship may not be able to wait for you, but if they know you are on your way it would be helpful as opposed to their not having any idea where you are and when you might return.

 

I also book independent excursions.   Please carefully check their cancellation policies before booking.  If you look at the recent cruise critic reviews of your itinerary/ship, you can see if there have recently been issues with the port time being shortened after final payment or ports being cancelled after final payment on similar sailings.  On all lines there could be weather related cancellations or emergencies that require adjustments to the ports.    Tours in the Caribbean tend to have generous refund policies (on my last NCL cruise the first sign that one port was going to be cancelled after final payment was the fact that when I contacted the tour providers started their initial email  telling me I could book without worrying because I'd get a full refund if the ship didn't dock.  They'd been dealing with cancellations for nearly a year at this point, so they were very familiar with NCL's issues).

 

 

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, StanleyStanley said:

Well, I have now spoken to NCL, and have been told to plan on returning to the ship 2hours before we leave EVERY stop, and it may take up to two hours to disembark.  So I said this means each port of call schedule is really four hours less than indicated.  They said yup!   This seems crazy to me, but… there you have it!   This certainly puts a damper on some plans. 

 

When talking to cruise line call centres, you may be chatting with somebody who has never been aboard a cruise ship, whereas on Cruise Critic many posters have cruised extensively.

 

At the embarkation port, the 2 hr cut-off is normal, as the Master must submit the ship's final manifest prior to departure. Assuming an 06:00 to 07:00 arrival at the final port, disembarkation normally commences as soon as the ship clears. Depending on customs/immigration, it can take 2 to 5 hrs to completely disembark the ship. Since NCL has larger pax counts, I would guess at least 3 hrs.

 

The Master determines the all aboard times at all ports of call. This information is usually published in the daily paper, with the definitive sailing time and all aboard time posted at the gangway. When docked alongside, this is normally 1/2 hr before departure. For tender ports, it can be 1 hr before departure. On some ships, this information is also posted in the lifts. Note - on occasion, you may see different all aboard times for crew and pax.

 

You must be back aboard by the all-aboard time, but the actual time you return is based on your risk tolerance, remembering that if you are late, the Master doesn't wait.

 

When alongside, some of the crew can be ashore and 50% of the survival craft(lifeboats & liferaft) are not available. Hence the reason for having at least 2 gangways. In the event of a shipboard emergency, if the Master decides to evacuate the ship, it will be to the shore. I can guarantee it should not take 2 hrs to evacuate all pax, with more time for the crew.

 

Therefore, No, it should not take 2 hrs to get all pax ashore, and if it does, the Master needs to address the issue with more and/or higher capacity gangways.

[julig22]

On board is normally 30 minutes prior to departure at ports of call when the ship docks.

Last tender or bus is often 1 hr or more prior to departure, depending on the time it takes to get back to the ship. However, when people wait until the last minute to get to the tender/bus, there can be a long line and you'll get to the ship when you get to the ship LOL - just make sure you get there before the last one leaves!

[navybankerteacher]

10 hours ago, StanleyStanley said:

Well, I have now spoken to NCL, and have been told to plan on returning to the ship 2hours before we leave EVERY stop, and it may take up to two hours to disembark.  So I said this means each port of call schedule is really four hours less than indicated.  They said yup!   This seems crazy to me, but… there you have it!   This certainly puts a damper on some plans. 

Either he did not understand your question or you did not understand his answer —- which was beneath absurd .  Those times ONLY apply to ports of embarkation/debarkation.

[StanleyStanley]

Oh they understood.  The exact quote was “we have to tell you two hours”.   Makes it impossible to book non NCL tours of a reasonable length.  

Edited February 22 by StanleyStanley