Getting on and off the ship

L320 · June 24, 2005

We are going on a Carnival Cruise leaving from Long Beach. How long does it take to get on and off the ship?

For example our cruise starts at 5:30pm, what time should we arrive at the cruise terminal? The info we received says the embarkation process starts at 1:30pm. Do we need to get there earlier than that? Would it be a problem to arrive at say 3:00pm?

Also the ship returns to port at 8:00am. Any ideas about how long it take to get off the ship? Someone told me it can take hours... Is this right?

Thanks again,

Dale

GottaCruz · June 24, 2005

I don't know how it is in Long Beach but I can tell you about Miami. We always get there by noon. The earlier we get to the port, the shorter the lines are to embark. Although with the Fun Pass, we kind of just walked right on, bypassing the lines. Once we got upstairs at the port, there was a bit of a line for pictures that they now taken of every passenger- something to do with Homeland Security. Anyway, we always get to the port as early as possible so that we can have lunch on board and then have the afternoon for ourselves to unpack and sit on deck. In Miami, the ships also leave about 4 or 5 PM. The ticket book says to board at 1:00 but loads of people get on earlier. For us, the earlier we board the ship, the earlier our vacation begins. Maybe one of our members who has departed form Long Beach wiill be able to respond. Great to have you aboard. Welcome, L320.

As far as getting off the ship, we've had, on occasion, waited a couple of hours . However, on our last few Carnival cruises, they had early debarkation if you took off your own luggage. We were off the ship by 7"30AM. That works out great for us. Other people would rather relax and get off later. As far as what they do in Long Beach, I can't say. I hope I've helped a bit, anyway.

rogue · June 24, 2005

For us, the earlier the better. We feel that since the ship is the destination, once we're on, the cruise starts. We try to get to the dock around 11:30, and we never had to wait more than about 15 minutes until they started boarding. The lines are much shorter early, and the nerves become less frayed. Also, it's nice walking around the ship with less people on board. Welcome to CruiseCrazies, L320 and enjoy your cruise.:grin:

Howard

JoeyandDavid · June 24, 2005

Hi L320,

First of all Dale

alt text

now to your questions.

We live in the Los Angeles Area

We have sailed out of Long beach before, its a breeze .. if you arrive at 3:00pm you will be fine.. most start lining up around 11:30am or so, now as far as debarkation we found Carnival to be less convenient than other lines. it possible could be a few hours if your number or color is at the lowest point on the release lease.. Departure on any ship cannot happen until the customs department is satisfied.

Dale, wish I could be more exact.

hope you have a great time!

As Always <]

hazelson · June 25, 2005

The nice thing about Long Beach is you can get in line early than take turns wandering around. There are some cute little shops to browse through and you must take a look inside the old Queen Mary. Getting off wasn't so bad - we were near the tale end and we were in our car before 11:00 a.m. we just sat in a lounge area and people watched, but then were were in no hurry as we were staying in the area for a few more days. We really enjoyed our cruise on the Pride. TTFN Jennifer

L320 · June 25, 2005

JoeyandDavid, Gottacruz, & Rogue,

Thanks for the replies. We are going to arrive as soon as we can get there. I like the idea that our vacation starts as soon as we get on the ship. We're looking forward to our 1st cruise.

Dale

boba · June 25, 2005

:smiley: :smiley: L320, have a great cruise, I'm sure you will be hooked like the rest of us. Where are you going? Let us know how you like it, maybe post a review. I'm on the east coast, but you never know. :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

L320 · June 26, 2005

boba,

We are taking the cruise from Long Beach to Ensenada. It is only a 3 day cruise. We wanted to do a short one for our first time to see what it is like. There will probably be more.

I will post my thought when I get back. Thanks for everyone's help. This group is great.

Dale

Suzila · June 26, 2005

Hi Dale,

Let me add my welcome to you too...

We also took the 3 day to Ensenada for our first cruise because we figured we could 'suffer' for 3 days if we didn't like it...

10 cruises later,

we've done the Mon-Fri cruise a number of times out of Long Beach, just because it's a quick getaway, we've done Mexico, Alaska, the Panama Canal. Believe me, you'll love cruising.

Like Joey said, if you arrive at 3:00pm, and you'll be fine (you probably won't get lunch on the ship though...) Fill out the paperwork beforehand online and get your Fun Pass, and it's a breeze to embark. They really have that streamlined.

But I have to say that customs at the end of the cruise is a real pain. If you don't have a flight to catch, then you'll be the last off the ship, and even after they call your color for disembarking, then you have to stand on long lines at the customs desk. It took us hours to get off when we went in february.

The hot set up for Long Beach for embarking is to drive your car there, go directly to the parking lot and drop off one person at the curb with all the luggage. Don't all park the car together...there's only an elevator on one side of the parking lot. If you don't park near it, it's a long walk with luggage. You go park the car and come back, pick up the person who has the luggage. Allow the porter at the curb to take your luggage. If you already have your room number, then DON'T stand in line at the curb (there will be a long line there)...go directly to the dome building, give them your paperwork and then you'll board the ship. It's really quick if you have your paperwork done before you board.

You'll have a wonderful trip...come back and report how you liked it.

While we're on the subject, Cheryl, could you tell me more about the disembarkation in Miami? What time do you think it would be safe to be able to make a flight home? We're booking the flight on our own and need to know how long it takes to get off a Carnival ship in Miami? Would about 2:00pm be safe, or do you think it should be later? This would account for being at the airport two hours before a flight (so, noon). Please help! Thanks, Sue

DaCruzNut · June 26, 2005

Remember, the day you embark is considered one of the days of your 7-day cruise. So, get there early, pack a bathing suit in your carry-on, and start enjoying right away!