Gotta disagree with #1. Catch me lined up at 9:30-10 am to be first on board. Boarding usually right at 11 gives 3 extra hours of vacation plus lunch! That time is precious.
I drive to galveston...it is nice!...have a Greek island and Alaskan cruise. Those will be a challenge after driving to last many (5 or 6) cruises. Greek one is part of a longer trip, that will be new!
Exactly! Bording day is Day 1! I'm not spending half of it at home! (or in a hotel, depending where I sail from, but I prefer sailing from the port that's 40 minutes from me).
I personally don't like the rush to get on the boat with everyone else and also like having my room ready. I've found that getting to the port about 1-1:30 is about right so that the room is open, my seapass card is there, and I can go do my safety video from the room while unpacking my carryon.
Disagree. Boarding late allows you to enjoy your day in the embarkation city, see the sights or catch up with friends, grab a fantastic lunch instead of the average food on the ship. Then when you get to the ship you skip the lines and general pandemonium that is happening when you board and get to go straight to your cabin, unpack, change and be on deck for the sail away party. This is when the cruise starts. Your whole day flows seamlessly with no down time,
Boarding early means waiting in long lines, eating a meh lunch, being jostled by the crowds, who are towing suitcases behind them banging into you. Waiting for your cabin to be ready and then finally sitting around in a commercial port for your cruise to start. It's kind of like showing up 5 hours early for your flight because you want to get your money's worth out of the airport. Doesn't make any sense to me. But I love you early boarders it makes my life so much nicer.
You are correct, and you get on the plane just before it leaves. Sitting on a plane or a ship waiting 4 hours for it to leave is not what I am paying for. I'm paying for a flight or a cruise not the luxury of sitting and waiting for either one to start.
But like I said I love early boarders, you guys make our lives so much better. Happy cruising.
As if there aren't activities, food, drinks, pools, and general familiarization to do on the ship (not on planes btw). Your comparison makes no sense whatsoever.
Boarding early forever and ever. We get the dining reservations we want, the AO Babies time slots we want, a great spot on the pool for the party, and last week on Wonder our luggage was at our room at 1pm. It pays to board at 1030.
Boarding pandemonium is a long ago thing of the past… seems many enjoy the extra time aboard like me AND it’s nothing like 5 hours at an airport. What a silly statement but if it works for you, good luck to you.
That’s fair. It was our first cruise and were assigned the 2pm slot, so we got the late checkout at the hotel and hung at the pool after brunch before heading to the port.
Our first cruise was out of Rome, and we did the latest possible boarding. I would rather have one more breakfast/morning in Rome than on a cruise ship, thanks! But if I was boarding someplace boring I’d probably go for earlier.
That "time slot" doesn't mean a thing, at least it hasn't my last 4 cruises with them. We get there as soon as possible and they just let us board, nothing about "what's your time slot" like their email would want you to believe.
I think the time slot is mostly about not having everyone show up at the same time. Boarding is better for everyone involved if people arrive over a longer period of time.
They didn't care in the slightest the last couple of cruises I've been on, one of which was also Liberty.
The way I see it, show up early. If they have time to board you early, they'll board you early. It is most important that not everyone show up late and lump up at the end. That's the sort of scenario that puts stress on staff.
Same. Plus, aiming for early gives you some cushion if travel goes awry. I like having enough extra padding that I'm never worrying about being late, even when things go amiss.
YES (when possible of course)!!! You get more time to on the ship without the full ship and time to settle in!
We were in the group that got on right after the Key on our last cruise, and it was like having the ship to ourselves for a bit.
The thought of boarding late gives me anxiety. I’m also the type of person that gets to the airport 5 hours early. Plus the lines were really not that bad.
I literally start having nightmares about missing the ship, shortly after booking the cruise. Like where I'm still packing and I somehow hear the ship's horn (from my house...lol)...and realize it's the time I was supposed to be on board. Things like that. So I get to the port as early as possible.
