Unlike a traditional hotel, you cannot just arrive at your cruise ship's terminal and expect to board whenever is convenient for you.
Although hotels do have check-in times, they'll often allow you to store your luggage while you explore the area and wait for your room to be thoroughly cleaned.
With cruise ships, however, if you arrive too early, you'll be stuck sitting in the terminal until it is your allotted boarding time.
Cruise ship embarkation arrival times are meant to stagger the number of passengers boarding the ship at once. If thousands of people all arrived at the exact same time, chaos would surely ensue!
So, just how early should you arrive at the terminal? Here's everything you need to know about cruise boarding times!
When am I able to select a check-in time?
Your arrival time is dependent on your check-in time. Each cruise line has different policies regarding when they open online check-in. Royal Caribbean, for instance, opens this process 45 days before your cruise's departure date, whereas Carnival opens theirs up 14 days before.
This is why it is highly suggested that you write down your cruise line's check-in date, so you can be one of the first to select your time. If you forget, you might have fewer options than you would like.
During check-in, you'll do other things, like inputting your party members' information and setting up your onboard expense account. You want to make sure that you have this done as early as possible, so you aren't stuck wasting time in the terminal.
Is an early or later arrival time best?
During the online check-in process, you'll have to decide whether you want an earlier check-in time or later. As mentioned earlier, the sooner you complete the process after it opens, the more times you will have to choose from.
Let's assume that you are taking a flight the day before your cruise. Rather than hanging around in the terminal after your allotted checkout time, if you select one of the earlier times, you will be able to head straight from your hotel to the ship and begin exploring.
Moreover, if you're driving, getting to the terminal as early as possible means that you'll have the first pick of parking spots, as the majority of passengers will have not arrived yet. If you arrive later, you might find that you'll be met with a long line to enter the parking deck.
Alternatively, you may not want to feel rushed to make an 11:00 a.m. check-in time, especially if you have to drive a couple of hours. If that's the case, you may not mind a later check-in time. Maybe this means you can have a more leisurely morning instead of feeling rushed and finish up some household chores.
Once you get onboard, you will have time to explore before setting sail. Of course, the earlier you get onboard, the more time you have to get acclimated. If you're hoping to grab something to eat at the ship's buffet, you will want to go early or late to avoid the crowds.
At the end of the day, the arrival time you select should work best for you and your travel party. Don't select an early one if you don't plan on getting there until later.
Read more: 12 reasons to get as early a check-in time as possible for your cruise
Are there ways to get onboard even faster?
Most likely, you will fall victim to embarkation jitters: the feeling of utmost excitement when you're sitting feet away from the ship's gangway. If you couldn't snag an early embarkation time or want to ensure that you're one of the first ones onboard, there are some options that you can look into.
Most suites tend to have priority check-in and/or boarding. Of course, suites are the most expensive stateroom option that you can book. With them, though, come a lot of perks that are meant to enhance your cruise.
From private sundecks to personal butlers, upgraded room amenities, priority dining reservations, additional living space, and more, you are sure to enjoy everything that comes with the suite price tag.
Select cruise lines also offer VIP packages that allow you to board early, including Royal Caribbean's "The Key," Carnival Cruise Line's "Faster to the Fun," and Norwegian Cruise Line's "Priority Access."
Not all of these packages are created equally. As such, the price and perks of each package vary. If you book "Faster to the Fun" for your next Carnival cruise, you'll not only get priority boarding, but once you get onboard the ship, you'll be able to access your stateroom to drop off your carry-on bags, rather than carrying them around until rooms are ready.
Moreover, you will get your bags delivered to your stateroom sooner, and you will have a dedicated Guest Services phone number throughout your cruise, as well as priority Main Dining Room and specialty restaurant reservations, priority water shuttle boarding at ports that require tenders, and your choice of disembarkation times.
These perks, however, come at a price, which varies based on the length of the cruise and specific ship. For sailings that are 3-nights, "Faster to the Fun" costs $69.95 per stateroom (not per person), while the price of the VIP package for sailings that are between 4- and 5-nights increases to $99.95 per cabin.
