Repost from other board Princess Cruise Embarkation: Arriving Early?

[TheFrenchHamburger]

*** I'm new around here, pretty sure I posted in the wrong forum originally***

 

My husband and I are taking a Princess cruise (Alaska Inside Passage Roundtrip from Seattle) this August! I'm very excited! My husband has never cruised, and it is my first cruise as an adult (last time around I was 12 and my parents handled all the details )

 

We are flying in the day before. Cruise departure is at 4:00 PM, and according to Princess' "Progressive Cruise Check In Information", we should arrive at 2:00 PM on Embarkation day, the third of four check in times by deck. Guests are requested not to arrive prior to your cruise check in time "because your cabin may not be ready". This creates an awkward space in our day because check out from our hotel that morning is at 12:00 and our hotel is only about a mile away from the port. I am not sure if late check out will be an option for us, and I can't see us making good use of our time in Seattle after checking out of the hotel with luggage in tow.

 

Does anyone have experience with showing up ahead of schedule?

[Pam in CA]

Progressive check-in is a suggestion and not enforced. Check-in starts between 10-10:30, boarding is usually between 11:30-Noon. You'll avoid crowds and lines boarding later but you can always check in and board earlier.

[JF - retired RRT]

What Pam said.

You can check your luggage in when the port opens, usually around 10.

Also, if you decide to follow the suggested times...most hotels will store your luggage for you while you play tourist.

Edited June 2, 2016 by JF - retired RRT

[nanabananna]

*** I'm new around here, pretty sure I posted in the wrong forum originally***

 

My husband and I are taking a Princess cruise (Alaska Inside Passage Roundtrip from Seattle) this August! I'm very excited! My husband has never cruised, and it is my first cruise as an adult (last time around I was 12 and my parents handled all the details )

 

We are flying in the day before. Cruise departure is at 4:00 PM, and according to Princess' "Progressive Cruise Check In Information", we should arrive at 2:00 PM on Embarkation day, the third of four check in times by deck. Guests are requested not to arrive prior to your cruise check in time "because your cabin may not be ready". This creates an awkward space in our day because check out from our hotel that morning is at 12:00 and our hotel is only about a mile away from the port. I am not sure if late check out will be an option for us, and I can't see us making good use of our time in Seattle after checking out of the hotel with luggage in tow.

 

Does anyone have experience with showing up ahead of schedule?

 

2 years ago we did the Seattle RT inside to Alaska on Golden Princess. We stayed at the Holiday Day Inn, close to the pier. Like yours our checkout time was early. We had arranged for a taxi to pick us up at 9:30am. We headed straight to the pier. There are benches outside where you can wait until you are able to get inside which was a short wait for us. Lines went quickly, and once we got through check in line near the entrance, our luggage was taken and we did not see it until it was in our cabin when we got on the ship. The actual Princess check in was very quick. We got our cabin card and they showed us where to sit and wait to board. This was probably about an hour or so but the time goes quickly meeting people and talking about the trip ahead! There are bathrooms close by the seating area too. When we were ready to line up for boarding, they start wall of chairs near the windows and each row snakes around the seating area. **Sit as close as possible to the 1st row of chairs on the Left, with the windows facing towards the West. They line up first!** :D We were on the ship by 11:30am and we were sitting about the 4th row of chairs.

The earlier you get inside, less crowding, and you will get through the lines quickly. :) Have fun and enjoy Alaska!!

[moki'smommy]

Exactly as above.

 

There is a sweet spot where if you arrive after most of the "early bird" boarding, you can check in and walk right on with no waiting. This is about 1-1:30. But by arriving early, you'll be on the ship earlier.

 

We typically check out at check out time and head to the terminal. There's really nothing else to do at most locations. Yes, it means a bit of waiting, but not a big deal.

 

As above, most hotels will hold your luggage if you want to do something before heading to the ship.

[sherryf]

I've done 7 Princess cruises out of Seattle and I've never seen the "progressive" check in enforced. They don't seem to pay any attention to it at all. As others have said, you can get there around 10:30 and be on the ship by noon. We always get there early so we can enjoy lunch in the dining room!

 

We are trying Holland America this year, so it will be weird going in the other side of the terminal and looking at the Princess ship from a HAL ship, rather than the other way around.

[Pierlesscruisers]

We are flying in the day before.

