Boarding time & luggage drop off Port Canveral

[Ottes4]

Hi!

I was wondering if anyone could give me a little help with day of embarkation?

1. Any idea on what time is the earliest boarding time? It doesn't look like we pick a PAT ourselves. We are three cars trying to meet up

2. Do they allow luggage & passengers to be dropped off before we return the rental cars?

3. Is there a lounge to wait for the driver to return from the shuttle?

4. Can the parties being dropped off check in early without the "driver"?

Thank you so much for all of your knowledge! I'm just not sure what to expect.

 

[crabbymom]

Hi!

I was wondering if anyone could give me a little help with day of embarkation?

1. Any idea on what time is the earliest boarding time? It doesn't look like we pick a PAT ourselves. We are three cars trying to meet up

2. Do they allow luggage & passengers to be dropped off before we return the rental cars?

3. Is there a lounge to wait for the driver to return from the shuttle?

4. Can the parties being dropped off check in early without the "driver"?

Thank you so much for all of your knowledge! I'm just not sure what to expect.

Here is what I can help you with:

1. Usually boarding begins around 11am, sometimes earlier, sometimes later depending on the previous cruise but 11am is a safe bet.
2. Yes, you can drop your luggage with the porters and leave some folks at the port. Its actually easier to do it this way so not everyone has to ride the shuttle back from the rental car return.
3. No, not really. There are benches outside or you can head in through security and wait inside. Be aware, if you do this, MAKE SURE the driver has his/her own passport and boarding pass. They will not be allowed to get through security without it.
4. Yes, you can check in separately, just print out separate boarding passes and again, make sure that the driver has their passport and boarding pass with them, not with the people being dropped off. Hope this helps, I have sailed from Canaveral many times, its one of the easiest to get through.

 

[Capt_BJ]

on OASIS a couple of weeks ago part of the check-in process includes taking a photo ... so you can not check in for another party ... they must be present to win ...

different cruise lines have different procedures ....

**********************
managing expectations:

how crowded or not the process may be can be estimated by the expected 'port load' on the day you depart .... if you are on say, MAJESTY, which is small and it is the only ship boarding that day you should have no problems at all. If you are boarding OASIS which is huge and it is one of four total ships boarding that day and all are biggies ..... stand by for heavy rolls as we say at sea

this site has the tentative schedule thru March ....
https://www.portcanaveral.com/PortCanaveral/media/Cruise-Assets/FY2018/FY-2018-Cruise-Schedule.pdf

if cruising beyond March you can still get an idea of what a 'typical' day looks like in the average weekly rotation. Right now Saturdays are a BIG day so anticipate backlogs especially at the rental car places.

 

[crabbymom]

on OASIS a couple of weeks ago part of the check-in process includes taking a photo ... so you can not check in for another party ... they must be present to win ...

different cruise lines have different procedures ....

Totally true! Every check in requires a photo...I meant to say that everyone in your party can check in at different times as long as everyone has their own boarding pass...As far as I know, there is never a time that you can check in for someone else...I am sorry if I wasn't clear. Thanks Captain!

 

[Capt_BJ]

There was a time when Mrs could check us both in while I was parking the car but that was a while ago .... probably b4 9-11

 

[devbak150]

First PAT experience in May. Last cruise we did WDW transfers so we were there late. We were all starving, went to Cabanas and they were closing the buffet, so this time I am doing it myself. I chose a PAT of 10:45. How do you tell what boarding group number you are in? Does it show on your cruise documents or online. Do you have to wait until you check in to get a boarding group? We are renting a car from our hotel (at SW) and then dropping off at Cape Canaveral (hertz). Anyone have experience with how long it takes for them to shuttle you from car rental to port? Wondering how much time we should allot for that.

Also our bags were taken care of with WDW transfers, we dont' have to drag them through the ship until our room is ready do we? I was hoping they take them at check in and they magically arrive in our stateroom after they are ready.

 

[msjprincess]

First PAT experience in May. Last cruise we did WDW transfers so we were there late. We were all starving, went to Cabanas and they were closing the buffet, so this time I am doing it myself. I chose a PAT of 10:45. How do you tell what boarding group number you are in? Does it show on your cruise documents or online. Do you have to wait until you check in to get a boarding group? We are renting a car from our hotel (at SW) and then dropping off at Cape Canaveral (hertz). Anyone have experience with how long it takes for them to shuttle you from car rental to port? Wondering how much time we should allot for that.

Also our bags were taken care of with WDW transfers, we dont' have to drag them through the ship until our room is ready do we? I was hoping they take them at check in and they magically arrive in our stateroom after they are ready.

FYI. This is the RCCL board. You should repost your question on the DCL board.

 

[devbak150]

Oops...Can you tell I'm new here???