Board early???

[SeybRWC]

Does Princess have anything like Carnival's "Faster to the Fun" where you can pay a fee to board early?

[frugaltravel]

Haha. I try to board LATE not early. Try to maximize my time in the port area where I am sailing from. I leave in 2 weeks from Dover. Lots to do/see there and I will have plenty of time on the ship to explore. I guess diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks!

[TravelingEA]

Does Princess have anything like Carnival's "Faster to the Fun" where you can pay a fee to board early?

Book a suite or have enough cruises to be platinum or elite.

[Musky Ike]

Does Princess have anything like Carnival's "Faster to the Fun" where you can pay a fee to board early?

No, but on Princess you can usually get into your room as soon as you board. Upper levels of the loyalty program usually board first.

[SeybRWC]

Haha. I try to board LATE not early. Try to maximize my time in the port area where I am sailing from. I leave in 2 weeks from Dover. Lots to do/see there and I will have plenty of time on the ship to explore. I guess diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks!

 

Have you every boarded in LA at the San Pedro site? You'd understand how much more the ship offers. :')

[ggprincess2004]

Normally boarding will begin shortly before noon, and you should, even without priority boarding, be able to be on board by 12:30 or 12:45. They give out boarding group numbers based on arrival time at the pier, so if you head over early (like 10:30 or 11) since there is nothing to do there, you would most likely have a very early non-priority boarding group number. I don't know how many platinum and elite members will be on your sailing, but they usually can be boarded in 15 to 20 minutes.

[Tak8]

Curious minds want to know, what does Carnival charge to board early?

[skynight]

No, not required on Princess. You did not mention where you are boarding, but in general it works as below in the U.S.. It is similar in other countries.

Arrive at the pier between 10:30 & 11pm

You will be checked in and shown upstairs to the waiting area, and grouped according to order of arrival.

Around 11:30/noon boarding begins. BVE's, full suites, elite, platinum, then general boarding.

Once boarding begins it goes quickly. If you arrive as above you should be on board by 12:30.

Go directly to your cabin. Cabins are ready.

Lunch is served in one DR from noon to 1:30. The buffet, International Cafe, Alfredo's on certain ships, and Lido deck food areas will also be open.

If you want to avoid waiting arrive around 2pm.

Staggered boarding information provided by Princess is just a suggestion.

When a ship returns to the U.S. from Europe, South America, there is normally delayed boarding due to government inspections.

[casofilia]

sknight's description was what happened on our cruises from Southampton and Dover earlier this year.

[frugaltravel]

Have you every boarded in LA at the San Pedro site?

 

Actually, yes in February I boarded at San Pedro. We checked in fairly early (11am?) but then went over to the USS Iowa battleship before returning the rental car then boarding about 2pm or so.

 

"You'd understand how much more the ship offers."

 

I am not sure what you mean. The ship offers the same things no matter when you board. So I missed a lunch by not boarding super early. But there were sea days right after we sailed, so we had plenty of time to take advantage of all the ship offers during that time. We couldn't have taken advantage of the things in San Pedro once we were on the ship :D

[paul929207]

Curious minds want to know, what does Carnival charge to board early?

I think Carnival charges $39. I think that overs the family or cabin.

[EDDY0827]

Have you every boarded in LA at the San Pedro site? You'd understand how much more the ship offers. :')

Ha ha- touche!

[Jeremiah On a Cruise]

No, not required on Princess. You did not mention where you are boarding, but in general it works as below in the U.S.. It is similar in other countries.

Arrive at the pier between 10:30 & 11pm

You will be checked in and shown upstairs to the waiting area, and grouped according to order of arrival.

Around 11:30/noon boarding begins. BVE's, full suites, elite, platinum, then general boarding.

Once boarding begins it goes quickly. If you arrive as above you should be on board by 12:30.

Go directly to your cabin. Cabins are ready.

Lunch is served in one DR from noon to 1:30. The buffet, International Cafe, Alfredo's on certain ships, and Lido deck food areas will also be open.

