Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

What time is a good time?

kaylaw25

By kaylaw25,
in Ask a Cruise Question

Recommended Posts

uppitycats

uppitycats

Posted
Posted
Embarkation is at 11 am I plan to be there by 9:30 to wait. I want to board as soon as possible & begin my vacation. When you cruise how early do you arrive to the port?

 

We usually show up around 11 or 11:30. We're almost always on the ship by 12 or 12:30. I'd rather linger over a cup of coffee somewhere than hang out in a terminal!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
euro cruiser

euro cruiser

Posted
Posted

I don't find standing in line or simply hanging around a terminal a pleasant way to start a cruise. We typically go out and enjoy lunch somewhere, arriving at the terminal between 1 -2 PM, after everyone else has boarded. I don't feel like we've missed anything by passing up a cafeteria lunch, the same menu we'll be choosing from for the next week or two.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
euro cruiser

euro cruiser

Posted
Posted
Haven't you guys ever heard the saying the early bird catches the worm?! :p I would feel soooooooo late arriving between 1 & 2.

That works for me ... so that there's no one left but us when we arrive at check in. I have zero interest in worms :).

 

Last summer I dropped a group off for a cruise from New York and had to go when they wanted to, at 11 AM. It was a zoo, with long lines snaking through the terminal. That's just not for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jdvmd

jdvmd

Posted
Posted
I don't find standing in line or simply hanging around a terminal a pleasant way to start a cruise. We typically go out and enjoy lunch somewhere, arriving at the terminal between 1 -2 PM, after everyone else has boarded. I don't feel like we've missed anything by passing up a cafeteria lunch, the same menu we'll be choosing from for the next week or two.

Totally agree.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kaylaw25

kaylaw25

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I see the logic behind the early arrival as well as the late. My first cruise was with a group so we had to kinda stick together. We didn't get to the port (canaveral) until after 1 and the lines were crazy! By this time I was aggravated and excited so the wait seemed much longer than it actually was. I just kept saying maybe if I had gotten there earlier I could've avoided that circus.

 

I maybe just relax and play it by ear after all it is vacation! No need to stick to rigid schedules...... right?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
marco

marco

Posted
Posted

Most of the cruises we've been on, the ship sails 5-ish and embarkation starts around noon. We usually try to arrive between 1:30 and 2. Arriving then, it takes us about 10 minutes from arriving to being on the ship. When we arrive at 11:30-ish, we spend WAY too much time waiting, waiting, and queuing before we get on the ship. Seems like arriving 2 hours later only gets us on the ship a 1/2 hr later than if we arrived early and waiting and queued with throngs of other passengers. For me, anyway, "missing out" on that extra 1/2 hour of being on the ship is well worth it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
LadyShiva

LadyShiva

Posted
Posted
I see the logic behind the early arrival as well as the late. My first cruise was with a group so we had to kinda stick together. We didn't get to the port (canaveral) until after 1 and the lines were crazy! By this time I was aggravated and excited so the wait seemed much longer than it actually was. I just kept saying maybe if I had gotten there earlier I could've avoided that circus.

 

I maybe just relax and play it by ear after all it is vacation! No need to stick to rigid schedules...... right?

 

We usually let kiddo play in the hotel pool the morning of embarkation. The hotel pool is usually much bigger than anything on a ship. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
CaveDiving

CaveDiving

Posted
Posted
Haven't you guys ever heard the saying the early bird catches the worm?! :p I would feel soooooooo late arriving between 1 & 2.

 

Of course if the worm wasn't up so early, he never would have been caught.

 

I don't recommend pushing the boarding time up while people are still trying to leave. And the cabins on most ships aren't available until around 1 PM.

 

Scott & Karen

Link to comment
Share on other sites
GTO-Girl

GTO-Girl

Posted
Posted
I see the logic behind the early arrival as well as the late. My first cruise was with a group so we had to kinda stick together. We didn't get to the port (canaveral) until after 1 and the lines were crazy! By this time I was aggravated and excited so the wait seemed much longer than it actually was. I just kept saying maybe if I had gotten there earlier I could've avoided that circus.

 

I maybe just relax and play it by ear after all it is vacation! No need to stick to rigid schedules...... right?

 

 

9:30 is waaaayyyyy early for Jacksonville, so just a word of warning.........Sometimes if they are not finished unloading the last cruise and are not ready to accept passengers for your sailing they will not even let you in the parking lot. :cool:

 

It may not happen every time, but it does happen, so you may get turned around and have to go sit at a gas station on somewhere to wait.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kaylaw25

kaylaw25

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Of course if the worm wasn't up so early, he never would have been caught.

 

I don't recommend pushing the boarding time up while people are still trying to leave. And the cabins on most ships aren't available until around 1 PM.

 

Scott & Karen

 

That's funny. Never heard that before.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
fleckle

fleckle

Posted
Posted
I don't find standing in line or simply hanging around a terminal a pleasant way to start a cruise. ...........
We feel the same way. We hate being stuck in crowds waiting, sitting around in a cruise terminal or standing in lines. That is not our idea of a good way to begin a vacation.

 

Since we typically get to the cruise port at least a day early, we ask for a late check out at the hotel.

Then we sleep in that morning and have a leisurely breakfast or brunch. Sometimes we go to the gym and hang around enjoying the hotel pool and grounds. Other times we go out for some last minute shopping or to explore the town.

 

By the time we are ready to head for the ship, there are no longer any lines, or maybe only a few people in front of us, so we walk right up to the check in counter and get on board with no waiting at all.

 

The buffet and grill are open and the mad rush is over, so we can get something to eat and find a table whenever we want.

There is no shortage of food on a cruise ship.

 

 

 

Haven't you guys ever heard the saying the early bird catches the worm?! I would feel soooooooo late arriving between 1 & 2.
Yes, but we don't want any worms.

You are welcome to arrive early and keep all the worms for yourself. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mikeriv79

mikeriv79

Posted
Posted

I see the logic on both sides. You want to start your vacation as soon as possible or you want to take your time and not get stuck in the mass crowds trying to board. For me, the best part of the cruise is the moment you walk up the gangway and take your first steps on the ship. After that, there's nothing that excites me as much. So with that said, it doesn't matter what time I board.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jimnbigd

Jimnbigd

Posted
Posted

We drive to Galveston and usually park at the port. The parking lot does not want us there before 11am, giving time for the disembarking passengers to leave the parking lot. I think you would be bored if you arrive too early. The very earliest I've seen people get on the ship is around 11am. The ship (at least for USA departures) must be totally cleared of the previous passengers. I think even B2B (back-to-back) cruisers have to leave and re-enter the ship. It usually takes until at least 10am to clear the ship, then another hour before new passengers start getting on. So, we usually sleep late, have a late, lite breakfast, the go to the ship. I have known people who get up really early to go watch their ship dock -- usually around 5am or so. Gosh, at 5am I still have another 3 hours of sleep coming.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...