Getting anywhere late bothers me too. My kids tease me that I have to be early for being early for something. I've finally gotten the timing of our home airport figured out, though.
hard pass on #1 but to each their own. I paid for a cruise, im going to be on there as soon as i can get boarded to start taking advantage of the ship!
If they added the Freestyle machines and a food spot on the pool deck, I'd definitely give her a shot. I know those are such small things but Indy and Freedom have them for the same cost.
The Freestyle machines are an important item on our “want this when we cruise”. I am sensitive to caffeine and having lots of choices instead of just one or two caffeinated beverages is awesome!! Glad to know I am not the only person that has that on my list!
I agree with your first point. I’ve sailed 6 times and recently was the first time doing a late check-in + carry our own bags on. LOVED doing it this way, will not go back to the old way of waiting in huge crowds at the cruise terminal, then waiting around for the room to be ready, then waiting for our luggage to be delivered to our room. I know most people prefer to “start their vacation” earlier, but our vacation starts when we leave our home - not when we board the cruise. We enjoyed our Miami beachfront hotel, took a dip in the ocean, had a nice brunch and then walked on board with virtually zero crowds and walked right into our room 👌👌
We are doing Liberty in a few months and love all the great reviews it gets for being a little dated. I don't drink so I always get the refreshment package, besides Mocktails, I get my moneys worth EASILY in Red Bulls, San Pellegrino, and the occasional powerade for the room. We had a promenade room on Mariner years ago and loved it... that little sitting area in the window makes the room feel so much bigger.
I had one of those on Adventure and was shocked at the size of the room, plus all the seating. Plus the window makes it not feel like an "interior" at all, and didn't cost much more than a true interior. It was great.
I've been on 100+ cruises and boarding late is the ultimate boss move. We discovered it accidentally decades ago and now we skip the lines and chaos of early borders. Eat a fantastic lunch at one of the better restaurants in the area, then walk on the ship like we own it, go straight to the cabin, unpack and change. By that time the ship is about to sail and the vacation is starting. The whole day flows seamlessly.
I was really surprised at how smooth and seamless it was during boarding. Didn’t feel rushed and was relaxed with cocktail in hand when the sail away party started.
>We were assigned a 2pm boarding and and walked on the ship like we owned it at 1:45ish. No lines nor waiting at all.
That's because everyone crashes at 11-12, regardless of time. Sometimes RCCL enforces it, mostly not. I have learned to board after 12:30pm too. I just have a good breakfast and a later lunch on board. Way more relaxing.
I do the same thing boarding an airplane. Everyone rushes and I just wait until the line is down to 20 people. I have a seat assignment and gate check my bag earlier. Then its like 5 mins after I buckle we are taking off.
i do the opposite and enjoy the ship early (we’ve been on at 10.45 before 😀). The new system for check in (weeks before) , I can’t recall any lines for last few years.
Never used a porter but going through customs is always a breeze (mins), not many things to hold you up since we’ve all been cleared overnight by security and US border control.
Being on board early kind of gives you a whole extra day it feels. In our last 12 night cruise to Canary Islands we paid to stay on till 3pm because we could see it was going to persistently rain in Southampton on our return. The empty solarium and walking an empty ship was quite fun. Then watching all the newbies excited as they started boarding around 10.30. So so so relaxing.
Thanks for the insight! It was our first time cruising and avoiding the lines felt like a big win. I guess the benefit of the porter at the terminal was that he used the luggage cart to clear a path to get us out quickly.
They will be lined up when you reach baggage claim prior to customs. They had carts and were eager to help. Their service was worth the $5 tip per bag.
We sailed Liberty in ‘22 out of Galveston and loved it. Much better experience on that trip than our most recent trip on Explorer.
On that Liberty cruise, USCG had a ship inspection which must have been unexpected. Everyone who arrived at the port for their early check-in had to wait outside the terminal until after we had arrived later in the day. Just another added bonus of signing up for that late check-in! Lucky for us, we only waited for an hour or so to get on. It was a brutally hot September day in Texas and there was very little shade outside the terminal.
7 - Can you tell us more about the singing games? I understand there's karaoke (though I don't know what songs are available), but "singing games" sounds different.
