what time do you normally get to the dock?

[wezie]

Hi. What time do you normally get to the dock when you are leaving for a cruise? I would like to get on as early as possible but I don't want to be sitting around just waiting...

[unklez]

Hi. What time do you normally get to the dock when you are leaving for a cruise? I would like to get on as early as possible but I don't want to be sitting around just waiting...

 

11am

[salty dingo]

It varies. In Miami I once had an early flight and got there at 9:30 am. Lots of people still leaving but believe it or not, they had the check-in lines open. Could not go through security until 10 am and could not get to pre-boarding until 11 am, so lots of waiting. I think we were on the ship at 11:30 or so.

 

In Charleston, I know they do not even open the port gates until noon.

 

If you have a choice and want to have lunch on the ship, arrive between 11 and 12 to get on early and minimize waiting.

[letsgocruz1]

We try to leave our hotel between 10:30-10:45 and shoot for a 11:00 arrival. There is rarely a line and we are in one of the first few zones to board.

[Mikel1733]

We've always arrived around 11:00am and that seemed to work well. We are just back from the Freedom 5/31-6/06 and we arrived at 11:00am as well. This was our first trip as platinum and we were excited about the priority boarding. It turned out to be a real cluster. We waited until 12:15pm and I overheard a Carnival employee telling a group of fellow VIP passengers that we were at fault because we weren't supposed to arrive at the port until 12:30pm??? At 3:15pm you could still see a line of people outside the building waiting to even get into the building to register and board. I still plan to be at the port at 11:00am next cruise I book.

[ehfl]

Around 11am

[BlueJacketsFan1]

My wife and I try to get to the pier around noon or so. That way we have a little time for a last walk on the beach in SoBe.

[deepnite10]

This was our first trip as platinum and we were excited about the priority boarding. It turned out to be a real cluster. We waited until 12:15pm and I overheard a Carnival employee telling a group of fellow VIP passengers that we were at fault because we weren't supposed to arrive at the port until 12:30pm??? At 3:15pm you could still see a line of people outside the building waiting to even get into the building to register and board. I still plan to be at the port at 11:00am next cruise I book.

 

id have asked the idiot what *Platinum* member meant..:mad:..guess

they did nt get the lesson about the customer is alway s right..

 

btw..we usually get to the pier around 10:30AM when cruising out of a calif. port..11AM everywhere else..we usually like to spend some extra time in the hotel..

*that Carnival employee * really pissed me off..

[stargate fan]

Hi. What time do you normally get to the dock when you are leaving for a cruise? I would like to get on as early as possible but I don't want to be sitting around just waiting...

 

We usually get to the port between 9:30 and 10:00 am. (I am like the kid in the Disney commercial..."I'm too excited to sleep!", so I'm up around 5:00 am anyway. I also love watching the ships come in to port.) I prefer to wait in the port building and watch everything going on, rather than hanging out at the hotel. (My husband, on the other hand, prefers the latter, but he eventually sees things my way. :D) We are always in the first or second non-VIP group to board. In Miami, we were able to see the ship right outside the windows. That was very exciting. What a way to start the cruise.

[gone_cruisin]

I usually arrive around 10am. They are just finishing up.

 

This will be my first time at Port Everglades. Anyone have any insight as to how the boarding process goes here? So far, I'm hearing a few cluster/chaos stories.

[G'ma]

Always arrive between 1030a and 1100a. I want to be checked in and ready to board before the folks from the airports start arriving in buses. It gets really crowded then and I hate standing in line in a crowded place.

 

Almost always on the ship well before noon.

[Senoj84]

We seem to arrive between 12-1.

[okgirl]

We're Platinum but we usually get there just before 11 and usually on board by noon.......

 

I would probably do the same thing or a little earlier if I wasn't platinum as long as there were at least chairs for zone 1 and 2 to sit in.......

 

I don't mind the wait as long as I'm sitting down

[chelle74]

Our flight lands (supposedly) at 10:30am, so I'm hoping we make it to the port by 11:30 at the latest...

 

Our last cruise was on Costa, and there weren't a ton of kids. Our youngest was 18 months at the time, and as soon as one of the staff members saw us, they escorted us to the VIP boarding line so we didn't have to wait. That was VERY nice, and I don't expect it this time, since he'll be 3 and I'm sure there will be many other kids. LOL

[WishIwasOutThereNOW]

as soon as possible. i'd just as soon wait on the dock for my cruise than anywhere else i can think of.

[silverado44]

We usually arrive at 11:07:32 am for our cruises.

[cathalane]

I get to the port super early (i'm only a cab or train ride away) - I don't care if I need to wait, I'm just a very anxious traveller so its better for me to be at the port rather than at home worrying about getting to the port on time.

[unklez]

We usually arrive at 11:07:32 am for our cruises.

 

That's precise :D

[chelle74]

I get to the port super early (i'm only a cab or train ride away) - I don't care if I need to wait, I'm just a very anxious traveller so its better for me to be at the port rather than at home worrying about getting to the port on time.

 

That's so me! Well, it would be, if we lived a cab or train ride away... but I'm the type that has to be at the airport AT LEAST two hours before a domestic flight. My husband, OTOH, would rather have to run from the security checkpoint and make it through just as they're closing the gate. :rolleyes:

[cathalane]

That's so me! Well, it would be, if we lived a cab or train ride away... but I'm the type that has to be at the airport AT LEAST two hours before a domestic flight. My husband, OTOH, would rather have to run from the security checkpoint and make it through just as they're closing the gate. :rolleyes:

 

My boyfriend is the same as your husband - but I finally got him out of the habit when he was running late to get to his own mother's funeral and forgot his suit. He checked in while I drove back to the apartment to get his suit. I finally checked into the flight, but it was full so I got bumped. If I didn't have the cushion, I would have been late - and it also proved to him that there is a REASON to be early and that you can get bumped even if you make it to the gate before the doors close....