Rick LaTouch Posted March 7 Report Share Posted March 7 I’m sure this has been asked a thousand times, but…. generally speaking, how early should you be back to the ship before the posted sail time? I don’t have any “all aboard” times for my cruise yet and am trying to independently plan shore excursions. Thank you, RL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexanTwoStep Posted March 7 Report Share Posted March 7 We generally start heading back to the ship an hour or two before all aboard time. However, you have until all aboard time to get there. Planning an independent excursion, I would give yourself an hour or two between the end of the excursion and all aboard time just to be safe. Give yourself even more time if the independent excursion is not near the port. RCIfan1912 and CrimsonCruiser 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffmw Posted March 7 Report Share Posted March 7 Just keep in mind that Royal will wait for their own excursion to get back if it's late, but they won't wait for one they're not affiliated with. So if something unforeseen happens, you're SOL. In many of these ports, the transportation can be unreliable. Old busses and vans break down. There's blockages in the road or unexpected traffic. Or sometimes someone else on the excursion who isn't with a boat doesn't get back in time and you're waiting. There are a lot of variables, so I'd be careful. I'd find out when you need to be back before you book anything (it could be as early as 4 p.m. depending on the upcoming trip) and then make sure you're scheduled to be back 90 min. to 2 hours before. RCIfan1912 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted March 7 Report Share Posted March 7 Passengers are to be on board 30 minutes prior. But agree on the above for independent stuff. Unless we're just hanging out right there in the port area, we stick to 2 hours prior to give adequate buffer. Cactus527 and RCIfan1912 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reigert2008 Posted March 7 Report Share Posted March 7 3 hours ago, Rick LaTouch said: I’m sure this has been asked a thousand times, but…. generally speaking, how early should you be back to the ship before the posted sail time? I don’t have any “all aboard” times for my cruise yet and am trying to independently plan shore excursions. Thank you, RL The ship port times should be listed on your booking receipt from Royal near the bottom where it lists your ports. but also for general times that the ship is in port, you can use a site like CruiseMapper.com, search for your ship, find your itinerary and then use the times listed (they are LOCAL port times) and plan to be back at least 30 minutes prior. Also note, that you will need to be on SHIP time and not all cruises change time with the time zones, Ship time is the mot important time there is and the time in the Royal app is always ship time. If you're looking for something to do, it could be easier to book it through Royal and not have to worry about it. Good Luck!https://www.cruisemapper.com/ Rick LaTouch and RCIfan1912 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cory Posted March 8 Report Share Posted March 8 always fun seeing those late folks running back to the ship trying to make it on board Cactus527, PPPJJ-GCVAB and Hince57 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hince57 Posted March 8 Report Share Posted March 8 24 minutes ago, Cory said: always fun seeing those late folks running back to the ship trying to make it on board haha...one of the best parts of sitting on pool deck/balcony. and everyone cheering them on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick LaTouch Posted March 8 Author Report Share Posted March 8 I want to be just 5 minutes ahead of them! Cactus527 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steverk Posted March 8 Report Share Posted March 8 17 hours ago, Reigert2008 said: The ship port times should be listed on your booking receipt from Royal near the bottom where it lists your ports. but also for general times that the ship is in port, you can use a site like CruiseMapper.com, search for your ship, find your itinerary and then use the times listed (they are LOCAL port times) and plan to be back at least 30 minutes prior. Also note, that you will need to be on SHIP time and not all cruises change time with the time zones, Ship time is the mot important time there is and the time in the Royal app is always ship time. If you're looking for something to do, it could be easier to book it through Royal and not have to worry about it. Good Luck!https://www.cruisemapper.com/ Always remember, the times on cruisemapper.com are departure times. I.e. the time the ship will be actually leaving. All aboard is usually 30 minutes prior to that. They can be even earlier for tender ports. You want to be on board laughing at the pier runners well before all aboard time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted March 8 Report Share Posted March 8 I plan to be back onboard 2 hours before all aboard time so that if there are any delays, we have plenty of buffer. Cactus527 and Reigert2008 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrimsonCruiser Posted March 8 Report Share Posted March 8 Like the others, I plan to be back aboard about an hour before all aboard time (to avoid any delays and any super long lines). If I want to play in the port area, I aim to be back around there 2 hours before. Once, in Curacao, I only gave myself 1 hour to play at the port area and I guess I misjudged how long I'd be there because i ended up stepping foot on board exactly at the all aboard time. My mom, who had gotten back before me, was joking that I was gonna be a pier runner but luckily our room faced the dock so she'd just toss my stuff down to me It was only funny because I made it on time but the hustle to get back was very nerve wracking WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billdauterive Posted March 8 Report Share Posted March 8 1 hour ago, CrimsonCruiser said: Like the others, I plan to be back aboard about an hour before all aboard time (to avoid any delays and any super long lines). If I want to play in the port area, I aim to be back around there 2 hours before. Ditto. On non-RCL excursions I always plan to be back at the port 2 hours before and onboard 1 hour before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billdauterive Posted March 8 Report Share Posted March 8 And ALWAYS double check what the ship time is before getting off the ship. I always check the time in the app as well to make sure they sync. I've heard too many stories of people almost or actually missing the boat because they were on local time and not ship time. CrimsonCruiser 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedNoodles Posted March 8 Report Share Posted March 8 For me it depends on what port and what I'm doing. Labadee or Coco Cay? You may find me headed back to the ship 20 minutes prior to All Aboard. Any excursion where I'm being transported away from the ship (not just wandering on foot) that isn't Royal Caribbean's doing? I'm going to make sure I'm planning to be back 90 minutes prior. CrimsonCruiser 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billdauterive Posted March 8 Report Share Posted March 8 13 minutes ago, SpeedNoodles said: Labadee or Coco Cay? You may find me headed back to the ship 20 minutes prior to All Aboard. Good point. No need to worry too much about the private destinations, they won't leave without you there (but not for a reason you're going to like...) CrimsonCruiser 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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