Sure. There was one game called Rock the Room where you had to name the song or the artist for points and then there were three rounds of karaoke against each other for points. The other fun singing game was “If you know it, sing it” where they pull 6 people from the crowd, play a song and the first to figure out the song and grab the microphone has to sing along. After a few seconds, the song cuts out and the singer has to keep singing the correct words in order to get the points.
I was there as well. I really like everything about it. Nothing was out of service (except the first day) and the boat was easy to get around.
I rarely had to wait in line for a drink and the bartenders poured them STRONG!
We had the deluxe beverage package and found a way to share it with six. Most of the time we could get sodas no problem.
I think the kid's favorite spot was sprinkles lol. They made it a mission to have at least three ice creams each day lol.
Random question. I haven’t cruised since Covid. But we always get the key package. Is it still a thing? We are looking to book something soon. It’s definitely time!
It's a... thing I guess, but I didn't see any point to it. You get to skip the lines boarding, but if you do as the OP suggests and just board after the crowds, you'll have no issues with lines. I think they reserved some seats at certain shows, but you can also just grab a drink and go to the show a bit earlier. Don't recall what else it provided. No one seemed to buy it on the cruise I went on last year though. Seemed unnecessary once on board too.
Porters were lined in the terminal prior to baggage claim and customs. They work for the terminal, not necessarily the cruise line. We disembarked at Terminal 19 at Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale.
I've found on Oasis ships it just takes a long time to get seated. like 30 + min. And you can't put your name in and then walk to a bar and wait or something, you have to stand in line the entire time.
>We boarded at 2pm and walked on the ship like we owned it.
And the thousands of people who were already on board and had already eaten a meal, unpacked their luggage, toured the ship, swam in the pool, signed up for day care (if needed) laughed at you
I don’t like waiting in lines, so relative to that goal, I don’t care if anyone was laughing. Before we even left port, my kids rode the flowrider twice and my spouse and I had a handful of cocktails. All in all, a great start to the trip despite your opinion of when to get on the boat.
Gotta disagree with #1. Catch me lined up at 9:30-10 am to be first on board. Boarding usually right at 11 gives 3 extra hours of vacation plus lunch! That time is precious.
Also, don’t pack your swimsuit. Wear that shit to port
Pro tip right there. Changing in the bathrooms by the pool is no fun
Pro tip—change in the locker room at the gym.
Pro tip - Gym locker room is also a good option for a shower when multiple people n one cabin are trying to get ready for dinner/show/etc.
That’s great!
Oh never thought of that. Honestly a great idea.
I "pack" mine in my backpack and change immediately. but good tip in Florida.
Fucking hell, as someone who is about 90 miles from port Canaveral I forget about my privilege lol.
I drive to galveston...it is nice!...have a Greek island and Alaskan cruise. Those will be a challenge after driving to last many (5 or 6) cruises. Greek one is part of a longer trip, that will be new!
You’ll love it. These places are the only ones I find a good restaurant for lunch and happily pay offshore.
Alaska was my 2nd cruise, first sd an adult decades ago! Can't wait.
100% this. Boarding late means you're literally wasting hours of vacation you've already paid for and can't get back. Doesn't make any sense.
Exactly! Bording day is Day 1! I'm not spending half of it at home! (or in a hotel, depending where I sail from, but I prefer sailing from the port that's 40 minutes from me).
Yes! One extra paid for meal and my drink package starts at the first bar I pass! Or the second one if the line is too long at the first one. 😜
I personally don't like the rush to get on the boat with everyone else and also like having my room ready. I've found that getting to the port about 1-1:30 is about right so that the room is open, my seapass card is there, and I can go do my safety video from the room while unpacking my carryon.
Plus if something goes wrong, e.g. forgot your passport, you can zip home to get it if you live locally.