 

Very smart move!!;)

 

Cruise departure is at 4:00 PM, and according to Princess' "Progressive Cruise Check In Information", we should arrive at 2:00 PM on Embarkation day, the third of four check in times by deck. Guests are requested not to arrive prior to your cruise check in time "because your cabin may not be ready". This creates an awkward space in our day because check out from our hotel that morning is at 12:00 and our hotel is only about a mile away from the port. I am not sure if late check out will be an option for us, and I can't see us making good use of our time in Seattle after checking out of the hotel with luggage in tow.

 

That is merely a suggestion and is not set in stone. As to the time to arrive at the pier, let me first say that the earliest anybody is going to start boarding the ship at Pier 91 is 11:30am and it may not start till 12 noon and the first people to board will be those with preferred boarding and anybody in wheelchairs. That said, if you are a person who wants to be on as early as possible, I'd suggest arriving between 10:30 and 11 as by that time, most of the people will have come off the ships (There are 2 of them with a total of about 4700-5100 people, depending on how full the ships are) and cleared the pier. If you want to avoid the majority of the lines, then it would probably be best to arrive at the pier around 2:30pm as most of the lines are shorter or even gone by that time. (Of course if everybody waits to arrive at that time, the lines will be then and not earlier. :D:D)

 

See you at the pier!

 

Tom

[mamkmm2]

The time are just suggestions. That said, some ports try to enforce it and some don't bother. Some ports seem to run smoother and some seem chaotic regardless of whether they are following the suggested embarkation times or not. And sometimes you are held up, not because of the cruise line or its employees but by the local port authority or if there are immigration issues.

 

Basically hope for the best and plan for the worst. Never assume an early arrival will guarantee you an early embarkation or that a later arrival will mean you will have lines or avoid them completely. Clear as mud? ROFL!

 

Pretty much any issue you can run into at an airport you have the possibility of running into on embarkation day ... well, not that pilots need that extra couple hours of shut eye but I'm sure you get my meaning. :D

[Alaska05]

Where do I look to see if our cruise has progressive check in.

 

We sail on June 11 from Vancouver and still have an unassigned guarantee cabin.

 

I've looked on cruise personalizer and the boarding pass and don't see anything.

 

Last cruise we sailed from Sydney. When we got to the pier about 11:30 they told us about the staggered check in and that we should have been notified. We received nothing. They would not allow us to get in line since our "assigned" time was still 2 hours away. At least in Sydney it wasn't "suggested" time.

[Pierlesscruisers]

You can check your luggage in when the port opens, usually around 10.

 

You will not normally be able to check in your luggage at Pier 91 in Seattle until the ships (there are 2 of them at Pier 91 on the days Princess is at the pier) are both at zero count (no passengers still on board the ships) and the luggage hall has been set up to accept bags. That normally doesn't occur until about 10:30 or so. The one exception for that is if a longshoreman has taken your bags back to the luggage area. If you are checking in your own bags, you will have to wait until the change-over described above occurs to check in your bags.

 

Tom

[Pierlesscruisers]

The actual Princess check in was very quick. We got our cabin card and they showed us where to sit and wait to board. This was probably about an hour or so but the time goes quickly meeting people and talking about the trip ahead! There are bathrooms close by the seating area too. When we were ready to line up for boarding, they start wall of chairs near the windows and each row snakes around the seating area. **Sit as close as possible to the 1st row of chairs on the Left, with the windows facing towards the West. They line up first!

 

This year you will board by groups so where you sit doesn't have anything to do with how soon you board the ship, it's strictly by boarding group. Unless, of course, you are eligible for preferred boarding or are processed through the ADA section.

 

Tom

[limoncello07]

The one exception for that is if a longshoreman has taken your bags back to the luggage area. Tom

 

Any idea approximately how early that service would be available? (I will, alas, be arriving at the pier with an unavoidably large load of luggage, and am looking to have it out of my hands as soon as possible). And just to clarify for this newbie cruiser -- when they "take your bags back to the luggage area," does this mean your luggage is now checked and will be loaded on the ship? Or is this merely temporary storage until the check-in lines open.

 

This thread has provided me with a lot of useful information -- many thanks both to the OP and those who have replied!

[Pierlesscruisers]

Any idea approximately how early that service would be available? (I will, alas, be arriving at the pier with an unavoidably large load of luggage, and am looking to have it out of my hands as soon as possible). And just to clarify for this newbie cruiser -- when they "take your bags back to the luggage area," does this mean your luggage is now checked and will be loaded on the ship? Or is this merely temporary storage until the check-in lines open.

 

This thread has provided me with a lot of useful information -- many thanks both to the OP and those who have replied!

