Disadvantages to later embarkation time?

[fishiecrackers]

We are doing a Greek Isles cruise in June with our 3 teenagers, leaving from Civitavecchia. Prior to the cruise, we will be sightseeing in Venice, Florence, and Rome. We will have MANY days of waking up early during this part of the trip to try and get some sightseeing done before things get super hot and crowded. Our itinerary is also very port-heavy, with several places where we'll be trying to wake up early and get on our way for various reasons.

 

On the day our cruise leaves, I am considering getting one of the later embarkation times, so that we can sleep in, stay in our AirBnb until 10 or 11, then make our way to the port, maybe grab a quick lunch before getting on the ship. Or eat lunch in Rome and then go to the port with a shuttle transfer to save time. We are sailing on Enchantment, so dining options are super limited, and I have one kiddo with some anxiety/sensory overload stuff that I worry might self-destruct immediately if I drag her to Windjammer with a couple thousand other people to eat.

 

Can someone walk me through the disadvantages for this plan? Seems like most people want to be on board the ship as early as possible, so I'm wondering what the down side would be of being one of the later groups to board. We've never cruised before so pretend I know literally nothing. 😆 Ship is scheduled to depart at 5pm, but I know we need to be there well before that. What's the latest time you can sign up for?

 

Thanks!

[melbur]

Personally I like a later embarkation. Rooms aren't usually  ready until 1:00-1:30, so rather than dragging your carry on around the ship waiting for room to be available, you can go straight to your cabin and unload.  

If you sail at 5, chances are latest embarkation is 1:30-2:00.

Give yourself 1 1/2 hr from Rome to Civitavecchia port, allowing for traffic. 

[Luke gs Daddy]

Sounds like a good plan to me!

JMHO

[Billy Baltic]

It’s a day of your cruise that you’ve paid for. On longer itineraries (12 - 14 days) or with a b2b I’d be more relaxed about boarding but when it’s only 7 days, every hour counts 🥳

[FionaMG]

We often book a later boarding time.

 

One of the reasons for boarding early is that you've already paid for that first day on board. However, there's a limited amount to what you can do on the ship when you board early, especially since you'll be dragging your carry-on luggage around with you.

 

Another reason for early boarding is to book stuff like shows and specialty dining to make sure you get the slots you want for those. However, that's not really going to be applicable on Enchantment.

 

With those two things in mind and given your child's anxiety issues, I would say your plan to board a bit later is sound. As I see it, your stay in Rome is as much part of your holiday as the cruise itself and I would consider it a much pleasanter experience to simply take your time getting to the port in the morning rather than rushing around like the proverbial scalded cat.

 

One thing you might consider, if you're thinking of paying for lunch anyway, would be to see if you can book boarding day lunch at the specialty restaurant on board. If it's being offered, you would be able to do this in the Cruise Planner. The price for lunch is typically about half that of dinner and the menu is almost the same. If you go with your plan of leaving Rome around 10/11, you could be on board in time for lunch at 12/12.30. You could then go straight to the specialty restaurant for a nice relaxing lunch away from the crowds in the WJ and by the time you're finished the rooms should have opened up and you can get rid of your carry-ons and start exploring the ship.

[Rubyfisch]

This was pre-Covid, but my first cruise was on Serenade in Copenhagen. We flew in the day before, stayed in a little apartment, and headed out to see some sights before taking a cab to the ship around 1:00 pm. It was probably 1:30 when we got to the terminal. No lines, no waiting, right on the ship. Our room was ready, Windjammer and Park Cafe had calmed down, it was great.

 

Now, would I do that in say Baltimore where I'm just cooling my heels in my hotel room ... Probably not. But for your family, that sounds perfect.

[alfaeric]

Later embarkation is what we always do. Works like a charm. 
 

You can still eat a late lunch when you board as an option. 

[firefly333]

Disadvantage is if you want to book ck or shows or have the dining pkg you get less choice. 

 

Advantage is you miss the early crowd boarding.

