Ship time and local time: planning your return to the ship

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Ship time and local time: planning your return to the ship

Ship time is the time observed on board; local time is the time in the port you are visiting. The two can differ. When returning to the ship, follow the ship time announced on board. For an independently arranged shore trip, you therefore need to put the local operator’s times and the ship’s return deadline on the same time basis.

Two clocks, one moment

Norwegian Cruise Line explicitly warns that ship time may differ from the time in a port of call and that guests must follow ship time. A useful way to plan is to write out the difference in a full sentence: “Today, ship time is one hour ahead of local time.” This also makes the direction of the conversion clear.

You cannot assume that the time difference stays the same throughout a voyage calling at several ports. Follow the current announcement on board for each shore visit. If you go ashore independently on several days, note the difference for each port. This helps prevent you from reading a saved excursion confirmation in local time as though it used ship time.

Worked example: the ship is one hour ahead

The following example uses invented times: the ship’s clock is one hour ahead of the clocks in port. All aboard is at 17:00 ship time; a local operator says that an excursion finishes at 15:30 local time.

There are 30 minutes between the excursion ending and the return deadline. Travel to the port, walking to the correct ship entrance and any waiting time must still fit within that interval. You only get an apparent hour and a half by subtracting 15:30 local time directly from 17:00 ship time. If the ship’s clock is one hour behind, the conversion works in the opposite direction.

Distinguish all aboard, departure and the last tender

The departure time is a different deadline from the time by which guests must return. Royal Caribbean posts its all-aboard time near the gangway, among other places, and generally gives an interval of about 30 minutes before sailing. Norwegian requires guests at ports of call to return no later than one hour before scheduled departure. For your own voyage, follow the specific time announced on board.

At a tender port, you also need to account for the last boat from shore back to the ship. Put it in your day’s plan as a separate deadline. If you arrive at the tender landing only when the cruise ship is due to sail, the necessary journey back is still ahead of you. See also arrival, departure and all-aboard time.

Label your clock and excursion documents clearly

Before going ashore, make a short note of ship time, local time, the return deadline and, where applicable, the last tender. For private excursions, write “local time” or “ship time” next to the meeting and finishing times. Royal Caribbean bases its own shore excursion times on ship time; for a local operator, check the time basis used in your particular confirmation.

Just before leaving the ship, compare the clock you will use ashore with the announced ship time. A second, clearly labelled local-time display makes it easier to coordinate with drivers or meeting points. Plan your return backwards from the latest arrival time, allowing a separate buffer for travel, walking and waiting.

Norwegian Cruise Line’s boarding guidance explains its return deadline and the use of ship time.