MCT Boarding Order

[vacation44]

The last time we left out of the MCT (late summer 2022), I remember that the terminal was not acknowledging non-Haven suites as having priority boarding.    Specifically, the Joy non-Haven suites.     There were two separate priority areas, one for Haven and one for Platinum and above which also included those that purchased the priority boarding access (or whatever it is called).   

 

Is this set up still the same or has it changed?   Also, what is the current boarding order?     In Miami this past February, purchased priority access boarded before Platinum which I thought was wrong.

[FLAHAM]

My experience is that those who have purchased priority access board right after the handicapped.  Haven passengers board through an alternate line.

[PartyPlannerLady]

I have no dea who MCT is but the oterh poster is correct in that the DISABLED board among the very first groups and then the priority groups.  I have never understood the need/desire that some people have to be the first on the ship.  Yje ship is not going to leave without you and all you will be doing is sitting around for cabisn t be ready.

[JGmf]

@PartyPlannerLady  The question is about Manhattan Cruise Terminal (MCT).

 

For some, there's a need to get limited dates/times booked in-person for dining and/or to acquire limited slots in, say, the Vibe.  Hence, the desire to get on as early as possible.

 

Me? I like getting on the ship early, even if we are waiting on a cabin, b/c I'm maximizing my vacation experience, and yeah, my drink package too. 

 

 

 

[vacation44]

15 minutes ago, JGmf said:

@PartyPlannerLady  The question is about Manhattan Cruise Terminal (MCT).

 

For some, there's a need to get limited dates/times booked in-person for dining and/or to acquire limited slots in, say, the Vibe.  Hence, the desire to get on as early as possible.

 

Me? I like getting on the ship early, even if we are waiting on a cabin, b/c I'm maximizing my vacation experience, and yeah, my drink package too. 

 

 

 

I know you know one of the reasons I am posting this question!    

 

Regardless of our mission for the Vibe cabana, we still are planning on getting to the terminal as our usual early time.   We, too, like to board as early as possible to take care of all the things that need to be taken care of (fixing dining reservations, reserving the latitudes tour and wine event), have our lunch in the Local, which will be empty at an earlier time, then spend the whole afternoon relaxing in the Vibe.

[vacation44]

32 minutes ago, PartyPlannerLady said:

 Yje ship is not going to leave without you and all you will be doing is sitting around for cabisn t be ready.

No, we will be in relaxing in the Vibe with a nice drink.  

 

Everyone has their own way of doing embarkation day.   Ours works for us.   

[mjkacmom]

34 minutes ago, PartyPlannerLady said:

I have no dea who MCT is but the oterh poster is correct in that the DISABLED board among the very first groups and then the priority groups.  I have never understood the need/desire that some people have to be the first on the ship.  Yje ship is not going to leave without you and all you will be doing is sitting around for cabisn t be ready.

We make last minute reservations, grab a (free) drink, go to a MDR for lunch, explore the ship. I guess we could sit a few extra hours in our living room before out 30 minute drive. 

[PartyPlannerLady]

1 hour ago, vacation44 said:

No, we will be in relaxing in the Vibe with a nice drink.  

 

Everyone has their own way of doing embarkation day.   Ours works for us.   

 

We don't do the Vibe.  Even at the old reasonable price it was not worth the cost.  Now the price is absolutely absurd, tehre is no way I woudl waste my money on that.  Also I do not need a drink in my hand to have a god time! 🙂

[The Traveling Man]

5 hours ago, PartyPlannerLady said:

Yje ship is not going to leave without you and all you will be doing is sitting around for cabisn t be ready.

Or having lunch on board.  Or signing up for Latitudes benefits like Wines Around the World.  Or making dining reservations.  Or changing dining reservations.  Or making the most of a beverage package.  Or making entertainment reservations.  Or…

[PartyPlannerLady]

13 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

Or having lunch on board.  Or signing up for Latitudes benefits like Wines Around the World.  Or making dining reservations.  Or changing dining reservations.  Or making the most of a beverage package.  Or making entertainment reservations.  Or…

 

 

Wow if you are not 1st on board they dont feed you?  Never heard that i

one.  The sign up for lat options is available until the afternoon of the 2nd day.  Dining reservations are made on line 120 days out from sailing, changes included.  As was said before I dont need a drink in my hand to enjoy myself and guzzling down one extra drink on my cruise is not worth the anxiety of worrying so much about being on buard the ship before others.  I'm not an alkie.  I choose to relax and enjoy my cruise rather than run around trying to do things that have already been taken care of.

