When can you choose Arrival group Princess?

Select your Arrival Group Now you need to select your arrival time at the terminal on embarkation day. If you want to secure the earliest group, be sure to complete the OceanReady steps in the App as early as possible (usually 45 days pre sail date).



On Princess Cruises, the "Arrival Group" (your designated 30-minute check-in window at the port) typically becomes available for selection in the Princess MedallionClass app once you have completed your digital check-in and reached "Travel Ready" status. In 2026, these windows often open for selection between 30 and 60 days prior to your sailing, though some guests report seeing them as early as 90 days out. It is a "first-come, first-served" system; popular early arrival times (between 11:00 AM and 12:30 PM) fill up quickly. If you wait until a week before your cruise, you may be left with the final groups at 2:30 PM or 3:00 PM. Importantly, if you are using Princess Transfers (shuttles booked through the cruise line from the airport), you are generally not bound by these specific Arrival Groups, as the cruise line manages your arrival time automatically. For independent travelers, arriving significantly earlier than your selected window may result in being asked to wait outside the terminal until your group is called to maintain a steady flow of passengers and reduce pier-side congestion.

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Contactless Embarkation Get OceanReady® while you're still at home by downloading the MedallionClass™ app from the App Store or Google Play Store. Choose your desired arrival time slot so not all guests are trying to board at the same time.

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Platinum Membership Benefits Level up your perks after completing 5 cruises or 50 cruise days with Princess. In addition to all of the benefits at the Gold and Ruby levels, enjoy priority boarding in the cruise terminal, so you can experience your MedallionClass® vacation even quicker.

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Princess Cruise boarding times essentially have the same process as most other cruises mentioned - you have a three to four hour window to board, typically between 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., but the specific window will be given in your cruise documents to ensure arrival at the correct time.

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You'll want to complete the following steps to ensure access to the Green Lane in the terminal for faster check-in with less waiting:
  1. Order and Customize your Medallion*
  2. Personal Info & Travel Docs.
  3. MedallionPay™
  4. Passage Contract & Acknowledgements**
  5. Security & Profile Photos.
  6. Emergency Information.


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Guests who don't complete all of the above steps in the app will access the Blue Lane for check-in, where our Navigators will help ensure all steps are complete and issue guest Medallions.

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The boarding times are just suggestions, and those with priority can go anytime. Lots of people go early and line up. They'll let priority people in first, then separate by priority, ie Elite, Platinum, Suites, Club Class.

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All U.S. guests receive their free Medallion device either in the mail before leaving home or when they arrive at the terminal. International guests can pick up their Medallion device at the port. This quarter-sized device can be worn several ways.

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The different colors of the Princess Medallion indicate one of two things: the number of cruises the guest has sailed with Princess, or how many days at sea they've spent with Princess.

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There will be many things that you can do while logged in to the “Cruise Personalizer” system. Your Boarding Pass and Luggage tags will be available to print immediately after you have completed your Guest Registration (Check-in).

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Priority boarding – being one of the first to embark a ship and skipping the lengthy check-in lines – is one of the most sought-after loyalty privileges from Carnival Cruise Line, available only to guests booked in suites, past cruisers who have achieved Diamond or Platinum status with the cruise line, or guests who ...

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Taking Your Passport Should you take your passport with you on shore excursions? No, you shouldn't bring your passport, unless your tour requires it. We recommend bringing your driver's license as a form of ID instead. You don't want to risk losing your passport ashore.

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Cruise Ship Boarding FAQ 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.

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All passengers flying in a premium cabin get priority boarding. But the group you'll be assigned to depends on which class of service you're flying. Passengers in the front cabin board with Group 1.

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Economy passengers, including those with basic economy fares, can purchase a priority boarding add-on to enter the plane with Group 4. You can't purchase this upgrade during the initial booking process, so you'll need to add it during check-in, online or at the airport.

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Princess Cruises is smart casual, so pack clothing that adheres to that guideline. On the informal side of things, both men and women may want to pack away breezy shirts, comfortable sandals and shorts for the day, while they can opt for a sweatshirt or windbreaker to help them stay warm if temperatures drop.

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Toiletries. Princess' in-cabin bathrooms offer dispensers of generic shampoo and body wash; you won't find individual bottles of conditioner and shower gel. If the generic stuff tends to dry out your skin or depress your curls, you'll want to pack your own toiletries (in TSA-approved bottles if you're flying).

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