When Should You Check In For A Cruise?

The Royal Caribbean cruise check-in window opens closer to your sailing date, with online check-in available 45 days before your cruise and remaining available up to three days before. Guests can check in online through the Royal Caribbean app or website, either one day before your cruise departs. To begin your cruise stress-free, guests must provide check-in information by completing their online check-in and selecting their Arrival Appointment within 14 days prior to sailing.

Guests who have completed their Online Check-In should arrive at the terminal no later than one hour prior to the scheduled embarkation time printed on your cruise documents. Royal Caribbean International requires guests to be checked in no later than 60 minutes prior to the scheduled sailing time. Arrival appointments can be selected for sailings within 14 days prior to sailing and no later than midnight (eastern time) prior to your sailing date.

Check-in is generally available three months out from your sailing date. If you haven’t already, check with your cruise line before this date. The latest time you can check-in for embarkation is usually no later than 30 minutes before the ship weighs anchor and sails. This is usually in the late afternoon or evening.

Cruise passengers can check-in as early as 10:30am and as late as 3:00pm before their cruise. 45 days prior to your cruise, you can check in via the Royal Caribbean website or app. However, since most hotels have an 11:00am or 12:00pm checkout time, you may find yourself waiting around in the cruise terminal for hours if you select the online check-in option.

What if I’m late to my cruise?

When you miss a ship at a port of call, go to the port staff first. Each cruise line has a port agent who can help. The line’s agent can hand over your passport and can help you contact your ship to make arrangements to meet up in the next port.

The next call should be to your travel insurance provider. “During a travel disruption, contact your provider’s 24-hour assistance team as soon as you can,” says Steven Benna, marketing manager at travel insurance firm SquareMouth. “They will explain your policy’s coverage for the situation and can help you find additional travel arrangements, like catching up to your cruise at the next port.” Be sure to keep any receipts relating to your catchup travel to include when you file a claim with your insurance provider, Benna says.

Two travel insurance benefits can help in this situation, according to Benna: missed connection and travel delay. “If your flight to your port gets delayed, the missed connection benefit was designed to help you catch up at your ultimate destination,” he says. “Alternatively, some policies have a travel delay benefit, which can similarly cover rebooking while also refunding the cost of meals and accommodations for trips delayed at least 3-12 hours.”

Cruisers can buy a travel insurance policy all the way up until the day before their departure and still have the full benefits activated on their departure date. “Whether you planned your cruise way ahead of time or booked at the last minute, you can rest easy knowing you can still get coverage,” Benna says.

Is it better to check-in early or late for a cruise?

Quicker boarding process. Arriving at the terminal early means that you will not have to deal with the later crowds. While the check-in process is pretty straightforward, there are a couple steps that you have to take prior to being let on the ship, including checking your travel documents and going through security.

Even if you get to the terminal at your designated check-in time, the lines will start to get long later in the afternoon. It may take you twice as long to get through the check-in process!

You can, of course, speed up checking in by having all of your documents ready and completing all steps of the online check-in process. Coming prepared with pre-printed luggage tags means that you will not have to spend time giving your stateroom information to the porter.

What happens if I get to the cruise port early?

While the excitement of diving into vacation mode as soon as possible is tempting, resist the urge to arrive early. If you arrive ahead of schedule, you’ll be asked to wait for your designated time before entering the cruise terminal. Patience is the magic wand that ensures a smooth start to your voyage.

Now, Jan, if you’ve opted for Disney Transportation, there’s no need to fret over your Port Arrival Time. Once you’re dropped off, you can waltz right into the terminal without a second thought. On the other hand, if you’re driving like I do, leaving a comfortable cushion of 20 to 30 minutes for luggage drop-off and parking works like a charm. By the time we reach the terminal, it magically aligns with our check-in time.

Before boarding, Disney Cruise Line representatives will check your Port Arrival Form and citizenship documents before guiding you through security and onto the ship. As you step aboard, be sure to have your camera ready to capture the magical welcome by the cheering crew members. You’ll undoubtedly want to capture and cherish this moment for years to come! I hope every part of your vacation is magical from start to finish. Thanks for stopping by!

