A lot of the reviews I have read curse the embarkation process. With two small children in tow, I am looking for any tips on making it go more smoothly.
The only one I have heard so far is to get luggage tags in advance. Our TA has been pretty useless so far, though, so I doubt she could help us with that.

Luggage tags are included with your cruise documents, which you should receive at least two weeks before your cruise. The cruise line includes them, not your agent. This is unless you booked a "guaranteed" cabin category, which means your cabin may not be assigned until you get to the pier. In this case there will be someone on the pier with your cabin number and they will give you the tags. The porters won't (well, shouldn't) load your baggage without a tag on it. So - don't worry about the tags. You'll get them.

Embarkation isn't really as bad as some make it out to be. A good way to avoid the crowds is to simply not show up at the pier too early. Getting there too early means sitting around while they clear the previous passengers off the ship and then get the ship ready for your cruise. I have done this in order to evaluate things for my cruise reviews, so it was self-inflicted. However, even the worst case for me was around an hour or so of waiting. But this can mean lots of standing in lines that are herded like cattle through chutes.

If you wait and show up a couple hours prior to the stated departure time, you will most likely find no crowds and will be on the ship in mere minutes.

I completely agree with Dave. You don't want to show up as soon as the doors open. I took a later flight this time- gave me more time in the morning and then walked right up to the counter to embark- all about 15 min process (showed up 2 hours after they started). Last time, waited about 1 hour since I showed up right at 1pm when they started embarkment.

I would agree that you will most likely find the shortest lines about 2 hours prior to the departure time.

With two small children, make sure they are not hungry/thirsty, do not have to go to the potty, and are not tired. The embarkation process takes less time after the big rush is over (later in the afternoon), however, to get situated in the room will still take a little time and little ones do not like waiting. Enjoy your cruise!

Ok, this may be a stupid question but I didnt know how to answer hubby. According to Consumer Reports (ok, yea, ok we are CR geeks)you need to know what your pier # is....or your taxi wont know where to go and drop you off..is this true? and if it is, how do I find this information out? I thought if I knew the boat name and cruiseline I was set. Please advise! Pam~

For the big ports which have routine cruise ship departures - such as Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Port Everglades, etc - not knowing the pier number is not a problem. Even though the pier number can usually be found on your cruise docs, just telling the driver "Carnival Triumph (or whatever)" has always been sufficient for us to arrive at the correct pier.

I suppose if a cruise ship was sailing out of a non-routine port for cruises, you might need more details for a cabbie but even then he probably knows where the ship is since either he or other cabs from his company have already been dropping off fares that day.

And finally - many ports will have a listing of ships at the entrance and which pier they are moored to.

Thanks Dave,
Could you tell me, does the taxi drop you right at your boat? We are sailing out of Miami next Saturday on the Triumph, but the night before we are staying at a hotel...actually, the hotel has a shuttle to the pier, do they routinely drop you at your boat, or do you walk? Thanks for any info.
P~

The taxi will take you right to the terminal where your ship is docked. Miami is a big port with several terminals in a row; you should be able to see the top of the ship above the terminal buildings too, and may be able to see on approach to the port which terminal to go to. Like Dave said, Miami is a fairly "routine" port and taxis shouldn't have a problem getting you to the right building. The only ports I can think of offhand that it might be important to know which pier are NYC, Seattle and Vancouver.

P~,

As Karen says, they take you right up to the terminal building. They will stop by the porters for luggage drop-off. You hand off the luggage and then go to the terminal entrance which is just a few steps away. You and your carry-ons will go through an airport style security check and then you move on to check-in for the cruise.

Awesome!! Ok, so are we able to keep our carryons with us the whole time, or do they take them to put in your room....and is there some kind of notification that your room is ready? Sorry I dont like not having a clue. Thanks again!

Most of the times, rooms are not ready before 1pm.
If you get earlier to the ship you have to take your carryons with you.
On some ships they allow you to bring the luggage to the cabin, if you leave immediately.
Last time on our Splendour Transatlantic, the hallways to the cabins were closed, so we took our carryons with us for the first lunch in the Windjammer.

Marita

pam,

You have to keep your carryons with you. The crew does not take them from you. If your cabin is ready, then you can obviously drop off the carryons and go exploring or eating, or both. On those times when the cabins are not yet ready you can sometimes drop the carryons off in the cabin. This depends on how zealous the hotel staff is in keeping passengers away from the uncleaned cabins. We have managed to drop in, smile at the steward and toss our carryons in the closet. Other times we have been politely asked to come back later by someone stationed in the passageway to keep people away.

Thanks alot!
Your advice is priceless!
Pam~

Pam, just a reminder to keep some things in your carry-on bags that you will need sooner rather than later. For instance, if you need any medications in the first few hours onboard, keep that with you. Some folks coming from cold weather cities like to keep a change of clothing in their carry-on, as well as hat, sunglasses, etc. The reason is that the luggage you give to the porters may not be delivered to your cabin for several hours after you get on the ship. They have thousands of bags to distribute, and that can take a while!

On occasion, I've been surprised and my luggage was waiting for me when I got to my room. But it's possible it may not even be there by dinner time, especially if you have main seating for dinner.

Sandy

I see, thanks for that info Sandy! I really do appreciate all the great tips we've gotten on this board...I was afraid I would get blindsided somewhere along the way and I didnt want something small to turn into some big deal. We have one week to go and I am more than ready to head out now!! Take care! P~

Pam, come back and tell us how the cruise was!

Enjoy,
Sandy

Actually, if you just follow the other sheep, er...passengers you will be fine. I also agree with the above about getting to the ship later rather than earlier. You usually can walk right on and the food lines are also dissapated by then also.

BTW, we are sailing on the Triumph on the 15th so we might see you around.

Hi Liisa...I learned my lesson last year...take only one suitcase per person if you can. You have to handle all the luggage usually by yourself, and I had 3 suitcases (granted, 2 were small ones but they were still a big hassle). Next year when I go, I plan on taking only one suitcase! Also, make sure you have your tickets out when you get to your port, that way you don't have to worry about where they are when you get there, or you could even just get a manilla folder and put all your travel documents in that in a ziploc bag. Have fun on your cruise!
Keri-Atlanta, GA
British Isles-June 2007 (Princess)
1st cruise-Western European Capitals-06/2005-Golden Princess

It's always tempting to get to the pier early so you can get the party started!

The reality is that the party for early goers is often a long wait in line ups - you can see the boat but you're not getting on her any time soon!

Most cruiselines give you an idea of when you can board. A lot of people choose to show up 1-2 hours prior and find that the cruise is ready to *start* boarding. Sometimes you get lucky and not alot of other ppl have had that same idea. Sometimes, everyone and their mother is there hoping being early will get them on board fast!

Later is better, just make sure the kids are fed and comfy.