As a Platinum past guest when do you prefer to board the ship?

[near the beach]

As a Platinum past guest when do you prefer to board the ship.

Do you prefer to board early as the first to be on the ship?.

Or do you arrive at one thirty or later and just walk on ship and to your cabin?

[MEOWSMURPHY]

Definitely first...the earlier the better....love the fact that you don't have to "fight the masses" for a place to eat lunch on the Lido

[Bunkie103]

For us it depends when we arrive at the port. If we're checking out of a hotel with an 11am check out, we go right to the pier. Next week we're arriving in Vancouver at 11:40am by train and we'll go right to the pier. If I were driving to Charleston again, I think I would gauge it so that I would arrive around 1:30 and could go right to my cabin.

[*Mach*]

As soon as possible. It's my vacation and I want every minute of it!

We get to the cruise terminal around 10:30 to be on board at 11:15... 11:30...

:)

[pe4all]

We get on asap - it is a great feeling to walk around a "deserted" ship for the first few minutes!:D

[H82seaUgo]

prefer to be the first on, even when I wasn't platinum.

[Tapi]

We usually arrive at the port around 12-1pm. We like to be able to walk onboard and go straight to our cabin, drop things off, and then go grab a bite to eat.

 

Platinum means that you'll never have to fight the lines to check in, but even without platinum, it seems that by 1pm, lines have died down quite a bit. We've noticed that the earlier we arrive, the longer the regular line is (I assume because of all the passengers waiting to be the first ones aboard).

 

When we sailed on the Fascination last december, the cruise terminal was already deserted when we checked in (around noon). When we got off the ship on the last day, we learned why. The line of passengers waiting to check in at 945am was already out the door with an even longer line of cars waiting to get into the cruise terminal parking facility. It seems like most people like to arrive very early in Jacksonville!

[golfadj]

As early as possible. Vacation starts when I board and like a nice empty lido deck for lunch.

[firefly333]

Iv started always spending the night before at the port. I used to drive down the morning if it was Galveston, but no longer.

 

Im there before 11 am. ... why would people want to wait?

 

I have the buffet all to myself before people pick over it.

[Elaine515]

We like to be the first ones on right after any Wedding Parties .. Being a large group (usually minimum 10) its easier to get a table on the Lido Deck together and just hang out watching all the newbies wander around. That is our "home base" for the next 2 hours until our cabins are ready....

 

Also, if you get on early as Platinum, we get to sign up for Behind The Scene tour and not get closed out of it, get to choose the cabana we want on HMC etc...

 

And the best part... it feels like you have an entire extra day of cruising the earlier you board !!!

[okgirl]

I usually like to be on the ship early and like Mach arrive around 10:30, but on special cruises like a Blogger's cruise where there are going to be hundreds of other Platinum's I've started asking for late checkout at the hotel and don't arrive at the pier until after 1pm. That way I can check in at an almost empty VIP lounge and usually walk right on to the ship.

[PAPERBKWRITER]

One time on RCCL they made a mistake when we booked and the agent, instead of marking down we had completed 1 cruise, hit the zero a couple of times and vola, we were on our 101st cruise with them. We were ushered to a special waiting area, waited on like royality with snacks and drinks and escorted first onto the ship. That was a bit spooky as we wandered thru the empty ship. Several days later we were invited to a hi roller party where we met a bunch of snobs who acted like they invented cruising. That was not your typical welcome back party. The people "dressed" for that gig where any kind of drink you wanted was served along with trays of special ??? Of course I showed up in a tee and shorts. I was wearing a Corvette shirt and that steered the conversation to sports cars. After it was determined that my Vette was not this years or a highly sought collectable I was ignored as the merits of imports vs domestic were discussed. When the conversation switched to the lower class of pax cruise ships market too, I looked at my watch and left to join the rest of the "riff raff" aboard the ship.

[Cruise-Crazy]

One time on RCCL they made a mistake when we booked and the agent, instead of marking down we had completed 1 cruise, hit the zero a couple of times and vola, we were on our 101st cruise with them. We were ushered to a special waiting area, waited on like royality with snacks and drinks and escorted first onto the ship. That was a bit spooky as we wandered thru the empty ship. Several days later we were invited to a hi roller party where we met a bunch of snobs who acted like they invented cruising. That was not your typical welcome back party. The people "dressed" for that gig where any kind of drink you wanted was served along with trays of special ??? Of course I showed up in a tee and shorts. I was wearing a Corvette shirt and that steered the conversation to sports cars. After it was determined that my Vette was not this years or a highly sought collectable I was ignored as the merits of imports vs domestic were discussed. When the conversation switched to the lower class of pax cruise ships market too, I looked at my watch and left to join the rest of the "riff raff" aboard the ship.

 

pretty funny :)

[Cruise-Crazy]

I like to be one of the first on the ship, grab a cheeseburger and watch everyone else as they fill up the Lido deck.

 

A few times I have been there before they had any cheeseburgers ready...

[PA Dutchman]

If your VIP and not there when embarkation starts it really dosen't matter if your VIP or not from there on. The first half hr is when most people get on.

[TheTravelista]

I usually arrive at the port between 1 and 2 pm. I have no interest in being first onboard. I'm perfectly fine with bypassing all the lines and not having to wait at all when I do get there.