Earliest boarding time allowed

[travelor80]

We are taking a red eye from LA to Miami in order to arrive on time. We will get into Miami early AM. What is the earliest you have ever been able to board the Regatta? We do not expect the cabin to be ready, we would just like to board since we do not want to sit around the airport or the port. We have a balcony cabin. Any suggestions?

[newbie60]

Your cruise documents should indicate the time you are allowed to board as the boarding is staggered with suites first, then concierge, then veranda, etc. The earliest I've ever seen was 11 am for the Suites. It's possible that you can board earlier than your stated time, but it probably won't be before 11 am.

 

Disembarking passengers have to be out of their cabins at 8 am and the crew has to turn around the entire ship before allowing new passengers to board.

[LHT28]

You might be able to board around 1pm certainly not before noon

They will not even let you in the building at the port before noon in my experience

Edited September 29, 2014 by LHT28

[Jancruz]

We are taking a red eye from LA to Miami in order to arrive on time. We will get into Miami early AM. What is the earliest you have ever been able to board the Regatta? We do not expect the cabin to be ready, we would just like to board since we do not want to sit around the airport or the port. We have a balcony cabin. Any suggestions?

 

I suggest you grab a cab.. have breakfast and do a tour of South Beach and around Miami..sitting in the port is a waste of your time..the other thing I have done is take a cab to the Intercontinental Hotel, have breakfast and sit in their comfortable lobby reading rather than the hard chairs in the port..

Jancruz1

[orchestrapal]

Leaving Miami in April they had a person by the door of the port entrance who very carefully checked documents and then her list for boarding time.

The couple in front of us at 10:30 whose boarding time was 3:00 was turned away by her and told not to reappear until the time "clearly stated on their documents." She then smiled at us and said, "can't some people read." confuse

[potterhill]

And when we have arrived at 11 we have walked on along with the suites. They have never made us wait for a designated time. But we have never boarded in Miami. Some people in positions of "authority" use every last ounce of it. Likely because they have none elsewhere in their life. ;-)

 

I must say though, most times we are out and about, and in no hurry to get on a ship that is not leaving for hours. I like Jan's suggestion of a sumptuous breakfast. After that I would find me a beach to walk on.

 

Mo

 

 

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[Noxequifans]

In order to avoid any turn back at the port door, arrive a little before the time indicated in your cruise document. Better not to start your vacation experience by ignoring the guideline provided.

[joan24]

Our documents came last week with a boarding time of 12:00 pm for a PH suite. We were notified before the docs arrived that boarding was at 3:00 pm and the suites would get priority boarding. I am not planning on arriving at the port until 2:30. It's a lot easier to do if you live in S. Florida and not arriving by plane.

Joan

[robbie21]

Leaving Miami in April they had a person by the door of the port entrance who very carefully checked documents and then her list for boarding time.

The couple in front of us at 10:30 whose boarding time was 3:00 was turned away by her and told not to reappear until the time "clearly stated on their documents." She then smiled at us and said, "can't some people read." confuse

 

My experience so far with Oceania boarding (7 cruises) has been pleasant and reasonable. We nearly always arrive quite a bit early as we are usually checking out of a local hotel and going straight to the port. Everywhere but Miami we have been permitted to check in as soon as a clerk was available to process us. Last Feb in Miami we arrived around 11:30 (we were supposed to board around 1:30 or 2) and they gave us a number and we waited for about 45 minutes while they called groups with a higher priority. The seating was fine and the conversation was excellent. Those with early boarding times were accommodated as they arrive and we were fit into the lulls in the traffic. Not a problem and seemed to work well. Why would Oceania change this procedure?

 

Had I experienced what is described above I would have been seriously p***** off. The waiting area in Miami is fairly large and comfortable so why turn people away. What are they supposed to do? There is nothing in the area and you would have to take a taxi somewhere. This would be really annoying. Surely someone from Oceania can tell us this is not their policy but rather an overzealous idiot. If this is their policy (no boarding before your scheduled time) it needs to be clearly stated in the cruise documents that you will be denied boarding if you arrive early. If that is the case I will still be PO'ed but at least I would have no complaint.

 

Robbie

[LHT28]

Our experience in Miami is they will not even open the front doors to let people in the building where you will find some seating otherwise you are outside in the queue

Fortunately we do not usually go until 2pm then we can go inside

 

last cruise we were allowed to board at noon

So we arrived at 12:15pm doors still locked & queue... shortly after they were allowing people in

People without early boarding times were directed to the chairs while those in Concierge & above to the check in lines

 

Only other port we had an issue was Amsterdam ..if your boarding time was 3pm you were not getting on a minute earlier

but at least they let you in the building to sit down ;)

 

If you are in the lower Cat do not even think of going to the port before 1pm

 

YMMV

[CAG]

You must remember that embarkation is controlled by the on shore port agents, not Oceania per se. It is not unusual to have to wait in Miami and as stated above they will try and work you in during a lull in the guests who arrived at their appointed time. Last May in New York, embarkation was horrible. The later designated cabins who arrived early were accommodated before the Penthouse Suites, Oceania Suites, Vista Suites and Owners Suites who arrived at their designated time. The lady directing guests to a specific agent kept going to the lines for Interior, Oceanview and Verandah cabins directing them while ignoring the others who arrived on time. We were in a Penthouse and by the time we were directed to an agent, the lines for the lower category suites had maybe one or two people in line while the Penthouse line had at least 15 or 20. You just never no and every port is a little different.

 

 

Cenia