What time to get onboard?

[danir]

Hi All,

 

Taking our first HAL cruise on Nieuw Statendam on 19th December for 4 nights. It says check-in opens from 1pm, but what time can you normally get onboard from? Most cruise lines are around 11am.

 

This is also the same day I think the ship has it's naming ceremony. 

 

Thanks for your help.

[CruiserBruce]

The naming ceremony could complicate things.

 

Despite the 1pm statement, HAL's fleetwide policy is to start boarding at or  about 11:30. the 1pm statement is at best, a rarely followed suggestion.

 

N. Statendam's sister, Koningsdam, has been trying staggered boarding. I would expect N. Statendam to do it as well, but maybe the experiment on KDam was not considered successful.

[DaveOKC]

Most times, we board around 11:30 am.  Sometimes a bit later, if there are issues with late arrival in port or slow disembarkation.  Once in awhile we get on a bit earlier than that

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

We usually arrive at the port around 10:30 -- go through security and get checked in.  Most times boarding begins at 11:30.

 

BUT -- as mentioned -- you may get an e-mail closer to sailing date to inform you of a different time to arrive at the pier because of the naming ceremony.

[catl331]

Since that will be the first time the ship will be in a US port it will be subject to inspections by the Coast Guard, CDC, and I don't know who else, which will most likely delay boarding. When we did the equivalent 4-day cruise on the K-dam in 2016 we were told we could give HAL an email address where we would be notified  when boarding actually began. That message came about 12:30 while we were at lunch downtown. We returned to the port and boarded (with priority) about 1:00. That was without the added complication of any ceremony.

Edited November 3, 2018 by catl331

[sevenseasnomad]

On ‎11‎/‎3‎/‎2018 at 7:56 AM, CruiserBruce said:

The naming ceremony could complicate things.

 

Despite the 1pm statement, HAL's fleetwide policy is to start boarding at or  about 11:30. the 1pm statement is at best, a rarely followed suggestion.

 

N. Statendam's sister, Koningsdam, has been trying staggered boarding. I would expect N. Statendam to do it as well, but maybe the experiment on KDam was not considered successful.

I saw this yesterday when CC was having technical difficulties.  What is staggered boarding?  When did K begin using this method?  Last Christmas, the K boarding followed all the other 24 HA cruises embark procedures that we've experienced.  First, suite passengers, then 4-5 star with wheelchair/disabled passengers next.  Since we're 4-star, I don't know what happened after we were called, other than wheelchairs followed us.  How is the new embarkation different?  (Oh, I forgot.  On some earlier cruises, wheelchair passengers went first, but this procedure hasn't been followed on the cruises we've taken for the past several years.)

[CruiserBruce]

Staggered boarding is when you are assigned a boarding time by the deck your cabin is on. Doesn't apply to 4 and 5 star and Suite pax.

 

KDam has been doing since launch as far as I know.

[sevenseasnomad]

20 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

Staggered boarding is when you are assigned a boarding time by the deck your cabin is on. Doesn't apply to 4 and 5 star and Suite pax.

 

KDam has been doing since launch as far as I know.

Okay, that's why I don't know what it is, since we've been 4-star for a while.  Thanks for the explanation.

[sevenseasnomad]

21 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

Staggered boarding is when you are assigned a boarding time by the deck your cabin is on. Doesn't apply to 4 and 5 star and Suite pax.

 

KDam has been doing since launch as far as I know.

Hold on a minute.  This Christmas we're traveling with someone who's in a cabin down the deck from us but is only 1-star.  Does this mean he'll have to wait around for his boarding time even if he arrives at the port at 10:30?

[mcrcruiser]

We normally arrive around 10 :30 AM to get through security . I am handicapped & ordered a wheel chair  for embarkation 

[sevenseasnomad]

12 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

We normally arrive around 10 :30 AM to get through security . I am handicapped & ordered a wheel chair  for embarkation 

Yes, but the person we're traveling with isn't impaired in any way.  How will this staggered embarkation affect him?  His cabin is an inside on the 4th deck.  We're balcony 4th deck, but have priority boarding as 4-star.  I dislike the thought that he'll be waiting forever to board even if he arrives early.  We had planned to meet for lunch in the MDR, but if he's assigned a boarding time, he could miss lunch entirely since MDR is only open for an hour to an hour and a half tops for lunch that first day.

Edited November 4, 2018 by sevenseasnomad

[DaveOKC]

8 minutes ago, sevenseasnomad said:

Yes, but the person we're traveling with isn't impaired in any way.  How will this staggered embarkation affect him?  His cabin is an inside on the 4th deck.  We're balcony 4th deck, but have priority boarding as 4-star.  I dislike the thought that he'll be waiting forever to board even if he arrives early.  We had planned to meet for lunch in the MDR, but if he's assigned a boarding time, he could miss lunch entirely since MDR is only open for an hour to an hour and a half tops for lunch that first day.

