Get Ready for Boarding Day
We can’t wait to welcome you onboard. Hopefully, you’ve planned and pre-booked Before You Cruise and are Prepared for Your Cruise! Let's make sure that you understand the boarding process and know what to expect so you can cruise like a pro.
Know Your Boarding Times
Don’t Forget to Bring These Items
- Government-issued photo ID and Passport, if applicable
Learn more about the required travel documentation with plenty of time in advance. - eDocs (One copy per stateroom)
Log in to complete Online Check-In. You should be able to download eDocs Online Check-In is complete. - Luggage labeled with NCL bag tags
A link for Luggage tags can be downloaded and printed from your eDocs - Credit card for onboard expenses
We don’t recommend that you use a debit card while on board. See the FAQ paying for onboard expenses section for more information - Small bag with essentials
This bag should contain items you will need on the first and last day of your cruise while your luggage is delivered to/from your stateroom.
What to Expect on Your First Day
Embarkation FAQs
Prepare for Your Cruise
You should be able to download eDocs up to 21 days prior to departure, provided full payment has been received and Online Check-In has been completed. Make sure to bring a printed or digital copy of your eDocs with you to the pier as they will serve as your boarding pass. It is important to download and print or save a digital copy of your eDocs ahead of time. You will not be able to manage your reservation 72 hours prior to sailing. You or your travel professional will be notified via email when your eDocs are ready to be printed.
Arrival at the Cruise Terminal:
For your comfort and convenience, we recommend that guests who have not completed their Online Check-In arrive at the cruise terminal no later than two (2) hours prior to the scheduled embarkation time printed on your cruise documents. Guests who have completed their Online Check-In should arrive at the terminal no later than one (1) hour prior to the scheduled embarkation time printed on your cruise documents. We STRONGLY recommend guests complete their Online Check-In at least four (4) days prior to sailing.
Final Boarding Time:
In order to facilitate the embarkation process, the processing of your eDocs, and to comply with new government regulations governing departure manifest, all guests are required to complete check-in at the cruise terminal and be onboard the ship no later than one hour prior to the departure time noted on their cruise documents or they will not be permitted to sail. Please note that guests who have not filled out their Online Check-In must arrive at the port two (2) hours prior to sailing.
Joining or debarking the ship at any time outside of the published embark/debark port is not permitted for the following reasons:
- Itineraries are subject to change without notice.
- Violation of the Passenger Vessel Act (Jones Act), if applicable.
Approval to embark or disembark mid-cruise may be allowed only in cases of emergencies. Please note that embarking or disembarking mid-cruise may result in a violation of the Passenger Vessel Act (Jones Act), resulting in a fine starting at $941 per person.
Boarding Time in Ports of Call:
In all ports of call, it is also the guest's responsibility to be back onboard the ship no later than one (1) hour prior to the ship's scheduled departure time. Please be aware that shipboard time may differ from the port of call and it is the guest's responsibility to follow the shipboard time. In the event a guest misses the ship, it will be the guest's responsibility to pay all expenses incurred to rejoin the ship.
Clothing
On a Norwegian cruise, you travel from destination to remarkable destination — and only unpack once. That said, cruisers tend to pack twice as many clothes they need.
Electronics
Remember all of your tech stuff: tablets, chargers, cameras, spare memory cards, batteries and power converters
Bag Allowances
Each guest is allowed two pieces of checked luggage with a 50-pound maximum each, same as airlines. Luggage should be clearly labeled with your name, address and contact number.
Bring an Additional Small Bag: It may take a few hours after embarkation for your luggage to be delivered to your stateroom. Likewise, suitcases are collected on the last night of your cruise. To avoid any complications, be sure to bring a small bag such as a backpack for carrying any necessary medication, valuables, important documents and need-to-have items.
Guests can select their arrival time during online check-in. For guests who have not completed online check-in, we recommend arriving to the cruise terminal after 12 pm, and at least two hours prior to the scheduled departure time.
Log into your MyNCL Account at ncl.com to access your reservation and book dining and/or entertainment.
Amenities differ depending on the stateroom selected. To learn more about amenities included with your stateroom, please visit our page here.
Download the Norwegian Cruise Line app on your smart device before embarkation and connect to the ship’s Wi-Fi as soon as you board. You can utilize the app to check your onboard account, make purchases, reservations and so much more!
For your convenience, all shipboard expenses are charged to your onboard account.
Yes, there are ATMs available 24/7 hours, fleetwide.
Although you can visit the Guest Services desk to inquire about an ADA room, there are no guarantees as rooms are subject to availability. We recommend calling NCL at 800.327.7030 as soon as possible to check availability rather than waiting until embarkation day.
A tender boat is a smaller vessel used to transport guests between the cruise ship and ports of call when the ship cannot dock directly at the port.
If the ship requires you to book the tender boat, you will be notified when on board.
