2 o'clock boarding

[journeys0404]

Do they let you board earlier? If not what is the best time to get there?

[Isklaar]

Depends where you're boarding and what time the ship departs. Sometimes there's a port delay. But generally from 12 noon onwards.

Best time to get there depends on several factors, if we want to have lunch outdoors at the Colonnade and the ship is scheduled to leave in the late afternoon, we arrive at around 12. If we're not bothered about lunch (poor weather or the embarkation port still has sights we wish to see) we arrive at around 2pm or later for a late departure.

[journeys0404]

Thanks  for the info. It’s not a port day we leave at 5:30 from Dublin.

[Isklaar]

44 minutes ago, journeys0404 said:

Thanks  for the info. It’s not a port day we leave at 5:30 from Dublin.

 

In that case, around 12 noon should be fine. They advise 2pm because that's when the suites are generally ready for guests (although it's been earlier than that recently). We've only had an issue boarding at 12 on one occasion, at Port Everglades a few years ago. 

You will likely need to be onboard no later than 4.30 and muster drill will be around that time.

 you'll be able to have lunch in the Colonnade from 12 onwards. Depending on time of year, in Dublin you may not want to sit outside as it could be cool or rainy. 

[raphael360]

19 hours ago, Isklaar said:

 

In that case, around 12 noon should be fine. They advise 2pm because that's when the suites are generally ready for guests (although it's been earlier than that recently). We've only had an issue boarding at 12 on one occasion, at Port Everglades a few years ago. 

You will likely need to be onboard no later than 4.30 and muster drill will be around that time.

 you'll be able to have lunch in the Colonnade from 12 onwards. Depending on time of year, in Dublin you may not want to sit outside as it could be cool or rainy. 

     Isklaar is right and the earliest check in time is port specific.  My favorite is noon but, unlike the massive ships, check in on SB is never a long or crowded event.  It's a surprisingly easy event - checking in on SB.

     Regarding the cutoff check in time, Be sure to check your SB travel documents for the embarkation registration cutoff time for your specific cruise and port.  My guess is your drop dead check in time for a 5:30 departure may be 3:30 PM as embarkation registration usually ends 2 hours before departure.  In St. Maartin, we were informed the cutoff time to check in was 9PM for a 11PM departure.  SB made an exception once because 20 of us had a 5 hour flight delay out of Miami.

     We almost missed the ship in Fr. Lauderdale a few years back because I thought embarkation cutoff was 5.  We showed up at 4:05PM and all of the check in stations were closed except for 1.  We checked in and the staff (who checked us in) followed us on board . We were the last passengers to check in and were almost "late" to the party as you say.  Just be sure to check your travel docs for the latest check in time.