Embarking Poll - When Do You Arrive?

[vator90]

I'm the other lunatic holding CKRobyns thermos of coffee.:D Just kidding. But we also prefer to get to the pier extra early (around 9-10 am)just to be ahead of the droves of buses. We typically fly in the day before, get a room, and hire a van or limo so our schedule is at our liesure.

[dsvd79]

We just got our cruise documents. There was an Orange flyier that said boarding begins at 2:00pm. Should I still arrive around 12:00 like planned?

[jillybabes]

We arrice by 11:00..Last week on the Enchantment we never stopped until we got on the ship:p ...It was the fastest embarkation ever! Later, Jill:cool:

[fungirl28]

I'm ready to leave the hotel around 9am the day of the cruise(it's always 1 or 2 in my group who lags behind) but I actually leave around 11 (NO LATER). I have this fear that I'll arrive at the port and the ship is sailing away in the distance:eek:!

[memeG & cruzerG]

we get there as soon as we can get up (after staying up late packing) & make the 2-hour drive to Galveston. It's not that I'm an "early bird" but my vacation starts as soon as I leave that car in the parking lot!!!

[mikeblum]

we leave the hotel room at 10:30 and we're in the cab by 10:45 and in line by 11am...end of discussion...there's something about seeing a cruise ship...it's calling my name..."mikey come aboard now"...but then again i've gotten up early and have watched ships sail into the port of miami at the crack of dawn on the miami herald web site that shows the port of miami...ok i have a problem...but at least i'll admit it...it's a sickness but at least it's a good expensive sickness...the earlier the better to show up at the pier...i'm on vacation...

[jules815]

We went on our first cruise last June with my parents who are big cruisers, but they don't read Cruise Critic.

 

The night before we sailed, we spent the night at their house in Port Orange, Florida. I told them, "you know, I've been reading online, and people board earlier than 2:00 pm all the time." My dad was being really stubborn; after all, he was the experienced cruiser, what did I know? I was so excited, he decided we could try to get down to the port a little earlier, around noon, but the entire way there he kept saying, "we're not going to be able to get on!" My husband finally said "you want to make a bet?" When we were pulling up to the Mariner, you could see people on deck. It was one of those "I told you so" moments, but I just kept it to myself. We were having lunch in the Windjammer before 12:30. Ha!

 

This time we're staying down at the port the night before. Now that I've read this thread, I think we'll aim to leave the hotel around 10:30. As far as I'm concerned, if we're on board, my vacation's underway!