Is virgin strict on boarding time

[jameslee]

They gave me 4:30 pm boarding I was wondering if I can come earlier like 1 or 3pm and if they are strict

[sid_9169]

You should be able to choose your arrival time on the app... It's possible that all of the earlier time slots have been taken, and you're stuck with 4:30. 

[cantgetin]

The "are they strict" is a tough question.  The earliest port arrival time is 1:30, and they ask you to not show up more than 30 minutes before your time.  That makes a lot of sense for those with early times, but recently check in and boarding has been going really fast.  If you show up early, you will be put in a waiting area with others who have your same time.  Those with earlier times, even if they arrive after you, will be taken first. But my guess is that if you get there at 3, you will be boarding long before 4:30.  If you arrive at 1, you'll have a significant wait!  They were running bus transportation to a local mall for people who showed up at the Miami terminal hours early....people were showing up at 10 when they hadn't even finished disembarkation!

The bottom line is that you'll be taken with your time group, not in the order people arrive at the terminal.  But they do reach a point where the times don't matter any more.

 

Edited October 8, 2022 by cantgetin

[CruisingWalter]

I would not show up any earlier than 3 unless you want to take advantage of the shuttle over to the Bayside Marketplace, which is not a bad place to kill a few hours. We showed up at 11:15am because checkout at the Miami hotel was 11am. So we dropped off the checked bags with the porter, locked our carry ons in the car and took the shuttle over to Bayside.

 

But be aware, when we did this in July, the shuttle disappeared after 1:30. We waited until 2:30 and it never came back so six of us ended up ordering a Lyft to get back to the terminal. The check-in hosts at VV were not happy at all that the shuttle left us stranded at Bayside. It was only a $15 fare and guest services gave us a $15 OBC on the ship so it was a wash. Just frustrating at the beginning of our cruise so if you do opt for that, make sure you get the contact info for the driver and ensure they are coming back at 2:30/3:00pm to pick you up.