Boarding Time for 8:30pm Departure

[Melody7]

I have only ever sailed on cruises that departed between 3-4pm and know that they begin boarding at around 11:30am. Does anyone know what time check-in and boarding usually begin for an 8:30pm departure? I'm leaving out of San Juan, PR on the Viva, and I know she hasn't made that run before, but I'm interested to know others' experiences on other ships with similar times.

 

TIA!

[complawyer]

ncl usually wants everyone on board at least 2 hrs before departure.  that being said however, to make your boarding more comfortable and relaxing, i would suggest you board as early as possible, yur cabin should be ready about 2 oclock, you can then take a nap, a shower, chill and explore the ship, have a bite to eat.  if yore flyiny into san juan the same day, contact ncl and get a shuttle from the airport to the pier. in any even, i wouldnt try and get there before 11-12

[CCJack]

on our last NCL departure from Quebec City, the ship' s original sail time was 4 pm, but they changed it to 8:00 pm a few days before the cruise left.    No changes in board time schedule.   We reserved a 9:30 am check in time (which was the first time slot).  On board by about 11:30 am.    

 

Boarding early is not necessarily for everyone, but since we were in QC for a few days prior it made sense to board early and relax rather than another afternoon in QC.    Plus I had to make a dining reservation change, etc.  and best to board early if you need to do that.

 

Have fun...  

 

 

[KeithJenner]

I have had many departures at later times (late departures are fairly common in Europe) and the time that boarding starts has always been the same at around midday.

 

Perhaps with earlier departure times they may rush things a little and start boarding slightly earlier, but I'm only talking about, say, 30 minutes.

[UKstages]

one thing to consider is the ship's arrival time. is the ship arriving late and is that one reason, perhaps for the late departure? it may not do any good to show up at 10:30 AM if the ship doesn't arrive till 10 or 11 AM. another thing to consider is whether it was repositioning with or without passengers. if without, the rooms will likely be ready at boarding.

[CCJack]

2 hours ago, UKstages said:

one thing to consider is the ship's arrival time.

Yes, this is a good suggestion, to check that.

 

We have been on 2 cruises where departure was delayed from 4-ish to 8-ish pm but ship was in dock early in the am. 

 

The Quebec City departure was delayed (announced a few days prior) because they were having a hard time getting the NCL Air people on flights that arrived in time for 4 pm departure.  ( I guess that computer algorithm that waits until the very last moment to find cheapest flights for NCL waited a bit too long and they couldn't get flights for everyone that arrived in time !)

 

We also had a delay out of Amsterdam, announced about 3 pm we would leave 5 hours late.   The local authorities there can arrange ship and boat traffic through the lock (the lock is an hour or so away from Amsterdam) but they sometimes make the big ships wait and let more smaller vessels go first.  At least that is what they announced on our ship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[genealogyfan]

 just checked in for the Jade leaving Lisbon at 9:00pm and the earliest arrival times to pick were 9:30am to10:00am. The previous sailing arrives in Lisbon at 7:00am. 

[Anoynmous Phoenix]

Boarding time does not depend on Departure Time it depends on the Arrival Time and the requirements of the Port Authorities.

 

A P

[olemissreb]

I've taken 2 cruises from San Juan. The first one we flew in day of the cruise and took a cab from the airport to the ship...much faster than the ship transfer we originally booked.  The 2nd cruise we flew in the day before and enjoyed exploring Old San Juan.  

 

First cruise we didn't get on board till after 2pm and were able to go straight to our cabin. Second cruise my FIL wanted to get there right as the doors opened and we ended up waiting in the "lobby" and then had to wait for the rooms to be ready.  Neither of those cruises were on NCL.  For my March '25 NCL cruise on Viva, we're planning to take our time and get some exploring in OSJ before heading to the ship...probably have the hotel hold our bags and then head to the ship about 2ish. For me it's just easier to get on the ship and go straight to my cabin and so much fun exploring OSJ.

[luv2kroooz]

Boarding time is typically 5-6 hours after the ship docks in the AM.