Assigned Boarding Time - Any Chance to Board Earlier!

[chrcruiser]

We have a boarding time between 12:30-1:00pm. Is it possible to board earlier?

[crzndeb]

That is not your boarding time. It is your appointment check in time. 2 different things. 
You can try going earlier, and wait in early/late line. It may be short or it may be very long. Your choice.

 

If you have FTTF, or are Platinum or Diamond (or suite), you can go whenever you want.

Edited January 19, 2020 by crzndeb

[Elaine5715]

39 minutes ago, chrcruiser said:

We have a boarding time between 12:30-1:00pm. Is it possible to board earlier?

 

37 minutes ago, crzndeb said:

That is not your boarding time. It is your appointment check in time. 2 different things. 
You can try going earlier, and wait in early/late line. It may be short or it may be very long. Your choice.

 

If you have FTTF, or are Platinum or Diamond (or suite), you can go whenever you want.

You can also use Carnival shuttle from the airport and enter the terminal upon arrival

[Shaded Lady]

@chrcruiser the correlation between check in time and boarding time, obviously, is the earlier you can check in the lower the zone boarding card you will get, and therefore, the sooner you can board.

 

As others have said, if you're prepared to possibly wait, you can always go to the port early and wait in the Early/Late Arrivals line, as @crzndeb mentioned. I've read where others were able to check in long before their actual time by doing this... I've also heard the opposite, that the Early/Late Arrival line was so long that they waited forever...

 

So the answer is yes, you MIGHT be able to check in earlier, and therefore board earlier, than your scheduled time.

[Joe817]

That's a gamble I wouldn't want to take. It's to big of an 'IF". chrcruiser, if you want to get on board as early as possible AND beat the vast majority of people trying to get on as fast as possible, I'd strongly suggest FTTF(FasterToTheFun).  It's an additional expense but it will enable you to board quicker than most people. 

[Purvis1231]

In recent years we have only sailed out of  Mobile and New Orleans and found the times do not mean anything. 

[@homeinok]

They usually have a line for Early and Late. 

[Gumbo4Life]

On our Jan 5 cruise we got to the port about 20 minutes before our 12:00 check in time.  Instead of waiting outside we got in the early/late line and sailed right through, never stopped until we were on the ship, at 12:05.  So yes, you can try, but as others here have said YMMV.  Enjoy your cruise!!

[Essiesmom]

From what I am hearing in the terminal, your boarding pass not only lists the assigned checkin time, but the boarding zone.  And that boarding zone would be assigned based on the time of checkin assignment.  So if you get into the terminal early, you still might be seated waiting for your zone to be called.  EM

[RWolver672]

9 hours ago, chrcruiser said:

We have a boarding time between 12:30-1:00pm. Is it possible to board earlier?

 

Not knowing what ship or what port, there is a good chance that if your check in time is 12:30 - 1:00,  you most likely will be able to check in and walk right on the ship.  Checking in earlier would mean that you would just have to sit and wait in the holding area until they start boarding passengers.

[chrcruiser]

Thanks for the info everyone

[groundloop]

13 hours ago, HillBilly Bob said:

.......   We arrive at 130PM, the lines are almost non existent; our cabin is always ready for occupancy.  

 

Yep, IMO that's the best kept secret in the cruise industry.  

 

(Same as waiting to disembark so you can walk right off with no lines)

[tap_out]

Was just getting ready to ask the same question. We sail out of Port Canaveral Feb 15th. We like most want to get the vacation started as early as possible. We booked last minute and the only time available was 1:00-1:30. Anybody know how port Canaveral is ran? Any luck in the early line?

[nissach]

Why can't people just board/check in when they are assigned too??  Everyone would like to be on the ship as early as possible in most cases.  I guess just take your chances as others have suggested in the early/late line and cross your fingers.

We have never waited too long to board on any of our cruises.  

[mexicobob]

On 1/19/2020 at 7:37 PM, groundloop said:

 

Yep, IMO that's the best kept secret in the cruise industry.  

 

(Same as waiting to disembark so you can walk right off with no lines)

Totally agree. Side benefit is lunch is always better on land (especially leaving from The French Quarter in New Orleans) than the crowded Lido deck. 

[TNcruising02]

On 1/20/2020 at 12:15 PM, tap_out said:

Was just getting ready to ask the same question. We sail out of Port Canaveral Feb 15th. We like most want to get the vacation started as early as possible. We booked last minute and the only time available was 1:00-1:30. Anybody know how port Canaveral is ran? Any luck in the early line?

I sailed on the Breeze out of Port Canaveral last year.  I arrived around 10:45 and there was no wait in the early/late line, although there were a lot of people inside the terminal.  I guess that was the golden time to arrive that day.  They started boarding several minutes later and I was on board before my appointment time.  The crew on the Breeze were very organized.  It was one of the best experiences getting on and off the ship that I've ever had.

[Jamesatgsu]

I've never been held up, but I had the earliest time on my first cruise, and FTTF ever since.  I have seen other people forced to wait though. If there isn't much of a line when you arrive, they might let you go, but I'd hate to wait around for an hour if they made you wait. 

[dlphn501]

I was just on the Liberty out of Port Canaveral, and I had a check-in time of 11:30-12:00.  I parked my car in the parking garage at the pier at 11:04 and walked right to the terminal arriving around 11:15.  They looked at my documents and just waved us on, and I went right to the "regular boarding" line.  I guess because I was only 15 minutes early, I was not told to go "early/late" line.  I showed our documents to another person inside the terminal, and he said they had started boarding our zone already!  We got in the queue line to board the ship and never stopped moving.  We were walking on the ship at 11:28am.  It really does depend, but if you like to gamble and won't mind waiting once inside the terminal, I say go it and show up at 11.