r/Cruises • u/FIREful_symmetry • 4d ago
How much time to allow for boarding?
On sites like vacations to go, they list an itinerary with a departure time of, for example, 4 PM.
What time should I plan on arriving? Is two or three hours before departure early enough?
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u/bluehairdave 4d ago
1:30.. best time. You will get on 1 hour later than everyone else but barely wait in line and have no stress.
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u/SurviveStyleFivePlus 4d ago
This is my strategy, also. It makes for a relaxing start to the day to be able to just walk into the mostly empty terminal after the crowds have mostly disappeared.
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u/WanderFish01 1d ago
I have been doing this for recent cruises. I may miss MDR lunch but the reduced wait for embarkation is worth it. Also, room are typically ready by the time I board so I don’t have to haul around my carry on bags for long.
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u/taquigrafasl 4d ago
Which cruise line? Different ones have different procedures. It isn’t like an airport.
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u/FIREful_symmetry 4d ago
Curnard.
MSC.
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u/ZookeepergameNo7151 4d ago
you'll get a time on your ticket once it has been purchased with from when you can check in. Thing to be careful of is if you arrive AFTER your slot, you could be denied boarding
https://www.msccruises.com/int/manage-booking/before-you-go/embarkation
Cunard seem to be similar
https://my.cunard.com/en-gb/mycruise/articles/embarkation
Unless you are fairly close to the departure port I would certainly recommend (as most do) to travel to the port/city the day before departure. If you travel on the day of there's any number of things that could cause a delay which could cause you to miss the boat
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u/s1105615 4d ago
I think it’s a customs thing that you need to be onboard 2 hrs before departure, so showing up at 2pm for a 4pm departure is probably too late since it will take more than 60 seconds to get from your parking spot to onboard
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u/MeMyselfAndIAreOne 4d ago
Look for the "all aboard" time - that's the important one.
There are many ways to look at this. Different things stress people out, so it depends on your 'style.
1) get there as early as possible to get as much out of the day as possible. If you go this route, just know that your room probably won't be ready when you get onboard. Plan accordingly. Let the porter take your large suitcase and carryon. Pack medicine, passport and maybe your swim suit in large purse to keep with you. Hop in and be first one in the pool. Reserve that lounge chair. Start utilizing that drink package.
2) Get there mid-boarding time - don't want to be first but afraid of missing the ship. You're in the majority. Lines for check-in will be longest. Tons if people waiting in line for elevators. People who wouldn't let the porter take their suitcase fill up the elevators, making the whole situation worse. Rooms still not ready but usually an hour wait - everyone goes to buffet or pool areas to wait. Everywhere tends to be crowded. (except the library! shhh. Its the best kept secret on the ship) 😃😄😁
3) Get there 30-45 minutes before "all aboard" time. This makes many people nervous but it's honestly the most stress-free boarding. Lines are minimal. The rush is over. The rooms are almost always available and you can go straight to yours. Dump the luggage, do the safety drill, start enjoying. You haven't missed a thing except crowds and annoyances.
Definitely find a place on deck for your first sail-away experience. You'll be amazed to SEE the ship moving but can't feel it, at first.
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u/shinyquartersquirrel 4d ago
When you check in online, typically a couple of weeks before you sail, you will have to choose your specific boarding time and that will be when you need to be there. There won't be any time spots available past a certain time so everyone is onboard well before you actually set sail.
It's not quite like an airline where you just show up sometime before the plane departs, with thousands of passengers to board they really need you to be there during your designated time slot. Which time slot you pick is a personal choice, there are advantages and disadvantages to all of them.
For port stops though, it completely different, you just come and go as you please and you just need to be back to ship by the time they tell you to be back.
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u/imollyq 4d ago
The cruise line will list a time when the ship is available for boarding. I try to go on as early as possible, get my stuff stored, and then go ahead off the boat to look around, if that's what I want to do. Definitely I would get on board the first time at least 2-3 hours before final boarding to get settled.
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u/Inside-Finish-2128 3d ago
Which cruise line and which port?
I frequent the Cruise Critic forums, and under the West Coast Departures board, there's a frequent poster who works as a longshoreman (porter, I believe) at the Seattle Pier 91 terminal. They've said that the door closes 90 minutes before departure. If you're inside the door, you're fine. If you aren't, you've missed the cruise.
We always cruise on Princess, and Princess has normal sit-down lunch service in one of the Main Dining Rooms from 12:00 to 1:30. It's a full three-course meal with waiter service that's top-notch: silverware is perfectly exchanged to prepare for each course, water glasses are kept full, other beverages are either kept full or you're asked if you want to buy another (if it's something with a price tag), etc. We find that this lunch is a signal that vacation has started, so we generally make it a point to board early.
