First Cruise - Boarding Time?

[Enrico]

First time cruise for us. Cruising on NCL leaving at 6:00PM out of Miami. Approximately what time will NCL allow us to board? We arrive in Miami in the morning and I'm trying to plan the day out. Thanks for any help.

[PStreet1]

Probably about noon. You'll be able to eat lunch on the ship and explore, but you won't be able to get into your room until the luggage has been delivered, and that will take a while.

[Bruce W]

You will get your room key when you board. Room is accessable, but, you may have to wait for luggage.

[Art4th]

Originally Posted by Bruce W

You will get your room key when you board. Room is accessable, but, you may have to wait for luggage.

That has been my experience also. You should have access to your cabin as soon as you board.

[Keitht]

There's loads of info on the NCL website along with contact details. They will be able to let you know the actual earliest boarding time, rather than best guesses
If you are travelling after 1st Jan 2008 you must be on board 2 hours before departure.

[Steamboat Bill]

No matter what time they say you can board (such as 1pm) most cruises (other than Disney) will allow you onboard earlier (such as 11am).

[dougp26364]

Go to http:www.cruisecritic.com and click on "boads" in their banner. Then find and click on the NCL forum and ask people who have cruise NCL multiple times. You'll be able to get definitive answers there.

There's may be a lot of information on NCL's web page but, in my exerience it's more like guidelines than rules. Even if you call a cruise lines information phone number you're likely to get as many different answers to the same question as the number of times you call.

As for access to your cabin most cruise lines will allow you into your cabin as soon as they're ready. The first nights meals tend to be very informal as for dress codes as some people may not have their luggage by the time the restaurants open for dinner. Each cruise line is different and it's best to ask seasoned NCL cruisers what NCL's most recent policy is.

Generally speaking you should go straight from the airport to the cruise terminal. Most cruise lines will start boarding as soon as the public area's have been cleaned and lunch is ready to be served. Cabins sometimes take a little longer but that just gives you time to explore the ship. Some people will pack their bathing suites in their carry on and change in one of the public restrooms (or wear them under their clothing) and hang out by the pool until the rooms are ready.

Like I've said, check with the NCL forums on Cruisecritic for the best and most accurate answers.

[Enrico]

Thanks to all for the info....very helpful. I had scanned the forums at cruisemates.com with no luck. The NCL website has good info, but nothing on boarding times.

I've posted at cruisecritic.com for additional info; thanks DougP. The cruisecritic.com website seems to be more active.

[LUVourMarriotts]

Every cruise I've been on had very detailed info about earliest boarding times. I've boarded in Miami, and it was a little crazy, but I think it was a Royal Carribean only boarding area. There were a total of 5 lines to wait through. Each time you got through 1 line and thought you were heading to the ship, you'd turn a corner and there was another line for something else.

I'd suggest reviewing all of your cruise info. But like others have mentioned, NCL will most likely allow for some flexibility based on your flight arrival. After all, NCL will probably be picking up people who booked air through them at the airport at the same time you get off the plane. Those people will be brought directly to the boarding terminal.

Have fun.

[dougp26364]

Originally Posted by LUVourMarriotts

Every cruise I've been on had very detailed info about earliest boarding times. I've boarded in Miami, and it was a little crazy, but I think it was a Royal Carribean only boarding area. There were a total of 5 lines to wait through. Each time you got through 1 line and thought you were heading to the ship, you'd turn a corner and there was another line for something else.

I'd suggest reviewing all of your cruise info. But like others have mentioned, NCL will most likely allow for some flexibility based on your flight arrival. After all, NCL will probably be picking up people who booked air through them at the airport at the same time you get off the plane. Those people will be brought directly to the boarding terminal.

Have fun.

While they do have very detailed info about boarding times....it's rarely correct.

For instance Royal Caribbean typically says boarding begins at 4:00 PM. I've been on 7 Royal Caribbean cruises and by 4:00 PM I've had lunch onboard the ship, settled into my cabin, taken pictures of most of the ships, made any necessary reservations for specialty restaurants and maybe had a couple of drinks. I think the latest we've ever boarded has been noon. We always try to arrive at the pier no later than 11:00 AM. Most times we won't have been there very long and they start welcoming the first groups onboard.

[easyrider]

Take your time. Your not going to miss anything but lunch. If you get there first and a bunch of people arrive just after you, you may have to wait for your luggage longer because of the way they do security. I like to get there in the last hour of boarding because there is no big lines at that point. If you like being herded like cattle get there early.
Drinks are alot less at the lounges off the boat. Drinks are about $8.00 on NCL. You can bring you own non alcholholic beverages on board or pay a bunch for a soda with NCL. Alchol is not allowed to be brought onboard. Thats one of the main items they look for in the security screening. If your tring to take some booze onboard you will have to put it in a cough syrup bottle or a mouthwash bottle or it will be confiscated.