PATs in Miami

[mrsgthatsme]

We have only cruised out of Port Canaveral in the past, so are trying to figure out if the "ideal" PAT for us is different in Miami. We like to hit the sweet spot when the terminal has cleared out quite a bit and we don't have to wait in long lines, but we have time to eat lunch at a decent time, etc... I feel like in PC its around 12-12:30 that the terminal clears and open boarding begins, so we were thinking of going for a 12-12:30 PAT. However, wondered if that "sweet spot" timeline was the same in Miami or if you had a different suggestion when sailing out of POM? Thank you!

 

[cvjw]

I will just say that the terminal we sailed out of in Miami had lots more seating. We easily found a place to sit, and we didn’t arrive at the terminal early - we drove down from Disney that morning.

We never are able to find a seat at port canaveral, there just aren’t that many seats, and it always feels crowded to us. It was not that way in Miami. Plenty of open seating, so the port area felt much less crowded.

 

[Marc D]

Historically, based on what I’ve read here, Miami terminal check-in and boarding both start 30 minutes later than PC. By that logic, a 12:30-1 PAT would be similar to OP’s usual one in PC. However, like @cvjw said, Miami terminal has ample seating and different zones to wait, so crowd feels different than in PC.

 

[Weedy]

It’s really about the same 12:30ish time frame. They start 1/2 our later but the Magic is a smaller ship so not as many people to get onboard

 

[mrsgthatsme]

Thanks so much for the advice. Glad to hear the seating situation is better in Miami. Given that information, I’m tempted to consider an earlier PAT. How long would you say we could expect to wait in line if we arrive on time for an 11:30 PAT? If it’s 30 mins or less, I might think about that! I just didn’t like the idea of waiting around in a crazy busy terminal like it seems to be at PC.

 

[Marc D]

Thanks so much for the advice. Glad to hear the seating situation is better in Miami. Given that information, I’m tempted to consider an earlier PAT. How long would you say we could expect to wait in line if we arrive on time for an 11:30 PAT? If it’s 30 mins or less, I might think about that! I just didn’t like the idea of waiting around in a crazy busy terminal like it seems to be at PC.

On a classic, the wait to check-in is never very long as long as there’s no technical problems. You should be check-in by 11:45 if you get to security by 11:30. After that, with an early boarding group, I would guess you would board around 12:15-12:20. Therefore, the wait between leaving the check-in counter and boarding should be around 30 minutes.