 

MDR Lunch starts at Noon and runs until 1 or 1:30 PM.  Just ignore the 1 PM suggested boarding time (HAL has been telling us this for years and almost never enforces it) and have him board around 11:30 (even a bit later will not be a problem).  Just meet up in an easy to find location onboard around 12:30 and proceed to the MDR.

Edited November 4, 2018 by DaveOKC

[sevenseasnomad]

So even if N.S. is doing this staggered boarding procedure and gives him a 1:30 boarding time, he can still show up any time and be processed to board?  How strictly is this new procedure enforced?  

[CruiserBruce]

It has been discussed here that it is not strongly enforced.

 

As to your 1 star friend...it may or may not slow them. I don't know that "any time boarding" for friends and family is part of the perk of 4 or 4 stars and Suite pax, but people are asking about it all the time.

[sevenseasnomad]

42 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

It has been discussed here that it is not strongly enforced.

 

As to your 1 star friend...it may or may not slow them. I don't know that "any time boarding" for friends and family is part of the perk of 4 or 4 stars and Suite pax, but people are asking about it all the time.

Thanks for the reply.  Must have missed that discussion.  We don't expect him to receive priority boarding, but for him to be held to a certain time that may be hours after he arrives at the port seems unreasonable.  I'm thinking of all the passengers who fly in early on departure day only to be told they can't check in until 1 or 2 p.m. because that's their assigned time. 

 

If HA isn't enforcing this policy, okay.  Why have it in the first place in that case?  (I know I'm jumping back and forth over this fence.  I was aware of something similar to this on Carnival and was glad HA had escaped this craziness.)  I'm sure it's intended to cut down on lines at embarkation, but if I weren't 4-star or suite, I'd hate it.  First come, first served has always worked well in the past.  I dislike seeing changes because some bean-counter in Seattle (or Miami) thinks their idea will work better than the successful procedure that's been in place for years.

[VacationCharlene]

THIS ONE IS DIFFERENT.....  What is the earliest for those who have a late departure?  We have a Boston 11pm departure, hotel until noon....yikes

We NORMALLY do the 11:00 arrival and get on early for the lunch etc but really don't think I have ever read the time people tend to board on late departures.  ANYONE KNOW???  Thanks

 

 

[VacationCharlene]

21 hours ago, VacationingCharlene said:

THIS ONE IS DIFFERENT.....  What is the earliest for those who have a late departure?  We have a Boston 11pm departure, hotel until noon....yikes

We NORMALLY do the 11:00 arrival and get on early for the lunch etc but really don't think I have ever read the time people tend to board on late departures.  ANYONE KNOW???  Thanks

 

 

ANYONE???  I have had one reply on our rollcall and they felt we could board at noon and that the safety drill was at 4pm.  I am surprised of those times because we don't sail until 11pm. 

[RuthC]

21 hours ago, VacationingCharlene said:

THIS ONE IS DIFFERENT.....  What is the earliest for those who have a late departure?  We have a Boston 11pm departure, hotel until noon....yikes

We NORMALLY do the 11:00 arrival and get on early for the lunch etc but really don't think I have ever read the time people tend to board on late departures.  ANYONE KNOW???  Thanks

 

 

Boarding is the same time as normal even when the ship is sailing late. Expect check-in to be around 11:00, and boarding at 11:30.

[VacationCharlene]

1 hour ago, RuthC said:

Boarding is the same time as normal even when the ship is sailing late. Expect check-in to be around 11:00, and boarding at 11:30.

THANKS SO MUCH PAUL AND RUTH !  Happy sailing all

[ASIWISH]

We boarded the NA at Terminal 26 at 11:35 on October 21st- and we were onboard the ship in 9-minutes.

 

As we did a back to back cruise we left the ship for lunch in Ft Lauderdale the following week (October 28). We re-boarded the ship at 2:20, again at Terminal 26, and there were six passengers in the terminal.

[RedneckBob]

Usually get to port the nite before. Really excited !

[Heartgrove]

6 hours ago, VacationingCharlene said:

ANYONE???  I have had one reply on our rollcall and they felt we could board at noon and that the safety drill was at 4pm.  I am surprised of those times because we don't sail until 11pm. 

 

The muster drill will be probably around 4:00 pm - even with sailing that late. We did a Baltic cruise last year on the Zuiderdam that left at 10:00 pm so arrived to board at 5:00 pm, only to find out that we had missed the drill. We were required to do a makeup drill the next morning while at sea.