 

If your bags all have tags on them and the porter takes your bags from you, the next time you will see them will be at your room on board the ship.

 

Since you asked about baggage, I'll try and explain how the bags are handled. It really depends on a number of thing. If you're coming in from the airport on a Princess airport transfer, your bags will be taken from you at the airport and placed on a truck for transport to the pier and loading on the ship. In that case the first time you will see your bags after the airport will be when they arrive at your stateroom on the ship. If you arranged for overnight lodging at a hotel and transport to the pier through Princess, then the same is true for your bags.

 

If you come in via Seattle Express or Shuttle Express from the airport or somewhere else, you will have your bags with you. Same thing if you come in via taxi, POV, or other independent means. In this case you will need to find a longshoreman porter to handle your bags. There will be 2 different sets of porters at the pier, one group will be wearing orange safety vests with silver stripes on them and the other group will have fluorescent green safety vests with silver stripes on them. You will need to get one wearing the green vests as they handle only Princess bags, the orange vested porters handle only Holland-America bags. If you are there early (10-11am) realize that the baggage hall may not be clear yet and the porters may still be handling bags for disembarking passengers and not able to accept bags for embarking passengers yet.

 

Hope this explains how this procedure works. If not, let me know what's still murky about the procedure and I'll try and clear everything up.

 

I hope you have a safe trip to/from Seattle and a great cruise.

 

See you at the pier.

 

Tom

[Eaglecw]

Tom,

I just wheel my bags down the corridor and hand them off the the guy who is running scanner, he checks to make sure they have a baggage tag on the bag and away we go. Is this still a go this year or do I have to do something different this year?

Again this year I'm planning on leaving the house around 10am, that'll put me at Pier 91 around 11am or so.

[riclop]

*** I'm new around here, pretty sure I posted in the wrong forum originally***

 

My husband and I are taking a Princess cruise (Alaska Inside Passage Roundtrip from Seattle) this August! I'm very excited! My husband has never cruised, and it is my first cruise as an adult (last time around I was 12 and my parents handled all the details )

 

We are flying in the day before. Cruise departure is at 4:00 PM, and according to Princess' "Progressive Cruise Check In Information", we should arrive at 2:00 PM on Embarkation day, the third of four check in times by deck. Guests are requested not to arrive prior to your cruise check in time "because your cabin may not be ready". This creates an awkward space in our day because check out from our hotel that morning is at 12:00 and our hotel is only about a mile away from the port. I am not sure if late check out will be an option for us, and I can't see us making good use of our time in Seattle after checking out of the hotel with luggage in tow.

 

Does anyone have experience with showing up ahead of schedule?

 

It's only a suggestion.

[Pierlesscruisers]

Tom,

I just wheel my bags down the corridor and hand them off the the guy who is running scanner, he checks to make sure they have a baggage tag on the bag and away we go. Is this still a go this year or do I have to do something different this year?

Again this year I'm planning on leaving the house around 10am, that'll put me at Pier 91 around 11am or so.

 

Basically, yes, that's all that's done. No change from a year ago. New security company does the security work upstairs this year and that is running a bit better this year it seems. Other than that, everything is pretty much the same.

 

Tom

[GUT2407]

*** I'm new around here, pretty sure I posted in the wrong forum originally***

 

My husband and I are taking a Princess cruise (Alaska Inside Passage Roundtrip from Seattle) this August! I'm very excited! My husband has never cruised, and it is my first cruise as an adult (last time around I was 12 and my parents handled all the details )

 

We are flying in the day before. Cruise departure is at 4:00 PM, and according to Princess' "Progressive Cruise Check In Information", we should arrive at 2:00 PM on Embarkation day, the third of four check in times by deck. Guests are requested not to arrive prior to your cruise check in time "because your cabin may not be ready". This creates an awkward space in our day because check out from our hotel that morning is at 12:00 and our hotel is only about a mile away from the port. I am not sure if late check out will be an option for us, and I can't see us making good use of our time in Seattle after checking out of the hotel with luggage in tow.

 

Does anyone have experience with showing up ahead of schedule?

 

 

You can also drop your luggage and then have a look around.

[limoncello07]

Since you asked about baggage, I'll try and explain how the bags are handled ... Tom

 

Thanks so much for the detailed explanation Tom -- super helpful!

[Pierlesscruisers]

Thanks so much for the detailed explanation Tom -- super helpful!

 

Glad that you found it useful/helpful. See you at the pier!

 

Tom