susanf31

"I see no reason for 80% of the answers to dog pile on you. Cruise Critic used to be a place to learn all the best money saving tips, time efficient shortcuts, didja-know-about-this inside deals, etc.  Now people get very angry if they suspect you are getting something slightly better than they are."

LMaxwell, thank you! I apprecite that.

Now for my next question. How early should my family get to the pool to throw a bunch of towels on the deck chairs to save them for the day???  (JUST KIDDING!)

7 minutes ago, CruisingHogFan said:

I think the OP has disappeared since no one would agree with her. 

I have not disappeared. I have read all of the responses and appreciate everyone who took the time to politely give their 2 cents. 

First of all, i don't know who assumed it was my parents. It is not my parents. It is family members flying in the night before and staying in CC for the night. We will be dropping them off at the terminal.  I stopped by last Sunday around 1:30 p.m. to get a feel of what it will be like when we drop them off.  The line was horrendous. I asked the security agent if it was always like that. He said "Nope, doors open at 10:00. There is nobody here then. Then it gets like this from about noon until 3:00 p.m. Then the line dies down again." 

That is why I posed the question here. Figuring out options.

But, like most of the internet, it flew quickly off the rails with insults and accusations. LOL  My favorite is the one who said if you arrive earlier than >30 minutes before your check-in time should have to go to the end of the line.  If we are "sticking to the rules" and "adhering to check-in times", then anyone not arriving at their assigned time should have to go to the back of the line for the day, right? Because if you miss your 10:00 am check-in group and want to jump in line at noon, after all of the 10:00 am folks should have already been boarded, then you are, indeed, a LINE CUTTER!!!!!  You've added another person to the Noon group who should not be in it, making their line longer and everyone behind them. 

I will relay all of the excellent advice you all have given to them so they can make their choice as to when they want to arrive.

But again, I'll repeat - if you ever have a delayed flight or there is a traffic accident on SR 528 - which OFTEN happens, and you end up arriving late, you will WISH some folks got on early to shorten the line for you late arrivers. Wrecks and backed up traffic on SR 528 is especially common on days where a rocket launch is going off, fishing tournaments at Port Canaveral and any holiday weekend with beach traffic.

1 hour ago, Another_Critic said:

The way it should work:  Anyone that shows up before (> 30 minutes) their assigned time should go to the end of the line (and continue to be pushed to the end as other people show up for their assigned times.

This is so absolutely silly.  If your logic holds, then anyone who shows AFTER their assigned time  should ALSO go to the end of the line for the entire day, right? Because if you were supposed to board at 10:00 a.m. and didn't show up until noon, you would essentially be "cutting in line" in front of people with noon boarding times.

Personally, I think anyone staying in Cape Canaveral or Cocoa Beach the night before should board as early as possible and get out of the way. Then people with flight delays or if SR528 (The Beachline) has an accident and everyone arrives late and all at once, won't have so much chaos to deal with. 

18 minutes ago, cured said:

Actually, they won't be sitting in the air conditioned terminal. They will have to wait outside till their assigned noon time.

 

Nowhere in your original post nor in the title do you even mention "if there is no line."  Your excuses evolved as you received more and more negative feedback.  And you are relying on one single security guard's word. I would be curious to know how many other security guards you queried before you got one that told you what you wanted to hear.

 

This is a common phenomenon on social media platforms. People ask about breaking rules, get feedback they don't want to hear, and then change and evolve their story, hoping to get just one post that will validate their reason to break the rules.
 

You may want to view the many, many videos out there that show enormous lines early on for boarding Harmony. None of them back up your security guard's statement.

 

 

How many times have you sailed on Harmony out of Port Canaveral, Cured?  I actually took your advice and looked up the "enormous lines early for boarding Harmony."  Here is what people who have actually done it recently are saying:

_____________________________________________________

"

That being said, if interested in boarding early and unable to get appropriate time slot, weigh the risk/reward of getting on vs. having to wait for assigned time.  If it's worth the risk, awesome.  (Our boarding time was never checked).

Agreed.

Of all our cruises, assigned boarding times are never checked"

____________________________________________

So if boarding times are not checked, then you can enter the terminal before your boarding time. Which is EXACTLY what the security agent told me last Sunday. He said "the doors open at 10:00 and you can walk right in."  If there's no lines, perhaps they will let them check in. If they can't, then they can take a seat inside the terminal and await their boarding time.  

