Is it better to arrive early so as to avoid the crowd's. I am sailing on the Dawn on 8/12/06

We've really had better luck around 2pm. Last year we arrived at 1:30pm and literally walked on the ship. We stopped at the counter, signed our sail/sign record, picked up our cards, and walked to the ship. The year before, we arrived around 2:30, and had the same luck. Hope this helps.