What is the LATEST you would board a ship in FLL?

We are staying at a beachfront resort in Ft. Lauderdale and want to take the stress out of the boarding process. I HATE STANDING IN LINE. I’m usually so excited to board, that I go early and board with the masses.

What is the latest you would board to ease the process and likely ensure a fast, stress free check-in?

2-2:30 is the latest I would board at any port.

I’m with you. We usually leave the hotel at 1030 and are on the ship around 1215. There’s usually 44 minutes of waiting but I have an iPad and can’t wait to get on the ship.

Sorry I don’t have answer. Not sure what the three o’clock hour holds....

We have boarded at 2 pm on occasion as we were enjoying the day. We just flew through.

The latest I would board is 90 minutes before sailing but I'd be more comfortable with 2 hours "to be safe".

1:30-2:00 works well for us.

We spend the morning walking the beach, sitting by the pool or picking up some last minute items.

We have a light lunch nearby while the hotel holds our luggage, then take a taxi from the hotel to the ship.

Taxis have always been plentiful, and traffic light when heading to the port in the afternoon.

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We are among those who like to get on the ship as early as possible. So we get to the pier by 10:30.

If your ship is scheduled to leave at 4, lifeboat drill will be around 3:15. You will want to be on the ship way before that so that you aren't rushed dropping off items in your cabin and getting to the drill.

From the 2018 KBYG:

With a 4:00pm departure, HAL wants you to check in no later than 2:30pm. I'd add a half hour and target 2:00pm, if I was going for a late embarkation. Personally, DW and I prefer to board early, but we don't mind the crowds.

I've seen people board fairly late, but that was usually flight-delay-related so they have an excuse. I'd agree with the 2:00 - 2:30 advice.

I would want to board by 12:30-1:00 PM at the latest, and prefer sooner. I always want to be sure my mobility device is brought to the cabin so I can do what needs doing, confirm my Pinnacle reservations, book manicures, and get some lunch by 2:00-2:30, or so. And I want to be totally unpacked before muster is called so I can start enjoying as soon as it's over.

I too love to be one of the first groups onboard. We take the first shuttle from the hotel, can't remember but I think it maybe 10 am or so, but the first one anyways, don't want to miss 1 minute onboard........

Count me as another that prefers to avoid the first rush to get onboard the ship.

Do HAL ships really leave at 4pm from FLL? That seems so early. At any, rate I usually aim to arrive at least a couple of hours after the official beginning of boarding time and not later than 2 hours before departure.

Our last cruise was atypical in that we boarded at 7pm on our last cruise. Our flight didn't even land until 6pm, and it was arranged by HAL's Flight Ease. We were the only passengers in the cruise terminal and the only HAL employee took us onboard and checked us in.

On the other hand, the shop did not sail until 11pm so there was no concern. Just very strange.

To address other concerns: HAL has the passenger information already if one fills in the pre-boarding forms online before arriving at the terminal so it is OK to arrive later in the afternoon. We prefer to arrive late and just breeze through the short lines. This is definitely worth giving up the first lunch, and I can always grab a burger at the Dive-In.

igraf

Count me as another that prefers to avoid the first rush to get onboard the ship.

 

Do HAL ships really leave at 4pm from FLL? That seems so early. At any, rate I usually aim to arrive at least a couple of hours after the official beginning of boarding time and not later than 2 hours before departure.

We are staying at a beachfront resort in Ft. Lauderdale and want to take the stress out of the boarding process. I HATE STANDING IN LINE. I’m usually so excited to board, that I go early and board with the masses.

 

What is the latest you would board to ease the process and likely ensure a fast, stress free check-in?

Imo, waiting at a hotel to avoid the check in lines would stress me out more. What happens if there is a problem with getting to the port, accident, road or port entrance closures. I know it’s unlikely, but...

I get to the port at 10:00 am, I usually see people still debarking and waiting for taxis. That being said the latest I got there once was 3:00 pm, our party was rushed through, and sternly warned not to do that again. We had flight delays. Now I try to come in two days early to Fll [emoji6]

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For me a lot depends on the length of the cruise. The longer the cruise the less inclined I am to get there early. So for a 7-10 day "shortie" I'd probably arrive 11-1130, for a longer cruise 1230-100. If I arrive early it usually is timed so I can eat lunch in the MDR (on cruise lines that offer it), otherwise I poke around the ship and grab a light snack right before muster. I cannot stand the boarding day chaos of the buffeteria.

