What time do shore excursions start?

[Mom2Anna&Elsa]

Forgive me if this is answered somewhere on here, but is there any way to find out the specific time a shore excursion starts that is booked through DCL?

Google is only bringing up the Castaway status information to find out what day the booking window opens. I don’t need that. I need to know, for example, if I book a Magen’s Bay Beach Break excursion on the Disney Treasure, what time does it gather up and leave for Magen’s Bay?

This is important to me because if it shows the DCL ship is first in port at 7:45 am and two other giant ships arrive around noon, I want to be on the beach before those other cruisers go there. I don’t want an excursion that leaves at one, the beach will already be packed.

 

[Calantha]

I book a Magen’s Bay Beach Break excursion on the Disney Treasure, what time does it gather up and leave for Magen’s Bay?

When you do the booking it will tell you the departure time. For example, I just booked Atlantis on Nassau, and the departure options were 9AM and 9:30AM

But on St. Thomas, I would just grab a taxi and go as soon as the ship docked.

 

[cvjw]

We just did Tortola and St Thomas on the fantasy. Our excursions started at 7:45 both days. Super early. But we made it to the Baths before other ships. When you book excursions, it will tell you the start times.

 

[auntlynne]

They do a pretty good job of scheduling excursions to leave shortly after getting clearance from the port.

The Magen’s Bay Beach Break is 4-4.5 hours. The ship is scheduled to depart at 3:45.

Probably an 8:30/9 am departure. ^^Poster said excursion started at 7:45. Perhaps an earlier arrival time.

You should have time at the beach without guests from noon-arrival ships.

From the description on DCL website. Note time return from beach.

• Transportation back to the pier is scheduled by the tour operator between 1:30 PM and 2:00 PM. Guests wishing to return earlier or later will be required to pay for their own transportation back to the ship.

This is an easy DIY excursion. Here are taxi rates from Dec 2023 from pier to various locations. First column is single person in party (not solo rider in taxi). Second column is price pp in your party.

Beach entrance is $5 pp over 12 yo (free for under 12).

Lounger is included in DCL excursion.

 

[Jsoenning]

As a caution, not the question you asked, but when we went in January this year on Disney Magic, our excursion time coincided with other excursions and ours had a ton of people going on it (guessing at least 150, there was a family that took two of the middle rows in the Walt Disney theater).

The tickets or app says to arrive a certain amount of time ahead of the excursion and the line was so long. We arrived earlier than the recommended time, and the line went past the shops to the mid-ship elevators and wrapped around to where folks couldn't tell where the line started. We didn't get into the theater by the time we were supposed to be there. Part of the reason for the line is folks had to dig around for their room keys to get checked in.

We didn't miss the excursion but it stressed me and the kiddos out. The excursion was a beach break day in Cozumel.

The time it took to get organized in the theater (we weren't the last to arrive) and then again on the dock off the ship (we stood for 30 minutes) and then the long walk through the shopping center (likely another 15-20 minutes and the group was so big you couldn't see the people you were supposed to be following) definitely ate into the excursion time. We always book through the cruise line but makes it mighty tempting to just go on your own and grab a cab.

The walk through the shopping center seemed highly unnecessary as we didn't go on a direct route to where the busses are parked.

 

[Mom2Anna&Elsa]

As a caution, not the question you asked, but when we went in January this year on Disney Magic, our excursion time coincided with other excursions and ours had a ton of people going on it (guessing at least 150, there was a family that took two of the middle rows in the Walt Disney theater).

The tickets or app says to arrive a certain amount of time ahead of the excursion and the line was so long. We arrived earlier than the recommended time, and the line went past the shops to the mid-ship elevators and wrapped around to where folks couldn't tell where the line started. We didn't get into the theater by the time we were supposed to be there. Part of the reason for the line is folks had to dig around for their room keys to get checked in.

We didn't miss the excursion but it stressed me and the kiddos out. The excursion was a beach break day in Cozumel.

The time it took to get organized in the theater (we weren't the last to arrive) and then again on the dock off the ship (we stood for 30 minutes) and then the long walk through the shopping center (likely another 15-20 minutes and the group was so big you couldn't see the people you were supposed to be following) definitely ate into the excursion time. We always book through the cruise line but makes it mighty tempting to just go on your own and grab a cab.

The walk through the shopping center seemed highly unnecessary as we didn't go on a direct route to where the busses are parked.

This is fantastic information, thank you. Really makes me think maybe we just get off the ship and do a taxi on our own, especially since I'm seeing that the Treasure should be the first ship in port that day.

 

[Mom2Anna&Elsa]

They do a pretty good job of scheduling excursions to leave shortly after getting clearance from the port.

The Magen’s Bay Beach Break is 4-4.5 hours. The ship is scheduled to depart at 3:45.

Probably an 8:30/9 am departure. ^^Poster said excursion started at 7:45. Perhaps an earlier arrival time.

You should have time at the beach without guests from noon-arrival ships.

From the description on DCL website. Note time return from beach.

• Transportation back to the pier is scheduled by the tour operator between 1:30 PM and 2:00 PM. Guests wishing to return earlier or later will be required to pay for their own transportation back to the ship.

This is an easy DIY excursion. Here are taxi rates from Dec 2023 from pier to various locations. First column is single person in party (not solo rider in taxi). Second column is price pp in your party.

Beach entrance is $5 pp over 12 yo (free for under 12).

Lounger is included in DCL excursion.


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Thank you for this information! Especially the taxi rate information. It does seem simpler to just do it on our own after reading about other's experiences with the chaos of an excursion.

 

[cedricandsophie]

I do believe that the first people allowed off the ship are those on excursions? At least I thought that was how it worked. We rarely do excursions and sometimes don’t even get off the ship, but generally if you wait until 9 or later you can walk off quickly.
But as someone noted, if you have a large number of people going on an excursion, the amount if time listed for the excursion starts when you get off the ship. So if it takes 30 to 45 min to actually get on a bus and 30 min to get to your destination and your excursion. Is 4 hours, that really means your time at wherever you are going is only about 2 1/2 hours because you still have to return to the ship.