I was curious, I have never cruised before, and am planning to charter a private catamaran in Barbados that runs from 1:30-4:30. However, our ship, the Carnival Victory, departs at 5pm. Will this be enough time if our charter drops us off near port? Basically, my question is, how does the reboarding process work? Is it long? Or do you simply flash your cruise pass and walk on? Please let me know !
NO! its not. Typically they will tell you to be back on board 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time. If the tour is scheduled to be done by 4:30, this gives you no slop to account for traffic delays, transport problems etc...
When we went to Barbados in June, they bussed us from the ship docking area to a different area where the charters and tours (on boats) were departing from. The time between the tour getting back and them getting us back to the ship was at least 15 minutes.
I would not advise you try this unless you can contact the tour company and arrange for an earlier tour.
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================================================== ========== Carnival Cruise Lines:
Fantasy 90, Celebration 95, Victory 05, Conquest 05, Spirit 6/06, Freedom 6/08, Holiday 7/08, Victory 6/09, Valor 9/09, Dream 6/10, Splendor 8/10,Conquest 8/11,Magic 11/11,Triumph 4/12,Spirit 7/12,Freedom 11/12, Triumph 2/13 - The fire cruise
NCL Dream October 2006, RCCL Mariner OTS June 2007
Unless you plan on flying to meet the ship at the next port, no, it doesn't give you enough time. Jim is spot on, you need to call your charter company and change your times.
I agree. You need to be back on the ship half an hour before departing, in your case 1630, so getting off your charter and walking to the the ship and all that is not enough time. Better save than sorry!
Or do you simply flash your cruise pass and walk on?
Sometimes there is a line to get back on the ship, sometimes there isn't. On Royal Caribbean, once you get to the entry point, you put your sea pass in a machine and the employee verifies that is you. Sometimes you will have to put your belongings through an x-ray machine. Even if there's no one in front of you it will take you a minute.
Or do you simply flash your cruise pass and walk on?
The process is as Maurine notes. Carnival uses the same photo security system that Royal Caribbean uses (in fact pretty much all the cruise lines use the system). The system also keeps a running log of who is ashore and who is aboard.
Cruise ship captains pride themselves on sticking to the schedule. If the ship is to leave at 5pm, they will have the gangways removed prior to that, and will be ready to pull up the lines and leave exactly at 5. Shortly after the 4:30pm time to be back aboard they will look at the security system and see who has not scanned their cruise card to indicate they are aboard. They will then start calling names over the public address system, just in case somebody slipped by.
If they know you are on a ship's tour and it is delayed, then they will deviate from the schedule and wait - although sometimes they do have to vacate the pier and will anchor out in the harbor. But if it is a private tour - adios amigo, maybe we'll see you at the next port if you can get there.
I'm sure that many of us have been on our balconies watching the FEW, the PROUD, the Drunk stagger from out of nowwhere and run down the looooooooooong piers to get on board at the last minute..Some seem to want to test the last boarding times..Some, unfortunately, don't make it..Don't be one of the missing and have to play catch up.
I have spoken with our charter service and they are dropping us off a short distance from the port and I am also ending the tour earlier. Thanks for all of your great input!
Posted August 11, 2009 10:21 AM
I was curious, I have never cruised before, and am planning to charter a private catamaran in Barbados that runs from 1:30-4:30. However, our ship, the Carnival Victory, departs at 5pm. Will this be enough time if our charter drops us off near port? Basically, my question is, how does the reboarding process work? Is it long? Or do you simply flash your cruise pass and walk on? Please let me know
Megan -
Don't Do It or as Dave has said it for us all --- Adios Amigo!!!
or as Dave has said it for us all --- Adios Amigo!!!
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