text from NCL about boarding the Dawn Sunday 12.27

[rjm11]

I just got a text saying "Important message from NCL: Boarding for your upcoming cruise on Norwegian Dawn will be from 12pm to 2:30pm.  Any guest who arrives prior to 12pm will be asked to leave and return later".

 

We are in a suite, and planned to arrive around 11:00am- is this a new automated message?  Or is there something going on with the Dawn where she'll likely be disembarking later?  Anyone know?  Are they really turning people away at 11:00am? 

[Sweetnspicy]

I’m not sure but honestly I really hope NCL does start enforcing this. It would save people so much hassle, disappointment and anger. 

[linbobky]

8 minutes ago, rjm11 said:

I just got a text saying "Important message from NCL: Boarding for your upcoming cruise on Norwegian Dawn will be from 12pm to 2:30pm.  Any guest who arrives prior to 12pm will be asked to leave and return later".

 

We are in a suite, and planned to arrive around 11:00am- is this a new automated message?  Or is there something going on with the Dawn where she'll likely be disembarking later?  Anyone know?  Are they really turning people away at 11:00am? 

we board the dawn jan. 5th and got the same message.

[rjm11]

39 minutes ago, linbobky said:

we board the dawn jan. 5th and got the same message.

Interesting... I wonder why they are doing this?  I didn't have an assigned time because of the suite, but does anyone know what the time range was for the assigned times?  Did they start at noon?

[ebseckar]

We received the same text before our cruise on the Dawn earlier this month. Having embarked and disembarked, I believe the problem is not with the Dawn, but rather with Terminal 2 in Tampa. It is our least favorite terminal.

 

Everyone coming off the ship is required to take an escalator or elevator downstairs once inside the terminal. You are required to have one hand free to ride the escalator. Otherwise, you are required to take the elevator. The wait for both the escalator and elevator were extremely long and this created a long line of people waiting to get off the ship. Needless to say, all of the passengers are not off the ship in a timely manner. I believe this is what delays the ship from being ready for the boarding of the new passengers. 

 

Terminal 2 also does not have a designated area for suite passengers until after you go through security. We arrived shortly before 12 and there was not a line outside the terminal (other cruises we have waited in a long line outside Terminal 2). Once inside the terminal, there was a line to get through security. After that, you can proceed to the suite check-in line.

[rjm11]

8 minutes ago, ebseckar said:

We received the same text before our cruise on the Dawn earlier this month. Having embarked and disembarked, I believe the problem is not with the Dawn, but rather with Terminal 2 in Tampa. It is our least favorite terminal.

 

Everyone coming off the ship is required to take an escalator or elevator downstairs once inside the terminal. You are required to have one hand free to ride the escalator. Otherwise, you are required to take the elevator. The wait for both the escalator and elevator were extremely long and this created a long line of people waiting to get off the ship. Needless to say, all of the passengers are not off the ship in a timely manner. I believe this is what delays the ship from being ready for the boarding of the new passengers. 

 

Terminal 2 also does not have a designated area for suite passengers until after you go through security. We arrived shortly before 12 and there was not a line outside the terminal (other cruises we have waited in a long line outside Terminal 2). Once inside the terminal, there was a line to get through security. After that, you can proceed to the suite check-in line.

thank you- that was helpful!

[NJGeorge]

11 hours ago, ebseckar said:

We received the same text before our cruise on the Dawn earlier this month. Having embarked and disembarked, I believe the problem is not with the Dawn, but rather with Terminal 2 in Tampa. It is our least favorite terminal.

 

Everyone coming off the ship is required to take an escalator or elevator downstairs once inside the terminal. You are required to have one hand free to ride the escalator. Otherwise, you are required to take the elevator. The wait for both the escalator and elevator were extremely long and this created a long line of people waiting to get off the ship. Needless to say, all of the passengers are not off the ship in a timely manner. I believe this is what delays the ship from being ready for the boarding of the new passengers. 

 

Terminal 2 also does not have a designated area for suite passengers until after you go through security. We arrived shortly before 12 and there was not a line outside the terminal (other cruises we have waited in a long line outside Terminal 2). Once inside the terminal, there was a line to get through security. After that, you can proceed to the suite check-in line.

