When do you sign up for boarding time

[Fire LT]

Wondering when I can sign up for a boarding time. I can not do my online paperwork until the 25th of this month. Do I have to wait until then to put in for a check in time?

[ruru107]

I believe it’s about two weeks prior to your cruise 

[mz-s]

You never sign up for a boarding time. You pick your arrival appointment at the pier during online checkin, which starts either 14 or 16 days before your cruise.

[nwcruiselover]

Yes, you sign up for arrival time, not boarding time.  16 days ahead for Diamond, Platinum, FTTF and Suites.  14 days ahead for everyone else.

[deelightfull]

And I recommend a late arrival time.  Once boarding starts, it goes pretty quick.  First appointments sit around in the terminal for an hour or two.  Late appointments can go through the sign in process and then straight on the boat. 

[Mic101680]

Midnight on the date of your online check in, you can choose your port arrival time. Earliest will be 10 or 10:30, depending on the ship and port.

I've logged on at 10 am on the day of check in and have still been able to get 10:30 arrival appointments. Once I forgot about check in and about 10 days out I was still able to get 11am arrival.

I enjoy getting on the ship earlier, getting muster taken care of, and getting a little oriented with the ship before heading to get something to eat and/or drink and people watching until the cabin is ready, but like others have said, boarding is quicker and much less hectic later in the day. If you choose a later time (i.e. after 1:30 pm), your cabin will most likely be ready right when you board.

[jsglow]

11 hours ago, deelightfull said:

And I recommend a late arrival time.  Once boarding starts, it goes pretty quick.  First appointments sit around in the terminal for an hour or two.  Late appointments can go through the sign in process and then straight on the boat. 

Two hours never happens unless there's some kind of problem.

[ynghipfam10]

You select your arrival time when completing the online check-in.
 

Fun fact: you don’t actually have to be ready to complete any of the other aspects of check -in. Just click “skip for now” on all the things you’re not ready to do. 

[havanadaydreaming]

the last 7-10 cruises we have embarked were all well under 30 mins curb to atrium bar.  most 10 min or so. 

 

we choose noon or so.  wake up slow at hotel we checked in night before cruise. 

[deelightfull]

9 hours ago, jsglow said:

Two hours never happens unless there's some kind of problem.

Long Beach Terminal, for both of these.

 

Last December (2022) we're hyped, hubby signs us up for 9:30 arrival time, by the time we were done with paperwork and check-in and all that it was close to 10.  Ship started boarding by 11:30, since we weren't in a suite or anything like it(boarding group B09?), we boarded close to noon, about two hour wait.

 

In February we went on the Radiance out of the same port. This time we were much smarter and got a 12:30 arrival time, and never sat down.  We went straight from paperwork to walking up the long, long ramp. 

 

Those early arrival times look fun, but there's no point.  🤷

[BoozinCroozin]

On 3/11/2023 at 8:40 PM, nwcruiselover said:

Yes, you sign up for arrival time, not boarding time.  16 days ahead for Diamond, Platinum, FTTF and Suites.  14 days ahead for everyone else.

FTTF gets to check-in at 16-days? I never heard that before, but makes sense. I just checked my Planner and it says 14-days with FTTF. Arrival time really doesn't matter for D/P/Suites and FTTF. They get sent right to the priority line, at least from the ports I have been to.

 

Edited March 13, 2023 by BoozinCroozin

[pinklucky61]

5 hours ago, BoozinCroozin said:

FTTF gets to check-in at 16-days? I never heard that before, but makes sense. I just checked my Planner and it says 14-days with FTTF. Arrival time really doesn't matter for D/P/Suites and FTTF. They get sent right to the priority line, at least from the ports I have been to.

 

I have FTTF for my 4/16/23 cruise, my check in date is 4/2/23. So, no, FTTF doesn't get check in 16 days out.

[ProgRockCruiser]

5 hours ago, BoozinCroozin said:

FTTF gets to check-in at 16-days?

 

2 minutes ago, pinklucky61 said:

I have FTTF for my 4/16/23 cruise, my check in date is 4/2/23. So, no, FTTF doesn't get check in 16 days out.

It doesn't really matter, from what I gather, when you select your arrival/check-in time, and what you select, if you have FTTF (or other priority groups).  FTTF gets to use the Priority line, which has no association with a specific check-in time (that's the whole point) - they just make you go through the hoops of picking one because they make everyone pick a time.

 

Again, that's as I understand it.  If anyone has experienced otherwise we'd all be interested to hear it!

[jsglow]

15 hours ago, deelightfull said:

Long Beach Terminal, for both of these.

 

Last December (2022) we're hyped, hubby signs us up for 9:30 arrival time, by the time we were done with paperwork and check-in and all that it was close to 10.  Ship started boarding by 11:30, since we weren't in a suite or anything like it(boarding group B09?), we boarded close to noon, about two hour wait.

 

In February we went on the Radiance out of the same port. This time we were much smarter and got a 12:30 arrival time, and never sat down.  We went straight from paperwork to walking up the long, long ramp. 

 

Those early arrival times look fun, but there's no point.  🤷

Never personally seen a 9:30a arrival time in over 20 cruises at any port including Long Beach having cruised out of there at least 3 times. It would be a mistake for Carnival to even offer it.

 

Boarding at 11:30 is maybe a tad later than hoped for but clearly within the 'normal' range. Your experience was atypical in the extreme.

[Fire LT]

I want to thank everyone for your responses! We are staying at the Hilton out by the airport and so I think I will shoot for a time around noon. Thanks again.