if my shuttle leaves at 11 am....

hi! i am staying at the best western about 25 minutes away from the port. the first free shuttle available from that hotel leaves at 11 am. What time would you think I would get on the ship?

I have heard to get to the port earlier (10:30 am) and then you can get on the ship earlier. we have 4 people so if we decided to get a taxi instead it probably would not be that expensive and i am debating if it would be worth it.

if it helps, i am going on freedom of seas on july 5th from port canaveral.

thank you for all your help!!!

Many people like to be the first on board. Chances are they won't start checking people in until near 11am. Those who arrive at 10:30 will be standing in line...As will you arriving at 11:30. The shuttle is free. A 25 minuite taxi ride can be expensive. Since you are sailing Royal Caribbean, you might was to post this on the Royal Caribbean board here at CC, under Cruise Lines P-Z. You might also want to ask on the Florida Departures board, under North American Homeports. Lots of good info there about the ports in FL. EM

typically the cruise terminals get very busy at noon. If you catch the 11:00 am shuttle you will make it just as it's starting to get really busy.

Is it worth the extra money to you to get there a bit earlier and be waiting to board the ship instead of waiting in a long line to check-in.

Jonathan

Like most lines, RCCL prioritizes check in for their highest level loyalty program guests and those who are booked in suites. So even if you're first in line, you may not be first on board. Expect to wait in line if you get there around 11:30. Embarkation seems to be the most stressful time of the cruise and unfortunately people get a little grumpy as they stand around. Arriving after the initial push may be more relaxing.

In most cruise terminals the crush of people is between 10:30 am and 1 pm as people rush to get that lunch in the buffet. Lines generally dissipate after 1 pm and by 2pm there is only a trickle of people. So the test is how you feel about lining up.

4 people -- how much luggage will you all have? Think if you don't want to use the free shuttle, you will need a van.

Are you staying in a suite, or a regular cabin? If a regular cabin, you don't have boarding priority, and getting early to the pier will mean waiting longer at the pier.

I hate waiting in line, so I would think you would arrive at a great time

We sailed the Disney Fantasy and checked in later in the afternoon. The all aboard time was 3:45pm. We caught the shuttle from Orlando around 2:00pm, and got to the terminal a little before 3:00pm. To me, that was cutting it a little close (it wasn't up to me) but there was hardly any one in the terminal and we checked in and walked right on the ship - no waiting! We missed the lunch buffet, but we ate before we left. They said in the morning it was a madhouse because everyone else was trying to get on the ship as early as possible.

Depending on what time your all aboard time is, you may not want to wait until real late, but I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to get there early because chances are everyone else will be doing the same thing.