Will we be assigned boarding time ?

[travelmama06]

Does ncl assign boarding time frames to avoid congestion at the terminal  during departure?  ( first time on Epic)

[Wink87]

2 minutes ago, travelmama06 said:

Does ncl assign boarding time frames to avoid congestion at the terminal  during departure?  ( first time on Epic)

When you do your on line check in, you can choose your boarding time from available time slots.

[www3traveler]

You select an "Arrival Time" to the terminal.  That is much different than a "Boarding Time" (time you actually board the ship).  Boarding times can vary from cruise to cruise.  It depends on how long it takes to clear the ship from the previous cruise and the ship is cleared to begin the boarding process.

[Turtles06]

35 minutes ago, Wink87 said:

When you do your on line check in, you can choose your boarding time from available time slots.

And then, when you get to the cruise terminal (as we did on Saturday to board the Joy), you will often find that no one is checking arrival times. 

Edited November 15, 2022 by Turtles06

[don't-use-real-name]

In a Suite (Haven) stateroom no restrictions

Have Latitudes rewards points you may have a designated check-in and boarding que 

Same for CAS (Casinos At Sea)

Any of the above just show up at your leisure 

 

Now doing the On-Line check-in you may be offered a selection of (suggested)

times to check-in and Board.

Nothing absolutely fixed in stone - your travel arrangements getting to the port

may change so don't think you need to be locked in.

During peak times there may be boarding ques - priority given to the first three

categories mentioned above.

 

Some cruise ports are so confined that handling large volume of crowds is the

norm - best to select from the times NCL offers - even then there may be a problem.

Realize that checking in not so much the problem - it is handling the crowds boarding

This can be complicated with the LATE arrival of your cruise ship and the late cleaning

and turn of the ship waiting for a ZERO guest count from the arrival.

 

Some of the mega ships have an even/odd deck boarding system.

 

Regardless be prepared to sit and wait for your boarding que call.

 

Mention the Boarding Port of the EPIC (cruise itinerary) for more reader feedback - - - - - 

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, travelmama06 said:

Does ncl assign boarding time frames to avoid congestion at the terminal  during departure?  ( first time on Epic)

You are assigned a time to arrive at the port. That time is assigned when you check-in for your cruise, 21 days prior to departure. If you want the best selection of times, you check in exactly 21 days prior to cruise,,,  Midnight NCL Time (Eastern Time). We recently completed check in and people on our roll call were counting down the minutes. 

 

By the next afternoon, all of the early times will be "sold out". 

 

When you arrive at the terminal, complete your security screening, and check-in at the port, you will be assigned a boarding group. Your boarding group determines when you actually board. Normally, Suites start boarding around 11:00 am, Priority passengers around 11:15, and General Boarding (by group number) around 11:30 am. 

Edited November 15, 2022 by BirdTravels

[LGinPA]

47 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

You are assigned a time to arrive at the port. That time is assigned when you check-in for your cruise, 21 days prior to departure. If you want the best selection of times, you check in exactly 21 days prior to cruise,,,  Midnight NCL Time (Eastern Time). We recently completed check in and people on our roll call were counting down the minutes. 

 

By the next afternoon, all of the early times will be "sold out". 

 

When you arrive at the terminal, complete your security screening, and check-in at the port, you will be assigned a boarding group. Your boarding group determines when you actually board. Normally, Suites start boarding around 11:00 am, Priority passengers around 11:15, and General Boarding (by group number) around 11:30 am. 

 

Thank you. I'm a new cruiser so I was wondering how this works.  We need to gauge when to leave our hotel in Rome for the port, so this is really helpful. 🙂

[Wink87]

2 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

And then, when you get to the cruise terminal (as we did on Saturday to board the Joy), you will often find that no one is checking arrival times. 

True that!!