14 minutes ago, JuliaSugarbaker said:

I have a 10:30 time in a couple weeks for Harmony, so yes if you arrive early you are essentially cutting the line because you chose a later check in time. If you and all the other 12:00 people show up two hours early, it’s not fair to people who were on the ball and got earlier times. 
 

I can’t believe grown adults don’t understand this. Nobody likes a line cutter, don’t be that person. 

"Nobody likes a line cutter, don't be that person"? When I specifically said "IF THERE IS NO LINE".  <Shaking my head>. If there is NO LINE then there is NO LINE to cut.  If there is a line, then can they sit in the air conditioned terminal while awaiting their assigned time? Is this question really that opaque or are people really just trying to make this about something that is not even being asked?

Again, let's not get off on a "that's not fair" tangent.

I'm not asking to cut in line. I've been told by a security agent who works at this terminal every week that there is NO LINE at 10:00 a.m.

The question is - if the doors open at 10:00 and we are allowed inside AND THERE IS NO LINE, has anyone ever been able to check-in before their check-in time?

I would think that if there is NO LINE and a people with a noon check-in get there early, they might want to go ahead and board them since such a huge line will soon be building around noon.

If no, then if they arrive at 10:00, right when the doors open, perhaps they will be able to have a seat in the terminal instead of standing in line outside in the heat.

One good thing about Port Canaveral is even if they aren't allowed in, there are several restaurants within walking distance to hang out in while waiting on assigned check-in times.  🙂

That's why I spoke to the security guy. He told me that at that particular cruise terminal that houses Harmony of the Seas, the line is always zero at 10:00 a.m. and the doors open. He suggested to get there then or after 3:00 p.m., and he is there every week.

Here's the issue. I live in Cape Canaveral. I stopped by Port Canaveral and viewed the line to get in the terminal- Harmony of the Seas, because we have family sailing on her next week.  The line was HUGE - HOURS long in a very hot parking garage.

I spoke a security guy. He said the line looks like that from noon to 3:00 p.m.  He said that there is absolutely NO line from about 10:00 am to noon and the doors to the terminal open at 10:00 a.m.  From noon to 3:00 p.m, the line is monsterous. Then after 3:00 p.m. there is no line once again.

So if we can get them there at 10:00 a.m. if would actually help shorten the busiest time of noon - 3:00 p.m.  Again, I witnessed this first hand.

Just wondering if they got there when the doors open at 10:00 a.m., would they let them check in or at least wait in the air conditioned terminal.

Here's a video of the line I'm speaking about.

In answer to why they didn't choose an earlier time. Noon was the earliest time available.  

How strict is RCL on assigned check-in times?

We have a check-in at noon, but would prefer to arrive at 10:00 am. Is that possible?

I live in Port Canaveral and saw the NCL Escape docked yesterday, 2/22.  She sails from here Saturday/Saturday, so why was is she in her home port on a Tuesday?

It's very hard to find on NCL's website so here is their specific instructions on how to get a refund instead of FCC.

Relief and disappointment.  We were super worried about some of our family possibly testing positive at check-in and wind up with some of us not getting on board - ruining our family vacation.

Since they cancelled, we all get our money back. We rented a huge beach house in Siesta Key next week and will make the best of our new vacation plans!

1 hour ago, Heather1972 said:

Noticed my paid in full  2/5/2022 NCL Escape cruise as of yesterday says “cruise on hold, time is running out... make payment”. So is this always the kiss of death and the cruise is going to be canceled? Others on this cruise have called NCL and NCL says nothing is wrong. My gut is telling me otherwise. Thoughts?

 

 

 

Interesting. I see they are no longer selling the 2/5 cruise, but they are selling the week before and the week after. Maybe they are planning on taking a pause that week.  It would be nice if they would tell you so you can make other plans.

I just logged on to my 1/15 Escape reservation and it is not showing "On Hold".  Looks like it is still a go.

Escape 1/15 sailing. Just won a bid to upgrade from a regular balcony cabin to a Club Suite Balcony - $75 pp or $150 total.

Sailing on Escape 1/15.  We just got a new letter from NCL regarding our upcoming cruise.

It's basically a very lengthy letter saying - we are SO happy you are cruising with us even though we can't guarantee anything will be open or that we will actually stop in any ports.  