What happens if you are late to your cruise check-in?

• Arriving after the Guest Onboard Time (akalast Port Arrival Time) may prevent you from sailing. Your port will have a Cruise Terminal opening time when Guests may arrive at the terminal and wait until their Port Arrival Time Boarding Group. If you miss Guest Onboard Time you will likely be left behind. Do not be late.
• Arriving 30 minutes after your Port Arrival Time and before Guest Onboard Time will still be allowed on the ship.
• Arrival 30 minutes after “All Aboard” on any Port of Departureor Port of Call will be left at the Port where you will need to arrange for your transportation to the next Port of Call or back to your home. The only exception is that if your Port Adventure of through Disney Cruise Line then the ship will wait for you. This happened to us in Santorini, Greece, where the ship waited an extra hour for a group of us.
• Arrival 30 minutes late because of the airline and the flight was arranged through the Disney Cruise Line Air Program. Disney will work with you, if possible, to help you get to the first port of call.

Cindy, I hope this clears up any confusion about when you should arrive and the consequences of arriving late. Please feel free to write me back directly with any follow-up questions or for other Disney vacation planning tips.

Enjoy making many Magical Memories on the High Seas.~Jason.

What happens after you check-in for a cruise?

Insider Tip: We don’t recommend cruising at all if you’re experiencing any serious or contagious sicknesses or gastrointestinal illnesses – vomiting, diarrhea, nausea. Not only will you be miserable onboard or spread that to others, it also means you could be denied boarding altogether.. After you’ve checked in and cleared the first checkpoint, your picture will be taken for security purposes and you’ll be given a cruise card which serves as your ship’s ID, your room key, boarding card and onboard credit card.

Then you’ll head towards the ship. On your way there, photographers will be on hand asking you to pose for a picture. These photos will be available to buy onboard later, but there’s no obligation to pose for this photo-op or to purchase anything, so we recommend capturing this fun memory of your first-ever cruise!

Gangways connect a main deck of the ship directly to the cruiseterminal.

You’ll then follow an elevated ramp called a gangway right to the ship. A member of the ship’s security crew will typically check you in via your newly issued cruise card. As you enter the ship, typically near the main atrium, there will be excitement in the form of smiling staff, live music, champagne or cocktails, finger foods or other fun activities.

Should I arrive a day early for a cruise?

One bad experience taught me to never try to get to my departure city on the day my cruise leaves. I now always plan to arrive near the port city at least one day before my cruise’s departure. I’ve experienced many flight delays, and this rule has saved me from missing at least two sailings.

I’ve gone on more than a dozen cruises in my life, and one of the first trips I took taught me a valuable lesson: Always arrive at your departure port early.

About 25 years ago, my family and I were flying to where our cruise would depart. Our flight was delayed, and by the time we landed in our port city, we were in a panic.

We rushed off the plane and headed to the baggage carousel, but one of our checked bags was taking too long (or maybe it never made it onto the plane). We didn’t have time to wait for it if we wanted to make it onto our cruise. So, we left.

Why would you check on early on a cruise?

Fewer crowds at the cruise terminal. One of the best reasons to get an early check-in time is to avoid crowds at the cruise terminal. The embarkation process is fairly straightforward, but it entails going through several lines before you can board your ship.

First you’ll enter a line outside the terminal for other passengers with your same check-in time. Then, as you enter the terminal, you’ll enter a line to have your documentation checked. Finally, you’ll enter a line to go through security.

Waiting in line is not anyone’s idea of a fun vacation, so make sure to get an early check-in time to be among the first in the cruise terminal.

How early do you have to check-in for a cruise?

Please note: All guests must be checked-in and onboard the ship no later than 90 minutes prior to the published sailing time or you will not be permitted to sail. If you choose to fly ChoiceAir, Royal Caribbean automatically displays only the airline schedules that will enable you to meet your cruise.

Guests should arrive at the terminal within the arrival time slot you selected during Royal App check-in. Your arrival time is listed on your mobile boarding pass. 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.

