time to get to cruise port and time needed to off board

[wsp2205]

1st time on cruise this summer and hence very elementary question for those who wouldn't mind:

if the cruise start time on 1st day is 4:00pm, when will be the latest time to get to the cruise port? 
And for cruise arriving at 1:00am, when off-board will start the following day, or rather the question is: what time can I plan to leave port area to be safe to catch a flight leaving on the same day? thank you!

[skynight]

US Port? The cruise ship is required to provide a passenger manifest to the authorities no later than 60 minutes before sailing. Princess asks passengers to arrive no later than 90 minutes before sailing. AT other ports, like Vancouver, the timing may be a little different. Normally boarding begins around 10:30/11:00am. Passengers are lined up waiting to board. People like to be on board for the Main Dining Room embarkation lunch which is generally from noon to 1:30.

Departing. Again what port? Princess has guidelines for each port.

It would be better if you advise the ship, date and ports.

[memoak]

4:00 pm sailing will generally have boarding from 11:00 too 3:00. Disembarkation usually starts at 7:30 or so

[Rick&Jeannie]

Even for a last day where you may arrive in port at 1:00am, you'll still disembark at a "normal" time...probably starting no earlier than 7:00 or 7:30am

[memoak]

8 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

Even for a last day where you may arrive in port at 1:00am, you'll still disembark at a "normal" time...probably starting no earlier than 7:00 or 7:30am

That is because the ship has to be cleared by US authorities and they will not be there at 1:00 am

[skynight]

Don't assume this is a lower 48 US port. It could be different at other ports. For example embark or disembark could be Vancouver  or Whitter. If Whitter it's a long drive to the airport. Poster needs to provide additional information.

[wsp2205]

thank you everyone for chiming in! Yes I am asking for an Alaska cruise on Princess, onboarding/disembarking from Vancouver and Whittier. I haven't decided on if to take north or south bound of this cruise though. 

[wsp2205]

And the main reason I am asking this before booking the cruise is because I am checking one way flight options. they are quite pricey and hence I am trying to optimize time and $$. Thank you all!

[1025cruise]

Keep in mind, the closest airport to Whittier is Anchorage. If you go southbound, you would be best landing in Anchorage the day before.

[skynight]

On 1/29/2024 at 8:05 PM, 1025cruise said:

Keep in mind, the closest airport to Whittier is Anchorage. If you go southbound, you would be best landing in Anchorage the day before.

It is about 1 1/2 hour drive from Whitter to Anchorage airport.

[beshears]

The 8 of us are STILL having issues with Princess guest website taking our "off the ship" information for our flight. We are to catch the flight at 12:40 (just a tad after noon), and the ship arrives at 7:00AM, with taking possibly an hour to get to the airport. The message keeps kicking out, saying there is NOT enough time once off the ship to make our flight. Duh!

[skynight]

The website program uses guidelines mentioned on the Princess website. For a 7am arrival the guideline is 6 hours which is 1pm. Your flight is 12:40, just short of the 6 hours. Ignore placing the information into the program. If you are booked for a Princess transfer visit passenger services once on board and make certain your transfer is one of the early ones. Allow about 1 1/2 hours on the road. If you are taking a private transfer then just figure out what time you need to disembark. You probably need to be on board a transfer around 8:30am. Here is the text.

Anchorage

Embarking Passengers
For voyages departing Whittier, the latest flight arrival into Anchorage is 5 hours prior to ship's departure.

Disembarking Passengers
For voyages arriving in Whittier at 12:30 am, the earliest flight departure from Anchorage is 10 hours and 30 minutes after ship's arrival.
For voyages arriving in Whittier at 5:00 am, the earliest flight departure from Anchorage is 8 hours and 50 minutes after ship's arrival.
For voyages arriving in Whittier at 7:00 am, the earliest flight departure from Anchorage is 6 hours and 30 minutes after ship's arrival.
For passengers on the Scenic Rail transfer, the earliest flight departure from Anchorage is 1:00 pm.