NCL.pdf

We had to burn 9 hours in Orlando once. We went to International drive and went to the Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum and Wonder Works and had a blast!  There's lots to do in "I-Drive" to keep you busy for the day without spending "Disney" kind of money.

"Maybe you were just against this cruise from the get go because of the cancelled port?"

That's not fair to assume.  We appreciate ALL honest reviews - the good, bad and ugly.

Sounds like this poster wasn't only disappointed in missing GSC, but didn't really enjoy the overall vibe of the cruise.  I could see that happening in these strange times.

12 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/01/03/passengers-quarantine-in-hotel-instead-of-going-home-after-cruise/?fbclid=IwAR20UouJdr8LYjPkpTnc79QVYQ8k7h-dsPQimER5dHDg72n-XkgWFNSTG8Q

 

Important to note that he is quarantining because he can't back into Ireland. Not because of any rules or laws in Florida.  If you live in the USA and get off a ship in Florida testing positive, you are free to return home.  I live right behind the Radisson - it's a nice hotel and near many restaurants he can walk to but I still feel badly for them.  I'm surprised Radisson is taking quarartining folks. It's the #1 hotel in the area where people stay before getting on a cruise...that's not a good mix.

What state was this in? After hearing this horrible story, I would only sail out of a Florida port. Florida isn’t playing quarantine games, “call the police” games, none of that. If anyone tried to heard you to a hotel here, you could just walk away and be fine.

NCL is incentivizing people to not self-report. That’s really bad. They should be treating positive cases like kings and queens, anything else and they are destroying their own industry will horror stories like this.

1 hour ago, mpk218 said:

Agreed , up until recently it did say " 3 days prior to arrival " it now says " 3 days prior to commencement of travel "   thats a big change .

No, it doesn't say that.  It says "3 days prior to travel".  Here it is directly from their site, which was updated 1/3/22.  Domestic Travel (includes U.S. mainland and other U.S. Territories): Domestic travelers must submit a negative result from an antigen or nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) (e.g., RT- PCR) COVID-19 test taken within 3 days of travel.

It then gives a diagram for example. Showing that if you are arriving on a Saturday, your "day 3" would be Wednesday.  Day 2 is Thursday.  Day 1 is Friday.  And Saturday is day-of-arrival.

12 minutes ago, mpk218 said:

But now they will need to decide the definition of Commencement . Tomorrow i will be within 3 days of Commencement of travel on a ship . Of course I may not arrive until next Friday . I hope that works for them .. 

We travel to the USVI's frequently and it means 3 days prior to arrival.  So if you arrive on Saturday, your test has to be taken by Wednesday and results must be received prior to arrival.  They have a handy guide on their travel portal.  https://www.usvitravelportal.com/.   However, this does not apply to cruise ship arrivals.

28 minutes ago, Quincella said:

I've been looking at backup options in case NCL cancels before our 1/16 Encore cruise, and I hadn't even considered this!  I now have a couple of different cruises and rooms picked, just in case.

 

Glad you put this out there!  It's actually a  much less expensive option to booking a resort in the Keys for the week, for example.

From my research, all other cruise lines require a negative test taken within 2 days of sailing.  So make sure to book a Covid test for 2 days before your Plan B cruises if they aren't on NCL.  We have Covid test booked for 1/13 so we will be able to sail on a 1/15 cruise with another cruise line should our NCL cruise get cancelled.

15 minutes ago, TNcruising02 said:

Even though it's high season, maybe some land travelers are also cancelling.  I have no clue how things will be the weekend of our cruise.  We are open to spending a week near Orlando, so the lodging options should be high.  Hopping on another  cruise sounds like a fun option, but I think things will get worse before they get better on the ships.  It's really too bad such a mild variant is shutting things down like this.

Housing is always easy in Orlando. There is so much of it. It's beach housing that will be a problem and obscenely expensive. Florida is BOOMING right now with tourists because we are a completely open state. No masks, no mandates. FREE! Keep in mind that Disney now requires advance reservations for tickets so you might not be going there.  They require you to purchase your tickets AND make a reservation to use them so try doing that before you book a house!

11 minutes ago, beerman2 said:

If they paid with FCC they are only getting FCC credit to their latitudes account, only  people getting “ money” back are those that paid with CC/money.

That's not what #5 says.  What am I missing?