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Grand Princess Pier 27 Check-in at 1pm?


MK408
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Hi everyone, 

 

My check-in time tomorrow is 1pm on the Grand Princess at Pier 27 in San Francisco. I've read that you can come earlier to sort of beat the crowds like around 11am or even later like 2:30pm when the crowds have died down. What has been your experiences? Thanks in advance!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2 minutes ago, MK408 said:

Hi everyone, 

 

My check-in time tomorrow is 1pm on the Grand Princess at Pier 27 in San Francisco. I've read that you can come earlier to sort of beat the crowds like around 11am or even later like 2:30pm when the crowds have died down. What has been your experiences? Thanks in advance!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We live near the port and usually leave the house around 10:30 AM.  We are usually allowed to board when we get there and have passed through security ... maybe 11:30 AM or so. If you go at 1 PM, it does tend to be very crowded at that time.  If you are ok with arriving later in the day, then you will also save yourself from the crowds.  We always like to arrive early, unpack our bags and catch lunch if at all possible.  

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51 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

 

We live near the port and usually leave the house around 10:30 AM.  We are usually allowed to board when we get there and have passed through security ... maybe 11:30 AM or so. If you go at 1 PM, it does tend to be very crowded at that time.  If you are ok with arriving later in the day, then you will also save yourself from the crowds.  We always like to arrive early, unpack our bags and catch lunch if at all possible.  

 

I'd agree totally with Cruise Raider.   In April, we arrived early with no issue, and our traveling companions arrived at 2pm with no issues.  We both walked right on and to our cabins.

 

SF has a great terminal anyway.......if your driving and parking, make sure to drop off your passengers and luggage first, then park and walk back to the terminal.  It's about a 10 minute walk.  It's a lot easier if you don't want to haul your luggage.

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"Assigned" boarding times are suggestions only. They are not mandatory.

Arrive when you want.

If you board before 1 PM, you can go to the main dining room (MDR) that is open for lunch. Don't ask a crew member which dining room is open. The crew ALWAYS directs you to the buffet. Check the back page of the Princess Patter (it should be in your cabin) or if the cabins aren't open when you board (it happens), just go to the mid-ship MDRs on deck 5 or 6...one of them will generally be the one that's open.

MDR lunch is a much more pleasant way to start the cruise than the buffet.

Have a great cruise!!

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Our last cruise was in December.  We got to the pier at about 9:30, dropped our bags with a porter, walked and shopped around the wharf, and then headed back to the ship at around 11:30.  There were probably 100 or so people in line.  We were on and eating lunch about 45 minutes later.  We're on the cruise after yours.  We plan on being there somewhere between 11 and 11:30 this time.

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Thanks for the replies everyone! I'll plan to arrive around 11am.

 

One more thing, my largest luggage is a 28" spinner. Do I need to check that with a porter or can I bring it with me on to the ship? 

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3 hours ago, JF - retired RRT said:

"Assigned" boarding times are suggestions only. They are not mandatory.

Arrive when you want.

If you board before 1 PM, you can go to the main dining room (MDR) that is open for lunch. Don't ask a crew member which dining room is open. The crew ALWAYS directs you to the buffet. Check the back page of the Princess Patter (it should be in your cabin) or if the cabins aren't open when you board (it happens), just go to the mid-ship MDRs on deck 5 or 6...one of them will generally be the one that's open.

MDR lunch is a much more pleasant way to start the cruise than the buffet.

Have a great cruise!!

 

And, on the Grand, we've always found it to be on deck 6 whenever we've sailed on her.  I suppose they could switch it up but that's not what we've experienced in the past.   Yes, I completely agree with all that you posted ... they will never tell you where lunch is in the MDR and sometimes, even at the door, they question you as to why you are there.  Makes me laugh ... they offer it but they don't want anybody to take them up on it.  Very odd!!  We once booked one of the window suites on deck 6 and the staff member running the elevator doesn't even want to you get off on that deck ... probably out of fear you want to get lunch in the MDR.  LOL 

 

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13 hours ago, MK408 said:

Thanks for the replies everyone! I'll plan to arrive around 11am.

 

One more thing, my largest luggage is a 28" spinner. Do I need to check that with a porter or can I bring it with me on to the ship? 

You can bring the suitcase on the ship with you, but bear in mind that you can't get into your cabin until 1PM so you'll have to haul it around with you wherever you want to go.  If there's something you don't want to be separated from, it might be easier to put that into a backpack to carry around and leave the suitcase with a porter.

