Embarkation/Disembarkation Strategy with a Young Child

[SuzieQ521]

Hello:

 

We are sailing on the Bliss in January from San Pedro; first time cruising with our 4 year old so although I know it's inevitable, the less we have to stand in line with a young child, the better! 

 

1) I know that check in time is different than boarding time and I read that boarding time is typically no earlier than 11 a.m. Is it still worth it to check in right at the 21 day mark and obtain an early check in time? And then what time do you recommend arriving at San Pedro to minimize waiting time? We are staying at the Crowne Plaza right there so can leave whenever we want to to the Port. Ideally, we wanted to board as earlier as possible, have lunch on board, etc.

 

2) Along those same lines, anyone who has recently sailed out of San Pedro--is it worth it to pay for a Priority Access pass for priority at both the Port and Tender (Cabo)? How much time do you actually save? I read conflicting things about the staff at San Pedro not even knowing where the Priority access line was so I want to make sure it would be worth it.  We have no priority otherwise as this is our first NCL cruise and we are not in Haven.  I'm not sure how full our ship would be as we are cruising during a non-holiday/during school time in mid-January. 

 

3) Disembarkation: Our flight is not until 3 p.m. If we decide to do self disembarkation so we can get off the ship later, what is the latest possible time they will allow us to stay on?

And on an unrelated note--has anyone tried to see if the Crowne Plaza would hold your luggage after disembarkation to allow us to tour the USS Iowa and kill some time before our Long Beach flight?

 

Thanks!

[RocketMan275]

26 minutes ago, SuzieQ521 said:

Hello:

 

We are sailing on the Bliss in January from San Pedro; first time cruising with our 4 year old so although I know it's inevitable, the less we have to stand in line with a young child, the better! 

 

1) I know that check in time is different than boarding time and I read that boarding time is typically no earlier than 11 a.m. Is it still worth it to check in right at the 21 day mark and obtain an early check in time? And then what time do you recommend arriving at San Pedro to minimize waiting time? We are staying at the Crowne Plaza right there so can leave whenever we want to to the Port. Ideally, we wanted to board as earlier as possible, have lunch on board, etc. 

Those are conflicting objectives.  Typically, in most ports, boarding doesn't even commence until after 1100 or so.  The earlier you arrive at the port, the longer you will wait.  If you want to minimize waiting and have a smooth embarkation arriving past noon or later ensure just walking onboard with zero waiting.  How good is your child at waiting in lines?

[www3traveler]

The latest you can leave the ship will be between 9:00 and 9:30 A.M.

 

Is it possibble to get a day room at the Crown Plaza?  Relax, use the pool.

 

I would not reccomend touring the USS Iowa with a small child.  Lots of walking and stairs to climb.

[SuzieQ521]

3 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

Those are conflicting objectives.  Typically, in most ports, boarding doesn't even commence until after 1100 or so.  The earlier you arrive at the port, the longer you will wait.  If you want to minimize waiting and have a smooth embarkation arriving past noon or later ensure just walking onboard with zero waiting.  How good is your child at waiting in lines?

Thank you...he can probably wait for an hour so  (will probably bring some distractions and snacks) but the shorter the better.

Since I know they don't strictly adhere to check in times, I guess even if we get an early check in time, we can still show up around Noon.

 

I'm not sure if the priority access pass is worth the extra cost then.

 

Thanks

[julig22]

What are your plans in Cabo?  If you are using a NCL excursion no need for tender tickets.

Keep in mind that rooms might not be ready until 1ish, even later. So you'll have any carryon luggage with you.

[SuzieQ521]

34 minutes ago, julig22 said:

What are your plans in Cabo?  If you are using a NCL excursion no need for tender tickets.

Keep in mind that rooms might not be ready until 1ish, even later. So you'll have any carryon luggage with you.

Thank you. Still trying to figure out a whale watching tour but may use a NCL excursion vs independent company; I did not know about the no tender tickets. 

 

So does that mean that all NCL excursions get priority tender boarding?

 

Thanks

[julig22]

1 hour ago, SuzieQ521 said:

Thank you. Still trying to figure out a whale watching tour but may use a NCL excursion vs independent company; I did not know about the no tender tickets. 

 

So does that mean that all NCL excursions get priority tender boarding?

 

Thanks

Yes.  If you have a NCL excursion they make sure to get you on a tender to get you to your excursion on time.