Boston Dawn Embarkation

[Sand and Seas]

We will be cruising out of Boston for the first time later this summer. We will be staying in the seaport area for two nights before the cruise.

 

Are there any tips or other information you can give us about the Black Falcon port and embarkation?

 

We loved sailing on the Dawn out of New Orleans and are looking forward to sailing on her again:cool:

[saretaj]

We sailed the Dawn last September out of Boston. We chose the 1:30pm boarding time and it was a breeze! 2 of us used only birth certificates and it wasn't an issue. Cabin was ready shorty after.

 

Everyone, it seemed, was at the buffet... I would avoid if possible! The main dining areas were open but we didn't know that beforehand.

[robmac330]

A few random observations from last August:

- Check out the Harpoon brewery during your two days in the seaport

- If you're driving, drop someone off with the luggage at the terminal entrance before going to park, otherwise you're hauling your bags down the block with you

- Forgetting you put your golf divot tool in your carry-on will get you taken aside for not-random-at-all additional screening

- Unless you plan to have one of the earlier check-in times, finding somewhere to sit in the waiting area can be a challenge. We checked in around 10:30a and were standing for about an hour.

- As someone else said, the main dining room is open for lunch, and was pretty quiet but very good. We ended up with seats by the window and got to watch people boarding and all the food and luggage being loaded

[BirdTravels]

Security is similar to any sea port. Last we sailed out of Boston, the police department was doing security at the terminal (vs. rent-a-cops). Check-in is small, so if you are suites guest, they just move you to the front of the regular line, no special check-in. The terminal is knida neat because it is an old wharf. The terminal is small and a "sorting hat" person at the exit to check-in will direct you into a section associated with your boarding group. They pack you in side-by-side.

[Sand and Seas]

We sailed the Dawn last September out of Boston. We chose the 1:30pm boarding time and it was a breeze! 2 of us used only birth certificates and it wasn't an issue. Cabin was ready shorty after.

 

Everyone, it seemed, was at the buffet... I would avoid if possible! The main dining areas were open but we didn't know that beforehand.

How was your weather in September? (Our cruise ends Sept 7th)

 

MDR sounds like a great choice for lunch:)

[Sand and Seas]

Security is similar to any sea port. Last we sailed out of Boston, the police department was doing security at the terminal (vs. rent-a-cops). Check-in is small, so if you are suites guest, they just move you to the front of the regular line, no special check-in. The terminal is knida neat because it is an old wharf. The terminal is small and a "sorting hat" person at the exit to check-in will direct you into a section associated with your boarding group. They pack you in side-by-side.

 

Is there a Platinum/Platinum Plus area for boarding after Suites?

 

Not sure how long we want to stand around, but I'm always so excited to get on the ship we usually get to the port early.

 

 

Have added Harpoon Brewery to the list of places to check out. We got a great Hotwire deal at Aloft ($87 per nite) thanks to advice from an expert over on the East coast departures.

 

 

Lots of good info so far. Thanks everyone!

[saretaj]

How was your weather in September? (Our cruise ends Sept 7th)

 

MDR sounds like a great choice for lunch:)

 

We actually had amazing weather for 5 of the 7 days. We sailed during the hurricanes, so first day in Bermuda was rainy (fine for us, we stayed on the ship and watched the Patriots and took advantage of the 1/2 empty ship). Second day in Bermuda was windy but warm, third day was absolutely perfect (80's not humid). We just went to Snorkel Park Beach the last day. Coming home was fine until the last night - LOTS of rocky seas. We had to sail up to Nova Scotia and down to Boston. Thursday was cold and rainy, but still fun. The sail down to Bermuda was perfect - we spent a lot of time in the pool / hot tub area and it was t-shirt weather.