Embarkation Process

[Avril]

I'm sailing on my 1st HAL cruise this December (Eurodam for New Years) from Ft. Lauderdale. :D I was just wondering, what's the embarkation process? Also, what's the earlist time we can board?

[Jen&Joe]

Alot of the paperwork can be done in advance online. It will give you something to print off, you just bring that with you and get into the line with everyone else who checked in online. In person you will have to complete a health questionnaire.

 

They take your paperwork, and your picture and give you your shipcards then you can go onboard.

 

I think the earliest you can board is 11:30 but I also think it depends on how long it takes the previous cruise to be cleared and disembark.

[Avril]

Health Questionnare? :confused: What does that involve? I've never had anything like that on any of my other cruises other than on the Caribbean Princess where it was one question. It said: Have you recently had flu? Yes or No?

We'll definatly do the online stuff. :D It always make the process faster (at least on Carnival).

It sounds pretty much the same as Carnival. :) I was just wondering if it was different in any way.

I'm 23 (will be 24 by the time we sail) but I look like I'm about 17. :( Do they mark your cruise card in any way to show that you are legal age (stamp, hole punch, different colour, etc) or will I have to carry my ID around all week? I use my passport as ID and don't want to lose it so I would rather not have to have it with me all the time.

[Krazy Kruizers]

For the last couple of years, all passengers on HAL ships have had to fill out a questionaire concerning if they have been ill the last couple of days before the cruise; have you had diarreaha; has anyone in your party been sick; etc. This is because of the Norwalk (Norvo) virus.

Boarding can be begin anytime after 11 or 11:15 if all has gone well on the previous cruise with disembarking those passengers.

However you will not be able to go to your cabin. You can go to the Lido and have lunch. Usually somewhere between 1 and 1:30 there will be announcement that the cabins are ready.

[Roz]

Avril,

 

No need to carry ID around with you on the ship. There's something that tells them you're 21 or over when they scan your cruise card.

 

The health questionnaire is easy; don't freak out about it.

 

Roz

[shipmix]

Individuals on HAL that are under 21 will have a hole punched in their boarding card, all others do not and this is how they can quickly see.

;)

[jtl513]

Individuals on HAL that are under 21 will have a hole punched in their boarding card, all others do not and this is how they can quickly see.

;)

But many adults punch their cards to hang it on a lanyard. That must confuse the issue!

[JimVrhovac]

Lets face it not many 65 year old people will get carded unless the bar tender wants to make your day...

 

Ruth & Jim

[cf_chuck]

The earliest the passenger terminal opens for embarking passengers is 11AM. This is controlled by Port Everglades and is intended to allow time for disembarking passengers from arriving cruises. The port expects the cruise lines to have all passengers disembarked by 10:30, so allowing for collecting luggage and boarding transport, the schedule is tight. Assuming a full load, the day you embark there will be about 18.000 passengers disembarking and another 18,000 joining you in the embarkation process. The cruise lines have set things up so that you don't have to deal with this mass, just be aware that the mass is somewhere in the port area.

 

The time for boarding the ship is set by the ship itself and depends on many things. The earliest published time I've seen is 11:30. If you fill in the Preferred Boarding information, the process is relatively quick, depending on the lines at embarkation. The health questionaire is short and easy to fill out.

 

As has been posted, the rooms are not generally available until sometime after 1, and typically more like 1:30 or after. Luggage typically isn't boarded until sometime after 1, so there's not much hurry to get to the cabin to unpack. You may have other reasons for hurrying to the cabin, a nap sounds good. :)

 

If you board before the rooms are ready, you will be told to go to the Lido deck (generally). If you are hungry, there will be food available in the Lido restaurant. If you board after the rooms are ready, you can go to the room and drop your carry ons off and then go to the Lido for food, if you want. The Lido area does tend to get crowded before the rooms open, but once the rooms open, the crowd dissipates. :)

 

I've had luggage delivered any time between 2 and after sailing (that was a bit nerve racking). It's my experience that the luggage does not show in one package, but tends to be spread over a series of deliveries. But fortunately, I've never lost luggage between the pier and the ship.

[Avril]

Individuals on HAL that are under 21 will have a hole punched in their boarding card, all others do not and this is how they can quickly see.

;)

 

The problem with this for me is that I do look very young. :( When I 1st get on a ship, I normaly go straight to the Purser's Desk to get a hole punched in my card so I can put a lanyard through it and wear it around my neck so I don't lose it. :D If they mark the cards with a hole if you're underage, and I get one punched for a lanyard, I'm going to havea terrible time at the bars getting a drink as because I look so young (I'm 23 but look about 15) they're not going to believe me that the hole was not punched by the cruise line because I'm underage. :( Is there a certian place on the card that hey put the underage hole and I'll have to be sure to put my lanyard hole in a different place?

