Question about Daylight Savings Time during a cruise...

[maddea20]

I'd like to know if Daylight Savings Time will impact a cruise I'm thinking of booking leaving March 7th, 2008. Daylight Savings is on Sunday March 9th and I want to know if indeed an hour will be lost during the cruise as the clocks will spring forward :o .

 

Thanks!

[cb at sea]

Don't worry about time changes--there are clocks all over the ship: whatever time they are set to, YOU set your watch the same way! YOU MUST ALWAYS STAY ON SHIP'S TIME!!!!! If you are booking an excursion on your own privately, the tour operator will know what time the ship uses--it doesn't matter to you, in all honesty! So, if an excursion starts at 10am, that's when you will meet the tour guide, according to the ship's clocks!

[vermonter16]

Yep - you'll lose an hour. We gained an hour on a cruise we were on....

[Mines]

Don't worry about time changes--there are clocks all over the ship: whatever time they are set to, YOU set your watch the same way! YOU MUST ALWAYS STAY ON SHIP'S TIME!!!!! If you are booking an excursion on your own privately, the tour operator will know what time the ship uses--it doesn't matter to you, in all honesty! So, if an excursion starts at 10am, that's when you will meet the tour guide, according to the ship's clocks!

 

That's not entirely true. We have just returned from a cruise that called at Buenos Aires. We were due to dock at 10:00, our private tour company confirmed an excursion for 11:00, so we agreed. When we arrived we discovered that Argentina time was one hour behind ship's time, so our excursion didn't turn up until 12:00 - we were waiting at the dock for over one hour.

 

The final result of the story was a good one though, we had plenty of time to complete the excursion and found Buenos Aires to be a fabulous city.

[TEXASMUNK]

Yes, in actuality you lose an hour. AND you will probably find some yahoo screaming at the Purser's Desk demanding an OBC or future cruise discount because RCI conspired to shorten their cruise.

[Fury1995]

2 years ago, we sailed the day before the time change (March 30th, 2006). Being from the east coast we are on EST. We flew to Galveston which is two hours behind, to catch the Splendour for a W. Caribbean cruise.

 

The time change can play havoc on the ship or the passengers or both but I can promise you DST is observed on the ship. The ships clocks (the all important ship's official time) had different times everywhere we looked so we took it upon ourselves to keep track. We did this for excursion schedule purposes.

 

This is what we had to deal with, and some how managed to keep it straight.

 

The itinerary took us from:

 

March 29th pre-cruise, Galveston

(set watch back 2 hours for local time).

 

March 30th, Day 1 - Embarkation

(no time change)

 

March 31st, Day 2 - Sea Day

(set watch forward 1 hour for DST).

 

April 2nd, Day 3 - Cozumel

(set watch back 1 hour for local time).

 

April 3rd, Day 4 - Belize

(set watch back 1 hour again for local time).

 

April 4th, Day 5 - Costa Maya

(set watch forward 1 hour for local time).

 

April 5th, Day 6 - Sea Day

(no change in time)

 

April 6th, Day 7 - Galveston Debarkation

(set watch forward 1 hour for local time).

 

April 6th, Day 7 - Flight back to East Coast

(set watch forward 2 hours for local time).

 

That was a total of 7 time changes in 7 days. Never, at any point during this cruise did all of the ships clocks display the same times. Looking back, I can't believe we actually kept up. Still had a fantastic "time".;)

[TEXASMUNK]

Virginia..EST

Galveston CST

 

1 hour time change

 

I am a bit slow this mornng

[RBOrrell]

One thing to keep in mind.... the Daylight Saving Time change in early March is not universally recognized by all countries. Mexico for example.

[Fury1995]

Virginia..EST

Galveston CST

 

1 hour time change

 

I am a bit slow this mornng

 

I guess I'm slower..... I guess we "thought" we were keeping up with the time changes, but my point still is still the same.;)

[WhiteSoxFan]

Daylight Saving Time is also not observed in the eastern Caribbean. When we leave Miami at the end of March we will be on EST but the Islands we visit are all on Atlantic Standard time, so they will be on the same time as the ship. Thankfully this should keep thing simple for us.

[maddea20]

Thank you for all the responses. So if I'm trying to do a weekend cruise to the Bahamas, DST will not be enforced? We will literally be in the Bahamas the night the clocks change so if the Caribbean islands don't go by DST then does that mean we won't lose an hour?

[PH8]

The Bahamas follows Eastern Standard Time and observes daylight savings time similar to United States.........so yes,you will lose an hour..

[maddea20]

The Bahamas follows Eastern Standard Time and observes daylight savings time similar to United States.........so yes,you will lose an hour..

 

Alrighty then I'm still thinking about which date to go on this cruise. It will either be Feb 29 weekend or DST weekend, Mar 7. Thanks!

[PH8]

I would pick Feb 29th........how often can you go on THAT date??:p

[maddea20]

I would pick Feb 29th........how often can you go on THAT date??:p

 

True, but unfornately I have to wait for my boyfriend to confirm this date. He's waiting to receive his school info next week to see when it is best for him to go. So I will know by next Friday.

[negc]

If you leave and return to the same US port when Daylight Savings Time takes effect in the Spring, you will ultimately lose one hour of your cruise. The solution is to go again in the Fall and get it back.:D