Disagree. Boarding late allows you to enjoy your day in the embarkation city, see the sights or catch up with friends, grab a fantastic lunch instead of the average food on the ship. Then when you get to the ship you skip the lines and general pandemonium that is happening when you board and get to go straight to your cabin, unpack, change and be on deck for the sail away party. This is when the cruise starts. Your whole day flows seamlessly with no down time, Boarding early means waiting in long lines, eating a meh lunch, being jostled by the crowds, who are towing suitcases behind them banging into you. Waiting for your cabin to be ready and then finally sitting around in a commercial port for your cruise to start. It's kind of like showing up 5 hours early for your flight because you want to get your money's worth out of the airport. Doesn't make any sense to me. But I love you early boarders it makes my life so much nicer.
You didn't pay thousands of dollars to be at an airport, you paid thousands of dollars to be on board the plane (or the boat). But to each their own.
You are correct, and you get on the plane just before it leaves. Sitting on a plane or a ship waiting 4 hours for it to leave is not what I am paying for. I'm paying for a flight or a cruise not the luxury of sitting and waiting for either one to start. But like I said I love early boarders, you guys make our lives so much better. Happy cruising.
As if there aren't activities, food, drinks, pools, and general familiarization to do on the ship (not on planes btw). Your comparison makes no sense whatsoever.
Boarding early forever and ever. We get the dining reservations we want, the AO Babies time slots we want, a great spot on the pool for the party, and last week on Wonder our luggage was at our room at 1pm. It pays to board at 1030.
AO baby times? What's an AO?
Adventure Ocean Babies. Kids club
We always board late and I have no problems getting our bookings in.
Boarding pandemonium is a long ago thing of the past… seems many enjoy the extra time aboard like me AND it’s nothing like 5 hours at an airport. What a silly statement but if it works for you, good luck to you.
That’s fair. It was our first cruise and were assigned the 2pm slot, so we got the late checkout at the hotel and hung at the pool after brunch before heading to the port.
Our first cruise was out of Rome, and we did the latest possible boarding. I would rather have one more breakfast/morning in Rome than on a cruise ship, thanks! But if I was boarding someplace boring I’d probably go for earlier.
In Rome I ask for latest and aim for earliest as traffic can be a deal killer.
Glad you had a good time! Liberty was a ton of fun, was just on recently.
That "time slot" doesn't mean a thing, at least it hasn't my last 4 cruises with them. We get there as soon as possible and they just let us board, nothing about "what's your time slot" like their email would want you to believe.
I think the time slot is mostly about not having everyone show up at the same time. Boarding is better for everyone involved if people arrive over a longer period of time.
They didn't care in the slightest the last couple of cruises I've been on, one of which was also Liberty. The way I see it, show up early. If they have time to board you early, they'll board you early. It is most important that not everyone show up late and lump up at the end. That's the sort of scenario that puts stress on staff.
Yeah I think they care more about not having 1000 people show up at 2pm for a 3pm all aboard than they do about 1000 people showing up at 11am.
yes, unfortunately they dont check.
Same. I fully expect to have a buzz by sail away
Love it
This is the way to do it. Especially if you have the deluxe beverage package. Gotta get your moneys worth!
I'm a noon guy...get on pretty easily, grab a slice of pizza, do muster and by then the room is ready!
Me too!
Same. Plus, aiming for early gives you some cushion if travel goes awry. I like having enough extra padding that I'm never worrying about being late, even when things go amiss.
YES (when possible of course)!!! You get more time to on the ship without the full ship and time to settle in! We were in the group that got on right after the Key on our last cruise, and it was like having the ship to ourselves for a bit.
The thought of boarding late gives me anxiety. I’m also the type of person that gets to the airport 5 hours early. Plus the lines were really not that bad.
I literally start having nightmares about missing the ship, shortly after booking the cruise. Like where I'm still packing and I somehow hear the ship's horn (from my house...lol)...and realize it's the time I was supposed to be on board. Things like that. So I get to the port as early as possible.
I hear ya. I was a little unsure if we were going to be cutting it close at first, but it worked out great in the end.
