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She wanted to pursue a career that highlighted her passion for travel and strengths as a writer. Since your luggage will be screened for prohibited items, ensure not to lock your suitcases in case they must open your bag. If you're traveling with kids, warn them in advance about the long lines. Consider bringing snacks or entertainment to keep them busy while you wait.
What not to bring onboard
Many people are excited to board, and with the ship is open for passengers, you can hang out poolside or get a bite to eat. In general, the entire process of completing all the steps doesn’t take long; it’s just a matter of minutes. What can cause delays, however, are longer lines where you spend much of your time waiting. When to arrive to avoid these lines depends on your cruise line’s boarding style.
Arriving at the Terminal
While you're exploring, stop by the kids' centers and sign the kids up for the onboard kids program. Staff will be on hand to welcome your progeny and show them around the play spaces and hangouts available just for them. Your kids might need to get bracelets marked with their muster station in case of emergency. Some ship atriums are impressively high or have cool artwork or chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. 40,000 people receive my best cruise tips, insights and guides every week.
Is there anything special I need to know about traveling with children?
Carnival requires guests to pre-register in advance and select a boarding time when they check in online. On your embarkation day, thousands of passengers will be disembarking the cruise ship. After those passengers disembark, the crew must prepare to welcome you and thousands of other guests on board the vessel. By the time you get to the port you have already paid for your cruise, so the sooner you get on the cruise ship the sooner you can start enjoying your vacation. You don’t want to waste ½ a day just waiting and waiting when there is free food aboard that vessel that you could be eating.
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Arrive early, and you'll just have to wait — often, outside in the hot sun, without access to water, restrooms or other necessities. Arrive at the pier as close as you can to your scheduled time, but don't freak out if you are a few minutes late. Furthermore, early boarding for families provides an opportunity to secure preferred dining times or make reservations for onboard experiences and entertainment options that may have limited availability.
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Guests should arrive to the port no later than 60 minutes prior to the published sail time. We will also look at whether you have to keep to the embarkation time given to you by the cruise line. Last cruise, we walked right through without any lines after doing a tour of the city.
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Families can plan their itinerary and make the necessary arrangements to ensure a smooth and enjoyable cruise experience for everyone. If you try to board during the busiest times – between 12 pm and 2 pm – it may take over an hour, especially if there are a lot of people in front of you. However, if you board during your scheduled arrival time or at a less busy time, the entire process – from arrival to security – shouldn’t take more than a few minutes. Select cruise ports -- namely PortMiami, Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale) and Port Tampa Bay -- have undergone renovations aimed at expediting the embarkation process. PortMiami's Terminal F (operated by MSC Cruises), for example, recently received 60 additional ticket counters, among other upgrades.
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The cruise line can have an impact as some lines have different embarkation procedures from others. With Costa and MSC cruises for example, people embark at every port, rather than the ship having one embarkation day. Once onboard, suite guests are often welcomed with additional perks, such as a dedicated concierge service, private lounges, and exclusive access to certain areas of the ship. These exclusive amenities and services enhance the overall cruise experience, providing a higher level of comfort and personalized attention.
The cruise line prioritizes the boarding time preferences of its long-time cruisers, providing priority boarding to loyal Disney cruisers. The earliest you can board a cruise ship is typically 4–5 hours before the scheduled departure time. Still, several factors affect how early you can board a cruise ship. Checking into a cruise ship is similar to checking in for a flight, meaning you can do it way in advance. For example, Royal Caribbean requests guests check in no later than three days before their cruise.
For example, when we went on our Serenade of the Seas cruise, we could begin the check-in process a full hour before our scheduled window of time. But if you must book a flight that arrives on the same day as your cruise departs, we recommend booking an early flight to minimize the risk of missing the ship. If you board late, you’ll join a full ship and miss out on peacefully exploring the vessel before sailing. Suite guests still need to get a check-in time for their sailing, but usually they will be give more flexibility in their times.
In the meantime, passengers are free to explore the ship, grab a bite to eat at one of the onboard restaurants, or relax by the pool. Cruise lines understand that passengers are eager to start their vacation as soon as possible, and they have implemented various strategies to accommodate this. The availability of early boarding options depends on several factors, including cruise line policies, loyalty program membership, stateroom category, and special needs considerations. With large boarding windows, many people choose to arrive right when boarding begins (or even before!). That leads to long lines right at the start of the boarding window.
Remind them that other people on the ship are strangers and that they should use the same caution they would at home. Establish rules for how much freedom children are allowed to have on board, where to leave messages for each other and how to reconnect if you get split up on the ship. On Carnival Cruise Line ships, go directly to celebrity chef Guy Fieri's poolside Guy's Burger Joint and indulge in a decadent burger or fries. In your cruise carry-on, pack your medications, valuables, documents and anything else you will need until your luggage arrives in your cabin. Since you're likely leaving from a sunny destination, you also might want to have a sun hat, sunscreen and sunglasses.
If the ship has a later return into port, then boarding for the following cruise will be later. Not everyone is fortunate enough to live within driving distance of a cruise port. Even if they do, sometimes options are more limited at the smaller ports. These are all normal questions to ask before embarking on your first cruise vacation. If you arrive early at the terminal, you’ll need to wait until it’s your turn to board.
I cruised Royal Caribbean from Tampa for the first time. Here's what a cruise from this smaller port is like. - Royal Caribbean Blog
I cruised Royal Caribbean from Tampa for the first time. Here's what a cruise from this smaller port is like..
Posted: Fri, 17 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
What is the best time to get to the cruise port to board your cruise? After all, you likely want to get your vacation started as soon as possible, but you also don’t want to face huge crowds or long lines to get on the ship. Once you’re clear to board the cruise ship, you’ll be directed by either signs or staff on where to go to get on the cruise ship. You may also be directed to a waiting area in anticipation of instructions on when to board. Once you’ve shown your cruise documents, you’ll be sent to the security line.
Not to mention, if your cruise ship is serving lunch, you’ll be able to go straight to the main dining room to eat. So, you can board as early as the cruise is ready for passengers to embark on the ship. Not to mention some cruise lines designate specific time slots for their guests to board. The check-in time you select is not the time you actually board the ship. However, the earlier your arrival time, the sooner you are usually able to embark on the ship. When you enter the terminal building, you must show your ID and boarding documents and proceed through a security check.
