Excursion times

[Ravenne]

I've read/heard/know that if you book excursions through DCL, they'll make sure you get back to the ship in time, and that's one of the safety net measures of booking directly through DCL.

With that said, I'm looking at an excursion through DCL that they said is 5-5.5 hours long. The start time is 10:45 am with a return time of 4:30 pm, and the all aboard time is 4:45 pm. Is there any cause for concern here? That seems to be cutting it way close. I'm sure DCL has it all sorted out, but I'd be lying if that doesn't make me a tiny bit nervous.

 

[dad of 3 addicted to DCL]

When we did our Tulum excursion (CZ06) in Cozumel, we got back to the ship 15 minutes after all aboard; they held the ship for us. Fantasy was pulling away from the dock before we all finished our showers. That's a big reason why we do our big excursions through Disney. Running about town is another venture. We're comfortable planning those on our own. It's nice that the ship will wait for you to get back if it's through a DCL Excursion.

 

[The Fox Menagerie]

We did a SCUBA dive excursion in Nassau last summer through DCL. We were late returning to the ship and Disney knew we were coming. They had a cart waiting for us where the van dropped us off and scurried us back to where we boarded. It was about 15 minutes past all aboard, and they waited for us. Had we booked the diving on our own, which we could have done directly with the same dive shop, I don't know if they would have waited.

 

[Dug720]

And IF for some reason they cannot hold the ship (an accident shuts down the only road the bus can take, for example), DCL will cover the cost of getting you to the ship.

Note that this does not just apply for some, but all. A few years ago, I was on an Alaska cruise (with Holland America...not my choice in the line and never again) and there was a crew member who worked in their excursions area on a whale watching cruise with me. (She was one who could go on various ones when there was room so she could tell people first-hand experience when they asked about excursions) and she told me how a couple of weeks before that, one of the glacier/sled dog excursions got stranded at the musher's camp because of weather preventing the helicopters from getting back to them. There were two HAL ships that had groups as well as a family or two who booked privately. All guests were put up in the musher's camp overnight until the helicopters could get back. Then the guests on HAL excursions were either put on a train or a boat to meet their respective ship - all paid for and arranged by HAL, as was reimbursement to the musher's camp. Those on the private excursions were pretty much left to their own devices to get back to the ship.

Sometimes the "added cost" of a ship-based excursion really is worth it.

 

[GPaLarry]

Years ago, when on board the Magic for an EBPC, we were docked at Acapulco. We were to leave at 2 pm...DCL is always on time, especially when they have to be in the queue for the expensive PC crossing. 2 pm came and went...2:15 and we are still docked. We had a porthole stateroom and I couldn't look down at the side of the ship so I went up on deck and looked over the railing. One gangplank was still there and several DCL officers were running around thumping their watches. 2:30 comes and goes and I'm sure they were sweating bullets. Finally, at 2:45 a bus comes flying down the streets and stops by the screening tent. Everyone in it made a mad dash through the tent (forget the screening) and up the gangplank. The crew quickly pulled in the plank, shut the door, and, if he could, the captain just about laid rubber to get out of there ASAP. We learned later that the bus had a flat tire way up in the hills, but it was a DCL excursion and the ship waited. On a more recent mouse cruise there was a delay leaving a port because of a medical emergency...all part of the adventure!!

 

[MelSpees]

We were on a DCL excursion that was late. They waited for a whole bus of us. It was kind-of funny hearing people talk later on about the excursion they had to wait for. This was on the EBPC, I think in Puerto Vallarta.

 

[Poncey]

Two years ago on the Magic with a Disney World day, there was an accident after 9pm on Rt 4 on the way back to boarding the ship. The highway was closed eastbound. The ship was delayed in leaving Port Canaveral, but it waited for every bus to get everyone back on the ship. The departure I think was delayed more than an hour, but they waited. If it wasn't Disney transportation, the ship would have sailed. Booking an excursion through Disney just lessens the vacation stress.

 

[Jkpark]

If I am in an area that I am more nervous about for safety reasons, I book through Disney (Jamaica). If I am booking an excursion that is set to end within 2 1/2 hours of the ship leaving, I book through Disney. Otherwise I take my chances and save some money.