when to arrive at ship

[ripaula]

Our cruise embarks at 5pm

(Ruby Princess- FLL)

 

How early do we need to arrive?

[Happy ks]

Some people arrive as early as 11 am and wait for boarding. Most of the time, boarding begins around noon. You have to be checked in at least 90 minutes before sailaway, which would mean no later than 3:30 pm.

 

After so many cruises, we now prefer to board a bit later than most and avoid the waiting and the lines. We usually arrive at port around 2 pm and there is no waiting, no lines. I don't really care all that much about the buffet lunch so it's not missed by me or my husband. Others can't wait to board due to excitement of starting their cruise.

[ripaula]

Thanks, Happy!

[KirkNC]

We have always been early and usually arrive around 11. I think in every case we have been onboard by noon. The one time we arrived later, around 1:00, it took two hours to get checked in. That was in Barcelona, it was a zoo.

 

Kirk

[Bob++]

We have always been early and usually arrive around 11. I think in every case we have been onboard by noon. The one time we arrived later, around 1:00, it took two hours to get checked in. That was in Barcelona, it was a zoo.

 

Kirk

 

I guess they only let you on two by two then

[Hlitner]

We have always been "early boarders" and have not seen any reason to change our habits. Our philosophy is to treat the embarkation day similar to a day at sea. Getting onboard early means you have the entire afternoon to enjoy. Our normal procedure is to drop our carry-on in our cabin and go to lunch. After lunch, assuming the weather is good, we return to our cabin and change into swim suits (if a warm weather port we put swim wear in our carry-ons) and then head up to the pool where we enjoy our books and have a lot of fun people watching. Folks do strange things that first day and its fun to see the "gawkers" not to mention the clothes that many passengers choose for embarkation day. After relaxing for a couple of hours on deck (with a drink or two) its time to go back to the cabin and hopefully unpack (you can never be sure when your luggage will arrive at your cabin). Then its off to the lifeboat drill, perhaps a look-see around the ship, more drinks and then time to change for dinner and perhaps enjoy another drink. Somewhere in this schedule there is the sail-away thing (we often just sit on our balcony) where many cruisers want to be on deck. Sailing out of Port Everglades (FLL) you would want to be on the port side (left) of the ship where you can watch the fun as the ship passes the large condos at Government Cut (just as the ship clears the harbor). Several folks will always be out on their condo balconies blowing horns and waving (many Captains will give them a blast of the ships horn).

 

Hank

[Dayenu]

We are early passengers, and once it paid off. There was a cruise to Caribbean that had their computers out at embarkation, and people had to wait up to 2 hours to get on the ship.

 

We were on the ship already, and had no idea this was happening till I started reading their reports here on Cruise Critic.

[cb at sea]

I figure, since Boarding Day IS day 1 of the cruise I've paid for, I want to get on the ship and start using it....seems silly to waste 1/2 of a day (that costs a bundle) not even being on the ship!

[okgirl]

I'm an early arriver too.........Usually get to the pier between 10:30 and 11 and I'm usually on board no later than noon.

 

I like to sit and watch all the people in the cruise terminal, then my 1st stop on the ship is the lobby bar for a Bloody Mary and to do more people watching. Seeing all the newbies expressions is priceless....

 

After that I wander up to the buffet and then down to the casino to set up my players bank....by that time the casino bar is usually open and I sit and get to know the bartenders that I'll be seeing the most of for the next week....many of them I've already met on previous cruises and it's fun to catch up on where they've been.

[tak81288]

I figure, since Boarding Day IS day 1 of the cruise I've paid for, I want to get on the ship and start using it....seems silly to waste 1/2 of a day (that costs a bundle) not even being on the ship!

 

 

I feel the same way. I like to be among the first onboard and start utilizing what I am paying for.

 

Besides, I always have to fly and stay a least 1 night pre-cruise in the embarkment city. Since most hotels want you out fairly early anyway, I might as well be on the ship instead.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We like to get on that ship as soon as possible!!

 

So we always try to get to the pier by 11 AM. Usually we are on the ship by 11:30 -- have lunch in the dining room with a cocktail. Nice way to start the first day of a cruise.

[Happy ks]

I suppose most people do like early!

 

We prefer to get there later as we walk right onto the ship, no waiting at all. From the time we drop off our bags, check in and board is usually 10-20 minutes. We've also enjoyed the fact that our luggage seems to arrive sooner, I don't know if that is coincidence or not, a few times it has even beat us to the cabin.

 

Especially if we're in a distant port from where we live, we prefer to see some of the sights rather than a cruise ship. After all, we'll be on the ship several days and sometimes only at the embarkation port one day.

[cruiserbryce]

we typically get to the port at around noon...usually we can get right on and by the time we've eaten lunch the cabin is ready

[marco]

We like getting on 2-ish. Lunch is still being served, less crowd at lunch, then, too. There is no crowd, no lines and we are usually on in 10 minutes. Boarding usually starts around noon, we've found if we get there then, we wait, then we wait in lines, then we wait some more, then we get on. Arriving at noon usually gets us on the ship by quarter to one, arriving at 2 gets us on by 10 past two. So.....we end up with about an hour and a half less "on board" time, not quite "half a day". It's still plenty early enough to have lunch, explore the ship and enjoy the sail away without feeling like we've been cattle herded through the maze.

[marco]

We like getting on 2-ish. Lunch is still being served, less crowd at lunch, then, too. There is no crowd, no lines and we are usually on in 10 minutes. Boarding usually starts around noon, we've found if we get there then, we wait, then we wait in lines, then we wait some more, then we get on. Arriving at noon usually gets us on the ship by quarter to one, arriving at 2 gets us on by 10 past two. So.....we end up with about an hour and a half less "on board" time, not quite "half a day". It's still plenty early enough to have lunch, explore the ship and enjoy the sail away without feeling like we've been cattle herded through the maze.

[toberman]

Depends as well on how many other ships are leaving that day. I've read sooo many stories of waiting in line in a cab for 'what seemed like' hours just to get into the port if there are a lot of ships that day. I'd much sooner go early and wait in the debarkation area than sit in a taxi (meter running). Plus... like it's been said... you have to be out of your hotel by 11 anyway... why wait??