Due to government regulations requiring cruise lines to submit final departure manifests at least 60 minutes prior to sailing, guests are requested to complete Check-in no later than 3 days prior to their cruise. If you do not complete Check-in 3 days prior, you will be required to complete this process at the pier at leasttwohoursprior to the published sailing time.Please note:All guests must be checked-in and onboard the ship no later than 90 minutes prior to the published sailing time or you will not be permitted to sail.

If you choose to fly ChoiceAir, Royal Caribbean automatically displays only the airline schedules that will enable you to meet your cruise. For your return home, you have the ability to select the flight that best suits your schedule. Depending on your disembarkation time and port, the time needed to arrive at the airport will vary.

What is the earliest I can board my cruise?

The most straightforward answer is that it depends on the port and your cruise line. However, as a general rule of thumb, you can expect the earliest embarkation time to be four to five hours before sailing.

As most cruise lines leave port at around 4:00 pm or 5:00 pm, in most cases, you can anticipate the earliest time you can board to be at around noon.

This scheduling is because cruise ships usually run a tight schedule and may have people disembarking and embarking on the same day at the same cruise port. Guests usually disembark from their cruise in the morning – around 10:00 am. This gives the crew a few hours to clean and ensure everything is ready for the next guests.

Some cruise lines will ask you to pick a time to embark in advance. This is usually just a time that you would guess to be arriving for embarkation to help control traffic – it’s not set in stone, and you’re not bound to it.

How long does it take to board a cruise?

While there are some similarities to air travel, boarding a cruise ship is generally a lot less stressful and far simpler for the average traveler. Depending on the cruise line, size of the ship/number of passengers, and how efficient the boarding process is, embarkation can range from 30 minutes to a few hours.

Firsts are always exciting, from your first love to your first job. While your very first cruise is also an exciting event, for those new to cruising your first ocean voyage can also come with a bit of anxiety from not knowing what to expect when you first arrive at the cruise port towhen you’re welcomed aboard.

Our friendly and knowledgable CruiseInsider experts are behind you every step of your journey and are always there to answer your questions, ease your trepidations and ensure you’re prepared toboard your ocean liner.

To help you set sail smoothly, we’ve compiled insight and information from actual experts so you can begin your cruise vacation with confidenceknowing exactly what to expect when you board thecruise ship.

What happens if you are late to board a cruise?

What to do if you miss your cruise ship. When the crew realizes that there are passengers who didn’t reboard the vessel, they will leave those passengers’ passports with port staff so they can travel to the next port if it’s in a different country. Some cruise lines collect passengers’ passports upon embarkation, while others will go into the passengers’ stateroom to find the documents. So it’s a good rule of thumb to keep your passport somewhere obvious—on the desk or the room safe—so it’s easy for the crew to find.

When you miss a ship at a port of call, go to the port staff first. Each cruise line has a port agent who can help. The line’s agent can hand over your passport and can help you contact your ship to make arrangements to meet up in the next port.

The next call should be to your travel insurance provider. “During a travel disruption, contact your provider’s 24-hour assistance team as soon as you can,” says Steven Benna, marketing manager at travel insurance firm SquareMouth. “They will explain your policy’s coverage for the situation and can help you find additional travel arrangements, like catching up to your cruise at the next port.” Be sure to keep any receipts relating to your catchup travel to include when you file a claim with your insurance provider, Benna says.

How do you get early boarding on a cruise?

Here’s our list of 15 ways you can board your cruise ship faster.Book a suite. … Earn loyalty status. … Pay for exclusive access. … Fly in the day before. … Stay close to the port. … Leave luggage with porters. … Have luggage tags ready to go. … Book a private transfer.

Do you have an upcoming cruise and you’re looking to board your cruise ship as fast as possible? We can’t blame you – we always eagerly await starting our cruise vacations too!

There’s nothing worse than painstakingly waiting in a crowded cruise terminal. It can be frustrating to see everyone on the pool deck already having fun while you’re stuck in a barely-moving line, which is the opposite of fun.

Once you arrive at your cruise terminal, there are a few basic things you can do to board your cruise efficiently. The more efficient you are, the quicker you can get started vacationing with a fruity cocktail in hand!