In an ideal world I'd arrive 1130ish, be onboard by noon, be able to drop my carry on in the cabin, head to the MDR for lunch then leisurely explore the ship, or if it's one I've sailed on before, relax by the pool with a fruity adult beverage of choice before heading to the cabin and unpack before muster :D

We ALWAYS board after the crowds. Usually 2-2:30 for a 4pm sailing. We go out for a lovely, relaxed lunch and breeze through the terminal. Regrettably we always seem to have plenty of time to get to the muster drill....(I'm still waiting for someone to create the system wherein we show up at the muster station, get "scanned in" by the crew, then sent on our merry way because....well, because unless they are going to give us a tour of the lifeboats, we have pretty much seen it all and heard it all before!)

Back to the subject of later check-in, I agree strongly that those with mobility issues should give themselves more leeway than mentioned above.

Let’s see ....... I’ve paid for a seven day cruise. Why would I spend half of one of those days sitting at a resort or shopping, etc?

First shuttle ...... Get me on the ship ..... let the vacation begin!

Let’s see ....... I’ve paid for a seven day cruise. Why would I spend half of one of those days sitting at a resort or shopping, etc?

 

First shuttle ...... Get me on the ship ..... let the vacation begin!

For me, the vacation starts before I board. Being at a resort -- or spending an extra half day somewhere like Rome or Athens or Barcelona -- can be just as rewarding to my inner state of well-being as fighting the crowds to board the ship earlier.

Is the food better onboard? No. Are there unique things to be seen? Not really. Will I have the rest of the XX number of days onboard to enjoy the ship? Yes.

Because the first few hours of a cruise are the least pleasant part of the cruise. You have long lines in a crowded cruise terminal, crowded elevators and an even more crowded Lido buffet and finally the muster drill.

Or, you can treat the embarkation port as another port stop and enjoy the city. Thus, turning a seven day cruise into an eight day cruise.

igraf

Let’s see ....... I’ve paid for a seven day cruise. Why would I spend half of one of those days sitting at a resort or shopping, etc?

 

First shuttle ...... Get me on the ship ..... let the vacation begin!

For me, the vacation starts before I board. Being at a resort -- or spending an extra half day somewhere like Rome or Athens or Barcelona -- can be just as rewarding to my inner state of well-being as fighting the crowds to board the ship earlier.

 

Is the food better onboard? No. Are there unique things to be seen? Not really. Will I have the rest of the XX number of days onboard to enjoy the ship? Yes.

Spot on! (y)(y)(y)

Because the first few hours of a cruise are the least pleasant part of the cruise. You have long lines in a crowded cruise terminal, crowded elevators and an even more crowded Lido buffet and finally the muster drill.

 

Or, you can treat the embarkation port as another port stop and enjoy the city. Thus, turning a seven day cruise into an eight day cruise.

igraf

Agree 100%! (y)(y)(y)

We have always had priority embarkation. So we get there about 11..usually start boarding about 11:30, we’ve always been in our cabin before noon ..At the Concierge desk in the NL after dropping our carryons to book stuff..sitting down to lunch in the MDR shortly after with a nice bottle of wine. Someday we may have to adjust but til then it’s a lovely first day.

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I would never try to board late again.Things don't always go as planned. Once we were at the rental car place waiting for their shuttle maybe around 1:45 pm just 10 minutes away from port. The guy never showed up. They did not know where their driver was with their van. There were 10 of us waiting for the van. They finally got another driver and van. We were the last one on the ship. It was the most stressful day. I had a migraine for 2 days after. I will always be early from now on. You never know what will happen. Moral to story....be early ...:)

:cool: 40 cruises and we never board early. 90 minutes usually but up to 2 hrs. before. 12 windows open only a dozen people in line. we eat in town and don't care about lunch. Plus the cabin is always ready.

Even if one has registered passport information online before departure, US Customs still requires a final passenger manifest (the names of those who have actually checked in at the pier) from the cruise line one hour before sailing. This means that checking in at the cruise terminal at least 90 minutes before departure is still a requirement whether one has preregistered passport information or not.