[cruiselvr04]

On Enchantment it won’t matter as there’s nothing to “book” once on board.  Just be sure you watch your time and allow enough to get to the port from Rome as they will not let you board after the cut off time.  
 

On Enchantment Park Cafe may be open for lighter lunch in the Solarium. They have salads and sandwiches if they are open.  One nice thing about boarding later is not having to drag your bags around.  By 1-1:30 your room will be open to drop off your things in.  
 

[moposh]

I don't know why people want an early boarding time.  Rooms aren't ready.  What can you do?

 

I sailed on the Enchantment in August from Baltimore.  We got to the port maybe 12:00 p.m.  By the time we got on, we had to wait a little bit for our room to be ready.  We dropped off carry ons and went to WJ.

 

For April cruise, our flight gets in at 12:30 p.m. and then we'll head to port.  Hopefully by the time we get onboard, our room will be ready.

 

I think you've got a good plan.  No reason to get onboard the ship early.  Sleep in and relax.

[RobInMN]

Even though we always fly in the day before, our philosophy has been that the vacation starts when we step foot on the ship. We love to get on asap. We'll get some WJ before it gets crazy and then tour the ship while it's still not very crowded, especially if it's one we haven't been on before. We'll get our first drinks, and our tradition is to play a round of mini-golf. If there's a Sorento's we'll get some pizza also. 

We also figure that lunch is included, so why pay to eat a lunch before getting on the ship? But that's us. However, we've never done anything older/smaller than a Radiance class ship, and so far that was only once (but will again).

That said, the OP will already be a few days into vacation mode, and having spent a week in Rome before a Mediterranean cruise, I can empathize with the idea of sleeping in and getting to the port later. (even though we didn't do that 😁 ) I don't think they'll miss much, especially being Enchantment. If it was an Oasis class ship, it might be more important for show/dinner reservations. 

 

No idea what the latest time option the app will have. 3:30? 4:00?

[George C]

Under normal circumstances we like getting on board early , but given the choice of eating lunch in Rome or on ship I would pick Rome. We book suites so there is normally a suite restaurant which is way better than WJ , another possible problem is if you buy UDP and want to get reservations for rest of the week asap. 

[Sigyn]

I'd give myself plenty of time to get to the port from Rome. That's the one port my husband and I ended up being dock runners for our day in port for our Mediterranean cruise, despite getting a taxi in Rome at 4 pm and our ship not leaving Civitavecchia until 8 pm. It was a series of mishaps, from no one in the train station speaking English and us unable to find our train (part of the station had plastic sheeting for construction), causing us to miss our first train, to then having a delay on the tracks, and then arriving in Civitavecchia and the bus driver telling us we had needed to buy a ticket first before we could board and leaving without us as we went inside to buy the aforementioned ticket, and then no taxis available to drive us to the actual port, and us walking there and our phone batteries dying as we were walking, so we couldn't use GPS, then getting to the port at 7:30 and the shuttle buses to the ships already stopped for the night.

 

For anyone who has been to that port, you know that it's about a mile or two from the big port gates to all of the ships. I was recovering from a broken foot and couldn't truly run. But I tried. And everyone on the ship was clapping and cheering for us as we trotted up at 7:55 pm. It was just horrendous and super embarrassing. That said, just get to the ship. Forget lunch in Rome. I have nightmares thinking about it all! There's too much that can go wrong between Rome and the ship in Civitavecchia.

 

It's also given me great empathy for dock runners. You simply never know what has led to their circumstances. And you know they're insanely stressed to have to run for the ship.  

