Imagine this

[mikeblum]

It's EMBARKATION day...the cruise doc's say you can't get on the ship til noon...WHAT TIME DO YOU SHOW UP AT THE PIER...?????...AND WHAT'S THE FIRST THING YOU DO WHEN YOU GET ON BOARD...BESIDES HAVING YOUR PICTURE TAKEN 10 TIMES BY RCCL...**********************************************************************for us...it's to the pier at 10:30 and be one o0f the first to be on board and than off to the windjammer for lunch then hopefully the cabin is open to drop off some stuff and to load up the safe...then we change into our bathing suits and it's pool time til the fire muster...get a good 2 to 2 1/2 hrs of sun in before the 7 short blasts for the muster...BAR SERVICE !!!!!

[DonnaK]

Regardless of what the cruise documents say, we get to the pier around 10:45 to 11am, and are onboard having lunch in the Windjammer before 12noon!

[Ocean Boy]

Regardless of what the cruise documents say, we get to the pier around 10:45 to 11am, and are onboard having lunch in the Windjammer before 12noon!

 

Exactly this.

[NorbertsNiece]

Exactly this.

 

Ditto

[bbbearden]

Exactly this.

 

Me to, try to be one of the first ones onboard, and then the WJ, and off to explore. I love to take pictures of the ship before everyone boards and it gets crowded, those are fun to post on me favorite cruise board (CC).

[Ocean Boy]

Me to, try to be one of the first ones onboard, and then the WJ, and off to explore. I love to take pictures of the ship before everyone boards and it gets crowded, those are fun to post on me favorite cruise board (CC).

 

I love taking pictures when I have the ship to myself. However, for me that usually occurs around 5 AM every morning of the cruise.:)

[GoochDSA]

Regardless of what the cruise documents say, we get to the pier around 10:45 to 11am, and are onboard having lunch in the Windjammer before 12noon!

 

That's how we roll as well.

 

We don't like to sit around the WJ waiting for our rooms after we eat. After lunch depends on what time of year and out of where. For example, when we leave out of NJ on EOS in December, after we eat my fiancee heads over to make spa appointments while I head around to the bars for a couple of drinks (on EOS I like the 19th Hole, Weekend Warriors and Crown and Kettle) to help forget about how much my fiancees spa appointments are going to cost me.

[PattyG12]

Add us to the list ... Always get to port around 10:30

[mikeblum]

so what reasoning does RCCL put noon on their doc's to show up at the pier...maybe they are trying to better manage the flow of new passangers showing up for their crusie and not have everyone there waiting in line at 10:30...we are going out of New Orleans in March on the Navagator...have never gone out of the Big Easy...curious how they are vs Miami or Ft Lauderdale or San Juan...

[Ocean Boy]

so what reasoning does RCCL put noon on their doc's to show up at the pier...maybe they are trying to better manage the flow of new passangers showing up for their crusie and not have everyone there waiting in line at 10:30...we are going out of New Orleans in March on the Navagator...have never gone out of the Big Easy...curious how they are vs Miami or Ft Lauderdale or San Juan...

 

It gives those of us who have cruised with RCI for awhile a chance to get on board and eat before the masses, crowds, and lines, appear.;):D

[GoochDSA]

so what reasoning does RCCL put noon on their doc's to show up at the pier...maybe they are trying to better manage the flow of new passangers showing up for their crusie and not have everyone there waiting in line at 10:30...we are going out of New Orleans in March on the Navagator...have never gone out of the Big Easy...curious how they are vs Miami or Ft Lauderdale or San Juan...

 

My guess is that it has to do with crowd control just incase something comes up. For example, we once came into Cape Liberty the morning after a blizzard (which we followed up the East Coast, making it quite an interesting experience to say the least). We were delayed docking by almost an hour and were delayed an extra hour or so getting off the ship due to the roadways at the pier and parking lots still needing to be plowed. So, naturally we were first allowed to disembark at around 10:30, just as the next set of passengers were trying to embark, which led to hours of delays both getting in and out of the pier.

[mikeblum]

that would be rather bizzare to get off a ship and to have snow in the parking lot where the ship in docked...i guess that is one of the benefits of being near a port...maybe they will build one in minneapolis...only kidding...is the port of CAPE LIBERTY open yr round...

[GoochDSA]

that would be rather bizzare to get off a ship and to have snow in the parking lot where the ship in docked...i guess that is one of the benefits of being near a port...maybe they will build one in minneapolis...only kidding...is the port of CAPE LIBERTY open yr round...

 

It was quite the hectic disembarkation to say the least. Yes, Cape Liberty (Bayonne) is open year round. Right now the only cruise ships that use it are the EOS and the Celebrity Summit, I believe.

