Be aware that generally you can board about noon when u arrive at the pier and get lunch, though you may not have access to your room and luggage for a couple of hours. Don't arrive too late, because you will need time to register to get on, so if the ship is scheduled to leave at 4 pm, plan to arrive at the dock no later than 3. Handicapped people should go to the front of any line and you'll be directed towards handicapped desk or elevator etc. Harrahs guests (via certificates) should look for Harrah's lines when checking in at port to save time.
In departure the ship arrival time may be listed as 8 am, but that doesn't mean you should book a flight at 9 am. You have to get off the ship, which sometimes means a 9 or 10 exit if you are not carrying your own luggage, and sometimes ships are slightly delayed getting into port. Plus you need time to get to the airport, go through security etc. The cruise line will tell you what time is safe to book for your flight. Usually after 12:30 pm is safe, but if you are traveling on a holiday through a major airport always think about security lines and delays.
In the various ports you should make note of what time to arrive back at the ship as you leave the ship -- there will be a sign posted. Don't arrive 5 minutes after that time, some ships are sticklers on closing the doors and won't let late returning passengers back on board. If you take a tour run by the ship they will hold the ship for you. If the tour is run by someone else and it arrives late they won't (but that doesn't mean you should only buy the ship's tours....you can save a substantial amount by buying over the internet or in port....it just means use common sense when choosing what to book based on tour locations and times).
If you ride a tender or take a tram in port, remember to include the transit time when computing when you must return to a ship. Also, just because you see other tourists still around you in port doesn't mean you are safe -- they may be off a different ship with a different return time. Make sure you know what the time is onboard your ship (ship's time) versus possible different local time. Read the daily newsletter carefully for any notes about adjusting ship's time knee hour forward or backward (the room steward should also put a note in your room on those nights).
Posted by: Misscraps <misscraps@aol.com>
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