Breakaway...NYC.."Arrival Time"

[mintsugarcube]

I chose the earliest time available (10am) for our "arrival time" at the pier. I Just looked at my edocs and noticed this:

 

"Please note the time you have selected to arrive at the pier.

Guest arriving to the pier before your select arrival time will be asked to come back at the appropriate time."

 

What has been your experience at NYC with this? If I arrive at 9am, will they really turn me away?

 

Supposed to start boarding at 12pm. what has been your experience with this also?

 

Thanks!

[Laszlo]

You"ll be fine, we have arrived for all three of our cruises out of NYC at 9am. We sailed the BA once and the Gem twice. It was never a problem.

[njhorseman]

You"ll be fine, we have arrived for all three of our cruises out of NYC at 9am. We sailed the BA once and the Gem twice. It was never a problem.

 

While it's unlikely the OP would be turned away, based on the dates shown in your cruise history your cruises from NY took place before NCL started assigning arrival times, so your experience isn't indicative of what could happen today.

[markf]

Why would you arrive at 9AM if you know you cant board until at least 11 30AM ?

[jerseygirl111]

Likely shorter security and check in lines. Some would rather sit and wait after check in than wait in lines.

[Cauzneffct]

We'd selected a 1-1:30 boarding time and arrived around 11:30 for our cruise 5/22. We were able to board immediately.

[Diane123boys]

I chose the earliest time available (10am) for our "arrival time" at the pier. I Just looked at my edocs and noticed this:

 

"Please note the time you have selected to arrive at the pier.

Guest arriving to the pier before your select arrival time will be asked to come back at the appropriate time."

 

What has been your experience at NYC with this? If I arrive at 9am, will they really turn me away?

 

Supposed to start boarding at 12pm. what has been your experience with this also?

 

Thanks!

 

The arrival times are there so that "hopefully" the waiting area does not get so crowded that no one can move and to give the folks checking you in time to process.. In Boston they did look at our arrival times... and I saw people that had later arrivals put into the back of the line and ones that were there on time pulled into the line if they were a bit late becasue of traffic.

[mking8288]

Been on the BA 3 times, the general boarding is by zone # issued as part of the check-in process as you will be given a card with a printed number on it.

 

Unless you are sailing in Haven, VIP/Special Needs, etc. or other priority boarding status ... the first group to board the week before was "visitors" (and/or wedding party) followed by Haven, Special Needs, then VIP/Casino At Seas, Platinum, and then the lower zone numbers are called - usually around 11 AM, general boarding by 11:30 AM ... the buffet isn't open until 11:30 and the MDR that's open for lunch is 12 noon.

 

Allow extra time to get there & into the building in case of traffic, weather & nearby street closures (like this past Sunday when we disembark, with the GEM & BA docked and Fleet Week) - seating capacity inside the terminal are limited but if you don't mind standing for another 90 minutes to 2+ hours while waiting to board, it should be fine. Restrooms are available & there's water fountain as well.

[Laszlo]

While it's unlikely the OP would be turned away, based on the dates shown in your cruise history your cruises from NY took place before NCL started assigning arrival times, so your experience isn't indicative of what could happen today.

 

Maybe, maybe not. We had 11:30am on our Escape cruise. That was the earliest time we could get. We wanted Vibe passes so we arrived a little before 9am. I don't think anyone at check it checked the arrival time. Our little group of people wanted Vibe passes, about 30 of us had times from 10am until Noon. No one had 9am.

 

Another reasons for selling Vibe passes online;)

[esm54687]

Many cruise lines, such as Princess, Carnival, RCCL and NCL, are rolling out "staggered check in" and heavily enforcing the times at some ports.

 

I was on the BA in March out of NYC and they were not enforcing the time on your edocs.... however, I was talking to a Port Authority Officer and she mentioned that it is coming but she didn't know when. There are many organizations that are involved before you even get to the NCL counter such as Port Authority, Customs, Immigration, NYPD, Longshoreman Union (the people who take your luggage), etc. NCL pays a fee to use the facility and the management of the facility is Ports America so a lot of the security and processing logistics is out of NCL's hands.... so if 3000 people continue to show up at 9:30am, coupled with a couple thousand getting off the ship then they may begin enforcing it for public safety, etc

 

Currently, Manhattan Cruise Terminal is not enforcing the "staggered check in" but IMHO I wouldn't be surprised if they start this summer so that word gets out and if they do turn people away at the terminal at least the weather will be warm for the wait.