If you want to avoid waiting arrive around 2pm.

Staggered boarding information provided by Princess is just a suggestion.

When a ship returns to the U.S. from Europe, South America, there is normally delayed boarding due to government inspections.

 

To verify, is CC included in that same, board early list?

[pms4104]

Depending on the ship and cruise length, could be as much as $80/cabin

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J320A using Forums mobile app

[Colo Cruiser]

We always arrive around 10:30 and boarding starts around Noon.

I am usually having lunch in the DR by Noon. ;p

I would never pay extra. :rolleyes:

[MarkSeattle]

The biggest advantage on Carnival is having your room ready so you can change and drop of your carry ons instead of lugging them around until one/two/whatever time they let you into your room.

 

On Princess, you can get into all rooms right away.

 

I haven't seen a real FTTF advantage on tender ports either, since so many people pay to get into their rooms earlier.

[skynight]

To verify, is CC included in that same, board early list?

CC=Club Class? Yes, those passengers are included early in line.

[Steelers36]

We always arrive around 10:30 and boarding starts around Noon.

I am usually having lunch in the DR by Noon. ;p

I would never pay extra. :rolleyes:

 

Why would an Elite pay extra? No need. It's a very nice benefit. As Platinum, I will have the rear guard for the Elites. LOL.

[Steelers36]

CC=Club Class? Yes, those passengers are included early in line.

 

Are CC passengers grouped with the Suites and Elites or with the Platinums? I am thinking a CC passenger with no Princess status would not board with Suites & Elites (if nothing else, they don't rhyme :D).

[grannyp]

Actually, yes in February I boarded at San Pedro. We checked in fairly early (11am?) but then went over to the USS Iowa battleship before returning the rental car then boarding about 2pm or so.

 

 

 

I am not sure what you mean. The ship offers the same things no matter when you board. So I missed a lunch by not boarding super early. But there were sea days right after we sailed, so we had plenty of time to take advantage of all the ship offers during that time. We couldn't have taken advantage of the things in San Pedro once we were on the ship :D

 

 

I agree. We spent 2 days in San Pedro and loved it! All within walking distance of the hotel, museums, trolley car, fountains, nice dining areas, and Port O Call. We did a lot of research first. We are a law enforcement, fire dept. family and we could not see everything that pertained to those careers. And the hotel transferred us to the port.

[Colo Cruiser]

Why would an Elite pay extra? No need. It's a very nice benefit. As Platinum, I will have the rear guard for the Elites. LOL.

 

I would not pay extra for FTTF........

If Platinum get there early enough they are on pretty close behind the Elites anyway.

[elfinmagic]

We used to go early and wind up sitting in a stuffy room waiting - we have found that if we leave our hotel about noon we are in our cabin by about 12:30 and in the MDR for lunch by12:45

[JF - retired RRT]

Have you every boarded in LA at the San Pedro site? You'd understand how much more the ship offers. :')

So true!!

[trbarton]

If your has the BVE get some friends to sign up for the BVE & you will be one of the first groups to board. I have friends that have signed up for the BVE in San Francisco when I've cruised from here. It gives us a little more time to have a Bon-Voyage party.

I have cruised once on Carnival & purchased the Fast to the Fun. Well worth it in Long Beach when you saw how small our line was & the size of the regular line. Once they opened up the shop I was on board in about 5-10 minutes. Not did we get to board earlier, go straight to our cabin & drop off our carry ons, we also bypassed the long lines & people in the buffet. Well worth the $ vs having to wait until 2 pm & carrying your carry ons around the ship.

Tom😀

[vampiress]

i did fttf on my carnival cruise. i felt it was worth it, i was on board the ship within 20 minutes of dropping my bags off at the porters. but i really loved the priority tender in catalina.

 

and it was one charge per cabin.

 

 

i felt my princess boarding was a bit more waiting, but fairly organized. i do prefer the lunch in the dining room on princess. i'm not a big fan of the buffet at any time.