Edited March 3, 2023 by njsmom

[PolicromaSol]

9 minutes ago, njsmom said:

I'd give myself plenty of time to get to the port from Rome. That's the one port my husband and I ended up being dock runners for our day in port for our Mediterranean cruise, despite getting a taxi in Rome at 4 pm and our ship not leaving Civitavecchia until 8 pm. It was a series of mishaps, from no one in the train station speaking English and us unable to find our train (part of the station had plastic sheeting for construction), causing us to miss our first train, to then having a delay on the tracks, and then arriving in Civitavecchia and the bus driver telling us we had needed to buy a ticket first before we could board and leaving without us as we went inside to buy the aforementioned ticket, and then no taxis available to drive us to the actual port, and us walking there and our phone batteries dying as we were walking, so we couldn't use GPS, then getting to the port at 7:30 and the shuttle buses to the ships already stopped for the night.

 

For anyone who has been to that port, you know that it's about a mile or two from the big port gates to all of the ships. I was recovering from a broken foot and couldn't truly run. But I tried. And everyone on the ship was clapping and cheering for us as we trotted up at 7:55 pm. It was just horrendous and super embarrassing. That said, just get to the ship. Forget lunch in Rome. I have nightmares thinking about it all! There's too much that can go wrong between Rome and the ship in Civitavecchia.

 

It's also given me great empathy for dock runners. You simply never know what has led to their circumstances. And you know they're insanely stressed to have to run for the ship.  

 

I think your post wins the thread, particularly on "disadvantages".

 

To the OP, screw it. Get on that bad boy as fast as you can! 

[fishiecrackers]

1 hour ago, njsmom said:

I'd give myself plenty of time to get to the port from Rome. That's the one port my husband and I ended up being dock runners for our day in port for our Mediterranean cruise, despite getting a taxi in Rome at 4 pm and our ship not leaving Civitavecchia until 8 pm. It was a series of mishaps, from no one in the train station speaking English and us unable to find our train (part of the station had plastic sheeting for construction), causing us to miss our first train, to then having a delay on the tracks, and then arriving in Civitavecchia and the bus driver telling us we had needed to buy a ticket first before we could board and leaving without us as we went inside to buy the aforementioned ticket, and then no taxis available to drive us to the actual port, and us walking there and our phone batteries dying as we were walking, so we couldn't use GPS, then getting to the port at 7:30 and the shuttle buses to the ships already stopped for the night.

 

For anyone who has been to that port, you know that it's about a mile or two from the big port gates to all of the ships. I was recovering from a broken foot and couldn't truly run. But I tried. And everyone on the ship was clapping and cheering for us as we trotted up at 7:55 pm. It was just horrendous and super embarrassing. That said, just get to the ship. Forget lunch in Rome. I have nightmares thinking about it all! There's too much that can go wrong between Rome and the ship in Civitavecchia.

 

It's also given me great empathy for dock runners. You simply never know what has led to their circumstances. And you know they're insanely stressed to have to run for the ship.  

Thank you, I appreciate this! I was kind of debating train vs. private transfer, and I think you just tipped it for me. 🙂

 

Yes, since there's nothing for us to book on board for Enchantment, I don't think we'll rush that morning. I understand the appeal of getting on early and enjoying as much of Day 1 as possible under other circumstances, but for this trip I think we'll aim later. While I have paid for the day on the boat, I've also paid for my Rome AirBnb until 11, so either way I'm not taking advantage of something I paid for. And I agree with the poster who said they'd rather have Rome food than ship food, haha.

 

So I think the plan will be to sleep in, take our time getting going that morning, go get either a big late breakfast or light, early lunch at 11am depending on what's around, then take a private transfer to the port, aim to check in around 2, then do a later lunch once on board if needed, maybe in the Solarium, which looks to be open until 5:30 that day. We have the later dining time for dinner anyway.

 

Thank you so much for all the input and suggestions! I feel good about the day!

[moposh]

I think you'll have a great time!

[reallyitsmema]

5 minutes ago, fishiecrackers said:

Thank you, I appreciate this! I was kind of debating train vs. private transfer, and I think you just tipped it for me. 🙂

 

Yes, since there's nothing for us to book on board for Enchantment, I don't think we'll rush that morning. I understand the appeal of getting on early and enjoying as much of Day 1 as possible under other circumstances, but for this trip I think we'll aim later. While I have paid for the day on the boat, I've also paid for my Rome AirBnb until 11, so either way I'm not taking advantage of something I paid for. And I agree with the poster who said they'd rather have Rome food than ship food, haha.