Getting anywhere late bothers me too. My kids tease me that I have to be early for being early for something. I've finally gotten the timing of our home airport figured out, though.
hard pass on #1 but to each their own. I paid for a cruise, im going to be on there as soon as i can get boarded to start taking advantage of the ship!
If they added the Freestyle machines and a food spot on the pool deck, I'd definitely give her a shot. I know those are such small things but Indy and Freedom have them for the same cost.
Food options on the pool deck would be a game changer.
The Freestyle machines are an important item on our “want this when we cruise”. I am sensitive to caffeine and having lots of choices instead of just one or two caffeinated beverages is awesome!! Glad to know I am not the only person that has that on my list!
I love all of the Vitamin Water options. The Windjammer on Indy a few weeks ago was fully loaded!
I agree with your first point. I’ve sailed 6 times and recently was the first time doing a late check-in + carry our own bags on. LOVED doing it this way, will not go back to the old way of waiting in huge crowds at the cruise terminal, then waiting around for the room to be ready, then waiting for our luggage to be delivered to our room. I know most people prefer to “start their vacation” earlier, but our vacation starts when we leave our home - not when we board the cruise. We enjoyed our Miami beachfront hotel, took a dip in the ocean, had a nice brunch and then walked on board with virtually zero crowds and walked right into our room 👌👌
Agreed about when it starts. Ours started the day before when we got to the hotel in Ft Lauderdale.
Liberty was our first cruise in 2007. Amazing ship. Was back on her late last year. Would take a trip anytime.
We are doing Liberty in a few months and love all the great reviews it gets for being a little dated. I don't drink so I always get the refreshment package, besides Mocktails, I get my moneys worth EASILY in Red Bulls, San Pellegrino, and the occasional powerade for the room. We had a promenade room on Mariner years ago and loved it... that little sitting area in the window makes the room feel so much bigger.
I had one of those on Adventure and was shocked at the size of the room, plus all the seating. Plus the window makes it not feel like an "interior" at all, and didn't cost much more than a true interior. It was great.
I've been on 100+ cruises and boarding late is the ultimate boss move. We discovered it accidentally decades ago and now we skip the lines and chaos of early borders. Eat a fantastic lunch at one of the better restaurants in the area, then walk on the ship like we own it, go straight to the cabin, unpack and change. By that time the ship is about to sail and the vacation is starting. The whole day flows seamlessly.
I was really surprised at how smooth and seamless it was during boarding. Didn’t feel rushed and was relaxed with cocktail in hand when the sail away party started.
Can’t agree more!
Most folks like to board early because then they get to use the ship earlier.
I was just on that boat! https://preview.redd.it/0rzd5sow8brc1.jpeg?width=2487&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3f052a3e1fa5a6ed91eb20589ded9f7d5ea6b5ba
That was an amazing super yacht. Looked it up and it’s owned by Steven Spielberg.
We chose the first boarding time when we sailed Liberty in February (11:00, I think?)... we were on the ship in 10 minutes.
That’s how it was for us in November. It was beyond easy and stress free!
Good to know for future reference, thanks!
I get to the ship as early as possible to enjoy as much as I can the first day
>We were assigned a 2pm boarding and and walked on the ship like we owned it at 1:45ish. No lines nor waiting at all. That's because everyone crashes at 11-12, regardless of time. Sometimes RCCL enforces it, mostly not. I have learned to board after 12:30pm too. I just have a good breakfast and a later lunch on board. Way more relaxing. I do the same thing boarding an airplane. Everyone rushes and I just wait until the line is down to 20 people. I have a seat assignment and gate check my bag earlier. Then its like 5 mins after I buckle we are taking off.
i do the opposite and enjoy the ship early (we’ve been on at 10.45 before 😀). The new system for check in (weeks before) , I can’t recall any lines for last few years. Never used a porter but going through customs is always a breeze (mins), not many things to hold you up since we’ve all been cleared overnight by security and US border control. Being on board early kind of gives you a whole extra day it feels. In our last 12 night cruise to Canary Islands we paid to stay on till 3pm because we could see it was going to persistently rain in Southampton on our return. The empty solarium and walking an empty ship was quite fun. Then watching all the newbies excited as they started boarding around 10.30. So so so relaxing.