The price for 6-, 7,- and 8-night cruises depends on the specific ship that you are sailing on. Carnival Celebration, Mardi Gras, and Carnival Jubilee are the most expensive, costing $149.95 per cabin. Every other ship in the fleet only costs $139.95.
Read more: 15 ways to board your cruise ship faster
When do cruise ships begin the boarding process on embarkation day?
Most of the time, new passengers can expect the boarding to begin an hour or two after all guests from the previous voyage have fully completed the disembarkation process.
On most voyages, guests will be off by around 10:00 a.m., meaning that the earliest check-in time often starts somewhere around 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. This, of course, is never set in stone. If the ship returns later, such as around noon, then boarding for the following cruise will be later.
The boarding process will continue up until one or two hours before the scheduled departure time, which is usually somewhere around 4:00-7:00 p.m. If you plan on arriving at the terminal a few minutes before the ship's departure, you will not be allowed on. Let's say that your ship is scheduled to depart at 5:00 p.m. If you get to the terminal at 4:45 p.m., it will be too late.
Can I arrive earlier than my scheduled arrival time?
It is not advised. If you do not adhere to your scheduled time, you may find yourself waiting in line to be let inside or stuck sitting inside the terminal for an extended period of time!
Personally, I have experienced both having to wait outside the terminal and being allowed inside early. It all depends on which cruise line you are sailing with and how busy the terminal is at that specific moment in time.
Per Royal Caribbean's website, "Guests should arrive at the terminal within the arrival time slot you selected during Royal App check-in. Those who arrive early will not be able to begin boarding, and those who arrive late will need to wait until we are able to work them into another group."
What is the terminal like on embarkation day?
I have seen terminals relatively empty, with a fairly quick boarding process. Sometimes, I have been onboard as fast as 15 minutes after arriving! Other times, I have had to sit and wait for some time.
Either way, there are some things that you can do to help streamline your boarding process; this includes making sure that you have all your important documents in your carry-on bag, rather than your checked luggage because they won't go onboard with you.
Before entering the terminal, you will be greeted by a porter, and they will assist you with getting the larger bags checked in. To speed up this process, ensure that your luggage tags are printed out before you arrive.
If you forget, they will have extras available, but if you already have them stapled on or inside of a plastic luggage tag sleeve, you will be able to drop them off faster and head inside!
After this, you'll begin the actual physical check-in process, which consists of going through security and having a port employee check your documents (i.e., passport, birth certificate, etc.). If sailing on Carnival, there's a chance that your bags will be sniffed by a K9 narcotics dog!
Read more: 30 cruise ship embarkation tips and tricks
Pro tip: if you're flying, make sure that your flight is the day before
Sometimes, you will have to fly to meet your cruise ship. Even if you live in Florida, you might want to fly to Miami, rather than endure the lengthy drive from the Panhandle area, or perhaps you want to switch up your itinerary and cruise to Alaska or Europe.
For instance, while I reside in North Carolina and am within driving distance of two ports (Norfolk and Charleston), Carnival Cruise Line is the only mainstram cruise line that uses these cities as homeports. Moreover, the newest ships don't sail from here, either.
When flying to your cruise port, it is imperative that you book your flight for at least the night before your ship is scheduled to depart.
This may seem counterintuitive. When you take a land-based vacation, such as spending a week at the beach in a rental house, you would not want to arrive the day before your reservation begins. You'd be responsible for paying for a hotel that night!
Cruise ships, however, run on a tight schedule, and they won't wait for you if your flight happens to get delayed or canceled. The ideal time to arrive at the terminal is your scheduled time, and a single flight delay can cause your entire travel party to panic!
Read more: Why you should plan a cruise within driving distance
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she had the privilege of traveling frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas her freshman year of high school. She wanted to pursue a career that highlighted her passion for travel and strengths as a writer.
