Last month, we boarded Volendam in San Diego. There was no line in the terminal at 1:30 p.m. It was empty. We walked right up to document check and then right up to security screening. The terminal personnel were all very friendly. There was only one ship using the pier.
Last year, we boarded Koningsdam in San Diego. It was extremely crowded with two ships using the pier. We vowed to never book such a large ship again. Our following two cruises were on a small Oceania ship. Much better experience for us!