Oasis boarding

[ExcitedCruisers3]

I was told we could start boarding around noon. I have read where some are able to board as early as 10:30 on other ships. Is each ship different on time?


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[kruzerci]

We got to the pier at 10:30 and were onboard the Oasis at 11:15 a couple of months ago.

For most ships, 10:30-11 is generally a good time to get there.

[ExcitedCruisers3]

Great!! Thanks


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[leisuretraveler223]

[quote name='kruzerci']For most ships, 10:30-11 is generally a good time to get there.[/QUOTE]

If you arrive for any ship at 10:30, you're going to spend at least some time sitting in a terminal waiting to board. Why this is an appealing option to people escapes me. You're going to be on Oasis for a week. Why not enjoy lunch shoreside and then show up when you can walk right on? There aren't secret giveaways for the first 500 people to board that you're missing out on by showing up at a reasonable time instead of way too early.

[Sky616]

[quote name='leisuretraveler223']If you arrive for any ship at 10:30, you're going to spend at least some time sitting in a terminal waiting to board. Why this is an appealing option to people escapes me. You're going to be on Oasis for a week. Why not enjoy lunch shoreside and then show up when you can walk right on? There aren't secret giveaways for the first 500 people to board that you're missing out on by showing up at a reasonable time instead of way too early.[/quote]
Why pay for lunch on shore when you have numerous options onboard already paid for in your cruise fare? Love getting onboard early when there are hardly any people on board. Edited March 22, 2014 by Sky616

[LBumb]

i would get there around 11

[leaveitallbehind]

Both times we sailed Oasis we were at the terminal between 10:30 - 11:00 and on board between 11:00 - 11:30.

With all there is to see and learn about the ship, and with the different venues open for lunch, we prefer to be on board early and eat lunch on board. That also allows time for dining table confirmation or adjustments if needed, etc., as that line starts early.

[Ocean Boy]

[quote name='Sky616']Why pay for lunch on shore when you have numerous options onboard already paid for in your cruise fare? Love getting onboard early when there are hardly any people on board.[/QUOTE]

I agree.

[Gayle V]

Why does no one mention that there is an official boarding time designated by the cruise line. This is what the Royal Caribbean site has to say about it:

"The boarding time for your ship and sailing date is specified in your Guest Vacation Documents. Please do not plan on arriving at the pier prior to the specified time as the ship will not be ready to board guests. "

Now I understand the excitement that makes you want to board early. I feel the same. But for the OP, just know that if you do show up earlier than the stated time, you're doing it with the expectation that you are going to wait. Possibly for a long while. Knowing what to expect can make all the difference between a wonderful experience and a big disappointment.

For some people, (like me) the waiting is only part of the fun. I love talking to fellow cruisers while in the line. But for others (like my hubby) it's a royal pain in the behind. In the end hubby and I compromise, I'm willing to wait till check out time at our pre cruise hotel, then we head to the pier. Both happy. Edited March 22, 2014 by Gayle V

[leaveitallbehind]

[quote name='Gayle V']Why does no one mention that there is an official boarding time designated by the cruise line. This is what the Royal Caribbean site has to say about it:

"The boarding time for your ship and sailing date is specified in your Guest Vacation Documents. Please do not plan on arriving at the pier prior to the specified time as the ship will not be ready to board guests. "

Now I understand the excitement that makes you want to board early. I feel the same. But for the OP, just know that if you do show up earlier than the stated time, you're doing it with the expectation that you are going to wait. Possibly for a long while. Knowing what to expect can make all the difference between a wonderful experience and a big disappointment.

For some people, (like me) the waiting is only part of the fun. I love talking to fellow cruisers while in the line. But for others (like my hubby) it's a royal pain in the behind. In the end hubby and I compromise, I'm willing to wait till check out time at our pre cruise hotel, then we head to the pier. Both happy.[/QUOTE]

Not challenging your position, but while that might be a suggested time (perhaps to balance arrival flow) it is not - and in our experience - never has been an enforced time. Other than with place in line, we have never waited for an appointed time or been asked to wait until a specific time to board at the port. I think that tends to balance itself out as most passengers don't all arrive at the same time and boarding is naturally spread out over several hours as a result.

With the boarding lines separated by new cruisers, the various C & A tier levels, and suite lines, the process is usually very smooth and each group boards basically in line order and group priority.

