Early Check In vs. Late Check In

Getting to the terminal early to sit and wait with 2000 people isn't a vacation to me. I'll wait at the hotel, sitting at the hotel pool across town while the masses stand in line at the terminal.

We arrive around 12:30 we breeze right thru and up to the Haven for lunch with no waiting at all. If I liked crowds, I'd be their earlier.

The Haven booking might provide for a bit better breezing.

It depends on the location and who I am with, somewhere I haven't been I get some local atmosphere before boarding and with my kids sometimes later is better. Toddler don't wait well.

If I dont have to leave Early, like a hotel, I'll wait in privacy. But if I have the status to get on the ship early, I'm one of the first on.

So I do both.

Sailing out of Nola on Dec. 5th with a group of friends. Will be hitting Bourbon Street hard the night before. Will pull a Jack Dawson and get on around 1:55.

So, I'm reading from this that the 12:00-12:30 time to arrive may be better? I Was told the lines are horrendous at that time, and to get there early. We have always arrived early, but our daughter wants to arrive later (at 12-12:30). I want an honest opinion of lines in POM to board the Getaway at 12-12:30. We are not Haven passengers. Just regular staterooms). Thank you.

 

 

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A lot of people have said to get there later than that, after lunch, to avoid the lines. We have always gone early so I don’t have experience with that.

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I was wondering if anyone knows approximately the earliest they’ll accept your luggage before departure. For those of you that tend to arrive at 9:00-9:30 have there been baggage handlers available?

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Most of us on this board are veteran cruisers, mostly with NCL. I know we don't agree on a lot of topics, but one thing we will agree on is that embarkation can sometimes be a bit of a hassle, to put it mildly. I know there are a lot of factors beyond NCL's control, and experiences can vary by port. The question I have for you all is, early or late? Are you at the pier at 10 - 10:30, hoping to squeeze every minute and Rebellious Fish into your vacation, or do you like to arrive around 12:30 - 1 after the masses have crammed onto the pool deck and filled The Great Outdoors ?

We tend to arrive about 9:30 on NCL cruises out of NY

I am with the early crowd for many of the same reasons already stated. Usually arrive around 9:30 - 9:45 and get through security rather quickly - in Miami, New York, and (at the time) Houston.

I’m doing something a little different this year - taking a chance on flying into New Orleans from Houston in March the day of the cruise. I know that is risky buisness, but I want to use my funds for the cruise and not a hotel since I’m in hotels every week for my job and to stay in a hotel has become work and not a vacation. My flight from Houston is very early (6:00 a.m.) and I did that to build in time in case of travel delays. I’m nervous about this, but oh well.

The plan once I arrive in New Orleans is to Uber to Cafe Du Monde (my go-to every time I’m in NO), and have some wonderful beignets and cafe au lait at my leisure. Then I’ll head over to the terminal (via Uber again) to check-in at 9:30 - 9:45. Hopefully, I’ll experience the short security line, but I expect to have to stand in a long line to check in since I’m not in a suite this cruise. That’s OK. Let the people-watching begin!

Once on the ship I’ll have popcorn shimp and a glass of wine in the MDR. It has become my tradition. I’ll walk around the ship (avoiding the buffet at all costs), take photos, and hang out at the basketball court (no one goes there) until the rooms are available. That’s the plan. Fingers crossed and prayers up that all goes accordingly.

We've always seen embarkation as part of the cruising experience and usually arrive around 10-10:30. You meet lots of interesting people in those lines and the wait never seems as long as what the clock shows.

The interesting thing about arriving early is getting into conversations with people and wondering if you will ever see them on the cruise ,usually not.

The interesting thing about arriving early is getting into conversations with people and wondering if you will ever see them on the cruise ,usually not.

 

 

And sometimes, HOPEFULLY not. :D

Sailing out of Nola on Dec. 5th with a group of friends. Will be hitting Bourbon Street hard the night before. Will pull a Jack Dawson and get on around 1:55.

We're on the same sailing. Lets hope our ship doesn't go down like Jack's!

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Check the dailies for your cruise, but we like to visit a dining room for a sit down lunch on embarkation day and I think they close seating at 1:00 ... someone may have a more accurate recollection, but that’s why we usually board around 1130.

Early....I like to get it started.

I like to arrive early no matter what I am doing. That way it's not stressful if there are any last minute delays. I would much rather sit in the waiting room at the port than at my hotel. When I arrive at the port early, I am able to get a low boarding number and get on the ship quicker.

On my last cruise, I took pictures all over the ship as soon as I got on and it looked empty. I am able to eat and explore the ship before many people have boarded.