[KeithJenner]

It’s amazing how much it seems to bother some people that others have different preferences.

[Maleficent's Dad]

19 minutes ago, KeithJenner said:

It’s amazing how much it seems to bother some people that others have different preferences.

Yup, and such is life online - seemingly everywhere.  Sad it is…

[The Traveling Man]

7 hours ago, PartyPlannerLady said:

 

 

Wow if you are not 1st on board they dont feed you?  Never heard that i

one.  The sign up for lat options is available until the afternoon of the 2nd day.  Dining reservations are made on line 120 days out from sailing, changes included.  As was said before I dont need a drink in my hand to enjoy myself and guzzling down one extra drink on my cruise is not worth the anxiety of worrying so much about being on buard the ship before others.  I'm not an alkie.  I choose to relax and enjoy my cruise rather than run around trying to do things that have already been taken care of.

No, you said that the only thing available to do when boarding early is to sit around and do nothing while waiting for your room to be ready to be occupied.  I suggested that there are many worthwhile activities to fill your time.  Some of those can only be done once you are on board.  Others can be done earlier, but sometimes the information needed to make an informed decision is sketchy or incomplete prior to boarding.  While it certainly is possible to make dinner reservations online, changing the day or time can be done much more easily once onboard, and first come, first served at that point.  The early bird gets the worm.  While many of the entertainment venues on NCL’s ships can be booked in advance, on some ships some can only be booked once onboard.  
 

I’m not one to try to be first on board.  I just try to get on board in time to enjoy lunch in the MDR or Haven restaurant at a reasonable hour, say before 1:00 PM.  Neither do I need to max out my beverage package usage, but I understand those who do.  YMMV.

[PartyPlannerLady]

3 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

No, you said that the only thing available to do when boarding early is to sit around and do nothing while waiting for your room to be ready to be occupied.  I suggested that there are many worthwhile activities to fill your time.  Some of those can only be done once you are on board.  Others can be done earlier, but sometimes the information needed to make an informed decision is sketchy or incomplete prior to boarding.  While it certainly is possible to make dinner reservations online, changing the day or time can be done much more easily once onboard, and first come, first served at that point.  The early bird gets the worm.  While many of the entertainment venues on NCL’s ships can be booked in advance, on some ships some can only be booked once onboard.  
 

I’m not one to try to be first on board.  I just try to get on board in time to enjoy lunch in the MDR or Haven restaurant at a reasonable hour, say before 1:00 PM.  Neither do I need to max out my beverage package usage, but I understand those who do.  YMMV.

 

 

The early bird would address those issue prior to boarding.  It is not hard at all to change dining.  There is this really cool invention called a telephone that you can use to contact NCL and make changes before boarding and get available times without worrying about being on board before anyone else.  🙂

As was said in the previous post (in a round about way) you can eat no matter what time you get on board.  Glad that all wolrks for you.  I do not go on a cruise vacation to have to do anything but chill out, relax, and not get all worked up about being anywhere at any particular time. 
 

[ChiefMateJRK]

On 5/8/2024 at 12:18 PM, PartyPlannerLady said:

Yje ship is not going to leave without you and all you will be doing is sitting around for cabisn t be ready.

Are you kidding?!  I'm drinking, eating and enjoying the ship.  Ain't no "sitting around."  I'm on a cruise??  Why do I care if my cabin is ready?  Nap time will be about noon-thirty tomorrow. 🤣

[The Traveling Man]

20 hours ago, PartyPlannerLady said:

I do not go on a cruise vacation to have to do anything but chill out, relax, and not get all worked up about being anywhere at any particular time. 

 

That’s fine by me, but obviously I march to the beat of a different drummer.  You do you, and as @KeithJenner suggested, let the rest of us do us.

[Brian V]

On 5/8/2024 at 1:18 PM, PartyPlannerLady said:

Yje ship is not going to leave without you and all you will be doing is sitting around for cabisn t be ready.

Guess you COULD be sitting around the lovely Miami Cruise Terminal waiting for your boarding group - no shade on NCL's Miami terminal (it's lovely) but I would much rather be on the ship eating / drinking / pool decking (is that a thing?) / whatevering.

 

To each their own...

Edited May 10 by Brian V

[The Traveling Man]

15 minutes ago, Brian V said:

Guess you COULD be sitting around the lovely Miami Cruise Terminal waiting for your boarding group - no shade on NCL's Miami terminal (it's lovely) but I would much rather be on the ship eating / drinking / pool decking (is that a thing?) / whatevering.

