Time to arrive in Baltimore

[Lilly'sMom]

Just got an email from Carnival saying not to arrive at the port until 1:30pm for boarding. We were planning to be there at 11 am. Anybody have any info on this? I figured we would be boarding before 1:30! :confused:

 

Thanks for your help!

[sjcruiser]

That time is good!!! We arrived just before 10:00am due to no traffic on I-95, and were let right into the parking lot, with the porters taking our bags placing them on the cart. We went back to our car for a few minutes or so to let the terminal clear out, but we were onboard before 11:30am. Enjoy your cruise!!!

[MV Wiggle]

That is a standard email Carnival sends out to help stagger arrivals so that 2,000 cruisers do not all arrive at the port at the same time.

 

Arriving to the port at 11:00 a.m. would be fine. Embarkation will usually begin around 11:30 - 12:00 as long as the ship was on time returning (which is sometimes hit or miss in Baltimore) and clears customs with no issues.

[bigdog1958]

This is a standard email that carnival sends out, however, Baltimore is usually late in boarding. I have been on the pride 3 times out of Baltimore and the earliest they started the boarding process was 12:45... The pride does not arrive back to port until around 9am if it is on time(sometimes later). Since it will take at least 3 hrs to get everyone off, its rare that boarding starts early. It happens once in awhile but usually it will be between 12:30 and 1pm. That being said, you can certainly arrive at 11am, but you may have to wait awhile. Also, if you are driving in, alot of times the parking lot will not be open until around 11:30am, as they need to clear out the passangers from the last cruise. On my cruise this past february, boarding did not begin until 2pm.. Which was the latest I have ever seen, but alot of times boarding is later in Baltimore, so be prepared to wait, but hopefully, you will be lucky to get on board early.

[NCTribeFan]

Have a read through the All Things Pride thread. Lots of discussion about when to arrive.

 

On May 4th, I had the fastest check in yet (that was Carnival #19).

 

Yep, probably took all of 5 minutes.

 

And then I sat and waited for about 1-1/2 hours. I was sitting in the VIP section at 11:05 but boarding didn't begin until about 12:40. But I knew that was likely because I'd done my reading.

 

They have a very narrow window for boarding in Baltimore because she doesn't arrive back in port at 6 am like many other ports.

 

There's really no reason to get there early. But people will arrive when they want to arrive. You may board quickly; you may sit for 1-1/2 hours.

[PA Dutchman]

We have been on the Pride 7 times going again in July, anytime from 11:30 on several times it was 11:30 and the last 2 times it was 12:30.

[TheShayQueen]

For my Pride cruise, we got there at 12:30pm and was on board by 1:00pm. It was the quickest check-in I have experienced thus far. It was GREAT!! :D

[ShanteS]

Good to know. My best friend and I are planning on arriving there around 1 or 1:30.

[ryanpatricksmom]

Unfortunately, timing your arrival to the port to coincide with boarding the Pride is very difficult. She's arrived as early as 8 a.m. and as late as 11, so boarding can be anywhere from 11:30 to as late as 2. Generally the parking lot opens at 11 for arriving passengers, although if the ship really runs late they may push that out a bit. It's a shame that there isn't a way to find out exactly when she arrives in port and then time your arrival accordingly. It's really not fun to sit in a crowded terminal with 2,000 other passengers waiting to board. The upside to arriving later is that they really are very efficient at check-in in Baltimore, so you are likely to board quickly. The downside is that it takes forever to pay for parking.

[MV Wiggle]

My last time on the Pride back in 2011, we did not get back to Baltimore until 1:00 p.m. and we did not debark until nearly 2:45 p.m., so you can imagine the number of irritated people at the port thinking they would be embarking at noon.

[jma624]

So, what is the earliest flight time you would recommend after sailing on the Pride?

[PA Dutchman]

If you are Platinum or Diamond you can do the bag drag and be off the ship by 9:30 AM. That's normal time and no problems. Problem you can always have that one time thing that did not go normal. Our last 3 cruises we were off the ship and home by 11:00. Central PA. I would not book air before 11:00AM. and move your tail

Edited June 11, 2014 by PA Dutchman