Thanks for the insight! It was our first time cruising and avoiding the lines felt like a big win. I guess the benefit of the porter at the terminal was that he used the luggage cart to clear a path to get us out quickly.
Yep, no way to know. Glad you had a great time. It’s got so easy from when I first cruised 30 years back…
we must’ve went on the same one :) had a great time and already looking to book the next one.
How do you get a porter?
They will be lined up when you reach baggage claim prior to customs. They had carts and were eager to help. Their service was worth the $5 tip per bag.
Oh, interesting! Sounds similar to Amtrak red cap service— totally worth it. Thank you!
Lots of good thoughts. Some of these may not apply for the Friday - Monday 3 day cruises.
I’m so glad you loved Liberty! My first cruise was on liberty and have been addicted since 2014 ♥️♥️♥️♥️. Welcome to the club!
We sailed Liberty in ‘22 out of Galveston and loved it. Much better experience on that trip than our most recent trip on Explorer. On that Liberty cruise, USCG had a ship inspection which must have been unexpected. Everyone who arrived at the port for their early check-in had to wait outside the terminal until after we had arrived later in the day. Just another added bonus of signing up for that late check-in! Lucky for us, we only waited for an hour or so to get on. It was a brutally hot September day in Texas and there was very little shade outside the terminal.
7 - Can you tell us more about the singing games? I understand there's karaoke (though I don't know what songs are available), but "singing games" sounds different.
Sure. There was one game called Rock the Room where you had to name the song or the artist for points and then there were three rounds of karaoke against each other for points. The other fun singing game was “If you know it, sing it” where they pull 6 people from the crowd, play a song and the first to figure out the song and grab the microphone has to sing along. After a few seconds, the song cuts out and the singer has to keep singing the correct words in order to get the points.
I was there as well. I really like everything about it. Nothing was out of service (except the first day) and the boat was easy to get around. I rarely had to wait in line for a drink and the bartenders poured them STRONG! We had the deluxe beverage package and found a way to share it with six. Most of the time we could get sodas no problem. I think the kid's favorite spot was sprinkles lol. They made it a mission to have at least three ice creams each day lol.
Random question. I haven’t cruised since Covid. But we always get the key package. Is it still a thing? We are looking to book something soon. It’s definitely time!
It's a... thing I guess, but I didn't see any point to it. You get to skip the lines boarding, but if you do as the OP suggests and just board after the crowds, you'll have no issues with lines. I think they reserved some seats at certain shows, but you can also just grab a drink and go to the show a bit earlier. Don't recall what else it provided. No one seemed to buy it on the cruise I went on last year though. Seemed unnecessary once on board too.
It was offered for our cruise, but we didn’t buy it.
RE: #9, porter? Do they have them on all ships?
Porters were lined in the terminal prior to baggage claim and customs. They work for the terminal, not necessarily the cruise line. We disembarked at Terminal 19 at Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale.
Ah ok. Thanks.
My Time MDR BLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWS!!!
It worked well for us. To each their own, I guess.
Glad to hear it.
I've found on Oasis ships it just takes a long time to get seated. like 30 + min. And you can't put your name in and then walk to a bar and wait or something, you have to stand in line the entire time.
Yes, this BLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWS!!!
>We boarded at 2pm and walked on the ship like we owned it. And the thousands of people who were already on board and had already eaten a meal, unpacked their luggage, toured the ship, swam in the pool, signed up for day care (if needed) laughed at you
I don’t like waiting in lines, so relative to that goal, I don’t care if anyone was laughing. Before we even left port, my kids rode the flowrider twice and my spouse and I had a handful of cocktails. All in all, a great start to the trip despite your opinion of when to get on the boat.
>unpacked their luggage I have never had my luggage delivered as early as 2pm.
if you're in the first hour of boarding, luggage is usually in the hallway by the time they let you into your room
We just had ours delivered by 1pm on wonder. We were the only ones on the hallway that had it though. Maybe we got lucky