 

So I think the plan will be to sleep in, take our time getting going that morning, go get either a big late breakfast or light, early lunch at 11am depending on what's around, then take a private transfer to the port, aim to check in around 2, then do a later lunch once on board if needed, maybe in the Solarium, which looks to be open until 5:30 that day. We have the later dining time for dinner anyway.

 

Thank you so much for all the input and suggestions! I feel good about the day!

 

One thing to understand is you need to be on the ship 90 minutes before sailing as they have to finalize the manifest. @njsmomwas able to board five minutes before sailing as she was there on a port of call.  You and your family need to get checked in at the port and then board.  Just give yourself plenty of time for unforeseen issues.  If you stick with your plan to get there for 2pm for a 5pm departure you should be golden. 🙂 

[fishiecrackers]

4 minutes ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

One thing to understand is you need to be on the ship 90 minutes before sailing as they have to finalize the manifest. @njsmomwas able to board five minutes before sailing as she was there on a port of call.  You and your family need to get checked in at the port and then board.  Just give yourself plenty of time for unforeseen issues.  If you stick with your plan to get there for 2pm for a 5pm departure you should be golden. 🙂 

Thank you! Yes, I think if we aim for an afternoon embarkation time we will definitely do a reputable private transfer, and only deal with trains if we change plans and do the morning. It's quite a ways away, so definitely the potential for things to go wrong!

[alfaeric]

Meandering off topic, you can make reservations via the app as soon as you board. We did that last week on the Allure. 
 

OP, have a great cruise- we had a little bit of an adventure getting from the train station to the port in Citiveccia. 

[fishiecrackers]

On 3/3/2023 at 12:23 PM, alfaeric said:

Meandering off topic, you can make reservations via the app as soon as you board. We did that last week on the Allure. 
 

OP, have a great cruise- we had a little bit of an adventure getting from the train station to the port in Citiveccia. 

Yikes! What happened? Help talk me into biting the bullet on paying for private transport!

[alfaeric]

36 minutes ago, fishiecrackers said:

Yikes! What happened? Help talk me into biting the bullet on paying for private transport!

When we got off the train, we could not figure out which bus to get on. Eventually, we found a nice bus driver who took us to where the ship was boarding. 
 

That also meant that getting off was east- bus to the station, and back to Rome. 

Edited March 5, 2023 by alfaeric

[S.A.M.J.R.]

On 3/3/2023 at 11:34 AM, moposh said:

I don't know why people want an early boarding time.  Rooms aren't ready.  What can you do?

Eat, drink, muster, check dining reservations, kids can swim, tour the ship.  Beats sitting in a hotel room watching TV.

[BirdTravels]

On 3/3/2023 at 2:54 AM, fishiecrackers said:

Can someone walk me through the disadvantages for this plan? Seems like most people want to be on board the ship as early as possible, so I'm wondering what the down side would be of being one of the later groups to board. We've never cruised before so pretend I know literally nothing. 😆 Ship is scheduled to depart at 5pm, but I know we need to be there well before that. What's the latest time you can sign up for?

No real disadvantages. Just be careful and ensure you meet the new-passenger all-aboard time. The port is a long way from Rome. The roads are backed up with traffic (if you are using a transfer) and the trains are full. So, plan for a bad case of missing a train or connection and delays getting from the train to the port. The leisurely lunch in Rome sounds problematic. 

Edited March 5, 2023 by BirdTravels

[LeeW]

Checking out of lodging in Rome at 11, you won't get to the ship much before 1, so no reason to have an early boarding time.  We used Rome Cabs (costs more but less hassle than train/cab combinations).

[crzndeb]

On 3/3/2023 at 12:27 PM, fishiecrackers said:

While I have paid for the day on the boat

A lot of people think this, but you actually pay for nights. Boarding early is just a few bonus hours 😉