Private Excursions - How early do you feel comfortable being back on ship?

[dvcdisney]

We are doing a few private excursions on our upcoming cruise. And I had a discussion with a family member who also cruises.

My general rule with non-DCL excursion, although I can see that it may seem a little crazy, is that we are scheduled to be back at port no later than 1.5hr to 2hrs before all aboard. We don't always board at that time, but that we would be back at port by that time.

I'm just curious if anyone else has the same plans. Or would you be fine if the excursion is scheduled to end 30 mins prior?

 

[Luv2Diz]

I like to be back at port no less than 1.5 hours before all aboard. Anything less makes me a bit antsy.

 

[Lori74]

I would never cut it that close. I would be comfortable being back at least an hour prior.

 

[Mich123]

I’m with you—1.5 hours—anything could go wrong and it would be a nightmare to miss the boat.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I like to be back at port no less than 1.5 hours before all aboard. Anything less makes me a bit antsy.

This. I always shoot for a minimum 1.5 hr buffer.

 

[Bethany10]

You guys are making me nervous, I was thinking an hour.

 

[wendydarling33]

For me it depends on the excursion I'm taking. If there are a lot of parts or things that could go wrong, I leave more time. If it's more simple, then I feel comfortable with less time. But definitely never less than an hour.

 

[3monkeys4me]

For me it depends on the excursion I'm taking. If there are a lot of parts or things that could go wrong, I leave more time. If it's more simple, then I feel comfortable with less time. But definitely never less than an hour.

Same.

 

[Carrie in AZ]

My own personal comfort level is 2-3 hours. Not kidding.

I think a lot depends on where you are going and what you are doing. If you are going way out somewhere, a lot can go wrong: flat tire, accident and road being block, etc. My mind can conjur up A LOT of negative scenarios.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[Shanti]

You guys are making me nervous, I was thinking an hour.

An hour buffer would be my rule of thumb for something relatively easy to reach from the port. For something that takes you far away or requires complex transportation (such as a plane, train, helicopter or ferry boat), I would want a 2-hour buffer, at least.

 

[Bethany10]

An hour buffer would be my rule of thumb for something relatively easy to reach from the port. For something that takes you far away or requires complex transportation (such as a plane, train, helicopter or ferry boat), I would want a 2-hour buffer, at least.

Which makes total sense. I'm looking at Key West being the only port besides CC that we'd get off the boat so my buffer is skewed. I can totally see needing more time if we were in a larger port city or needing to take some kind of transport back to the port.

 

[cmph]

Which makes total sense. I'm looking at Key West being the only port besides CC that we'd get off the boat so my buffer is skewed. I can totally see needing more time if we were in a larger port city or needing to take some kind of transport back to the port.

Oh gosh, you could practically walk to the ship from the furthest away point in an hour. Not saying it would be a fun hour! But you don't need to worry about Key West. I think the conservative estimates are for, like, European ports, or the air-involved Alaskan excursions.

OP - totally depends on the port, I think. And if the excursion takes you literally to the ramp that will get you onto the ship, or if you get dropped somewhere further away (which won't matter so much if you're all young and healthy enough, but otherwise might matter a lot).

 

[KashasMom]

Depends on the port and the excursion but we're usually comfortable with an hour to an hour and a half.

 

[Jess_S]

I agree that I am usually comfortable with an hour. I might give more time if we are going somewhere far from port to allow for traffic. We use the buffer to explore the area near port if we have the energy.

 

[aggiedog]

About 1.5 hours. Partly to cushion for any unexpected delays, and partly to keep dh from making me crazy. He's the worrier. If we aren't crossing the gangplank 1.5 hours before, he makes my life miserable. The few times I've gone out with just a kid or two, I've cut it as close as 30 minutes, but those were always close in town, taking the ship shuttle back to the ship.

 

[starvenger]

Would agree with the “depends on” opinion. Say you’re going to Chichen Itza from Cozumel. You’ll want to get to the FERRY with 2 hours to go.

But if you were takzing a taxi to one of the day resorts, I’d say getting back 30 minutes before (so leave an hour before all aboard?) would be fine.

 

[kaseyC]

Depends on the itinerary. If it's the Caribbean, I would be comfortable with an hour or at minimum 45 mins. If it's an European itinerary where the major sites/cities can be a few hours from the port it would be 1.5 - 2hrs.

 

[Pens Fan]

We've always been comfortable with an hour, but in our experience the guides usually get us back sooner than that. They worry about that stuff just as much (if not more) than we do. We always plan on being off the ship as soon as it's cleared, so that we have lots of time to explore without worrying about making it back on time.

We are doing a Med cruise next year, and for a couple of ports I'll probably shoot towards the 1.5 to 2 hour buffer, especially on the Amalfi Coast just due to traffic concerns.

 

[Quellman]

As others have said, and I agree, depends on the port and what the excursion is. But generally, I want to be able to walk onto the ship at least 1 hour prior to anchors up.

I have been passenger number -8 once. My wife got a call in the stateroom about 10 minutes prior to all aboard asking her if she knew where I was. She did, buying rum and was walking alongside the ship when she shouted down to me!

 

[dvcdisney]

Thanks everyone!

I agree, it would depend on the type of excursion. But for me, even if it's an excursion that seems simple and closer to the port, I still feel the need to get to port, not necessarily on the ship, but in line through port security at 1.5/2hrs prior would be my comfort zone.

I guess I'm not really as crazy as I thought. I'm sure there are people, like the relative that I mentioned, who have no problem booking a private excursion with a return time of 30 mins, but I'd be a nervous wreck and likely wouldn't enjoy the excursion. Sometimes I envy people who can do that...up until I see them running towards a ship that's leaving. I warned my relative about that and they just laugh...they think I'm crazy anyways since I like to be early for everything. I had a family reunion trip with them, and I made sure I planned and booked everything. They had complaints, but it didn't bother me. I just know now NEVER to vacation with those particular relatives again.