Boarding times - are they strict?

[lukesmom]

I haven't cruised in a few years but we used to always get to ship around 11 am.  This time it says my check in is 1 pm.  Will they let us board early?  We are crusing out of Port Canaveral? 

 

Thanks!

 

[cruiseguy1016]

Boarding times are not enforced at most ports. If you show up at 11:00 you might be asked to wait until 1:00 but most likely you will be able to board right away.

[Norwich Cruiser]

We have never found them to be.

[nferr]

They didn't even check in Cape Liberty in December. 

[GTO-Girl]

8 hours ago, lukesmom said:

I haven't cruised in a few years but we used to always get to ship around 11 am.  This time it says my check in is 1 pm.  Will they let us board early?  We are crusing out of Port Canaveral? 

 

Thanks!

 

We sail out of Canaveral quite often.  On our last few cruises they allowed people to line up in their marked off areas up until the 11:00-11:30 assigned times.  All others were moved to the side and told to wait.

 

we had a 10:30 check in so I am not sure exactly how it was handled after that but once they started letting people inside and they were processed they probably started letting others line up….but again I wasn’t there so I don’t know…

 

 

[C_hasRedBottoms]

We arrived at our scheduled time and didn't have to wait. Those that arrived outside of their appointed time had to wait. 

[taglovestocruise]

4 cruises in the last two years from 4 different ports and times were never checked.

[ONECRUISER]

9 hours ago, GTO-Girl said:

We sail out of Canaveral quite often.  On our last few cruises they allowed people to line up in their marked off areas up until the 11:00-11:30 assigned times.  All others were moved to the side and told to wait.

 

we had a 10:30 check in so I am not sure exactly how it was handled after that but once they started letting people inside and they were processed they probably started letting others line up….but again I wasn’t there so I don’t know…

 

 

At least first 1-2 hrs have seen them Checking at Miami and Tampa, though not every week. 

[karena1]

We go out of FLL and MIA all the time and they never check.  They open the doors and whoever is in line gets in.  

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

This question comes up every week or so, and the answer is always the same: it depends. On LOTS of things, apparently.

 

Just as one example: the last poster mentioned going to FLL and MIA "all the time and they never check." On the other hand, my last two FLL cruises both checked. Why the difference? Who knows. 

 

So my best advice is this: try it if you want, but only if you're prepared for the possibility of waiting around until your assigned check-in time.  You might get lucky, or you might not. 

[alex_drew]

Since Covid, Baltimore always checks...a bus load (30) of us arrived at the Port of Baltimore for a cruise at the end of May and those that hadn't gotten early check in times were made to wait.

[LilBlackDress]

I have done 3 cruises since the restart, 3 different ports and all of them had lines for check-in times. They didn't take the next time slot until the one before was cleared. 

 

It is a a fingers crossed ~ hit and miss! 
You can go through the check-in process and try for an earlier time. 

[sjb317]

We have done 16 cruises since the restart, most out of Canaveral but also Boston, FLL, and Tampa.  The only time I have seen checkin times being followed was in Tampa. 
 

Our cruise on Jewel out of Canaveral in March did not follow scheduled times at checkin but did follow them for boarding which was the first time I’ve encountered that.  Just a few months earlier same ship and same terminal did boarding by C&A level.  Had not seen that since pre pandemic.😂

 

Sherri🙂

[FastShip24]

If you are allowed to check 8n early, do they let you on the ship earlier?

[Biker19]

7 hours ago, FastShip24 said:

If you are allowed to check 8n early, do they let you on the ship earlier?

Check in and boarding are two separate things. You can't board until boarding starts and you are called to board (if waiting). Once boarding has started and all the groups have been called, you can board at any time after check in (usually after about 11AM in most ports).

[Ret MP]

I'd like to know where you get a "Boarding Time".  My experience is that we get an arrival time when we check in on the app or the website.  We get to the terminal at the arrival time, enter the terminal and we go to a kiosk(s) where they do the security thing and complete the Check-in that the app/website couldn't do.  Then, if the ship is ready to board passengers, you enter.  If the ship was late getting in, passengers didn't exit the prior cruise promptly, and/or there was some sort of inspection that kept embarkation passengers from boarding, then they call out the "arrival times" even though not what time it actually is, to board.  EXAMPLE:  It's 11:45, no one has boarded yet, they call all the charmed to get on the ship, then the MC starts to call "if your arrival time is 10:30 you may now board" and so  on and so on.  That's my experience, YMMV. Check-in is an action, when you, usually, get your "Arrival Time" and complete other administrative tasks, on the app or website, not a time to board.  And I think "Borading Times" are a thing of the past.