As a result we have always been able to board quickly and efficiently through just the typical lines as we arrive - and regardless of when we arrive - at the designated section based on the criteria mentioned and have never encountered specific boarding times. The only waiting period - once checked in - is at the various lounges awaiting the ship to be cleared for first boarding. And that, as mentioned, typically is around 11:00 AM.

There are times where the initial boarding can be delayed resulting from TA's back from a foreign port with the turn to the first US itinerary as customs can take longer to clear the ship. Also Government imposed delays based on staffing and budget concerns can result in a request to delay arrival. But that usually is in the form of an email affecting select ships. Edited March 22, 2014 by leaveitallbehind

[EaganCruiser]

get to the pier when you want and what ever anyone else thinks should not matter...i ALWAYS get there between 10:45 and 11am...and yes as others have stated...on the ship by 11:30/ to noon...if we have to wait a half hour or so...its the excitement of being there...cruising is a previledge that you work very hard to be able to do...GET TO THE PIER WHEN YOU WANT...why wait at the hotel...assuming your doing a pre-night or two..and also agree if you are paying for a lunch on embarkation day...why not take advantage...HONEY STUNG CHICKEN...if memory serves me best...not servred any other time during the cruise...but i maybe wrong...

[mikeydee]

[quote name='leisuretraveler223']If you arrive for any ship at 10:30, you're going to spend at least some time sitting in a terminal waiting to board. Why this is an appealing option to people escapes me. You're going to be on Oasis for a week. Why not enjoy lunch shoreside and then show up when you can walk right on? There aren't secret giveaways for the first 500 people to board that you're missing out on by showing up at a reasonable time instead of way too early.[/QUOTE] lol!

[Shak]

I like to go early as well since I have payed for day 1 too.

Shak


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[Ocean Boy]

[quote name='Gayle V'][COLOR="Red"]Why does no one mention that there is an official boarding time designated by the cruise line. This is what the Royal Caribbean site has to say about it:

"The boarding time for your ship and sailing date is specified in your Guest Vacation Documents. Please do not plan on arriving at the pier prior to the specified time as the ship will not be ready to board guests. [/COLOR]"

Now I understand the excitement that makes you want to board early. I feel the same. But for the OP, just know that if you do show up earlier than the stated time, you're doing it with the expectation that you are going to wait. Possibly for a long while. Knowing what to expect can make all the difference between a wonderful experience and a big disappointment.

For some people, (like me) the waiting is only part of the fun. I love talking to fellow cruisers while in the line. But for others (like my hubby) it's a royal pain in the behind. In the end hubby and I compromise, I'm willing to wait till check out time at our pre cruise hotel, then we head to the pier. Both happy.[/QUOTE]

For years RCI's website stated that Voyager class ships had covered solariums. One thing that I've come to learn is that personal experience trumps much of what is to be found on RCI's website. As for the line about not showing up before the specified time as the ship will not be ready to board guests, take it literally if you like. I am usually done with lunch in the Windjammer and lying on deck with a drink before the scheduled time arrives.

[Gayle V]

[quote name='leaveitallbehind']Not challenging your position, but while that might be a suggested time (perhaps to balance arrival flow) it is not - and in our experience - never has been an enforced time. Other than with place in line, we have never waited for an appointed time or been asked to wait until a specific time to board at the port. I think that tends to balance itself out as most passengers don't all arrive at the same time and boarding is naturally spread out over several hours as a result.

With the boarding lines separated by new cruisers, the various C & A tier levels, and suite lines, the process is usually very smooth and each group boards basically in line order and group priority.

As a result we have always been able to board quickly and efficiently through just the typical lines as we arrive - and regardless of when we arrive - at the designated section based on the criteria mentioned and have never encountered specific boarding times. The only waiting period - once checked in - is at the various lounges awaiting the ship to be cleared for first boarding. And that, as mentioned, typically is around 11:00 AM.

There are times where the initial boarding can be delayed resulting from TA's back from a foreign port with the turn to the first US itinerary as customs can take longer to clear the ship. Also Government imposed delays based on staffing and budget concerns can result in a request to delay arrival. But that usually is in the form of an email affecting select ships.[/QUOTE]

Hello leaveitallbehind, I get the feeling you missed my point. I was not saying that they will have to wait till a designated time. I was trying to answer the OP's question, which was :[quote name='ExcitedCruisers3']I was told we could start boarding around noon. I have read where some are able to board as early as 10:30 on other ships. Is each ship different on time?[/QUOTE] And strictly speaking the answer is "yes". There is a specified time, and it is different for different ships, and embarkation ports and different itinerary. It's listed in the documents.

