How early can we board?

[From Virginia Beach]

Folks,

 

We're Ruby members on the Caribe deck but are getting in very early the morning of embarkation.

 

Do you actually have to wait until your deck is called for embarkation? Otherwise, how early have other boarded?

 

Best, Karen

[Loonbeam]

All depends on the port and volume. They are normally not too strict on the by deck boarding, but if things get backed up they can and have enforced it.

[paul929207]

Boarding usually begins about 11:30 or noon with Passengers in suites and those who are Elite and Platinum in the Captains Circle going first.

[waltd]

And of course if the ship arrives late or they have to do extra cleaning due to Noro then everything changes.

[TKS]

Just got our boarding passes. It states our deck will not board until 2PM, we must be aboard 90 minutes before sailing at 4 PM, and two decks are boarding at the same time. Plus doesn't emergency drill have to be completed before sail away? Is this going to be the nightmare it sounds like?:eek:

[Princess Patches]

Your boarding pass time is a suggestion. You can get there earlier if you wish. The check-in line usually opens about 11:00 and boarding usually starts around noon. Elite/Platinums/Suites board first.

[skf]

Plus doesn't emergency drill have to be completed before sail away?

The drill is required. It is usually done shortly before departure. There is a second drill for late-comers, so fear not.

We arrived rather early for our Caribbean sailing from FLL, & even being elites could not board until clearance was given by port authorities, because every passenger must leave the ship even if staying for the next cruise.

Steve

[Pierlesscruisers]

Do you actually have to wait until your deck is called for embarkation?

 

Regardless of the port involved, it basically depends on when the last passengers on the Preceding cruise get off the ship. Until the ship is at zero count, nobody will be boarding. There may be other situations that come in to play but that is the basic factor. And, again, this may vary from port to port to some extent.

[geoherb]

We flew down the morning of our cruise in May. I like to fly down the day before, but the flights worked better for that cruise. We got to the port around 8:30 or so. There were plenty of benches to sit on while we waited for the doors to open. Fortunately for that cruise, we were in the larger terminal at Port Everglades and they had a separate door for preferred boarding. So we could remaining sitting on our bench and not have to stand in the long line that was forming outside the nonpreferred entrance. We played Scrabble, read, ate some snacks I had brought along. They opened the terminal for preferred passengers around 10:30 and the other door a few minutes later. We still had to wait after checking in and receiving our cruise cards. We were on the ship a little before noon.