Onward Miami Embarkation Questions

[NCNina]

I realize the answer to these questions depends on which terminal is assigned on embarkation day, but I was just wondering whether anyone who has recently embarked on Onward in Miami can share a bit about their boarding experience.  How long prior to your pre-selected time did you arrive?  Was there anywhere to wait in the terminal?  We will be among those who must check out of our hotel a few hours before our designated boarding time, so we are hoping to make plans accordingly. Thanks in advance!

 

[takemewithyou]

10 minutes ago, NCNina said:

I realize the answer to these questions depends on which terminal is assigned on embarkation day, but I was just wondering whether anyone who has recently embarked on Onward in Miami can share a bit about their boarding experience.  How long prior to your pre-selected time did you arrive?  Was there anywhere to wait in the terminal?  We will be among those who must check out of our hotel a few hours before our designated boarding time, so we are hoping to make plans accordingly. Thanks in advance!

 

Boarding starts at 2 pm.  Do not arrive much earlier than your check in time.  There is limited seating,  when you arrive, you are given a boarding group number based on your accommodations (suites board first) and your assigned check in time.  They will call out boarding by group number and seating is done according to group number assigned.  There are some small refreshments provided.  It was quite crowded and not a lot of extra seats.

I would ask for a later check out time at your hotel.  If that can’t be accommodated they can tag your luggage and store it for you.

[Mackdogmolly]

You can also just have lunch at your hotel (or nearby) before heading heading to the terminal to kill some time.

[Wondermouse]

We are on the onward at present. We checked out of our hotel at 1100 and taxied to the port. We were in terminal C. We waited outside for about 10 minutes, then they allowed us in and up to the line to check in. I believe they started check in at approximately 1200. We walked to a waiting area with a boarding number and waited for boarding to begin. At approximately 2:00 they started boarding the suites and we were the next group after suites which were 1-6. About 2:30 we started to board and it went easily and we’re on quite quickly. 
 

As a note the terminal got quite full as it approached 1:00 and there were fewer seats then people. Azamara has asked people to arrive close to their boarding time to prevent this as per an email for our next cruise. 
 

When we arrived they did not check what boarding time we had, although we did have the earliest at 2:00. They did however check your boarding group number as you approached to get on the ship. 
 

Long wait, but worth it. 
 

Wondermouse

[NCNina]

Thank you, @Wondermouse— that’s very helpful information.  Enjoy the rest of your cruise! 

[tunaman2011]

Greetings

 

Does this mean that there was no lunch service on boarding day? I guess that's one way to reduce cost.

 

Good Sailing

Tom

[Scots Caz]

1 minute ago, tunaman2011 said:

Does this mean that there was no lunch service on boarding day? I guess that's one way to reduce cost.

 

there is food set up in Windows when boarded

[Grandma Cruising]

3 minutes ago, Scots Caz said:

there is food set up in Windows when boarded

And in the Patio

[tunaman2011]

36 minutes ago, Scots Caz said:

there is food set up in Windows when boarded

Thank You.  I was thinking that we would have to wait until dinner. It does seem like a very late time to begin the boarding.  Do they still serve afternoon tapas in The Living Room?

 

Good Sailing

Tom

[tunaman2011]

38 minutes ago, Grandma Cruising said:

And in the Patio

Thank You for the reply.

[marinaro44]

1 hour ago, tunaman2011 said:

Thank You.  I was thinking that we would have to wait until dinner. It does seem like a very late time to begin the boarding.  Do they still serve afternoon tapas in The Living Room?

 

Good Sailing

Tom

Yes.  So, I guess they are not saving money.

[Bobal]

Just to add to this discussion since we boarded Onward yesterday.  We were given a boarding time of 2.30 when we checked in online but our TA had prebooked a taxi from our hotel at 11.15. We decided to contact the taxi company and put back our pick up time as preferred to sit by the pool at our hotel rather than sit in a terminal building.

 

We arrived at the port at 2pm and checked in quickly  - no line - and were given group number 18. When we reached the waiting area at 2.10 they were boarding group 8. We eventually boarded after around 40 minutes. 

 

Your given board time at online check in is really irrelevant when there are hundreds of people ahead of you and they give out cards on a first come first served basis. So you have to decide on balance whether to arrive early and sit in a waiting area for hours and board in one of the first groups or arrive at your allotted time but board later due to the many who arrived earlier rhan their allotted time but were given an earlier boarding number

[Host Jazzbeau]

5 hours ago, Bobal said:

Just to add to this discussion since we boarded Onward yesterday.  We were given a boarding time of 2.30 when we checked in online but our TA had prebooked a taxi from our hotel at 11.15. We decided to contact the taxi company and put back our pick up time as preferred to sit by the pool at our hotel rather than sit in a terminal building.

 

We arrived at the port at 2pm and checked in quickly  - no line - and were given group number 18. When we reached the waiting area at 2.10 they were boarding group 8. We eventually boarded after around 40 minutes. 

 

Your given board time at online check in is really irrelevant when there are hundreds of people ahead of you and they give out cards on a first come first served basis. So you have to decide on balance whether to arrive early and sit in a waiting area for hours and board in one of the first groups or arrive at your allotted time but board later due to the many who arrived earlier rhan their allotted time but were given an earlier boarding number

The difference in your experience is that most reports over the last few months (including my experience in October) were that boarding started at 2 pm.  Based on this report we need to re-calculate when Azamara boarding is going to start!  Earlier boarding may help spread out the process.

[aliaschief]

On Jan 5 we had a Azamara Transfer pick us up at hotel. Hotel stored our luggage after checkout . Azamara transfer picked us at 1:00 and drove us to Terminal C. Handed over our checked luggage to porters then easily checked in and was giving boarding tag number two. Group one was called at two and we quickly followed.

