There is lots of information out there about embarkation day but none of my experiences have been the same. Each one had its own challenges. I am going to tell you a few of the things to be prepared for even when you think you are prepared for anything.
COVID changed it all, mostly for better I would say for the check in process, but not everything is without its challenges. General things I have learned. Know the address of your port! Leave early because, well, traffic.
Port Canaveral (Florida)
My experiences at Port Canaveral seemed to have the least amount of issues. Getting to port I have used a few options – driven, taken a Lyft and taken cruise line bussing. The drive is 42 miles from Orlando International Airport, but takes about an hour or so to get to the port. I have not run into a lot of traffic issues getting to this port. Driving, there are parking garages attached and you are able to leave your car pretty close and parking was about $11 per day. Taking a Lyft was about $50 from the Disney Springs area – which could be more cost effective than driving when you consider paying for parking at the port. I also booked a bus from the cruise line and this was about $35 each way.
One of the cruises I took from here I was late to my boarding time and was able to walk right in and start my boarding process and was on the ship within 10 minutes. On another we had arrived just slightly early for our boarding time and were able to walk in once our time started. All in all Port Canaveral has been my favourite port to cruise out of. Once on board we were able to head to our muster stations, do the mandatory safety demonstrations, and off to lunch!
Los Angeles
At the World Cruise Center at the Port of Los Angeles of course traffic was a major problem here. One of the problems we faced here was the prior sailing was still disembarking when we arrived for our boarding time. There were several semi trucks blocking lanes – I guess replenishing the ship – which made it hard for traffic to get through.
The check in processes was very quick and painless, we then waited for about an hour before we were allowed to board the ship. Once on board they directed everyone straight to their muster stations.
We had upgraded our room just a few days before our cruise so most of our paper work still had our original cabin number, so I had to show my email confirmation. At the muster station we were told because of our room change our muster station had changed as well. So the crew pointed us to the correct muster station. Once at the correct muster station only part of our party could be scanned in for check in. So I had to walk down guest services to have it corrected. I was a bit discouraged at the time it took for them to get it sorted out, but in the end it was an extra 15-20 minutes of my day so not a total loss. Then we went to get lunch.
When our room was available our cabin was a bit difficult to find because of the way the ship was laid out. Once we found the room our key cards wouldn’t work – another visit to Guest Services! I was a bit disappointed at the fact that it was only a few hours into our cruise and I had already been to guest service twice. The rest of our cruise was great and we had a really good time.
New York City
Located in Midtown Manhattan at piers 88 and 90 on the Hudson River is the New York City cruise port. We purposely booked a hotel within walking distance of the pier so that we would not have to worry about getting a cab with our luggage. So it was just a short 5 minute walk.
Once there, there were a few employees directing people where to go, we were able to drop our luggage off before walking up to the main walkway. Where we were greated with an almost two mile long line! Not an employee in sight just a line that streched for what seemed like forever. Once we got to the end of the line, it did not seem to be moving at all.
Slowly we inched our way to the front of the line. Where they broke the line out into the current time slot and anyone that was early or late got into another line that weaved several queues long. It was well past our time since we had to wait in that crazy long line to even get into the terminal. Everyone around us also seemed to be in the same boat, and everyone was beyond frustrated with the situation. It took hours longer to board the ship than anyone had planned.
Once on board we were able to explore and eat lunch. There seemed to be some type of struggle getting all of the luggage on board. As we did not set sail on-time. They kept pushing back the sail away party until they finally had it without the actual sail away part, just a party on the deck. We were actually at dinner when we finally sailed out of port.
The embarkation process is ever evolving and updating. Challenges arise you can never plan for, at the time it can be super stressful. You paid a lot of money for your cruise and want things to run smoothly. Try not to stress too much and once you have made it on the ship take a deep breath!
What’s been your experiences at different cruise ports? Ones you love or loathe?
