Best Boarding Time

[mcconnell95]

My family (includes 12 & 14 y/o boys) is setting sail on Carnival Conquest this Sunday. Our boarding passes show boarding time of 12:30 - 2: 30 pm. What is the best time to board? If you go late, do you miss the long lines?

[dude_hdt]

I'll be boarding the other ship in Galveston on the same day as you...Voyager of the Seas. My boarding pass said 2pm but I'll try to be there by 11am with hope that the port can process debarkation & embarkation for both ships concurrently instead of sequencially...we'll see.

As for Conquest, I was on there last summer but it was the only ship there so things might change for you. We were dropped off at 11am. Absolutely no line thru security and check-in as we were done with everything by 11:15am. We then sat in a waiting area with 3 sections of roughly 150 seats each. Boarding started at 11:30am and we were the second group to board. That's about as fast as anyone can wish for.

We were done with lunch and snuck into our room at 12:30p. The room was already set up so we dropped our carry-on luggage off and were off to enjoy the ship.

[mcconnell95]

Did you have priority status to get to board early? My boarding pass says 12:30 - 2:30 pm. If I show up early, will they still process me?

BTW, my first choice was the RC ship you are on, but I could not get the rooms I needed for all of my family.

[R&S]

Originally Posted by dude_hdt

As for Conquest, I was on there last summer but it was the only ship there so things might change for you. We were dropped off at 11am. Absolutely no line thru security and check-in as we were done with everything by 11:15am. We then sat in a waiting area with 3 sections of roughly 150 seats each. Boarding started at 11:30am and we were the second group to board. That's about as fast as anyone can wish for.

This is exactly how it worked for us. We were there at 11 and checking in by 1115. By 1215 we were eating lunch.

You do not need priority to show up early. Once you arrive and go through the security checkpoint you will get in line to check in. The priority folks have a dedicated line.

We cruised over New Years on the Conquest and it was a fantastic time. Enjoy!

[lhp]

Originally Posted by mcconnell95

Did you have priority status to get to board early? My boarding pass says 12:30 - 2:30 pm. If I show up early, will they still process me?

BTW, my first choice was the RC ship you are on, but I could not get the rooms I needed for all of my family.

You do not have to have priority status to board earlier than 12:30pm.
If you show up early, they will still process you.

This is what we always do....we arrive around 10:30AM (after eating a large breakfast).

Our preference of doing this is that we believe our cruise "starts" the minute we arrive at the port.

Depending on the port....we have gotten ON the ship as early as 11:15AM (as was the case with the Destiny a couple of weeks ago in Miami) and as late as 12:45pm (which can happen IF there is a surprise Coast Guard inspection).

The danger of arriving after NOON is that IF the first transfer buses from the airport start arriving at NOON...you will be standing in line with 40 (per bus) of your closest friends.

Sitting and waiting after we have been processed does not bother us. We sit and chat with those around us. However, not all families want to do that.

I have DEAR friends who always arrive about 2:30pm and walk right on the ship.

So it is really a personal preference....

[Barryn514]

I agree, it depend what port. I know in San Diego the past few cruises that we took out of there, they stuck with the schudule.

[mcconnell95]

Thanks for all of the great information in the reply posts! I appreciate it. From what I gather, we should either get their early or late.

Thanks again and Happy Holidays to all!