No faster to the fun

[aaalynn]

If we don't purchase faster to the fun , can we still board fairly early?

 

We don't mind not getting our luggage and room right away, we just want to get on the ship as soon as possible :)

 

 

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[SadieN]

Yes. You'd get a lower boarding number, if arriving before boarding starts.

Order of boarding is usually-

 

Wedding Parties

Diamond/Platinum

Suites

FTTF

Boarding Zone numbers

 

If you arrive after boarding starts you might or might not get a boarding number.

[sjcruiser]

Before FTTF we have been onboard before noon. With FTTF on our last cruise we were on maybe a half hour earlier than usual.

[ccruisequeen]

Just sign in early (usually 9:30-10:15/10:30) and get a low zone number

 

[jamscckmc]

Don't suites get on before or with Platinum/Diamond? I know they do on RC and Princess. When I was on the Pride a few years ago in a suite I got on right after the wedding party.

[SadieN]

Probably depends on the port. In Long Beach they're all mixed together.

[champagne123]

Probably depends on the port. In Long Beach they're all mixed together.

 

Which reminds me of doing the Splendor to Hawaii cruise out of Long Beach last year.

 

BIG BIG wedding party did not arrive until 2pm. (we checked in at 9:30). Long Beach "holding room" is OUTSIDE. POURING RAIN....horrible.

 

Sorry....I do not understand why thousands of people had to stand out in the pouring rain for HOURS because of a wedding party. REALLY????

 

Plus ...they were the most obnoxious group of people for the whole cruise. They seemed to think they owned the ship. Ugh...just horrible.

[Budget Queen]

I don't get the real early arrivals, that I always see as I am getting off a ship. :) Anyway, I have already taken 5 cruises this year, saw this every time. I did note that the last 2 on the Conquest and Glory, while I was taking the elevator up, instead of the escalator, they were already calling zones, with the Platinums. I also rode the elevator up with a couple who just jumped the line. :)

[beachbum53]

Just sign in early (usually 9:30-10:15/10:30) and get a low zone number

 

 

In addition to arriving early and getting a low zone number, when your number is called, bypass the photographer taking pictures of passengers as they head towards the walkway onto the ship. This will help get you on a little quicker.;)

[snc_cam]

As people have said, the earlier you get to the port, the earlier you will get on board. But there are still the groups that will board first.

 

Asked why we get to the port early??? Well, the choice is we can stay in the hotel until later in the day, waiting, or we can get to the port early, with the opportunity to board earlier. And yes, we do have to wait for this too. So, wait in the hotel or wait in the port...

 

Steve

[TeresaJ]

We sailed Legend 2 weeks ago. We didn't have FTTF and we were on board at 11:40. Very smooth check in and boarding in 20 minutes or less. Rooms were ready at 12:30 and we had all of our luggage by 1pm or shortly after. I felt that was quicker than last year when I purchased FTTF. Haha!

 

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[Mysticks1]

I don't get the real early arrivals, that I always see as I am getting off a ship. :) Anyway, I have already taken 5 cruises this year, saw this every time. I did note that the last 2 on the Conquest and Glory, while I was taking the elevator up, instead of the escalator, they were already calling zones, with the Platinums. I also rode the elevator up with a couple who just jumped the line.

 

I always get to the port early but usually not until around 9:30 - 10:00. The way I look at it is that first day is the first day of my cruise and I am excited to get it started ASAP. I want to make the most of it. When you board early you can get lunch before it gets really crowded and then spend some time exploring the ship while most people are still crowding into the buffet with all their carry on luggage in tow.

 

I purchased FTTF for my upcoming cruise so that I can drop my carry on things and drinks in the room first.

[missy428]

I want to get on first and beat everyone to the wok and excursions desk before all the good excursions are gone (I have obc so I can't book ahead of time) and the line for the wok is a mike long :p

 

 

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[Krissica]

Our last cruise we purchased FTTF, and will continue to purchase it until we reached diamond/platinum status. We usually get to the port around 9:30-10:00. As a previous poster stated, for us it is either wait in the hotel room or wait at the port, and we would rather wait at the port and be there already. I like FTTF more for the immediate room access and early luggage arrival, rather than boarding "early." Also the customer service/relations lines and priority tenders that are dedicated to diamond/platinum/FTTF are nice as well.

[j&tcruiser]

Our last cruise we purchased FTTF, and will continue to purchase it until we reached diamond/platinum status. We usually get to the port around 9:30-10:00. As a previous poster stated, for us it is either wait in the hotel room or wait at the port, and we would rather wait at the port and be there already. I like FTTF more for the immediate room access and early luggage arrival, rather than boarding "early." Also the customer service/relations lines and priority tenders that are dedicated to diamond/platinum/FTTF are nice as well.