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1 hour ago, travellingnana said:

You can bring the suitcase on the ship with you, but bear in mind that you can't get into your cabin until 1PM so you'll have to haul it around with you wherever you want to go.  If there's something you don't want to be separated from, it might be easier to put that into a backpack to carry around and leave the suitcase with a porter.

The above in red should say...IF you can't get into your cabin until 1 PM.

We've only had it happen to us once. So far, it seems to be ship by ship, not the whole fleet.

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2 hours ago, JF - retired RRT said:

The above in red should say...IF you can't get into your cabin until 1 PM.

We've only had it happen to us once. So far, it seems to be ship by ship, not the whole fleet.

 

All here is correct with regard to arrival & boarding times.

 

As for taking luggage to the cabin, we've been on Grand twice in '19 (Feb & April).  Both times the fire doors leading to cabins were closed and posted with notices that cabins wouldn't be available until 1:00.  I'm not the sort who would open such a door, so can't say how strictly enforced this was.  Also can't say whether this was uniform across all decks.  The MDR staff made a luggage drop area available.

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19 hours ago, MK408 said:

Thanks for the replies everyone! I'll plan to arrive around 11am.

 

One more thing, my largest luggage is a 28" spinner. Do I need to check that with a porter or can I bring it with me on to the ship? 

 

I have a so called carry on that is no wider than a 22" carry on but it is 28" tall.  I always carry it on as I live near the port so that way, I don't have to check any luggage at the airport and for cruises out of Pier 27.  Never had a problem getting that through security or rolling that onto the ship.  It's really only the width of the luggage that might stop you.  You will be fine with what you've described as long as it is not too wide.  

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 6/14/2019 at 1:36 PM, Cruise Raider said:

 

We live near the port and usually leave the house around 10:30 AM.  We are usually allowed to board when we get there and have passed through security ... maybe 11:30 AM or so.

 

Are you sure that applies to all grades of cabins and all grades of Captain's Circle membership?

Edited by brisalta
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48 minutes ago, brisalta said:

 

Are you sure that applies to all grades of cabins and all grades of Captain's Circle membership?

 

No, I am not sure of that.  We usually don't book a suite but we have attained elite status.  I haven't really paid attention to when all other captain's circle's tiers are allowed to board.  

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1 hour ago, Cruise Raider said:

 

No, I am not sure of that.  We usually don't book a suite but we have attained elite status.  I haven't really paid attention to when all other captain's circle's tiers are allowed to board.  

Elites go first with Suites (mixed).  Platinums next.  Actually, there is Club Class as well and now I forget because when that started, I wondered if a Club Class passenger with no status boarded with Platinums or boarded after Platinums.

 

Doesn't much matter to me/us anymore since my wife is freshly Elite and I will follow suit on our next voyage.

 

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We arrived at the terminal last May around 11 am.  Was eating at the Salty Dog 45 minutes later with a margarita in hand.  Really had no waits—longest time was spent at the wine checkin table!  It was our first Princess cruise so we were lowest of the low but absolutely no wait.

 

Room wasn’t ready (Baja balcony) but was able to drop off carry-on luggage at the Explorer’s Lounge.

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11 hours ago, steelers36 said:

Elites go first with Suites (mixed).  Platinums next.  Actually, there is Club Class as well and now I forget because when that started, I wondered if a Club Class passenger with no status boarded with Platinums or boarded after Platinums.

 

Doesn't much matter to me/us anymore since my wife is freshly Elite and I will follow suit on our next voyage.

 

 

Good question!  I really have no idea as I've never booked a Club Class mini before.  

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  • 1 month later...
On 6/14/2019 at 5:17 PM, MK408 said:

Thanks for the replies everyone! I'll plan to arrive around 11am.

 

One more thing, my largest luggage is a 28" spinner. Do I need to check that with a porter or can I bring it with me on to the ship? 

 

Did you arrive at 11 am and if so how long did you have to wait to board?

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We got on the Grand on 7/25. We arrived at the port at 10am. They didn't open the port for oncoming guests until 10:30 am. They did not start boarding until 11 am. So we had a little bit of a wait (but it was pleasant). Once boarding began, we were the second family on the ship.

 

There were no lines that early either. 🙂

Edited by Dani24
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  • 1 month later...

When I arrived for the Sept. 23rd sailing the boarding process was very efficient. No waiting. Pass through security scan to the desk to register and pick up cruise cards and walk straight on the ship.

(In the past none elite / platinum passengers would be made to wait to board). Once on board and security photo taken we were handed a paper slip listing all the venues that were open for lunch including the MDR!

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