[Avril]

For the last couple of years, all passengers on HAL ships have had to fill out a questionaire concerning if they have been ill the last couple of days before the cruise; have you had diarreaha; has anyone in your party been sick; etc. This is because of the Norwalk (Norvo) virus.

 

Boarding can be begin anytime after 11 or 11:15 if all has gone well on the previous cruise with disembarking those passengers.

 

However you will not be able to go to your cabin. You can go to the Lido and have lunch. Usually somewhere between 1 and 1:30 there will be announcement that the cabins are ready.

 

Thanks, that health quiz doesn't seem so bad!! :D The rest of the process sems like it's exactly like the process on Carnival. That's good, a bit of familiarity!! I've never minded that my cabin wasn't ready til 1:30. I just grab some lunch and a drink and explore the ship!! :D

 

Avril,

 

No need to carry ID around with you on the ship. There's something that tells them you're 21 or over when they scan your cruise card.

 

Oh, ok, Thanks!!!! :D

 

The earliest the passenger terminal opens for embarking passengers is 11AM. This is controlled by Port Everglades and is intended to allow time for disembarking passengers from arriving cruises. The port expects the cruise lines to have all passengers disembarked by 10:30, so allowing for collecting luggage and boarding transport, the schedule is tight. Assuming a full load, the day you embark there will be about 18.000 passengers disembarking and another 18,000 joining you in the embarkation process. The cruise lines have set things up so that you don't have to deal with this mass, just be aware that the mass is somewhere in the port area.

 

The time for boarding the ship is set by the ship itself and depends on many things. The earliest published time I've seen is 11:30. If you fill in the Preferred Boarding information, the process is relatively quick, depending on the lines at embarkation. The health questionaire is short and easy to fill out.

 

As has been posted, the rooms are not generally available until sometime after 1, and typically more like 1:30 or after. Luggage typically isn't boarded until sometime after 1, so there's not much hurry to get to the cabin to unpack. You may have other reasons for hurrying to the cabin, a nap sounds good.

 

If you board before the rooms are ready, you will be told to go to the Lido deck (generally). If you are hungry, there will be food available in the Lido restaurant. If you board after the rooms are ready, you can go to the room and drop your carry ons off and then go to the Lido for food, if you want. The Lido area does tend to get crowded before the rooms open, but once the rooms open, the crowd dissipates. :)

 

I've had luggage delivered any time between 2 and after sailing (that was a bit nerve racking). It's my experience that the luggage does not show in one package, but tends to be spread over a series of deliveries. But fortunately, I've never lost luggage between the pier and the ship.

 

Thanks!! :D Not to be rude or anything, but I highly doubt that there's 18,000 people onboard the Eurodam!! :eek:

[cf_chuck]

Thanks!! :D Not to be rude or anything, but I highly doubt that there's 18,000 people onboard the Eurodam!! :eek:

 

Didn't mean to say that. There are 18,000 or so people boarding ships in port at the same time you will be boarding the Euro. :eek:

[jtl513]

The last time we boarded at Ft. Lauderdale (Amsterdam, 4/08) we accidentally arrived about 10:30a. We were told they would be "pre-boarding" and were sent around to a small waiting room back near a gate that the crew was using to board. We still had to wait there about 1/2 hour before they checked us in, and another 15 or 20 minutes before we were allowed to go on board, but at least we got to sit down. (IIRC there's no chairs in the normal check-in area.)

 

On board the Vista ships the main dining room is usually open on embarkation day from 12:00p to 1:00p, and I suspect it might be on the Eurodam too. If it is, that is (IMO) a far nicer place to have an enjoyable lunch than the very busy Lido, full of people with carry-on stuff. (You don't have to finish eating by 1:00p, just get in by then.)

 

Didn't mean to say that. There are 18,000 or so people boarding ships in port at the same time you will be boarding the Euro.

A typical number is more like 12,000 to 13,000 with about 4 ships, but looking at porttime.com I did find some days with as many as 11 cruise ships in port for a total of 26,900 pax!! :eek: :eek: Avril: if you look at porttime.com you can find out what other ships will be there with you, both embarking and debarking, and what the pax count will be.

[jtl513]

I just looked at porttime.com. On 12/27 there will be a total of 7 ships with 17,889 pax, and on 1/5 there will be 12 ships with a total of 26,891 pax. (And those are "dual occupancy" numbers, so it will actually be more in both cases.) DON'T try for a morning flight on 1/5/09!! :eek: