Best Time to Board Holland America In Vancouver

[Awesomenana17]

Embarking on Holland America Alaska cruise on Sunday July 30th.  Is there a "best" time to arrive at Vancouver cruise terminal to minimize waiting in lines? There will be 3 ships embarking that day, approx. 7K passengers.  Thanks!

[mom says]

When is the all aboard time? If you want to avoid waits, don't show up in the first couple of hours. If you arrive a couple of hours before sailaway, you'll likely walk right on.

[dawnvip]

Check out time at local hotels is anywhere from 10 - 11 AM, so worst time to arrive for check-in is between 10:30 and noon because all of the over-nighters are making their way from hotel to cruise port.

 

I agree with mom says above, arrive a couple of hours before sailaway.

[everbeentoseabilly]

You will be given a boarding time on your boarding pass

[martincath]

I'm also in the Board As Late As Possible camp - for a regular 'ship departs 5pm ish' you can actually get almost a full day of sightseeing in!

 

But even when the pier staff were enforcing arrival times - right after Covid reopening, they no longer bother - you could always show up LATER than your slot, just not EARLIER. So for folks who just want onboard the ship ASAP, head to the pier 9:30-10am. It may take a while to find the Early Bag Drop area somewhere down in the bowels of Canada Place but it'll be there, and while you will pretty much guarantee waiting until about 11am before you can head to Security and CBP, at least you get to sit down to wait in the big holding room on the conference level and when they do open, the first pax will sail right through.

 

It's the folks in the middle who get hammered with slow queues and lots of standing time, earliest and latest folks get to walk fast through all the queues.

[Awesomenana17]

Thanks everyone for the advice! 

[Mestizaqueen]

We had a check in time of 10:40 am for the Koningsdam a few weeks ago from Canada Place.  Check in for HA was quick; took a couple of minutes.  The lineups were at US customs; there were also 2 other ships embarking as well as the Koningsdam.  At our time, there were lines but they were moving.  We were in our cabin by noon.  

Edited June 2, 2023 by Mestizaqueen

[david,Mississauga]

We boarded a Holland America ship shortly before the pandemic. We were fortunate to have booked a Neptune Suite at a good fare so we had priority check-in and boarding.  We have no status with HAL, but those who do have high status also had priority boarding. 

 

Our agent recommended checking in early, so we started the process about 10:45 and we were on board at 11:30.  There were three ships in port and the US border services did not have enough staff to handle all the people. We met people who said it was a zoo and they queued for a long time. All three ships departed at least an hour late.  

 

I don't know if HAL are strict with the assigned terminal arrival times since the pandemic.  Last year Cunard was not (check-in opened at 11:00), but the Queen Elizabeth was the only ship that day so it wasn't too bad.

[WeExplore]

I am an avid cruiser and work at the Vancouver Cruise Ship Terminal as part of my post-retirement life. Sundays are the busiest day of the week at the terminal because of the number of ships in port.  Throughout the year there are other 3 ship days which can be equally busy especially if the ships are larger.  
 

Be prepared for lots of people but if you follow the signs, as us for directions and tune out the noise(if you can!) it is a very organized process.  If your priority is to get on the ship as early as possible then arrive at the terminal at 9:30 - 10 am but be aware that the bag drop area may not yet be open because the staff are still busy getting the bags off the ships. So you will need to wait but the line at this time will be short!  Absolutely print your tags and attach them to your bags before you arrive. Most hotel front desks have staplers.  I highly recommend you use theirs to attach your tags. 
 

The lines at security and US Customs get longer during late morning-early afternoon so if your priority is not to be one of the first on the ship then enjoy the day in Vancouver and come after 2 pm but be forewarned there may still be line ups.  You can drop your bags and check in first then come back later. 
 

One of the biggest complaints I hear is that when guests arrive at the terminal and see an extremely crowded and noisy environment that looks chaotic they assume it is but there is order in the chaos (at least most of the time lol).  

 

The entire journey from bag drop to walking on the ship requires a lot of walking which many guests are unprepared for. This coupled with the line ups can be very challenging for many. So if you do have mobility issues request a wheelchair. As stated earlier you may have to wait for one but your check in journey will be more comfortable and shorter. 

 

Pack your patience, a water bottle and snack if you do encounter line ups and have a wonderful cruise.