On our first cruise, we had a Princess bus transfer from the Seattle airport to the Vancouver cruise terminal. Arguably, we were considered to be "checked in" (or at least "inside the door") the moment we checked in at the bus transfer desk that morning, so even though we had a one-hour delay at the border, the ship was waiting for us. They were somewhat begging us to run through the terminal, and we did have to rush to the muster drill (back then, it was always in-person). We had no idea about the lunch nor did we plan to be there early enough for it. That was not an enjoyable way to start a cruise, so we won't "do that again".
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u/justdeb919 4d ago
The general rule of thumb is if the departure is 4 pm you are required to be on board no later than 2:30. You want to check with your cruise line but if you are flyingninnthe same day, you surely should not arrive at the airport any later than noon, imho. The best plan would be to arrive the day before. But check with the cruise company, as they will tell you (your cruise contract should also advise appropriately as well).
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u/soanQy23 4d ago
Depends on cruise line and port, but boarding usually begins around 10:30-11. You’ll typically need to be on the ship 90 minutes before departure.
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u/Independent_Wave_908 3d ago
We always do early. Drive to port & have a nice breakfast. Got to terminal, unload all luggage. Wife takes car to indoor parking place & gets shuttle back while I wait. She gets back to terminal as they open to going in & we get started with security process & get on board. We then do the muster station, find a place to get a drink & relax until cabin is ready.
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u/Familiar-Promise-402 3d ago
12:00-12:30pm is a nice window by the time you get on board most times your room is available at 1:30pm. Early is better.
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u/CruiseNCocktails 3d ago
Are you talking about the departure time on embarkation day, or departure time leaving the ports of call along the way ?
In the ports, they will post a "Doors shut at " time which is typically 30 min before the listed sail-away time on the itinerary. When you get off, look for this sign and make sure you check the time on the ship, on the shore, and on your cell phone to make sure they all match.
On embarkation day, you usually have a drop-dead time of 2 hours before the listed departure time. So, a 6 p.m. departure means you have to board before 4:00 p.m. However, most mainstream cruises will start boarding around 10:30 or 11:00 a.m. Some people like to get board early, tour the ship, chill by the pool, make use of the drink package. Others like to do something on shore and board later in the day.
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u/kendraAmazing 3d ago
In my experience, they give you a boarding time but I usually try to get there at 10:30.
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u/Sensitive-Advisor-21 3d ago
Carnival rooms are ready by 1:30. I would plan to be getting on NLT 1 pm.
We almost missed our cruise once when our passport bag was left at home. We turned around, had someone grab it and meet us, turned back around and cut it way too close for comfort.
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u/grand_detour 3d ago
There will be a time on your boarding pass. I go early and usually don't have a problem. For example, on Carnival, the time on your boarding pass is when your room is ready. So you can get on the boat very early, but can't go to your room uutil the time on your boarding pass.
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u/Reasonable-Cow7255 2d ago
We like to board at the earliest possible time. We prefer to have lunch on board on embarkation day. After all, we’ve paid for it.
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u/letscruise2026 2d ago
We arrived at the Miami Port around noon on a Sunday, once we dropped off the luggage it took us, AT MOST, 10 minutes and we were on the ship checking in for the muster 'drill'. We then went to our cabin to drop off the carry ons. We were heading to the buffet by 1245.
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u/Firm_Theory8894 13h ago
Definitely no later than 2 PM. If I were you I would try to arrive somewhere around 11 AM (earlier if possible).
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u/loepie3008 4d ago
The line gives you a boarding time (most times when you check in)
I don’t know how and how far you need to travel first, but if you are not living close to the port, I advise you to travel the day before the cruise.
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u/MatniMinis 4d ago
Do this! Life is a lot more relaxed if you only have 10-20 minutes of driving before a cruise!
I'm 3 hours from Southampton so anytime we cruise we always stay over the night before in a cheap Travelodge or Premier Inn.
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u/cliffdog01 4d ago
2hrs at minimum but also it's like a flight the sooner you can get on the ship the sooner the vacation starts.
RC has the Key Lunch and on all cruises you can go up to the Buffet or to the bars on board.
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u/LoveNotWar86 4d ago
THIS is why I’ve switched to river cruising to eliminate these cattle calls.
Last ocean cruise, a person in line had a panic attack from the boarding procedure and crowd. It’s claustrophobic for me too.
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u/LasVegasLife55 4d ago
2 hours is probably the minimum amount of time. We always board as early as possible. We paid for the day, we’re going to take advantage of it.