Quick answer: Marella Explorer 2 does not work a single standard Grenada schedule. Across the season, recorded arrival times include 07:30, 08:00 and 13:30, and recorded departures include 13:30, 18:00 and 20:00. Some calls are full days, some are morning half-days and some are afternoon-into-evening. Before you plan anything, find out which one yours is.
Almost every Grenada port-day guide – including several of ours – quietly assumes you have an eight-to-ten hour call beginning first thing in the morning. For most ships that is a safe assumption. For Explorer 2 it is not, and it is the assumption most likely to ruin your day.
Our schedule research recorded three different arrival times and three different departure times for this ship at St. George’s. The same pattern showed up in Marella’s previous Grenada season on a sister ship, so this is how the line operates here rather than a one-off. The practical consequence is that two people on the same ship, comparing notes at dinner, may have had entirely different amounts of time ashore.
When Marella Explorer 2 calls at Grenada
Six calls across the season. TUI’s own Exotic Islands itinerary page confirms the ship sails here; the individual dates come from a schedule aggregator.
| Date | Source confidence |
|---|---|
| 28 November 2026 | Schedule aggregator – verify |
| 12 December 2026 | Schedule aggregator – verify |
| 13 January 2027 | Schedule aggregator – verify |
| 26 January 2027 | Schedule aggregator – verify |
| 5 February 2027 | Schedule aggregator – verify |
| 19 March 2027 | Schedule aggregator – verify |
We deliberately have not put times against these dates. Our source recorded the set of arrival and departure times used across the season, but not which time belongs to which date. Publishing a guess would be worse than publishing nothing, because a wrong departure time on a page like this is how someone misses a ship. Take your times from your own itinerary and confirm them onboard.
Ship time is your responsibility. Published arrival and departure times change. Your cruise line and onboard app are the only authority for your all-aboard time. Check them on the morning of the call, and build your plan backwards from that time — not from the times on this page.
Work out which shape of day you have
Three shapes are possible on the recorded times. Find yours first, then read only the section that applies.
| Your call | Usable time ashore | What is realistic |
|---|---|---|
| Arrives 07:30-08:00, departs 18:00 | Around eight hours | Anything on the island, including the beach |
| Arrives 07:30-08:00, departs 13:30 | Around four hours | Town only, comfortably |
| Arrives 13:30, departs 18:00-20:00 | Around three to five hours | Town, or a late beach stop with care |
“Usable time” is always less than the gap between the two published times. Disembarkation takes a slice at the start, the all-aboard buffer takes a slice at the end, and the walk between ship and town takes a few minutes either way.
If you have a full day
You have the same options as any other ship, and our Grenada cruise port guide covers them in full. In short: pick one main thing rather than three, and commit to it. Grand Anse or the town, not both in sequence.
Explorer 2 carries around 1,814 guests, which is a small crowd by the standards of this port – so the queueing and congestion warnings written for the big ships are largely not your problem. That freedom is worth spending on covering more ground rather than on hurrying.
If you have a morning half-day
Stay in town. This is not a consolation prize.
The Grenada Ports Authority puts the Carenage around ten minutes from the terminal on foot, which means you are in St. George’s within fifteen minutes of stepping off. Four hours is comfortably enough for the harbour, the market area, a proper lunch and a browse, without once looking at your watch in a panic.
What four hours is not enough for is Grand Anse plus a return leg with any margin. The beach is not far, but a half-day call turns the return journey into the whole story of your afternoon. Our self-guided St. George’s walk is built for exactly this amount of time.
If you have an afternoon or evening call
The least-documented of the three, and the one where the standard advice actively misleads.
Two things change in the afternoon. Shops and some attractions keep their own hours rather than cruise hours, so a few things will be closing as you arrive – check before you count on them. In exchange, the light on the Carenage in the late afternoon is the best of the day, and the town is doing its own business rather than performing for a ship.
If your departure is 20:00 you have genuine scope, including a late beach stop. If it is 18:00, treat it as a town call and enjoy it as one.
Riding on a short call
A pre-booked ride works well on a full day and can work on a longer afternoon call, but it is the option most sensitive to how much time you actually have. On a four-hour morning call it is usually the wrong choice – not because it cannot be done, but because the handover, briefing and return leave too little riding to be worth it.
If you do ride, it suits confident adult road riders after a fit check and route briefing. Grenada drives on the left, the roads are narrow and hilly, and there is no cycling infrastructure. Our e-bike rental guide is candid about who should skip it, and our six-hour itinerary shows how a shorter call can still be structured well.
Tell us your call times when you enquire. It is the single most useful thing you can give us, and on this ship it genuinely changes what we would suggest.
Explore Grenada for less with friends
Standard self-guided e-bike day rentals are priced per rider, per day, and the rate drops as your group grows.
| Group size | Price per e-bike, per day | You save |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 riders | $40 | Standard rate |
| 4-5 riders | $35 each | $5 each (12.5%) |
| 6+ riders | $30 each | $10 each (25%) |
A group of six riding at the standard rate would pay $240 for the day. At the 6+ group rate the same six riders pay $180 — a saving of $60 on one day’s riding. The discount is applied to the whole booking, so it is worth asking the two friends who are undecided before you book.
These rates cover standard self-guided day rentals. Guided, private and custom tours are priced separately.
Collection and return times
Standard collection is 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, and 9am to 2pm on Saturday.
Two things matter if you are arriving by ship:
- Saturday returns are extended to 5pm for cruise passengers. A Saturday port call is not limited by the 2pm shop close — tell us your ship and date when you book.
- Sunday rides can be arranged on request. The shop is closed to walk-ins on Sundays, but contact us with your date and we will make arrangements where we can.
If your ship docks before 9am, say so when you book. Most Caribbean calls arrive between 7:30am and 8am, so there is usually a short gap before collection — easily absorbed with a coffee on the Carenage, provided you have planned for it rather than discovered it.
Ready to ride?
Check e-bike availability with Grenada Urban E-Mobility and tell us your dates and group size. If you are arriving by ship, include the vessel name and your arrival date so we can line the handover up with your time ashore.
Groups and private arrangements
Interested in a guided or private e-bike experience?
Tour pricing varies with your group size, itinerary, duration, guide requirements and cruise timing, so we quote each one rather than publishing a single figure.
Contact us for current tour pricing and availability. To get an accurate quote first time, tell us:
- your preferred date
- how many riders
- your ship, if you are visiting on a cruise
- roughly how much time you have ashore
- the places you would most like to see
- whether you want a private ride or are happy in a shared group
Practical notes for Explorer 2 passengers
- Confirm your arrival and departure times from the onboard programme, not from any website including this one
- Disembarkation is quick on a ship this size, which matters most on a short call
- Carry water and sun protection – shade near the waterfront is limited
- Some cash is useful at the market and with smaller vendors
- On an afternoon call, check the closing times of anything you specifically want to see
- The Grenada National Museum currently reports permanent closure, so do not plan around it
The one-line version
Find out whether you have four hours or eight before you decide anything else. On this ship that single fact determines the entire plan, and it is the one thing no general guide can tell you.
Sources and verification
We link the primary sources behind the factual claims on this page so you can check them yourself before you travel.
