Best time to arrive at port for embarkation?

[Summertime]

What is the best time to arrive at the port for embarkation? The ship leaves out of San Pedro - Princess Diamond - Saturday, March 26th - Mexican Riviera - leaves at 5:00p.m. It wouldn't matter one way or the other if it was just myself but I'll have my two children and am trying to avoid having to keep them busy for hours on end, if I don't have to. So, would love to know if it's better to show up early like 10:30 or 11:00 a.m. or wait until 2:00 p.m. to possibly avoid the crowds. I just looked on my itenerary and it says that they don't start embarking until 1:00 p.m. Have all of you found that is the case or can you start the process earlier? I haven't quite been able to figure out if there is preferred boarding with the PH Suite level. People who have stayed in that suite seem to usually have the Elite or Platinum boarding and I definately don't have that. Just trying to get all my ducks in a row and make my travel arrangments for that morning.

 

Thanks bunches!

Summer

[J18ktleo]

Summer, I always want to be first on the ship so we can get our day underway so we always get to the port around 10:30-11 and are on the ship between 12-12:30

Last month on the Diamond was the same thing...we got there when there was still traffic from those disembarking but we got our luggage checked with the porters and had absolutely no wait for check in at the desk (even though we're platinum there was no wait for anyone) then we sat in the waiting area for around 45 min til we got to board.

Went to our room and were eating lunch at the buffet before 1pm... :)

This way we get to start our cruise with most of the first day useable and beat the crowds at the buffet and everything else! (also really helps to make you dinner reservations before it gets too busy too!) ;)

Enjoy

[Twickenham]

We got to the port around 12:15 - waited a couple of minutes for a porter, then up into the check-in area, greatly speeded up by us being 2nd in the non-US line (love being a Canadian when embarking in the US:D ). Embarkation had already started by the time we got into the building, and we waited about 20 minutes after we checked-in to embark - all quite painless, in fact!

 

I have to say, I was quite impressed with both Princess' embarkation and disembarkation process, by far the most efficient of the 3 cruises we've been on.