What is the earliest we should pull into parking at the port?  We are staying in a hotel a few blocks away.  We are wanting to eat lunch and chill before sailing off.  Any thoughts, suggestions, or opinions? Thanks...

Cut and paste from Carnival.com:Embarkation hours - Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Mobile, Galveston, Tampa, Port Canaveral, New Orleans and San Diego - 12:30 P.M. You can probably get there even earlier than that time. You could be on board and have lunch on the Lido before departure.

We try to park by 11:00-11:30AM, then board, check out the room & head for the buffet. Have a leisurely lunch.

The ship arrived late on our Holiday cruise and I got the sense that this was not unusual for her, so this is a hard question to answer. I think she's kind of limping along and if they get behind schedule she can no longer high tail it home to make the schedule. Bottom line, I would plan on boarding at the time that Carnival publishes for this ship, which is 12:30.

ok - so if we arrived at 11 and it got in late is there anything to do during the time while we are waiting? 

I'm always early no matter where we go, my wife hates that, anyway we arrived and parked in the terminal around 10:30. Porter took our 7 bags and $10 tip later we were in. We were asked to see our funpass and they let us into the upper level of the terminal. Other that that it's sit and wait until you go though security. After security wait in line to get your sign and sail card(tip: have all documents ready it will go faster and they are thankfull if your ready), have a seat and they will call you in groups to board the ship. Get a boarding picture made, and its 4-5 days of fun.

bluholridg:

ok - so if we arrived at 11 and it got in late is there anything to do during the time while we are waiting?

Nope, watch them unload bags,trash,clean the outside of the ship. Try and guess the location that your room is on the ship. But whatever you do DO NOT take a picture from inside the terminal looking toward the ship/workers loading it. They will have a fit. We were just trying to capture all aspects of our vacation and did not know this and I thought they were going to take our camera away. The way she acted,was as if I were a bad guy or something.

 Thanks for all the info!  I'm an early arriver too - my husband hates that as well!  :)  I guess I need to find out what time we get kicked out of the hotel and go from there...

 

everybody's right so far,,,save your money for lunch on shore and eat all you want on the lido deck,,,more money for drink of the day and the casinos....

have fun,

philly1

Deputy Dawg:

But whatever you do DO NOT take a picture from inside the terminal looking toward the ship/workers loading it. They will have a fit. We were just trying to capture all aspects of our vacation and did not know this and I thought they were going to take our camera away. The way she acted,was as if I were a bad guy or something.

 

That's a pretty big security breach.  If you had done that in an airport, the scene would probably have been a lot uglier and you likely would have lost your camera.  Something about terrorists and dry runs...  So yeah, definitely don't take photos inside the terminal.

On our first cruise, we arrived exactly at the recommended time (or maybe 15-20 minutes before?).  We fairly zipped through the line (10 minutes, maybe?), boarded in short order, and went straight our cabin where we dropped our luggage before heading for lunch at the buffet.  On our second cruise, we arrived around 10 a.m.  There was no line at all for check in, but they weren't boarding yet.  There were no seats left, so they were lining us up along the wall and snaking us around the room.  No place to sit except the floor.  And there we stood for at least 45 minutes.  A couple of people called for wheelchairs either because they can't stand in one place for that long...or they just didn't want to.  I choose to believe the former.  Once we boarded, we had to truck our luggage around with us for at least an hour or so - to lunch on the Lido, to the Purser's desk, to the spa, back to the Purser's desk.  Enough!  I will never arrive early again.  It is not worth the trouble.  Between cruise 1 and cruise 2, the boarding experience of cruise 1 was far superior.

 WOW!  Ok - That really helps with our decision.  Thanks for the info!  :)

Looks like you're on your way.  Have a great trip!

sibelius:

Deputy Dawg:

But whatever you do DO NOT take a picture from inside the terminal looking toward the ship/workers loading it. They will have a fit. We were just trying to capture all aspects of our vacation and did not know this and I thought they were going to take our camera away. The way she acted,was as if I were a bad guy or something.

 

That's a pretty big security breach.  If you had done that in an airport, the scene would probably have been a lot uglier and you likely would have lost your camera.  Something about terrorists and dry runs...  So yeah, definitely don't take photos inside the terminal.

Yeah, just wasn't thinking.  It would have sucked to because I ended up taking over 500 pics on the trip and it was our first cruise so it have been a bummer to lose the camera 

We went on the Holdiday in May.  We got in at the port at 11:15.  Got on the ship by 1145. Started eating immediately.  We couldn't get into our room until 1 pm.  But there were plenty of places to sit and wait.  Also, there were raffles to enter outside the gift shops and the spa.  We waited in the Americana lounge after we looked the ship over.  So don't eat lunch before you get on the ship-there's PLENTY of food  

BON VOYAGE and BON Apetit

This is just right for a time line that JCN has said and check with the hotel and see if you can keep your car there to save 75.00 for the parking and get a taxi to carry you to the port. And they got uptight when i took a pic in the terminal and showed them i deleted the pic and made them feel better.