booking {non-DCL} excursion time?

[amylovesdamon]

wondering what a safe time is to book an excursion (not thru DCL) at port in Cozumel? supposedly docking at 7:30 am and due back at ship byt 5:45 pm. What is a reasonable time to expect to be off the ship and on my way somewhere in a taxi?
i'd prefer to book an early time so I can relax uninterrupted for the remainder of the time instead of killing time until our excursion and then having awkward time before we need to get back on ship.
thanks!

 

[amylovesdamon]

surprised at lack of replies; is the question confusing?

 

[ldo]

with those times, I would feel comfortable booking 8:30-9am-3:30pm. When on a private tour or DIY, I always try to be back on the ship 2 hours prior to last call just to make sure.

 

[su_A_ve]

These types of boards are not constantly accessed to have an answer in less than an hour...

That said, you need to consider a few things when booking on your own:

* The ship will NOT wait for you. You want to be back well before the last call
* Make sure you have a no penalty cancellation if the ship doesn't dock - Some excursions will not refund you if you don't show up, even if it's because the ship never docked or changed the itinerary at the last minute