Embarkation from Boston on first cruise from Transatlantic on Royal Caribbean

[TM38Rob]

How long does Serenade of the Seas (or Radiance class ship) take clear when arriving to Boston for the first time following a Transatlantic sailing?  I'm on the Sept. 10 5-night cruise to Bermuda. 

 

5 years ago I was on the first Oasis cruise from Fort Lauderdale following her transatlantic sailing from drydock.  Took a long time to clear ship and didn't get to board until well after 3pm.  Since Serenade is a much smaller ship, I'm hoping it doesn't take that long to clear.

 

Thanks

[138east]

13 hours ago, TM38Rob said:

How long does Serenade of the Seas (or Radiance class ship) take clear when arriving to Boston for the first time following a Transatlantic sailing?  I'm on the Sept. 10 5-night cruise to Bermuda. 

 

5 years ago I was on the first Oasis cruise from Fort Lauderdale following her transatlantic sailing from drydock.  Took a long time to clear ship and didn't get to board until well after 3pm.  Since Serenade is a much smaller ship, I'm hoping it doesn't take that long to clear.

 

Thanks

You’ll probably be just fine.  When I did a TA to Boston on Brilliance they couldn’t wait for us to get off.  My husband picked me up at 9 am.

[TM38Rob]

On 6/6/2019 at 2:14 PM, 138east said:

You’ll probably be just fine.  When I did a TA to Boston on Brilliance they couldn’t wait for us to get off.  My husband picked me up at 9 am.

Thanks Carol!

 

Started online check-in and the earliest option to arrive is Noon.  I plan on arriving by 10AM and thinking about purchasing The Key in part to enjoy lunch at Chops and have my carry-on luggage delivered to my stateroom.  If embarkation was delayed, then I'd lose out on the luggage delivery.  At this point it all comes down to whether or not I want an internet package.  Either way the ship will go Vroom....

Edited June 14, 2019 by TM38Rob

[luvscruising2007]

I don't want to be a debbie downer, but we had an awful experience on our TA aboard Jewel.  Diembarkation was extremely slow.  They blamed it on lack of customs and immigration employees.  We waited for what seemed like hours just for our numbers to be called. Finally, every one just started moving without an announcement. We were worried we would miss our flight.  It turned out allright but with a  lot of stress.

This was 10 years ago, but you can never count on a specific time.

[southendcruiser]

I took the 5 night Canada cruise on the Serenade last year.  It was also right after the TA.  The disembarkation seemed to be quick, but since it was the first U.S. port, the Coast Guard decided to do an inspection.  Royal informed me the day before that there would be delays.  The check-in was quick, but they did not start boarding until quite late (maybe 1:00 PM--I can't remember exactly) and the Coast Guard inspection was still going on so some service were impacted.  The sail away was delayed a bit, but not significantly.  Upon returning to Boston, there was also about an hour delay in clearing the ship since Customs wanted to talk to a few of the passengers.  Once the ship was cleared, we just walked off with no further stop at Customs or Immigration.  We were coming from Bar Harbor, so we had done the immigration before that port.  Since you are coming from Bermuda, you might have a different experience, but please be aware that the Coast Guard might want to do their inspection again.

[TM38Rob]

5 hours ago, southendcruiser said:

I took the 5 night Canada cruise on the Serenade last year.  It was also right after the TA.  The disembarkation seemed to be quick, but since it was the first U.S. port, the Coast Guard decided to do an inspection.  Royal informed me the day before that there would be delays.  The check-in was quick, but they did not start boarding until quite late (maybe 1:00 PM--I can't remember exactly) and the Coast Guard inspection was still going on so some service were impacted.  The sail away was delayed a bit, but not significantly.  Upon returning to Boston, there was also about an hour delay in clearing the ship since Customs wanted to talk to a few of the passengers.  Once the ship was cleared, we just walked off with no further stop at Customs or Immigration.  We were coming from Bar Harbor, so we had done the immigration before that port.  Since you are coming from Bermuda, you might have a different experience, but please be aware that the Coast Guard might want to do their inspection again.

Thanks southendcruiser, this is what I was worried about.

I think they also did a Coast Guard inspection on the Oasis upon her return to the US.  I remember getting texts and phone calls from Royal Caribbean a couple days before the cruise to not arrive early to Port Everglades.  I arrived at Port Everglades after hotel check-out as planned.  Although I had to sit for a long time, at least I got a seat and boarded the ship as soon as possible.  Last October on Norwegian Escape in New York she was delayed arriving due to a storm in New York the day before and then had a Coast Guard inspection.  I had just ran 5 miles through Central Park in a race and was waiting in line to check-in when the terminal became full.  Standing in the same spot for a couple hours was not fun as they stopped the check-in.  I could see the crew muster drill with the Coast Guard take place from inside the terminal.  At least the Serenade is much smaller compared to Oasis and Escape.

As for The Key, I think I'll pass this time.  The carry-on luggage delivery to stateroom was the one perk that would influence my decision.  If there's a good chance boarding will be delayed to 1PM or later and staterooms open at 1:30PM, then this benefit would be lost, and possibly lunch at Chops Grille.