What time do you need to be back on the ship at a port day?

[jakesmum]

Our family (2A and 3 children - 8yrs, 6yrs & 6yrs) has booked our first Disney cruise, and i'm just trying to plan some of our excursions on the port days. If the itinerary says Grand Cayman 10:30 Guest ashore and 5:30pm guest onboard, what time should be really aim to be back on the ship? I don't want to leave it to the last possible minute.
I was hoping to do both,the Turtle Farm and also the Westin Hotel day pass at Seven mile beach, is that too much to squeeze into one day?

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Grand Cayman due to tendering aim for 4.45.

I do private tours in nearly all ports, and normally the all ashore and all board are my targets. You can leave it to the all onboard time.

But GC has tenders so you should add circa 45 minutes to get off by a tender service, small boats taking small groups off, and add 45 minutes to get on. Yes they say the last tender is at the time quoted IE 5.30 but the last tenders are busy and best to avoid.

GC is small, places close you can get to most quickly, how long your there us down to you.

 

[mmouse37]

It will be listed in your Daily Navigator what time "All Aboard" is on each port day. Give yourself plenty of time as poster above said. In GC you have to deal with tenders but in other ports you may have to deal with traffic or other things that may hold you up. We try to be onboard at least an hour before All Aboard time. There will also be a posting at the exit/entrance to the ship stating the All Aboard time.

We also bring the page of the Navigator with us that has the Ships Agent info on it just in case we may need it. The Ship's Agent is who you would contact in case of an emergency that looks like it would keep you from getting back to the ship on time or if you miss the ship.

MJ

 

[Prose]

As others have said, Grand Cayman is a tender port. If you book your excursion through DCL, they will give you a meeting spot, and then escort you to the tender boats. Keep in mind that 10:30 may be when tenders start, and you may have a wait. If you book independently, you could be held from tendering until the DCL excursion folks have all left.

They will make it abundantly clear to you when the last tender boat is scheduled to leave the dock for the ship. I would plan to be at the dock AT LEAST 30 minutes before the last tender, if not more. If the last tender leaves at 4:45, I would be there ready to go between 4 and 4:15 at the latest. So you would essentially have from maybe 11am arrive at the dock to 4pm back to the dock. Add on transportation time to the excursion site, and I personally wouldn't risk two excursions.

 

[Rabb it]

What are tenders?

 

[disneyfaninaz]

What are tenders?

DCL cannot dock in Grand Cayman so they contract with tender boats from the island who will come out and shuttle people to and from the ship. They are usually good size vessels.

 

[jdb in AZ]

We've been on a DCL shore excursion that finished after the all aboard time. It was scheduled that way to give the other passengers a chance to tender back to the ship, then our excursion boarded the tender without waiting in a long line. And it gave us more time on shore.

 

[MPS516]

I tell our girls to be back on the ship before it leaves. But our rule of thumb is look at the daily Navigator to see when last tender is scheduled (they also announce it several times) and if you are not at the tender boarding location 30 minutes prior to last tender time, plan on walking home. We have never been even close to missing nor had a long wait for tender boarding.

 

[Rabb it]

DCL cannot dock in Grand Cayman so they contract with tender boats from the island who will come out and shuttle people to and from the ship. They are usually good size vessels.

Ohhhhh, OK thanks!