 

To each their own...

I completely forgot to mention our favorite embarkation afternoon activity - people watching.  We really enjoy sitting in the atrium in a relaxed and carefree atmosphere, a beverage at hand, looking over our itinerary to discuss what we will be doing when, and watching the parade of our fellow passengers strolling past.

[Brian V]

5 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

our favorite embarkation afternoon activity - people watching.

Amen brother!

 

"Ooooh, they're newbies!", "Aaaaah, they've done this before.", "Wooooah dude, turn down that shirt 😲"

 

Best past time ever 🥂

[NYcruzzer]

22 hours ago, PartyPlannerLady said:

 

 

The early bird would address those issue prior to boarding.  It is not hard at all to change dining.  There is this really cool invention called a telephone that you can use to contact NCL and make changes before boarding and get available times without worrying about being on board before anyone else.  🙂

As was said in the previous post (in a round about way) you can eat no matter what time you get on board.  Glad that all wolrks for you.  I do not go on a cruise vacation to have to do anything but chill out, relax, and not get all worked up about being anywhere at any particular time. 
 

First of all the majority of dining time slots do not open up until embarkation day. So using that "new fangled invention' AKA the telephone to call NCL prior to sailing day may not result in making/changing dining reservations prior. Additionally many shows can only be booked onboard. As my pappy always said "early bird gets the worm.

Lastly the only one that seems worked up here is you !

[vacation44]

10 hours ago, NYcruzzer said:

 

Lastly the only one that seems worked up here is you !

I know!  All I asked as the OP was for the boarding order and I think I was called an alcoholic in an off handed remark.

Edited May 11 by vacation44

[Sailing12Away]

On 5/9/2024 at 10:13 PM, PartyPlannerLady said:

As was said in the previous post (in a round about way) you can eat no matter what time you get on board.  Glad that all wolrks for you.  I do not go on a cruise vacation to have to do anything but chill out, relax, and not get all worked up about being anywhere at any particular time. 
 

Sounds like you may be overdue for one of those relaxing chill out cruises since you're all hot and bothered by what someone else needs to do...

 

55 minutes ago, vacation44 said:

I know!  All I asked as the OP was for the boarding order and I think I was called an alcoholic in an off handed remark.

Nah.... alcoholics go to meetings. The rest of us excessively social drinkers just know how to maximize our drink packages.

 

An option to consider for your next trip though is to look at prices for the Haven. Between what you're paying extra for Vibe and the cabanas and all the imposed stress (and judgement from others) - the extra price for Haven may make it 'worth it' so you can just stroll on board whenever you want.

[Ellis1138]

The last time I was at the MCT (Sept 2023), it seemed like a first come, first serve and we were handed boarding passes with a group number. I can't afford Haven or Priority, and was a lowly bronze at the time. I got onto the ship within about 35 minutes of arrival at the MCT. I used the extra time to fill out the customs card and hand it in.

 

I don't know if this will help with anyone's embarkation day stress, but I've found that it goes very quick if you do a check-in time of 90 minutes after boarding begins. Like, everyone wants to be the first person on the ship, but nobody tries to be number 15. It winds up being fairly low stress for me; I didn't pay to get on earlier than anyone else and I get on when I want to.

[vacation44]

On 5/11/2024 at 8:39 AM, Sailing12Away said:

 

An option to consider for your next trip though is to look at prices for the Haven. Between what you're paying extra for Vibe and the cabanas and all the imposed stress (and judgement from others) - the extra price for Haven may make it 'worth it' so you can just stroll on board whenever you want.

When we booked this cruise, we actually just got off of the Joy and stayed in the Haven.    Then a few months later, we were booked again on the Joy, this time in a non-Haven suite and had bids in to upgrade to a Haven cabin.   Then, they started preselling the Vibe passes and we quickly scooped them up and then cancelled all of our Haven bids.     We, hands down, enjoyed the Vibe more than the Haven sundeck.   

 

This time around, we are traveling with our adult young children, their significant others and extended family so the Haven was not an option.   There would have been no way to talk my husband into it.   And I mean no way.   We did not even put bids in.    He says he does not even care about the Vibe cabana this time around; however, he did enjoy it on the Encore in February.

 

With three weeks out now from yesterday and no certain answers to the Vibe cabanas for our cruise, I have already allocated that extra money in my head to something else.    However, we will still be getting to the terminal early because that is when we feel like "we" officially start our vacation!     I have faith that if cabanas are available, my son will grab them as he always led the way to secure the Vibe passes for us when that was a whole other level of stress!