 

I purchased FTTF for the first time for our cruise in August. My main reasons were to have the room ready so we don't have to drag our carry on' s with us and to be the first groups off at ports. Hope it's worth it

 

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[lastinga]

Which reminds me of doing the Splendor to Hawaii cruise out of Long Beach last year.

 

BIG BIG wedding party did not arrive until 2pm. (we checked in at 9:30). Long Beach "holding room" is OUTSIDE. POURING RAIN....horrible.

 

Sorry....I do not understand why thousands of people had to stand out in the pouring rain for HOURS because of a wedding party. REALLY????

 

Plus ...they were the most obnoxious group of people for the whole cruise. They seemed to think they owned the ship. Ugh...just horrible.

 

Wow! I can't believe that they waited on them to board everyone else. I would have been livid! The people I know who are constantly late do think that the world revolves around them and have no respect others, so your last sentence doesn't surprise me. Ugh!

[Nars Glinley]

What are these "zones" that people speak of? I've sailed 4 times out of Galveston and AFAIK, have never been assigned a zone for embarkation. We sail out of NYC in June, do they use them there and if so, how?

 

TIA.

[beachbum53]

What are these "zones" that people speak of? I've sailed 4 times out of Galveston and AFAIK, have never been assigned a zone for embarkation. We sail out of NYC in June, do they use them there and if so, how?

 

TIA.

 

If you arrive at the port early, before the incoming cruise has debarked and the embarkation process has begun, you are given a card with a zone number on it when you check in. After the priority boarding is done (wedding parties, Diamond, Platinum and FTTF guests), general boarding then begins. To maintain some semblance of order, general boarding is done by zone numbers. I'm not sure exactly how many cards there are for each zone number (50 - 75?), but it does help to make the boarding process go fairly smoothly. Also, I'm not sure at what point zone numbers are no longer needed. It could be that by the time you arrive at the port, most of the passengers have already boarded and zone numbers are no longer required.

[larkz]

Before FTTF we have been onboard before noon. With FTTF on our last cruise we were on maybe a half hour earlier than usual.

 

This was my experience as well. FTTF saved me about a half hour, I would guess.

 

10:30 am is a good time to arrive (even a little earlier) to beat the hordes. The caveat, of course, is to be prepared for an unexpected delay because you're arriving well before Carnival's email recommends: 1 or 1:30pm.

 

Bring something to read, a snack, and something to drink and some patience, just in case.

[Jimmy Geegitz]

We have never waited more than 20 minutes no matter what time we get there.

[cynthe66]

Out of the six cruises I've been on we've only had boarding numbers for 2 of them the rest of the times we were at port by 11:30 and on the ship by 12:00pm. As for luggage we just have my inlaws put it in their room since they are platinum.

[carrieluvsgreg]

It really depends upon the ship size and port... We've had a variety of experiences. We have always arrived relatively early 10-10:30, we have boarded by 11 and closer to 12. Most recently, in December we were in Tampa boarding the Paradise with friends, we had finally reached platinum, still arrived early because our friends were not. We boarded about 10-15 minutes before they did. (Also about 11...)

 

 

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[aaalynn]

Thanks everyone for your input.

I am assuming POM opens the terminal at 9 or 10am?

My husband will drop me off and then return our rental car at MIA.

I'm also assuming I will need to wait for him to check in at POM...

 

 

 

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[paradiscroozin]

We always get to the port early because it is the start of the vacation and you can enjoy the ship most of the day instead of starting at sail away. We get there early around 10:30 and are always on board within an hour. I purchased the fttf for this last cruise and loved that we had priority boarding and our room was ready. The only annoying thing was that our luggage was delivered along with everyone elses, so we had to keep going to our room to check and see because I hate it being left out in the hall. I thought we would have express delivery or even just placing our bags inside the room, what else is the point to putting the tags on our luggage.

 

We check out of the hotel and don't even eat breakfast because we just wait until we are on board. I don't want to spend money when I can usually eat at noon for free, since its already paid for ;)

[Budget Queen]

The only annoying thing was that our luggage was delivered along with everyone elses, so we had to keep going to our room to check and see because I hate it being left out in the hall. I thought we would have express delivery or even just placing our bags inside the room, what else is the point to putting the tags on our luggage.

 

Did you tell the porter and tip them? :)

 

The porters have special stickers that are very noticeable for the priority luggage. Depending on the port there also can be a special postered area where the priority bags get dropped off.

 

IF you just had your printed tags on, then is isn't surprising it wasn't seen.