 

This is why we will not cruise out of Tampa anymore from pier 2.

We waited in a giant line snaking down the street to board.

Waited on a giant unorganized line to get off. Took an agonizing 3 hours to hit land.

Oh and our luggage was not where it was supposed to be. Add another stress filled hour.

 

Text or no text bring the Xanax.

Edited December 28, 2019 by NJGeorge

[erdoran]

We are sailing Bliss 1/5 out of NYC.  no text so far, but evidently tomorrow’s sailing has gotten the “late boarding” notification.  We have train tickets that get us to NYC about 10, and others have flights, etc which I’d assume get them there early as well.  Given we’re talking NYC in January, dragging luggage, there really don’t seem to be great options.

 

For the late boardings, can we still drop luggage with the porters early, well before the “new” boarding time, and then at least not have to drag that around if NCL really does kick people out until noon or whenever?  NYC specifically, but also in general.

[Rebels82]

Does Dawn always use Terminal 2 in Tampa?

[NJGeorge]

7 hours ago, Rebels82 said:

Does Dawn always use Terminal 2 in Tampa?

 

It used to be terminal one I believe as it was with all NCL ships to the Western Caribbean. I

n any event it was a different terminal with no problems arriving or leaving.

 

[Rebels82]

I live in the Tampa area. Terminal 2 has always been a problem. It is bad that the Port doesn’t fix it.it looks bad on the cruise line that has to use Terminal 2.

[FLArmyWife]

On 12/27/2019 at 4:27 PM, ebseckar said:

We received the same text before our cruise on the Dawn earlier this month. Having embarked and disembarked, I believe the problem is not with the Dawn, but rather with Terminal 2 in Tampa. It is our least favorite terminal.

 

Everyone coming off the ship is required to take an escalator or elevator downstairs once inside the terminal. You are required to have one hand free to ride the escalator. Otherwise, you are required to take the elevator. The wait for both the escalator and elevator were extremely long and this created a long line of people waiting to get off the ship. Needless to say, all of the passengers are not off the ship in a timely manner. I believe this is what delays the ship from being ready for the boarding of the new passengers. 

 

Terminal 2 also does not have a designated area for suite passengers until after you go through security. We arrived shortly before 12 and there was not a line outside the terminal (other cruises we have waited in a long line outside Terminal 2). Once inside the terminal, there was a line to get through security. After that, you can proceed to the suite check-in line.

 

Yep were on the dawn 15-22 and had received the same text. Except people showed up around 9:45 and were able to start getting checked in and on the boat no problem. We arrived around 11:30 and walked through everything and right onto the boat with no problems. Now getting off was the nightmare. 3 hours for self disembarkment!

[KansasinJune]

On 12/27/2019 at 3:27 PM, ebseckar said:

We received the same text before our cruise on the Dawn earlier this month. Having embarked and disembarked, I believe the problem is not with the Dawn, but rather with Terminal 2 in Tampa. It is our least favorite terminal.

 

Everyone coming off the ship is required to take an escalator or elevator downstairs once inside the terminal. You are required to have one hand free to ride the escalator. Otherwise, you are required to take the elevator. The wait for both the escalator and elevator were extremely long and this created a long line of people waiting to get off the ship. Needless to say, all of the passengers are not off the ship in a timely manner. I believe this is what delays the ship from being ready for the boarding of the new passengers. 

 

Terminal 2 also does not have a designated area for suite passengers until after you go through security. We arrived shortly before 12 and there was not a line outside the terminal (other cruises we have waited in a long line outside Terminal 2). Once inside the terminal, there was a line to get through security. After that, you can proceed to the suite check-in line.

How does this delay self disembarkation?  We are on the Dawn in Feb and have a flight out at 11:50 am.   

[ebseckar]

1 hour ago, KansasinJune said:

How does this delay self disembarkation?  We are on the Dawn in Feb and have a flight out at 11:50 am.   

Towards the end of the cruise, you will receive information regarding disembarkation and the time slots available to you. If I had a morning flight out, I would request the earliest time slot available to you. That way, if you end up at Terminal 2, you can be one of the 1st ones off the ship. The later you wait, the longer the back up becomes waiting in line on the ship and in the Terminal.