Thread: What's the best check-in time?

I am planning my trip and realized that we will be two of over 3,000 people that will check in between noon and four. Can someone tell me when is the best time to show up at the port? Should I get there very early or let the first few thousand people check in before me? Or is there just no way to avoid a long wait before my first cruise? Thanks for ideas!

You will probably get varied answers on this as we all have our own opinions.
Mine is to be at the port at about 11 am. We have been on board by noon mostly and we like that extra time on the ship to explore.

I was going to say between 11 and 11 30 for the shortest lines

We generally arrive at the port between 11:00 and noon. The cabins are not ready till about 1:00 so we can't go there until after we have our lunch.

Some cruiselines won't let you onboard the ship until most if not all cabins are ready. Princess is one that you don't have to worry about carrying your carry-ons -- you can first go to your cabin, do a little unpacking and then start exploring the ship or have lunch.

On our last cruise we got to the berth in San Pedro at 12:15. When we entered the terminal, we were immediately directed to an available clerk. Went through the security line, the boarding line (where you get the photo for embedding into the cabin card), and were in our cabin a short time later. Our carry ons were unpacked by 1:15.

Other times we've gotten to the port and had to wait in line, but there doesn't seem to be any correlation between arrival time and length of wait. Just luck.

Personally, we would be at the port as early as possible.

Cruise lines will let you board around 11 - 11:30 AM but cabins will not be ready until 1:30 PM or so. If you board that early, you will have to head to the buffet area on the Lido deck untill your cabin is ready.

I arrive early, by 11 the latest, as I like to get on early, have lunch and explore. I found that even though they say boarding starts between 12 and 1 on my cruises, they have started earlier, depending on when they arrived, and how fast they got the ship ready. Checkin at these times is fast and I don't mind sitting around the boarding area, they usually have some refreshments and looking at the ship justs adds to the anticipation and excitement of the first day.

Originally Posted by debenson91

I am planning my trip and realized that we will be two of over 3,000 people that will check in between noon and four. Can someone tell me when is the best time to show up at the port? Should I get there very early or let the first few thousand people check in before me? Or is there just no way to avoid a long wait before my first cruise? Thanks for ideas!

You should get there when you get there...in all honesty .. it will take as long as it takes.. however most cruise-lines today have it down to a science.. with minimal wait times and most able to process guests in under 30 minutes..that is from entering the terminal to grabbing a bite in the buffet on board... from past experienced I have noticed that with all the excitement of arriving guests an 11:30ish arrival tends to lead to a bit chaotic atmosphere.. if you are looking for a more slow easy boarding process I would suggest arriving after 1:30-2:00pm. (based on a 5 pm sailing time). But rest assured no matter when you ultimately arrive at the pier .. the process never seems fast enough.. enjoy!.. and Have a great first cruise!!

I think we are all of the same opinion, we all seem to be early bird. Buffet, then find our cabin, if no bags walk around the ship, usually sample the local brew on the way round. Go back to cabin hoping bags have arrived, unpack, wait for the emergency signal, go to muster drill. Have always had life jackets, if none this time straight up to the deck to see sailaway.

My one on Saturday is leaving beautiful Venice, hoping for good weather, as it spectacular seeing cruise ship approaching and leaving Venice whist on land, definitely want to see it from aboard a ship.

Although a shorter line is better no matter what time I have arrived I have never had to line up for more than an hour, it is a small price to pay for such a good time to come.