Why not wait until later to board?

[BigMattT]

Curious… with the ability to pre-book everything these days what is the rush to get on board early anymore?

 

I waited until fairly late (3pm) to arrive at the pier for embarkation this past week… and it was nearly totally empty when I arrived. The only thing that would have made embarkation faster would be if I could walk more quickly through the terminal.

 

I’ve read post after post about arriving earlier than stated boarding time… but few people questioning if embarkation day lunch is really worth lines, bustling pier, and crowded elevators?

[Carla3]

Getting on early is usually just a logistical issue for us. We always arrive the day before departure and stay in a hotel. Hotel check out is usually before noon so we have to decide what to do to for a few hours if our embarkation time is later in the afternoon. Sometimes there’s lots to do that nearby, other ports there’s not. We’ve never had to wait very long even when we arrived at a crowded time. Just excited to get on the ship! 🤗

[steve4031]

I suspect that most people (myself included) feel better once they are on board the ship.  Now they don’t have to worry about any snafus. 

[RuthC]

I want to be totally unpacked and have my chores completed by 4:00 PM. 

I will have booked all my shore excursions in advance, but need to talk to someone at the Shore Excursions Office to discuss the suitability of my choices, considering mobility/balance difficulties. I may have to cancel one (or more), and book new selections.

I like to confirm my Pinnacle Grill reservations, and have them make a note as to which ones will be my 2 free ones, and make sure they are aware that the remaining reservations have been paid for, but a 50% refund is due on them. 

As of my last cruise, I could not book a manicure in advance, so I need to get that done. 
Somewhere in all this time I will want some lunch. 

None of this can be finished by 4:00 if I board late. I want board around 11:30, which is when wheelchair assistance begins, as after the 'business' is out of the way, I can relax and start to enjoy my cruise. 

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

I too fly in the day before and have hotel check out times to deal with so if possible I  just go to the cruise terminal and check in early. One time we spent late morning and early afternoon  with friends and did arrive about 2:30 which was nice also. But if one has nothing to do, might as well board the ship IMO.

[Wakepatrol]

The sooner I board the ship 

The sooner my vacation starts 😀

[510picker]

36 minutes ago, Wakepatrol said:

The sooner I board the ship 

The sooner my vacation starts 😀

This! The cruise line considers this Day 1, so I want to maximize it. 

[cruisemom42]

We all have our own preferences, and yes, the topic is debated here from time to time. Some prefer to board early, others aren't in a big rush.

 

Nearly all of my vacations involve flying, and I feel like my vacation starts the moment I lock the door of my home and head to the airport. Whether I'm traveling to Miami or traveling overseas, I don't wait until I'm onboard a ship to begin to enjoy myself.

 

Also, I enjoy the sightseeing part of travel more than the cruising part. That doesn't mean that I don't enjoy the latter, just that -- given the opportunity -- I prefer to spend the majority of my time ashore doing things, rather than onboard doing things.  

 

I started cruising as a young kid, and have cruised many times. These days I prefer to cruise from places that require a journey and that merit a few days' visit on their own -- such as Rome, or Athens, or Tokyo, Singapore, or Istanbul. In those cases I usually time my arrival at port to take maximum advantage of opportunities to sightsee ashore.  Some will say "I'm paying for that day of my cruise."  My philosophy is more similar to "I have 10 or 14 or 20 days to discover the ship and only 3 days in ________. Make the most of those days."

 

 

[Caribbean Chris]

8 hours ago, steve4031 said:

I suspect that most people (myself included) feel better once they are on board the ship.  Now they don’t have to worry about any snafus. 

True for me. Less stress if we are early. We live just a few hours away when we sail from Ft. Lauderdale but there’s always the prospect of a wreck shutting down an interstate highway for hours here - so we leave home before traffic gets heavy. 
 

I’ve also experienced cruise line issues & errors (not on HAL, actually) that made me glad I was there early. Once a cruise line’s record of our booking was messed up (for an early sailing of a brand new ship) and there was a lot of time standing at the counter while the staff decided whether we’d even be allowed to sail!
 

Another time, the port was shut down due to a bomb threat for our ship during boarding and numerous passengers were stuck standing in lines outside the pier terminal for hours in the Florida heat & humidity.

[esimon]

guess you got your answer -   always great to look at other points of view - I wanna get on that ship asap- 

[tinawhitecar]

I am the late to board group.   

Our strategy is to book a hotel within proximity of the port so the stress of getting to the ship is minimized.   
We like to enjoy our morning, breakfast, swim, possible laundry ( if the cruise is not the beginning of our trip) sightseeing the neighborhood.

 

We then go to the pier 1/2ish.   No waits, no lines..get right on the ship.

[Mary229]

It is personal choice.  I would rather be late but early is my concession to the DH.  I would rather spend time walking around town after stowing luggage at the port but DH is all about the food and cruise ship experience.  I tag along as we tour the entire ship the first afternoon. 

[atexsix]

To allow for unforeseen traffic delays, buses especially are notorious for breaking down. And because of the almost universal noon checkout time, not much to do but sit around in the hotel lobby. 

[nyold]

Also chiming in, a lot of times we are driving from a relative's house for 1.5 hrs to Fort Lauderdale, so in that case we'd want to get up late, enjoy our morning, say proper goodbyes and thanks to that relative whose house we stayed at etc, so we do NOT want to board to early.

 

Some other time, we are staying at a hotel near the port and check out time is at noon. Sure there may be things to do in that city before we board, BUT we could also do things on the boat after we board, either way it's a vacation, and the sooner we board the sooner we get to enjoy things we paid for, so why not board early?

[jeh10641]

My preference is to board as early as possible to avoid the stress of waiting (especially with COVID protocols). In Florida, we visit family and friends for up to a week before boarding in Fort Lauderdale (never tried Miami or elsewhere in FL). When in Europe, we plan at least a week of sightseeing before a cruise but prefer longer visits (up the three weeks) precruise. I love visiting places I have been reading about for the last 70 years. We are always in the departure city in Europe for at least three days before boarding. We love to unpack, do the muster drill (e or not) and have a leisurely lunch. We usually have dinner around 7 PM at home, while traveling or onboard a ship.

 

Jim

[Balsam12]

Early.... to ensure you obtain maximum benefit from the drinks package 🙂 

 

It's also a good chance to explore the ship (if you haven't sailed on it previously) before there are too many people around.

[Nang]

55 minutes ago, Balsam12 said:

Early.... to ensure you obtain maximum benefit from the drinks package 🙂 

 

Now I hope you can avoid the over excitement of the first day/night use of a drinks package and are also able to make good use of it on day 2 - as I am sure you are aware, its more of a marathon than a sprint (I of course learnt this the hard way but I am a fast learner).