Embarkation questions-how to be most efficient

[Burgermom]

We have a PAT time of 12-12:15 for the wish leaving from Port Canaveral on a Monday. How should I time my arrival and what do I do with luggage when I get there? We are taking an Uber from a disneyworld area hotel so I don’t want to be late but I also don’t want to get there awkwardly early. Should I aim for 12 or a bit earlier? My port arrival form says that if we miss our window we may be denied boarding. Is that actually true? Like if we arrive at 12:20 will they turn us away and tell us to come later? Any advice would be appreciated

 

[cvjw]

They do not turn you away at the port for being early like they did during the pandemic. They now enforce PAT before entering the terminal - they have lines for each PAT. If you don’t mind waiting a bit at the terminal, arrive a little early, drop your luggage off and wait for your PAT. Our last 2 cruises, they weren’t even checking your PAT - they let everyone directly into the terminal.

 

[Calantha]

what do I do with luggage when I get there?

There will be porters there to take your luggage. I usually tip $1-2 per item that they take. Make sure you have luggage tags on what you're giving them - if not, they'll give you one to fill out. They don't care about your PAT, so if you get there a little before 12, you'll be able to give them the luggage, and then go stand in line for the 12PM PATs.

 

[Mommb]

I would aim to arrive not earlier than 11:50, since you may not be able to enter the terminal until 12. You will not be turned away if you arrive at 12:20.

There will be porters outside the terminal who will take your checked luggage, which will be delivered to your stateroom later in the afternooon. Be sure to keep with you anything that you will need before 7 pm -- luggage is usually delivered by 5, but sometimes a piece is delayed. You will also need to carry with you any beverages, since those are not permitted in checked luggage.

 

[Mango7100]

i agree don’t aim for arriving too early. You will be standing in a long line with everyone else who is early. On our last cruise in March we arrived 15 minutes after our scheduled PAT due to traffic and were able to walk right into the terminal passing the line in the hot sun that had formed. And our boarding group had just been called so I think it took maybe a total of 20 minutes from entering the terminal to walking into the atrium.

 

[lanejudy]

PAT is the time DCL expects you to arrive at the port. If you are a bit early you’ll just wait in line before you are allowed into the terminal. No need to arrive earlier though because you’ll just stand and wait that much longer.

Also no worries if you arrive after your PAT as long as it’s before the “all aboard” time. I wouldn’t intentionally push it that late though.

 

[RedHead0186]

PAT, port arrival time, is the time you should arrive at the port. That's part of why DCL assigns them in windows, to help keep crowds/lines down and keep things moving. So you should plan to arrive at port at or right before noon.

And no, you won't be denied boarding if you're not there by 12:15 (I'd be surprised if the form actually said that). If you are past your window you might have to wait for an 'opening' among other people (waiting for those who are in their PAT window). But as long as you're there by all aboard, you'll get on the ship.

 

[CarolynFH]

Anyone know what the latest assigned PAT is (for the Magic, sailing out of Galveston)? Just making a rough plan in my head for embarkation day in January! Ideally, we'd want to drop off our luggage with the porters, then go to lunch, then return to park and board.

 

[Cheburashka]

My port arrival form says that if we miss our window we may be denied boarding. Is that actually true?

No. You absolutely will not be denied boarding if you miss your specific PAT but still arrive early enough to board before all-aboard time. You might have to wait a little longer to board, but even that is unlikely when you have an afternoon PAT.

 

[Mommb]

Anyone know what the latest assigned PAT is (for the Magic, sailing out of Galveston)? Just making a rough plan in my head for embarkation day in January! Ideally, we'd want to drop off our luggage with the porters, then go to lunch, then return to park and board.

Is there a reason to drop your luggage off and then come back? I have not sailed from Galveston, but in Port Canaveral, the area near the ships is congested (especially when arrival times begin) and I wouldn't want to go through that traffic more than once in a day. If you want to get lunch before boarding, you can just select a late arrival time and walk onboard as soon as you check in. I don't remember what the available arrival times are, but All Aboard is usually around 4, so you should be able to arrive around 2 and have plenty of leeway. If you don't want to carry luggage from the parking area and you have more than 1 adult, you could drop off 1 person with the luggage then park.

 

[CarolynFH]

Is there a reason to drop your luggage off and then come back? I have not sailed from Galveston, but in Port Canaveral, the area near the ships is congested (especially when arrival times begin) and I wouldn't want to go through that traffic more than once in a day. If you want to get lunch before boarding, you can just select a late arrival time and walk onboard as soon as you check in. I don't remember what the available arrival times are, but All Aboard is usually around 4, so you should be able to arrive around 2 and have plenty of leeway. If you don't want to carry luggage from the parking area and you have more than 1 adult, you could drop off 1 person with the luggage then park.

Thanks. It would be nice to drop off luggage before lunch so it wouldn’t be sitting in the car during lunch, but if that’s not feasible it’s okay. We sailed from Galveston with RCI several years ago, and we know where we ate lunch but can’t remember whether we dropped off luggage beforehand or not!

 

[Cheburashka]

Anyone know what the latest assigned PAT is (for the Magic, sailing out of Galveston)? Just making a rough plan in my head for embarkation day in January! Ideally, we'd want to drop off our luggage with the porters, then go to lunch, then return to park and board.

Why wouldn't you just have lunch onboard? Most people enjoy the embarkation lunch.

 

[CarolynFH]

Why wouldn't you just have lunch onboard? Most people enjoy the embarkation lunch.

We live close enough to Galveston to have a favorite restaurant there, which we've loved for many years, but too far away to eat there very often!

Not to mention the stories I read here and elsewhere about the long lines and other issues about embarkation day. Doesn't sound very appealing to us!

 

[lanejudy]

Lunch elsewhere might not be a bad idea. Depending on time of year, it's not uncommon for Galveston cruises to have embarkation delays due to fog conditions delaying the prior cruise return.

 

[CarolynFH]

Lunch elsewhere might not be a bad idea. Depending on time of year, it's not uncommon for Galveston cruises to have embarkation delays due to fog conditions delaying the prior cruise return.

We're cruising in January, so fog is definitely a concern. Thanks!

 

[MichelleCanada]

We're cruising in January, so fog is definitely a concern. Thanks!

We cruised out of Galveston in January and we didn’t get to disembark until 3:30 because we were delayed due to fog!

 

[Cheburashka]

We live close enough to Galveston to have a favorite restaurant there, which we've loved for many years, but too far away to eat there very often!

Ah, that makes sense then.

 

[auntlynne]

Anyone know what the latest assigned PAT is (for the Magic, sailing out of Galveston)? Just making a rough plan in my head for embarkation day in January! Ideally, we'd want to drop off our luggage with the porters, then go to lunch, then return to park and board.

Check your itinerary for All-Aboard time (The first cruise listed shows 3:30 for that.) That is typically when the Muster Drill is held. Back up 1.5 hours from that to guesstimate a good time for arrival.

My question would be when do the porters start collecting bags? They are probably the same ones who help with disembarkation - but do they take a break in between?

 

[CarolynFH]

Check your itinerary for All-Aboard time (The first cruise listed shows 3:30 for that.) That is typically when the Muster Drill is held. Back up 1.5 hours from that to guesstimate a good time for arrival.

My question would be when do the porters start collecting bags? They are probably the same ones who help with disembarkation - but do they take a break in between?

Thanks for the calculation back from all aboard time, currently 3:30 for us. We should be there well before 2:00. May go straight from home to lunch instead of worrying about porters. We have 7 months to figure it out!