When do you like to arrive at port?

[javamom]

 

So what time do you prefer to arrive at port?

Thanks!

 

10:00 It is day one of our cruise!

[CourtneyLovesCruising]

Newbie here. :) My wife and I will be hopping on a plane from @ 12:40am (California time, leaving from California obviously haha), stopping in Houston and arriving in Orlando by 10:30am local time. I hear it takes about 45 mins from Orlando Int'l airport to reach the seaport. So, I'm guessing after picking up our luggage and getting on the shuttle, we'll be at the seaport around noon. This is prob right in the middle of the rush, isn't?

 

So for us our vacation starts at about 9pm on August 24th (Cali time). The sooner the better if ya ask me!

 

Love this post :)

[Sh1035]

When they tell me too.....in no hurry I'm on vacation and like to sample local places for lunch,etc. no bags to drag, lines,etc....I've never been one to rush to the lido buffet!

[alabamaprincess]

Usually around 10 or 10:30 a.m.

[ATL2LAS]

Flight gets in at 10...at the ship by 11... eating by 11:30:D

[askimdog]

We get to the port city a day or two in advance to explore and start the vacation. On embarkation day, we go eat a huge breakfast at a nice local place, then arrive at 10/10:30. This way we can avoid the overcrowded lido buffet and the overcrowded Lido pool area. Lido deck we try to avoid on that first day especially.

 

Get on board early, drag a chair to a quiet area on the ship ( on this day it's often sea side), pop open a bottle of wine I am allowed to carry on, grab a book and start the vacation cruise mode!!!

[GrammaJo128]

Obviously it seems as if most of you prefer to arrive early. This is our first cruise so I have no experience with any of it. We have SAS shuttle service picking us up at our hotel in Hollywood at 11:00 a.m. I'm assuming the shuttle would start out at FLL and pick us up in transit since Hollywood is further South than FLL. I would assume that makes us arriving at the ship around 11:30 or 11:40. Is that a bad time to arrive? Would it be better if we paid $40 to $50 more for a taxi to the port instead? I guess I can't imagine paying that much extra just to board an hour or so earlier, but we don't want to get got in huge wrap around lines either. I was just curious what others opinions would be. Thanks

[ferfoodle]

Obviously it seems as if most of you prefer to arrive early. This is our first cruise so I have no experience with any of it. We have SAS shuttle service picking us up at our hotel in Hollywood at 11:00 a.m. I'm assuming the shuttle would start out at FLL and pick us up in transit since Hollywood is further South than FLL. I would assume that makes us arriving at the ship around 11:30 or 11:40. Is that a bad time to arrive? Would it be better if we paid $40 to $50 more for a taxi to the port instead? I guess I can't imagine paying that much extra just to board an hour or so earlier, but we don't want to get got in huge wrap around lines either. I was just curious what others opinions would be. Thanks

 

IMO - save the $$ for spending on board.

 

Our last cruise in January on the Liberty, we used SAS who picked us up at our Ft. Lauderdale hotel in Hollywood/Dania as well. The pick up time was 11, they finally got to us (traffic, other pickups, etc.) at about 11:30. They did call right before 11 to say they were a bit behind. We got dropped off at the port about 12:15 (we were the 2nd drop of the 3 ships people in our shuttle were going on). We were on Lido, eating lunch at 12:40.

 

I would not pay the extra to be there earlier - you might wind up waiting in line for an hour or more anyway - or you might go right through - one can never tell one sailing to the next. I would stick with SAS - they are good.

[GrammaJo128]

Thanks ferfoodle. I like the part where you say to save the money for on-board! Makes perfect sense. Glad you liked SAS, that is always comforting.

[Senoj84]

I like to arrive as early as possible, so I can feel like I'm getting extra time on the ship...around 11:30pm or noon.

 

I've left out of Port Canaveral once, there wait time isn't that long...they do what they can to keep the lines moving.

[mark13]

Always arrive somewhere between 10-10:30 am with no troubles. I would rather sit in the terminal for 30 minutes with easy boarding just to have group one or two in ournhand.