I was also trying to let the OP know that should they succumb to the desire to show up early, with the encouragement of others here, that they should do so with the right attitude. I really hate to see a new cruiser be encouraged by posts on these boards to do anything that may diminish their enjoyment of their cruise experience; which is what may happen if they arrive early with expectations that may not be met.

If you read my post, you'll see I said the wait can be fun, but the OP should know that it may exist, and it is not as rare as the OP was being lead to believe. We have experienced embarkations that consisted of no more than the walk through the terminal. Most others have been between one and two hours. Our Mariner cruise didn't start boarding till 2:30 pm. Some people waited a very long time, in a very long line, many in the sun, on a very hot day.

My post was about attitude and expectations, not about 'shoulds and should nots'.. Edited March 22, 2014 by Gayle V

[Ocean Boy]

[quote name='Gayle V']Hello leaveitallbehind, I get the feeling you missed my point. I was not saying that they will have to wait till a designated time. I was trying to answer the OP's question, which was : And strictly speaking the answer is "yes". There is a specified time, and it is different for different ships, and embarkation ports and different itinerary. It's listed in the documents.

I was also trying to let the OP know that should they succumb to the desire to show up early, with the encouragement of others here, that they should do so with the right attitude. I really hate to see a new cruiser be encouraged by posts on these boards to do anything that may diminish their enjoyment of their cruise experience; which is what may happen if they arrive early with expectations that may not be met.

If you read my post, you'll see I said the wait can be fun, but the OP should know that it may exist, and it is not as rare as the OP was being lead to believe. We have experienced embarkations that consisted of no more than the walk through the terminal. Most others have been between one and two hours. Our Mariner cruise didn't start boarding till 2:30 pm. Some people waited a very long time, in a very long line, many in the sun, on a very hot day.

[COLOR="Red"]My post was about attitude and expectations, not about what shoulds and should nots[/COLOR]..[/QUOTE]
And that actually makes a lot of sense. Sometimes we forget that first time cruisers may have not only a bit of difference in expectations than we have but that they don't have all of the same benefits that we have. I can remember one cruise that we took on Indy where boarding for us took very little time since we had access to the priority area. But the line for regular boarding (pier 29) was quite long and it was quite hot outside. So, yes, your points are quite valid. Moving into a floating hotel the same time that 3-4 thousand other people are trying to do the same thing can be an experience that many are not ready for. And for people with little tolerance for waiting or lines it can be a very poor first impression of what cruising is all about. Edited March 22, 2014 by Ocean Boy

[ExcitedCruisers3]

My husband and I will be cruising with our 6 yr old son, so we prefer to not wait any longer than necessary (he's a little ornery......my son) so we will have to decide if going earlier is an option.

Thank you for sharing all your experiences


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[ExcitedCruisers3]

And we have cruised before but with another cruise line and we had no wait. The ship was no where near the size of Oasis so I wasn't sure how fast the flow was.


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[leaveitallbehind]

[I]Gayle V[/I] - I too was not posting about "shoulds or should nots". I was only responding to your statement about the posted boarding times on the cruise documents and your originally posted comment stating "But for the OP, just know that if you do show up earlier than the stated time, you're doing it with the expectation that you are going to wait. Possibly for a long while" with information based on our past cruises.

While it has all been with RCI, with 11 different ships and 6 different departure ports - many of both with which we've had multiple experiences - I only stated that we have never had to wait for a departure time that may have been printed in the cruise documents. That information has never been posted or enforced at any of the ports or ships in our cruising experience. The only delays we've experienced were those normally resulting from the typical boarding lines.

And as regards Oasis, the OP should arrive at whatever time is most convenient and desirable to their schedule. But Pier 18 and Oasis / Allure in particular are probably the most efficient embarkation / disembarkation systems within RCI and there should be no delays with either process. As mentioned in my first post, both times we sailed on Oasis we arrived at the terminal between 10:30 - 11:00 AM and were on board between 11:00 - 11:30 AM. The OP should expect no delays with their upcoming cruise.

Enjoy Oasis - she is a great ship!

[nessz79]

My husband and I were thinking of getting on later this time around as we hate lugging our carry-ons to find lunch with the crowds. We are going to try eating "brunch", driving to the port, and arriving around 12:30/1. Is Oasis still quick to board at that time?