Luggage Question Ft Lauderdale

[somewheretropical]

Our flight arrives at 9am on embarkation day in Ft Lauderdale. The earliest check-in time we could select is 1:00 PM. Are we permitted to leave our luggage with the porters at the ship and then leave port for a couple hours without dragging around our luggage? We would be taking Lyft or Uber.

[RWolver672]

Yes it is possible as long as the porters are taking luggage.  By the time you get your luggage at the airport,  have your ride arrive, get loaded in the ride, then get to the port, the porters should be taking luggage.  Then you can go explore the area until 1:00 PM.

[Green Boy]

We did that in San Juan a couple of times.. no problem.

 

[WPTNGirl]

If you take the Carnival shuttle from the airport you will have immediate access to the terminal when the shuttle arrives at the port and not have to wait for your check in time.  That should get you on the ship sooner unless you are just wanting to explore the city.  At least that is another option.

[rvsullivan]

2 minutes ago, WPTNGirl said:

If you take the Carnival shuttle from the airport you will have immediate access to the terminal when the shuttle arrives at the port and not have to wait for your check in time.  That should get you on the ship sooner unless you are just wanting to explore the city.  At least that is another option.

Do you mean you get immediate boarding without paying for FTTF, or access to the terminal and then wait several hours for your boarding time? Seems to me if it's the first that would be a way around paying for FTTF?

[WPTNGirl]

Immediate access to the terminal.  I thought that would mean you could checkin and get an early boarding assignment (after FTTF) but they may have changed that process and the boarding time assigned before checkin.   I am Platinum so I haven't gone through the check in process lately.   My point was that at least there would be immediate access to terminal.

[Organized Chaos]

OP, porters take luggage up until two hours before departure. From then, you have to carry everything on.

 

44 minutes ago, WPTNGirl said:

Immediate access to the terminal.  I thought that would mean you could checkin and get an early boarding assignment (after FTTF) but they may have changed that process and the boarding time assigned before checkin.   I am Platinum so I haven't gone through the check in process lately.   My point was that at least there would be immediate access to terminal.

 

To my knowledge, Carnival's transfers doesn't grant you priority status. They don't call their shuttle passengers at any time during boarding. Once they begin boarding, they board wedding parties, P/D's, suite guests, FTTF, and then begin general boarding.

 

I don't even know that they get to enter the terminal before their assigned arrival time. To do that, they'd need some sort of priority documentation.

 

Not sure what you mean by not having to go through the check-in process since you're Platinum. Everyone has to go through check-in.

 

Edited August 14, 2019 by Organized Chaos

[WPTNGirl]

I looked it up on Carnival website and quote "You'll also gain access to the cruise terminal as soon as the shuttle gets you there, regardless of your arrival appointment time - a small thing that's surprisingly nice on embarkation day ".  

 

What I mean about checkin, as Platinum, I know we will board after weddings and Diamond.   Before Platinum we would receive a general boarding group number, the earlier you checked in the earlier boarding group number.  I don't know if they still assign boarding group numbers the same way that is, the earlier in the terminal, the earlier to board.

[Nik]

We arrived at the pier around 11 am and boarding started shortly after for Diamond/Platinum and by 11:30 they were boarding everyone else.  Unless you really wanted to kill sometime in the area, I would just hang at the airport for a bit and then get your ride to the pier.  There were lots of people there at 11:00 a.m. The sooner you arrive the sooner you can board. Debarkation started at 6:30 am and you had to be off the ship by 10:30 a.m.