Need Suggestions for Smooth Embarkation for Mom

[sfvoyager]

Good Morning,

 

I asked this question a different way on another posting, but I thought I would pose it this way to get some additional suggestions:

 

I will be travelling with my mom who will be 80 on the Golden Princess when she sails from New York to Venice on May 6. I want the embarkation to go as smoothly as possible and hopefully do anything we can to avoid long waits to board.

 

Check in begins at 1:00 PM, and we have a suite, so I am hoping for priority embarkation. What would be a time prior to 1PM that would be good to show up for a fast check in and embarkation?

 

One other factor is this will be the first time Princess will use this port, so I am expecting there will be some chaos.

 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[mtaylor04]

If you want a smooth check in with no wait I would not come earlier than 1, I would come later in the afternoon. Thats my humble opinion.

 

My DH and I usually wait until around 3pm. We have never had to wait.

 

Mary

[OnlyCruises]

I like to arrive at least an hour after boarding starts. This gives the early people time to board. So you can find an empty seat or get right on the ship.

[donna5]

If you come before 1 (or before the time they start embarking) you will be waiting in line with a lot of others that wish to board early. Remember that until they actually start the boarding process you will not have any help for your mother. (except maybe baggage handlers). If I had problems that physically would not let me stand and wait in line for several hours, I would come at a time that there would be people to assist me. You never know if they will board early or late. Just something to think about.

[bubbadog]

if it were me id come at 1;00 find mom a seat so she can rest and you wait in line,or do what ever you need to do,and it will all go smoothly:rolleyes:

[momthecruisedirector]

Perhaps you can ask for a wheelchair upon arrival, I don't know if they board faster but at least you'd know she would be comfortable. It may stress her out if you leave her in a chair while you are off getting things together.....

[leeuwarden]

ask for wheelchair assisted on the princess personalizer, i have to travel with a chair and they have a special check-in for that. You can also ask them for a chair on ship.

happy cruising, christina:)

[Need-a-vacation]

I can't speak for Princess, but when we cruised with RCI with my grandpa (who uses a scooter to get around), we found everyone quite helpful and gracious. At the port, they brought him through security separate from the rest of the line and then also had a separate check-in area that skipped him to the front of the line we waited in. Once checked in, he and a couple others from our group waited in a separate area and were one of the first to board. Of course, he didn't have the discomfort of trying to stand during that time and quite frankly could have waited in the line like we did. The only issue for him would have been the heat, but that could be a problem for any older person regardless of their mobility.

 

I would let them know your mother will need wheelchair assistance at the port. That should make whatever wait is needed as comfortable as possible.

[Lynda90]

Perhaps you can ask for a wheelchair upon arrival, I don't know if they board faster but at least you'd know she would be comfortable. It may stress her out if you leave her in a chair while you are off getting things together.....

This is exactly what I did with my 80 year old Mother. She didn't need a wheelchair once onboard, but definitely needed assistance to board. The Princess staff member who assisted us was wonderful. Wheeled her right to the cabin with me following behind. And, it definitely was faster. I think we were among the first to board. Did the same thing for disembarking. Just let Princess know in advance that you need wheelchair assistance.

[sfvoyager]

Thanks for the tips. Unfortunately my mom would balk at a wheelchair as she is very mobile. As a matter of fact she is more likely to exhaust me than I her!

 

I figure if we are super early birds we will get seats, but it actually may in fact be a good idea to breeze on in later in the day after some of the initial chaos subsides.

 

My bigger worry is that this is a new port for Princess with a huge ship in Red Hook in Brooklyn. So many unknowns!

[Coral]

My bigger worry is that this is a new port for Princess with a huge ship in Red Hook in Brooklyn. So many unknowns!

 

All I can say is that Red Hook HAS to be an improvement from the Manhattan pier. Manhattan pier was a true nightmare.

[donna5]

I have never been on a Princess cruise where there were seats outside the terminal(check in area), where the line starts. I would wait and get info from people that have actually checked in at the terminal you are thinking about and also decide what to do if the weather is bad.

[Pam in CA]

Like the others' advice, I would arrive after 1PM and the early rush. Princess is very efficient when it comes to embarkation compared to other cruiselines I've been on so that if you arrive a bit later, you'll probably be able to just walk in, check in and embark.

[rexin]

Just back from cruise last week. In my prior trips I couldn't wait another second so I would get there around 10:30 - 11:00 am hoping they would open early and I would get right on board. Always ended up waiting for about and hour and then moving with the huge crowd trying to get on board as quickly as possible.

 

This time I arrived at about 1:30pm, about an hour after the started boarding, and we were wizzed thru. I will never show up early again. If I was taking anybody who was 80 with me I would in no way show up early. Just my opinion.

[Love Boat Dream]

On our last cruise, we showed up about 1/2 hour before the "must board by" time. We were the only ones there and I think we might have been the last ones on the ship. We had a lot of people helping us and we were checked in super quick. I agree with advice of not to get there early

 

Susan