 

Cute story, DW and I happened to not just be in the first group but first ones in line. A young boy, around 9 or so and his parents were right behind us. We could here him excited about the cruise so I kindly turned around and asked if he would like to be first to step aboard. His smile was enormous. His parents thanked us and for the rest of the cruise whenever we saw them we said, hey look it's the first person on the ship. He laughed and smiled every time. Made his day and ours. (not too mention some bonus points with the wife on the cruise) ;)

[laumicmah]

I like to arrive around 10-10:30 and arrived to port canaveral (for our 1st CCL cruise) at 10 and easily dropped off luggage, parked, went through security (no line) and check in (no line) and was seated in the 2nd row of chairs. Boarding began around noon and they began with the weddings and then did VIP and then our 2 rows were next...we got on around 12:00. So that's 2 hours from pulling up to port (about an hour and 40 minutes of sitting and waiting). But, when I got to port at 11:30 once (in Baltimore), it took us forever to get through all the stuff and get seated (like an hour or so)...there were lines for everything and then boarding began late (like 1:00).

 

So, either go at 10-10:30 and expect to sit for awhile (and, by the way, I have done 5 CCL cruises and never did they start boarding before 11:45, yet I read all kinds of post about folks being on the ship by 11...which even the wedding parties don't ever seem to be). Or you could go around 1:00 and likely walk right on (I think...I've never done it, but I think that's when the big rush has all gotten on by). I like to get on the ship ASAP so as to enjoy as much as a full day as possible, so I choose to go early and sit. Next cruise I purchased the F2F so I can come at 11 and get on without sitting long or at all. Saves me, maybe, an hour of sitting.

[SteelerCruiser]

hey even if you do have to wait a few in the terminal at least you will still be among the early ones on and therefore anjoying the boat sooner.

[laumicmah]

I like to arrive around 10-10:30 and arrived to port canaveral (for our 1st CCL cruise) at 10 and easily dropped off luggage, parked, went through security (no line) and check in (no line) and was seated in the 2nd row of chairs. Boarding began around 11:45 and they began with the weddings and then did VIP and then our 2 rows were next...we got on around 12:ish. So that's 2 hours from pulling up to port (about an hour and 40 minutes of sitting and waiting). But, when I got to port at 11:30 once (in Baltimore), it took us forever to get through all the stuff and get seated (like an hour or so)...there were lines for everything and then boarding began late (like 1:00).

 

So, either go at 10-10:30 and expect to sit for awhile (and, by the way, I have done 5 CCL cruises and never did they start boarding before 11:45, yet I read all kinds of post about folks being on the ship by 11...which even the wedding parties don't ever seem to be). Or you could go around 1:00 and likely walk right on (I think...I've never done it, but I think that's when the big rush has all gotten on by). I like to get on the ship ASAP so as to enjoy as much as a full day as possible, so I choose to go early and sit. Next cruise I purchased the F2F so I can come at 11 and get on without sitting long or at all. Saves me, maybe, an hour of sitting.

Edited above in red.

[RWolver672]

The local hotel shuttles normally start their shuttles at 10:30.

[GTO-Girl]

We have sailed out of Pt Canaveral a number of times. We too like to arrive between 10:15-10:30. I would rather wait in the terminal looking at the ship, than sitting at the hotel.

 

The only thing I don't like about it is the rows of chairs you sit in while waiting are packed to close together that you are almost touching knees with the people facing you. We have to take on a rolling carryon (medical equipment) and trying to manuver that thing up a row of chairs and not bump anyone is almost impossible.

 

I wish Carnival would give us about another 12" between rows. Sure would make it a lot more comfortable for everyone.

[jules815]

We like to arrive between 10:00 and 10:30. Once we are at the terminal it doesn't matter to us when we get on board...we know that we are on vacation.

 

Same here. It's one line (if there is one) that we never mind waiting in. :D

 

We fly in the day before from Chicago, stay at the Residence Inn in PC and rent a car through Hertz, which is located directly in front of the hotel. Our rule of thumb is to return the car to Hertz by no later than 10am and we take their complimentary shuttle over.

 

(Getting butterflies in my stomach just thinking about car return and shuttle to the port! :eek: We cruise next month! )

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

11 am ...

[SandS204ever]

In December we land in Long Beach at 9:15, with a quick stop for 2 cases of soda. I hope to be at the Port by 10am :D would much rather sit there and watch everyone else knowing I am about to get on the ship.

[MLE Litella]

No later than 11:00 AM.