[mikeblum]

i was born and raised for the first 12 yrs of my life in Jersey City...right next door to Bayonne...back in 1970 when we moved to the midwest (minneapolis) if someone would have told me that there would be a cruise port on Bayonne i would still be laughing...the place was a pit...i have no idea where the port is...is it near the airport in Newark...

[TBone2K]

No idea if this link will work, but according to the RCCL website, Explorer is there year-round:

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/search/vacationSearchResult.do?actionType=&promoType=&location=&portOfCall=&eventSource=date&pageType=AS&dest=&date=201300&state=NA&port=&duration=&price=&includeAdjascentPorts=Y&cruiseType=CO&&exp=true#%2Ffindacruise%2Fsearch%2FvacationSearchResult.do%3FactionType%3D%26promoType%3D%26location%3D%26portOfCall%3D%26eventSource%3Ddate%26pageType%3DSR%26date%3D201300%26state%3DNA%26port%3DBYE%26cruiseType%3DCO%26userPreferences%3DN%26sortBy%3D1%26selectedCurrencyCode%3DCAD%26exp%3Dtrue

[mation101]

We must be really impatient. We get to the port between 9:00-9:30. Have always been able to drop luggage right away. We dont carry on anything but my backpack, and DH's laptop. That way we can walk around a little or just camp out until they let us in. I would rather sit around the port than twiddle my thumbs in the hotel room.

 

We have lunch @ the WJ. Then just cruise around until we can get into our cabins. Drop stuff, go get beer either at pool bar in good weather or pub in cool weather. Or both:D.

 

By the time most are just arriving we have checked out most of the ship, had lunch, a few beers, and are ready to chill in the cabin wait for luggage get unpacked, and ready for the CL, where we will park ourselves from the time it opens until our 8:30 dinner.

 

Basically we repeat eveyday for the next week.

[mikeblum]

Mation101 I WOULD BE THERE WITH YA AT THAT HOUR BUT THE REST OF MY GROUP WOULD SAY ARE YOU FREAK'N CRZZZZZY...10:30 FOR THEM IS SOON ENOUGH...LOT'S OF HIGH ENERGY AT THE HOTEL...TWITTLING OF THUMBS...LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW...WAITING FOR THE CAB OR SHUTTLE BUS...not quite sure what to expect in new orleans this coming March on the Nvagator of the Seas...have never sailed out of new orleans before...the good news that the port area probabaly won't be crazzzy the way it is in Miami or Lauderdale or San Juan...268 days and counting...thanks Trout

[mjldvlks]

We usually arrive at 10-10:30 and get on as early as possible. I want as much time [that I have already paid for] aboard the ship as possible. If you want to know how early, here is a picture from Windjammer on Independence on the first day of our 2009 TA:

 

[mation101]

Mation101 I WOULD BE THERE WITH YA AT THAT HOUR BUT THE REST OF MY GROUP WOULD SAY ARE YOU FREAK'N CRZZZZZY...10:30 FOR THEM IS SOON ENOUGH...LOT'S OF HIGH ENERGY AT THE HOTEL...TWITTLING OF THUMBS...LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW...WAITING FOR THE CAB OR SHUTTLE BUS...not quite sure what to expect in new orleans this coming March on the Nvagator of the Seas...have never sailed out of new orleans before...the good news that the port area probabaly won't be crazzzy the way it is in Miami or Lauderdale or San Juan...268 days and counting...thanks Trout

 

 

Hey Mike we sailed out of NOLA last Jan. DH read everything he could about the port. We left VERY early as we had heard that with the convention center right there traffic could get really bad. I could see how that would happen on the ride in, luckily we cruised right past the con.center and still ended up in a bit of a bottle neck, but not sure where or why as I was in the third row of van taxi and couldnt see much in front.

 

The taxi took us to the wrong ship, but THAT I could see and had DH check with him before he unloaded 4000lbs of luggage. Once we were to the right ship we dropped luggage across from terminal, walked back to terminal and were told by all 3 people we asked that boarding doesnt start until 11, and we should walk to the shopping area and get some coffee.

 

Not this girl, I know boarding usually starts before 11 and I WANT TO BE FIRST ON BOARD!!! So I ask if we can wait by the doors. No you have to wait outside. So we stand right outside and watch last sailings cruisers sulk off into the parking lot. As soon as I see one couple standing by the entrance inside, I ask again if we can wait "up there" with the other couple. Now we are in line, and stand in line for over an hour. BUT, by the time they start letting us in the line is out the door and out of sight. HA!

 

I think from the time we got to the port til the time we were seated in WJ it was a little over 2 hrs.

 

That is ideal for me, I dont want to get there and already see people finished with lunch. It makes me feel like Ive already missed out.

 

And yes I do channel my inner 2yr old quite often.