Pictured: Casio Men’s Classic W800H-1AV Sport Watch with Black Resin Band
The Smartest Watch for Your Next Cruise
The smartest watch to take on your next cruise might not be a smartwatch at all. When we’re spending a day in port, I like having a simple, regular watch set to ship’s time. It removes one potentially very important question from the day: what time is it back on the ship?
Imagine you’re exploring a cruise port, shopping, spending time at the beach or heading off on your own excursion. A few hours later you look down at your Apple Watch or phone and suddenly wonder: is that still ship’s time, or did the device automatically switch to local time?
Then come the follow-up questions. Is the port actually in the same time zone as the ship? Did your phone or watch update automatically? Does the local time observe daylight saving time? Most importantly, are you absolutely sure how much time you have before all aboard?
Why We Take a Regular Watch on Cruise Port Days
I highly recommend taking a regular watch with you when you leave the ship. By regular, I mean a simple non-smart watch that will continue displaying whatever time you set.
We use this Casio. You don’t necessarily have to wear it. Set it to ship’s time before leaving the ship and toss it in your bag or backpack.
The non-smart part is important to me. Phones and smartwatches can adjust their clocks based on location, network information or device settings. I’ve even had a phone change time after connecting to WiFi while it was in airplane mode.
Of course, you can change the settings on your phone or smartwatch to prevent automatic time changes. A simple watch is just an easy backup. Once it’s set to ship’s time, there is very little to think about.
Cruise Ship Time vs. Local Time
One of the reasons this matters is that cruise ship time and local time are not always the same thing. The ship will tell you what time to follow and when you need to be back onboard. That’s the time that matters when planning your return.
Instead of trying to remember whether your phone changed time or whether the port is operating on the same time as the ship, a dedicated watch gives you a simple reference that you control.
Before leaving the ship, confirm the current ship’s time and your all-aboard time. Then set your regular watch accordingly.
A Tip for Watches with Multiple Time Zones
If your watch can display more than one time zone, I recommend syncing every available time setting to ship’s time before heading into port.
I do this on every cruise. That way, if I accidentally press a button and switch to another time display, I still see the correct ship’s time instead of an old time zone left over from a previous trip.
Two More Cruise Port Day Tips
Before walking off the ship, take a picture or screenshot of the posted all-aboard time and emergency contact information for the port. Keep that information on your phone so you can easily reference it while you’re ashore.
And if you’re buying a simple watch specifically for cruising, consider choosing a water-resistant model. It’s useful when your port day involves a beach, pool, boat excursion or other activities around water.
The Bottom Line
A smartwatch can do a lot more than a basic digital watch, but that’s exactly why I like something simple for cruise port days. Set it to ship’s time, put it on your wrist or in your bag, and you have a dedicated reference that isn’t trying to determine where you are or what time zone it thinks you should be using.
For something so simple and inexpensive, a regular watch can provide a surprising amount of peace of mind when you’re enjoying a day away from the ship.
For lots more ideas about what to bring on your next cruise, check out our complete cruise packing list.
Casio Men’s Classic W800H-1AV Sport Watch with Black Resin Band – affiliate link, note that multiple variations of this product may be available, as such a different version may appear at this link
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