Loading Page...

Can you show up early for a Royal Caribbean cruise?

For the best check-in and boarding experience, arrive only during your pre-selected check-in/wellness screening time with your entire travelling party. All members of a party must check-in together. Your check-in appointment is dedicated for your screening, so arriving earlier will have you turned away until your time.



People Also Ask

For the best check-in and boarding experience, arrive only during your pre-selected check-in/wellness screening time with your entire travelling party. All members of a party must check-in together. Your check-in appointment is dedicated for your screening, so arriving earlier will have you turned away until your time.

MORE DETAILS

If you arrive at the terminal a few minutes before the ship's departure, you will not be allowed on. This is usually in the late afternoon or evening. I've been able to check-in for a cruise as early as 10:30am and as late as 3:00pm before. You can usually gauge the ship's last call by looking at the ship's itinerary.

MORE DETAILS

It all depends on which cruise line you are sailing with and how busy the terminal is. Boarding will continue up until one to two hours before the scheduled departure time. If you arrive at the terminal a few minutes before the ship's departure, you will not be allowed on.

MORE DETAILS

As mentioned, cruise ships usually start boarding four to five hours before departure and won't allow you to board until they're ready. So there's no use in arriving at the cruise terminal first thing in the morning as you'll have to wait around for hours before you can even board.

MORE DETAILS

Check if your stateroom is ready After 1pm, check to see if your cabin is ready. You will find your SeaPass cards wedged in the stateroom number sign. If it's ready, collect your SeaPass cards, explore your stateroom, drop off your bags. What is this?

MORE DETAILS

Priority embarkation is offered to suite guests (except Junior Suite) and Crown & Anchor Society members on the following tiers: Platinum, Emerald, Diamond, Diamond Plus and Pinnacle.

MORE DETAILS

Royal Caribbean crew members will take your luggage and have it ready for disembarkation so that you the only thing you'll need to carry off the ship is a small bag with things you cannot pack. You will head to the luggage pick up area once ashore.

MORE DETAILS

Your must bring your SetSail pass to the port to enter to cruise terminal. Please make sure you print your SetSail pass after you check-in. You must print your SetSail pass 3 days prior to the sail date. We recommend to download the Royal Caribbean App to display your SetSail Pass on your phone (no need to print).

MORE DETAILS

Go to breakfast Room service may or may not be available on disembarkation day. Head to the buffet or main dining room to enjoy a leisurely breakfast — unless you are in a rush to get to your flight.

MORE DETAILS

A courtesy hold allows a guest to hold a booking for 24 or 48 hours with no deposit. Different verbiage refers to either 24 or 48 hours on Royal Caribbean's website. This hold allows the guest to hold not only the cabin, but also the promotional pricing. It's only available for single cabin bookings.

MORE DETAILS

However, as a general rule of thumb, you can expect the earliest embarkation time to be four to five hours before sailing. As most cruise lines leave port at around 4:00 pm or 5:00 pm, in most cases, you can anticipate the earliest time you can board to be at around noon.

MORE DETAILS

Whether you splurged on a luxe two-story suite, have multiple connected staterooms with your family or just want to check out the views from your balcony, your stateroom will be ready by the early afternoon. This is a great time to unwind and unpack—which you only have to do once on a cruise.

MORE DETAILS

** Carry-on luggage drop-off service is limited to two pieces per guest and can weigh no more than 25 pounds per carry-on. *** Welcome lunch is open from 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm. **** Reservations are required for shows on Quantum and Oasis class ships.

MORE DETAILS

When you book your cruise, you'll get to choose between traditional dining and My Time Dining. Traditional dining allows you to select one of two assigned seating: the early seating or the late seating.

MORE DETAILS

Many first-time cruisers don't realize that they won't be able to go directly to their staterooms upon boarding. Pass the time while you wait for your room to be ready and for the ship to set sail by enjoying lunch on the Lido Deck of the ship. This is a great way to make sure you aren't starving by dinner time!

MORE DETAILS

When you go through security you will set your carry-on bags on the x-ray machine like you'd find at an airport. Checked luggage is also X-rayed behind the scenes. Usually further inspection isn't required unless the security staff finds something dangerous or prohibited.

MORE DETAILS

Pack a Carry On Size Luggage or Tote Bag This is because when you arrive at your cruise terminal on boarding day, you'll drop your checked luggage with porters. The luggage will go through security, then placed onto the cruise ship and delivered to your cabin several hours after you board.

MORE DETAILS

Staterooms are typically ready around 1:30 p.m. on the day of your voyage. Luggage may not arrive for a few hours afterward, so I recommend that you bring a swimsuit and coverup in a carry-on bag if you'd like to enjoy the pools onboard shortly after boarding.

MORE DETAILS

Simply put, embarkation is the process of getting on your ship – it's the cruising equivalent of boarding a plane! While the embarkation procedure may vary slightly between the different cruise lines, it will fundamentally remain the same and require you to have similar documents to hand.

MORE DETAILS