Time Changes (zones) on Board - need info for health reasons

[tmocker]

I keep to a fairly normal schedule concerning meals and snacks.

We board the Magic on Florida-time. Does the Magic stay on Florida-time (I would doubt it) throughout the eastern cruise?

If not, does anyone know when/where it changes at each time zone?

Thanks.

 

[kcashner]

There is one time change, and it is only for a day or so. Sorry, but I don't remember which day it changes. You are on FL time for most of the cruise.

It is probably easier just to keep on the FL time schedule as far as meds and meals, as by the time you are beginning to adjust to the new time, it is time to change back again. THat might mean a dinner from room service on that day...but all other meals, you have flexible timing in the dining rooms.

By the way, the sugar free desserts on board are really good!
Kathryn

 

[Doctor P]

I believe that it depends on the time of the year, also. Some of the ports observe daylight savings time and others do not, which changes the need for and the timing of changing one's clock.

 

[Doctor P]

I will add--I am now a Type II diabetic and try to adhere to a reasonably regular meal and snack schedule. I have been contemplating our September cruise taking into account our experiences on the Magic last summer. Here are the tips I would offer based on what I know about diabetes and what I know from our experiences on the Magic and knowledge from websites about the progression of things on the Eastern cruise: 1) keep your watches on Eastern time even when there is a time change on the cruise. The only time changes that will deviate from Eastern time on the Eastern cruise would be for things to be LATER than it says on your watch. Therefore, if you eat breakfast early (as most diabetics do I think--I mean not like 9:00 am), then you will still be able to get your child breakfast as if they are eating on Eastern time even when the actual time is an hour later. The same should also hold for lunch. Dinner will likely be the issue. Even without diabetes, I ate a snack before our late dining time. I will need to eat more substantially I think since I now eat my dinner between 5 and 6 pm CST or 6 and 7 EST. So...in sum I think your only issue should be dinner on the nights you are in the Atlantic time zone (and some of the islands, as I said, don't switch to AST so you will be on EDT anyway if you go in the summer).

Hope this helps.

 

[BuzzBoyMom]

Here ya go...

http://www.dcltribute.com/faq/timechange.htm

 

[Lloyd Dobler]

On the eastern route, there is no time change during daylight saving time. Florida is on EDT and St. Maarten and the USVI are on Atlantic Standard Time, which are the same thing (they are far enough south that they don't observer DST). During standard time (end of Oct. through end of April), the ship's clock is moved forward one hour, on late Sunday night/early Monday morning (I remember this because Monday Night Football began at 10pm). It then changes back on late Thursday/Early Friday, I believe (although this might be Wed/Thursday).

On the western, the clock changes back one hour. It varies depending on the Daylight/Standard time setting. During DST, it changes back between Key West and Grand Cayman (Grand Cayman is in the eastern time zone, but does not observe DST). Duing Standard Time, it changes back between Grand Cayman and Cozumel.

Hope this makes sense.....

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

We took our Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Disney Magic in March 2002. Florida was on Eastern Standard Time (mid-Fall through mid-Spring). Sunday night, we had to adjust our watches forward one hour to Atlantic Standard Time. Thursday night, we had to adjust our watches back one hour. Thus, for the majority of our cruise -- four full days, Monday through Thursday -- we were in a different time zone.

My understanding is that if you take an Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Disney Magic when Florida is on Eastern Daylight Time (mid-Spring through mid-Fall), you don't change your watches at all. You still travel from the Eastern time zone into the Atlantic time zone. But the islands never switch to Daylight Saving Time, and there's no difference between Eastern Daylight Time and Atlantic Standard Time.