When can you drop off checked luggage at New Orleans cruise port?

[Furudanuki]

I originally posted this in the New Cruisers category, and they suggested that someone in this group would be the most likely to know.

 

My wife and I will be sailing on the Carnival Valor departing from New Orleans on December 2nd. We're arriving in New Orleans the night before and staying at a hotel within walking distance of the Erato cruise terminal. Our terminal arrival appointment is 10:00 to 10:30 am. My question is: how early that morning can we drop our checked luggage off at the terminal? I'd like to plan on arriving at the terminal about an hour before the appointment time to give us a time cushion just in case a last-second problem comes up.
 

[stobe1]

You shouldnt have an issue dropping off your luggage early as long as there are porters around to take it. Entering the terminal ealier than your scheduled arrival time is another matter all together.

[DallasGuy75219]

49 minutes ago, Furudanuki said:

I'd like to plan on arriving at the terminal about an hour before the appointment time to give us a time cushion just in case a last-second problem comes up.

 

That's really not necessary in New Orleans.  The Erato cruise terminal is on a pretty small scale and it's never taken me more than 5 or 10 minutes to check bags. In fact if you're trying to check bags at 9:00, you'll be fighting against the flow of debarking passengers and the traffic of vehicles them up.

[starstruck05]

1 hour ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

That's really not necessary in New Orleans.  The Erato cruise terminal is on a pretty small scale and it's never taken me more than 5 or 10 minutes to check bags. In fact if you're trying to check bags at 9:00, you'll be fighting against the flow of debarking passengers and the traffic of vehicles them up.

DallasGuy is exactly right. No need to go to the port an hour before actually.  You will literally just be standing around and in the bottle neck of departing passengers. They keep it moving and your 10 am arrival time is the earliest and they won't let you inside before then. I wouldn't show up before 9:30/9:45 but yes there will be porters there to take your luggage in between them going back to help departing passengers with theirs.

[staceyglow]

11 hours ago, Furudanuki said:

 

 

I'd like to plan on arriving at the terminal about an hour before the appointment time to give us a time cushion just in case a last-second problem comes up.
 

If your appointment is for 10 a.m., you will have at least 4 hours to solve any "last-second problems" before the ship takes off without you.  I am not sure that any of the staff that would be responsible for helping you with those problems will even be on duty an hour before the earliest arrival appointment.

[VentureMan_2000]

22 hours ago, Furudanuki said:

I originally posted this in the New Cruisers category, and they suggested that someone in this group would be the most likely to know.

 

My question is: how early that morning can we drop our checked luggage off at the terminal? I'd like to plan on arriving at the terminal about an hour before the appointment time to give us a time cushion just in case a last-second problem comes up.
 

 

We did exactly that this past September... we arrived at 9:00am for a 10:00 check-in.  I'd say that was a perfect time to arrive.  There were porters there to take your bags, and was not very crowded. We were instructed to form a line off to the side of the turnaround near the vendor kiosks. Everyone wait patiently in line and eventually started calling for the 10:00 folks who are priority folks- Diamonds, Platinum, FTTF... then everyone else by their checking time.

 

Went very smooth.  Once checked in, you took a seat, and waited to be called by your category A01, and, etc. 

[havanadaydreaming]

always wanted to sail out of NOLA, preferably after winter when daylight a little longer each day.  

 

love to see the rest of the trip to the ocean.  i always  thought NO was on the ocean growing up.  ha! 

[staceyglow]

3 hours ago, VentureMan_2000 said:

 

We did exactly that this past September... we arrived at 9:00am for a 10:00 check-in.  I'd say that was a perfect time to arrive.  There were porters there to take your bags, and was not very crowded. We were instructed to form a line off to the side of the turnaround near the vendor kiosks. Everyone wait patiently in line and eventually started calling for the 10:00 folks who are priority folks- Diamonds, Platinum, FTTF... then everyone else by their checking time.

 

Went very smooth.  Once checked in, you took a seat, and waited to be called by your category A01, and, etc. 

I guess that's fine if you don't mind standing in a line on the  sidewalk for an hour as the start to your vacation.  But there is really no need to, especially if you have the first appointment time. 

 

The times I have sailed out of New Orleans, I got there right at my appointment time, and there was no wait to get your luggage to the porter, and we walked right in.  There was, however, a massive line (and I am talking at least a block long) of folks who had gotten there too early.  They just got in the way of the people who showed up when they were supposed to.