If you booked your cruise with our Free At Sea or our Free At Sea Plus promotion, you can find the details of what’s included here. You can also upgrade to one of our Unlimited Wi-Fi packages—with or without streaming on the app, from your stateroom or at the Internet Café on board. For more details on Unlimited Wi-Fi Packages continue to our page here
To add Free At Sea™ to your reservation prior to sailing, please call us at 800-327-7030.
Upon Arrival
Luggage tags can be printed from your e-docs. Before the embarkation process, ensure your luggage tags are placed appropriately on each piece of luggage with your stateroom number clearly identified. The Freestyle Daily will have the approximate time that luggage delivery will end.
If your luggage is lost by the airline, please contact them as soon as possible to identify how they can assist you. Additionally, please kindly notify our onboard Guest Services team.
Once you are connected to the ship’s Wi-Fi, you can pay a one-time fee of $9.95 per person to add call or messaging functionality to each guest’s Cruise Norwegian app. You can call or message other guests who are also using the Cruise Norwegian app on board and have opted into the call and messaging feature.
A muster station, or “assembly station” is the designated checkpoint for guests in the unlikely event of an emergency. Your assembly station can be found on the bottom right-hand side of your Freestyle Card (which you receive at check-in). It can also be found on the signage behind your stateroom door. If you need assistance locating the muster station once on board the ship, please ask one of our shipboard team members for assistance.
You can view your onboard credit in your folio/onboard account which is accessible on the Cruise Norwegian app or on your stateroom TV.
Although we strongly recommend making your reservations in advance, onboard reservations can be made through your stateroom TV and phone or by asking the host/hostess at the specific restaurant where you'd like to dine. Please note that reservations are subject to availability. Guests on the ships listed below can also book dining.
Guests on the ships listed below can also book dining and entertainment reservations on embarkation day at the dedicated Reservation Hub. Please ask the shipboard team member for the exact location.
Norwegian Bliss®
Norwegian Breakaway®
Norwegian Encore®
Norwegian Escape®
Norwegian Getaway®
Norwegian Joy®
Norwegian Prima®
Norwegian Viva®
Latitude Rewards
Latitudes Rewards benefits differ depending on your Latitudes Rewards tier. To learn more about Latitudes Rewards visit our page here.
If applicable, Latitudes Rewards points and tiers will reflect on your account after the sailing has been completed.
Free At Sea™
If you make a change to your reservation such as upgrading your stateroom or changing categories, it is important to review your reservation to ensure that all the promotions you chose previously are still present.
Free At Sea™ can only be altered up until 48-hours prior to sail.
If you book a shore excursion and chose the $50 shore excursion nonrefundable credit as part of the More At Sea™ promotion, you will notice a $50 credit in your onboard account.
In the rare event your shore excursion is canceled, your onboard account will reflect a $50 charge, which will zero out the $50 credit per port.
Billing/Account Information
Staff members including complimentary restaurant staff, stateroom stewards and behind-the-scenes support staff are compensated with a combination of salary and incentive programs that your service charge supports.
To change the method of payment, please visit Guest Services or the Onboard Credit desk.
Yes! You can prepay service charges by adding them to your reservation up to 24-hours prior to embarkation in your My NCL Account, by contacting your travel professional or during the online check-in process. If you do not prepay, you will be charged on board.
For more information, visit our page here.
If your Upgrade Advantage offer is accepted, your reservation will be automatically upgraded and the credit card you submitted at the time of bidding will be charged. If your Upgrade Advantage offer is not accepted, you will receive an email notifying you; you will not be charged any additional amount, and you will stay in the stateroom that you originally booked.
You can choose to apply the same form of payment to everyone in your cabin during the online check-in process, which occurs between 21-3 days prior to sailing. To use the same form of payment for traveling companions in different staterooms, please do so during the check-in process on the day of embarkation at the port or on board at the Guest Services desk.
There are a few reasons why onboard accounts may be closed, please visit Guest Services for assistance. Should you need assistance, please visit Guest Services once on board.
At check-in, the credit/debit card is swiped, and an initial approval amount is obtained with your authorization signature. The maximum initial credit/debit card pre-authorization amount (hold) is $300.00 USD for all cruises. During embarkation, when your credit card is swiped, an initial approval amount is charged. Throughout the cruise, incremental holds will be placed as needed based on your daily spending.
The credit card is not charged until the end of the cruise. Holds will reduce the amount of available credit on the credit card or restrict the availability of cash in the checking/debit account. The timing of authorization hold releases to your account is entirely up to the issuing bank and beyond Norwegian Cruise Line’s control. The total amount of the onboard account will be charged (settled) only at the end of the cruise. Generally, this will show as one payment on your credit card statement unless there were multiple payments made throughout the cruise, such as for last minute purchases on disembarkation morning or late mini-bar charges.