Best time to board

[kcdd]

What is the best time to board in order to not wait in long lines?  I know many like to board as soon as possible.  We don't feel like we have to be on board early but also want to get on board to get settled an explore a little prior to sailing.  

Thanks for your response.

[kazu]

15 minutes ago, kcdd said:

What is the best time to board in order to not wait in long lines?  I know many like to board as soon as possible.  We don't feel like we have to be on board early but also want to get on board to get settled an explore a little prior to sailing.  

Thanks for your response.

 

If you want to avoid lines, I’d board a bit later - sometime after 1 pm.

[CruiserBruce]

There is no one answer here...it can vary by port and cruise. Yes, there will most likely be a big crowd for the first hour or so. But if there is a short boarding window...like all need to be on by 2pm, there is only so much time to get the people on. If there is a large number of people arriving on flights at, say noon, by the time they get their bags and get to the port, that can create a crowd then.

 

We have boarded at a number of ports, at different times, for differing reasons. There have been at least some lines at almost all times.

[Crew News]

The earlier that you board the sooner you will receive your luggage and be unpacked before the Passenger Safety Drill.

[DaveOKC]

On our Dec. cruise out of Fort Lauderdale HAL assigned boarding times (a first for us).  We went at our normal 10:30 times and it was almost deserted (normally a decent amount of people there).  We boarded at 11:30 and noted that there were far fewer people in the boarding area than normal, so I guess the new program was followed by most people.  Not sure what happened later of course.

 

For me, if you do not mind sitting around the boarding area for a bit waiting to board, I would go before 11:30.

[VennDiagram]

50 minutes ago, Crew News said:

The earlier that you board the sooner you will receive your luggage and be unpacked before the Passenger Safety Drill.

 

I've seen this comment from you and a few other posters.  We normally arrive quite early, around 11 am.  Our luggage usually gets to our cabin sometime before 6 pm.  If we are in a Neptune, Signature, or Vista, our luggage usually arrives before the Muster Drill.  If we are in an oceanview or verandah, our luggage usually arrives AFTER the Muster Drill. 

 

So our experience is that one's early arrival doesn't guarantee early luggage delivery.

[Crew News]

35 minutes ago, VennDiagram said:

 

I've seen this comment from you and a few other posters.  We normally arrive quite early, around 11 am.  Our luggage usually gets to our cabin sometime before 6 pm.  If we are in a Neptune, Signature, or Vista, our luggage usually arrives before the Muster Drill.  If we are in an oceanview or verandah, our luggage usually arrives AFTER the Muster Drill. 

 

So our experience is that one's early arrival doesn't guarantee early luggage delivery.

 

The porters fill the luggage racks and move them directly to the bag scanning as soon as the racks are filled.  From my verandah-category balcony, I have watched luggage being delivered to the ship before noon.  Always arriving before 11:00 AM and boarding before noon, my luggage has arrived between 12:30 and 2:00 PM with the only exception of a single bag being sent to the "naughty room" for having an extension cord. 

 

Others may have different experiences.

[DaveOKC]

Our luggage has been arriving early than in the past (beyond 2 years ago).  Maybe they have changed procedures recently.  

 

One cruise my wife's bag came just after Noon but mine was nowhere to be found.  Finally, just before muster drill I got a call to come down to the naughty room to open my bag.  We were on a back to back cruise (one day in between) and my wife packed the Ulu knife she bought on the first HAL ship in MY SUITCASE!  I had to explain that to security, but luckily it still had the HAL stickers and receipt attached.

Edited February 22, 2020 by DaveOKC

[Queen of DaNile]

Are assigned boarding times the new norm at Ft. Lauderdale?

[kazu]

2 minutes ago, Queen of DaNile said:

Are assigned boarding times the new norm at Ft. Lauderdale?

 

No it’s not.  It’s a few ships that do this.  Mostly Pinnacle Class I think from reading reports here.

 

We’ve never had assigned boarding but we haven’t been on a Pinnacle Class ship.

 

 

[VennDiagram]

3 hours ago, Crew News said:

Others may have different experiences.

 

Yes, that was my point.

[Nymich]

 

6 hours ago, Crew News said:

Others may have different experiences.

 

3 hours ago, VennDiagram said:

 

Yes, that was my point.

I have checked in early received bags late and yes they even lost a bag once after checking in early.   The crew was not very helpful communication wise so I began walking the ship floor by floor and I found the lost bag outside a cabin door.   It seems to make sense that you check in early you get the bag early.  Not always the case.

[Wakepatrol]

I don't get this late boarding for Pinnacle class ships. If a hotel kicks you out at 11am then you have to wait till 3pm to board?

[DaveOKC]

Ours was on the Niuew Amsterdam in Dec

 

Edited February 23, 2020 by DaveOKC