Don't Miss the Boat: New Check-In Rules

[LauraS]

Cruise Critic has just posted the following news:

Don't Miss the Boat: New Check-In Rules

Read the entire news article...

[imola]

Originally Posted by LauraS

Cruise Critic has just posted the following news:

Don't Miss the Boat: New Check-In Rules

Read the entire news article...

We are cruising in May and did not know about the 90 minute rule. We live close and will be driving to the port so will ensure that we have lots of time. Thanks for giving us the up to date information.

[Monkeythyme]

This is one of many reasons that we no longer fly. Once you take the same day travel advantage from flying, there is not a whole lot left to entice me, and DW feels the same [and more so].
Maybe if they had really hot screeners patting me down, but now they use wands; so impersonal.

[tp6989]

Although I have never had this situation happen to me I have seen two cases in the past year where a number of passengers came running up to the ship either at the debarkation time or after. In all probability most of these were passengers that had booked their air thru the cruise line. However, I wonder how the cruise line managers to get around the 90 minute rule for those passengers? In both cases the ship departed within 30 minutes after these passengers boarded.

[RCfanNdallas]

I decided to save a little money and fly out the day of the cruise...I did book the earliest flight of the day and when we got to the runway, one of the engines conked out....pulled back to the gate, took two hours to fix and then we go back out to the runway and south Florida ATC is closed for incoming traffic due to weather...and we were flying to Ft Lauderdale to save money over MIA but going out of Port of Miami...talk about a horrible way to start a vacation...The saving grace was that Royal Caribbean wanted our dollars on board...they put us in a town car and rushed us to the port...then after all of that, the captain held the boat for 2 hours because of the crazy weather and over 200 passengers were not going to make it if he did not... I learned my leason....I always fly the day or two before...gives you time to relax at the beach and not feel stress the morning you get up to head to the port....honestly, if you are using one nights hotel as an excuse because you cannot afford it...then a cruise might not be for you...there are so many unexpected things that pop up...plus there is always a cheap hotel near the port...well under $100 a night....budget this expense and fly in ahead of time...makes the trip so much more enjoyable....IMHO...

[paulgduck]

I have read that you can check in early, drop your stuff off, and then get off the boat to go look round town (especially in New orleans). Does anyone know if you have already checked in, whether the 90 min boarding policy still applies ?

[Kennykat]

I did not know this. How nice, we get to cool our heels at least 90 minutes in what is usually a very comfortable and well appointed area.....just one more reason I'm traveling less and less. It would behoove the cruise lines to provide a comfortable area to enjoy this exercise or they may see a decline in bookings. K

[Erica@cruisecritic]

Kennykat, you don't have to wait in the boarding area -- you can get on the ship and enjoy the buffet, pool, etc. I often arrive at the pier several hours before my cruise so I can maximize my onboard time. The rules simply prevent you from rushing to the pier to check in minutes before the ship is set to depart.

Paulgduck, I know that the 90-minute rule is for going through the embarkation process, so the cruise line has an up-to-date manifest. When you physically need to be on the ship would be up to the cruise line -- preferably before they pull up the gangway! I don't know if it causes problems for you to be checked in but not physically onboard.

[puffer46]

Another reason to fly in a day early And most of all get "TRAVEL INS." especially if your cruise is in the winter ...