Getting to terminal early is not going to get you onboard any earlier.

We disembarked Tuesday again Terminal C and the Azamara pre arranged transfer to airport was very efficient.

It was a great cruise.
 

Edited January 19, 2023 by aliaschief

[travelberlin]

I have noticed that Azamara starts boarding everywhere at 14.00. The starting boarding time used to be at 12.00 and we could enjoy lunch on board and relax in the afternoon. Somehow the boarding process went easily and I do not recall having to wait a long time to board. With the boarding time starting at 14.00, it seems that most cruisers are coming at that time, the waiting lounges are crowded and after boarding it is really too late for lunch. So if Azamara is not saving the money for lunch, they might be wasting the food. The first afternoon on the ship became also kind of short with unpacking, etc.

 

In my case I plan to have lunch in my port of embarkation before going to the ship.

 

Questions: is this embarkation at 14.OO hours due to the ship being throughly disinfected between voyages? At what time is the latest that passengers can debark?

 

Ivi

[Grandma Cruising]

1 hour ago, travelberlin said:

I have noticed that Azamara starts boarding everywhere at 14.00. The starting boarding time used to be at 12.00 and we could enjoy lunch on board and relax in the afternoon. Somehow the boarding process went easily and I do not recall having to wait a long time to board. With the boarding time starting at 14.00, it seems that most cruisers are coming at that time, the waiting lounges are crowded and after boarding it is really too late for lunch. So if Azamara is not saving the money for lunch, they might be wasting the food. The first afternoon on the ship became also kind of short with unpacking, etc.

 

In my case I plan to have lunch in my port of embarkation before going to the ship.

 

Questions: is this embarkation at 14.OO hours due to the ship being throughly disinfected between voyages? At what time is the latest that passengers can debark?

 

Ivi

I understand it is because of COVID cleaning. Disembarkation was the same time as usual on your cruise that ended in November.

[travelberlin]

1 hour ago, Grandma Cruising said:

I understand it is because of COVID cleaning. Disembarkation was the same time as usual on your cruise that ended in November.

Thanks. I like that. I hope this is the case. It would be good if Azamara would say so when requesting we come after 14.00. If a good cleaning and disinfection is done before my cruise, I do not mind to embark later. 
Ivi

[Bobal]

13 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

The difference in your experience is that most reports over the last few months (including my experience in October) were that boarding started at 2 pm.  Based on this report we need to re-calculate when Azamara boarding is going to start!  Earlier boarding may help spread out the process.

Well I don't know what time they started but guess it wasn't much earlier than 2pm. They were on group 8 at 2.10 but the groups moved quickly 

[KevintheIrishDJ]

5 hours ago, travelberlin said:

I have noticed that Azamara starts boarding everywhere at 14.00. The starting boarding time used to be at 12.00 and we could enjoy lunch on board and relax in the afternoon. Somehow the boarding process went easily and I do not recall having to wait a long time to board. With the boarding time starting at 14.00, it seems that most cruisers are coming at that time, the waiting lounges are crowded and after boarding it is really too late for lunch. So if Azamara is not saving the money for lunch, they might be wasting the food. The first afternoon on the ship became also kind of short with unpacking, etc.

 

In my case I plan to have lunch in my port of embarkation before going to the ship.

 

Questions: is this embarkation at 14.OO hours due to the ship being throughly disinfected between voyages? At what time is the latest that passengers can debark?

 

Ivi

Everyone must disembark by 9.

[kcl491]

Onboard Onward right now for 1/17 cruise.  I was - quite literally - the first one through the doors when the port employee said to come in. I was in Group #7, not in a suite or requiring assistance to board.  My group started boarding approx. 2:20PM.  Since I had to check out of my hotel at 11AM it was a long wait.  The whole process was very fast and, after the required muster check-in, was up to Deck 9 to book my Prime C and Aqualina reservations.  Luggage was at my door by 4 PM.

 

Don't stress yourself out.  It's an easy process.

[PAtravelbug]

I remember that pre-pandemic, you could board starting at 11am but the room floors were closed.   You had lunch and hung out by the pool until an announcement was made that the rooms were ready around 1:00pm or so.     At the restart, they said that they needed more time for the cleaning, which makes complete sense.  

[muenchner]

I have already read a lot about this topic, I find the 2 pm very late and not comfortable, other companies have long since
changed this back to 11 am. A lot of Azamara fans think this late period is great, I don't see any advantage. Is it possible 
to drop off your luggage in the morning? In Miami there is a shopping center nearby, 
depending on the location it is a short walk or an affordable Uber ride.

[travelberlin]

2 hours ago, muenchner said:

I have already read a lot about this topic, I find the 2 pm very late and not comfortable, other companies have long since
changed this back to 11 am. A lot of Azamara fans think this late period is great, I don't see any advantage. Is it possible 
to drop off your luggage in the morning? In Miami there is a shopping center nearby, 
depending on the location it is a short walk or an affordable Uber ride.

We find the check in time 14.00 fine if it is used for cleaning and disinfecting. Otherwise not. We hope that the ships are really being cleaned good before new passengers come onboard.

Ivi

[laurieb]

We’ve done a few b2b’s the last couple of years, and there was lots of deep cleaning being done.  We were asked to stay out of certain areas because of the cleaning during the turnaround hours.

[KevintheIrishDJ]

1 hour ago, laurieb said:

We’ve done a few b2b’s the last couple of years, and there was lots of deep cleaning being done.  We were asked to stay out of certain areas because of the cleaning during the turnaround hours.

Did you have to disembark and get back on?