 

On my last cruise out of Canaveral, they had the serpentine lines set up with arrival time signs on the stands/bollards.  I was over about 2 hours early.  They announced after the suites, pins, and so on were allowed in, arrival time starting with 10:30.  There were literally only about 30 - 40 people in line.  And I'd say that in less than a half hour, after I asked the brown shirt about the short line, then he/they opened it up to everybody entering the terminal regardless of "arrival times"/willy nilly.   In fact, this cruise was late for boarding, and eventually hundreds sitting in the waiting lobby, when the ship was ready for boarding, they did as stated above.  

[FastShip24]

2 hours ago, Biker19 said:

Check in and boarding are two separate things. You can't board until boarding starts and you are called to board (if waiting). Once boarding has started and all the groups have been called, you can board at any time after check in (usually after about 11AM in most ports).

I understand that. In Seattle, boarding times were as soon as you checked in. You check in time had no lines.  I e been on over 25 cruises.  It helps if you read what I wrote. 

Edited August 18, 2023 by FastShip24

[broadwaybaby123]

It depends. I've cruised 3 times on two ships out of the same port since the restart. Both ships were out of Bayonne.

 

Anthem 2022: Yes they were strict. There were staffing issues causing even those of us who arrived on time to wait OUTSIDE for an hour and a half IN THE FREEZING COLD w/o jackets (they were in our checked luggage). Any latecomers were sent to the end of the line while early arrivals were sent to a waiting area to be called.

 

Oasis 2022: Staffed properly, was able to waltz right onto the ship.

 

Anthem 2023: Minor staffing issues caused slight delays but they weren't as strict as last year 

[Biker19]

7 hours ago, FastShip24 said:

In Seattle, boarding times were as soon as you checked in

Even in Seattle, one could arrive “early” and check in (before the check in time you picked) before boarding starts and you’d have to wait to board. There’s no set “boarding time” that is whenever the ship is ready to receive guests, which could be at anytime and it doesn’t depend on when you check in. 
 

Biker, who sometimes answers the question not just for one poster.  

Edited August 18, 2023 by Biker19

[OCSC Mike]

10 hours ago, Ret MP said:

I'd like to know where you get a "Boarding Time".  My experience is that we get an arrival time when we check in on the app or the website.

 

You don't. As you said, you get an arrival time.

[Ret MP]

5 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

You don't. As you said, you get an arrival time.

Exactly.  But every week or so, the term keeps popping up.  It's misleading to newbs and infrequent cruiser/posters.  That's my opinion, anyway.

[George C]

If in a suite you are safe boarding when you want 😁😁

[FastShip24]

6 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

You don't. As you said, you get an arrival time.

You get both.  You are assigned a check in time and a boarding number in most cases.  Seattle was as soon as check in was complete you could board. Long Beach assigned you a slot

[FastShip24]

16 hours ago, Ret MP said:

I'd like to know where you get a "Boarding Time".  My experience is that we get an arrival time when we check in on the app or the website.  We get to the terminal at the arrival time, enter the terminal and we go to a kiosk(s) where they do the security thing and complete the Check-in that the app/website couldn't do.  Then, if the ship is ready to board passengers, you enter.  If the ship was late getting in, passengers didn't exit the prior cruise promptly, and/or there was some sort of inspection that kept embarkation passengers from boarding, then they call out the "arrival times" even though not what time it actually is, to board.  EXAMPLE:  It's 11:45, no one has boarded yet, they call all the charmed to get on the ship, then the MC starts to call "if your arrival time is 10:30 you may now board" and so  on and so on.  That's my experience, YMMV. Check-in is an action, when you, usually, get your "Arrival Time" and complete other administrative tasks, on the app or website, not a time to board.  And I think "Borading Times" are a thing of the past.

 

On my last cruise out of Canaveral, they had the serpentine lines set up with arrival time signs on the stands/bollards.  I was over about 2 hours early.  They announced after the suites, pins, and so on were allowed in, arrival time starting with 10:30.  There were literally only about 30 - 40 people in line.  And I'd say that in less than a half hour, after I asked the brown shirt about the short line, then he/they opened it up to everybody entering the terminal regardless of "arrival times"/willy nilly.   In fact, this cruise was late for boarding, and eventually hundreds sitting in the waiting lobby, when the ship was ready for boarding, they did as stated above.  

It's on your boarding pass

[OCSC Mike]

4 minutes ago, FastShip24 said:

You get both.  You are assigned a check in time and a boarding number in most cases.  Seattle was as soon as check in was complete you could board. Long Beach assigned you a slot

 

When you check-in online, you get an arrival time. What happens once you get to the port is something different... and varies greatly from port to port and even sailing to sailing.