Port of Miami - Escape check in

Hello! Apologies if this has been asked before - nothing coming up in search. First time sailing out of Miami.

Sailing with my two small kids and husband .. we were hoping to have my husband drop us off at port, return rental car (downtown Miami location) and taxi back to port. Is there somewhere we can wait while he's gone so we can all check in together? Check in time on our docs is 10am so I know we'll have a wait either way before boarding. Or should I plan on checking myself and kids in and he can meet us in waiting area? We are all under same reservation in one cabin.

Just trying to know what to expect - any help appreciated! Thanks!

Hello..this is my first time sailing on the Escape from Miami as well but I am a platinum member of NCL so I think I can help you a little...boarding at 10am is unlikely even for Haven and Suite guests as that is the last time to leave the ship for the previous cruisers....From first hand experience, the boarding usually begins around 11 am for haven members and the handicapped and then usually an hour after for the regular passengers...so you have plenty of time to board with the regular passengers if you are one of them...I would say book you and the kids first so you get an early boarding pass time and when your husband comes back, he can book himself and board with your early boarding pass time...however with that said, I have never been to the miami port so I don't even know if there is a waiting area for you in case you feel its safer for you and the kids to wait for your husband and then book...

so I think book early with an early pass, wait within the safe confines of the NCL cordoned area along with other passengers and board with your husband, an hour or two later...just my opinion...good luck

There is really no place to wait outside of security. Check in separately. You take care of setting up the onboard account with a credit card for everyone. Meet in the waiting area. It is not that large and you can easily find each other.

General boarding starts between 11:15 and 11:30.

Perfect - thanks so much for replies! Very helpful.

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If the weather is decent you can wait on one of the benches outside the building, too.

There are also a few chairs in side terminal b right before security. They fill up quickly but as soon as security opens they will be empty.

Like another poster said you can check in and wait upstairs with a early boarding number too. Just make sure you both have a copy of your edocs because he will have to check in by him self. He will need his room. Keycard to get upstairs

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Thanks, all! I'm just going to go upstairs and get us checked in. I think we are arriving early enough that he'll get there before we get called anyways. If not, can you wait there after your boarding group is called?

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Thanks, all! I'm just going to go upstairs and get us checked in. I think we are arriving early enough that he'll get there before we get called anyways. If not, can you wait there after your boarding group is called?

 

 

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Yup. You can wait there until 2 hours before sale. It is just a huge room like a airport terminal. Never heard them complain that you have a boarding card that is a lower number then what they are calling. Anyway that is the the rush of those who get there early. usually after an hour or two they don't even use numbers because people just walk on since there is no longer a wait

Hello! Apologies if this has been asked before - nothing coming up in search. First time sailing out of Miami.

 

Sailing with my two small kids and husband .. we were hoping to have my husband drop us off at port, return rental car (downtown Miami location) and taxi back to port. Is there somewhere we can wait while he's gone so we can all check in together? Check in time on our docs is 10am so I know we'll have a wait either way before boarding. Or should I plan on checking myself and kids in and he can meet us in waiting area? We are all under same reservation in one cabin.

 

Just trying to know what to expect - any help appreciated! Thanks!

I do not know what car rental company you are using, but the larger RAC's use both the downtown Miami and the Grand DoubleTree. We use the Grand DoubleTree for drop off and pick up. It's 2 miles from NCL dock. LIKE 5 MINUTES versus traffic into Miami. Would save your husband a lot of time 'going in and getting back out.

Hope this helps.

Hey, I have done that. At 11AM, dropped friends, wife and kids at cruise ship for them to check in luggage and go onboard. I returned car all the back back to the Miami airport. Took a shuttle back to the cruise ship and ended up just walking on board after checking in with no further waiting. The only thing we missed was being all together for the photo as we boarded, but there a plenty of other photo opportunities.

We did hope to meet up again at the cabin but I found at 1:30PM it still was not available. Just hung out until it was---this was before we had multiple cell phones in the family.

Thank you!

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