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NO Priority boarding line in Port Everglades ?!?


voljeep
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This is all so confusing!!!!

Some people saying general boarding was faster... Some people finally ushered to Priority???

 

I will be following all of this...

Might show up early at the port, get in line with all other early-arrivals, and just push to get onboard as soon as possible???

In light of BVE, Elite, Platinum, and early general boarding at a cost...

This is just sounding crazy.

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When we arrived around 11am at Terminal 2 in Feb there wasn't any waiting to go through security. As stated above there were lines for Priority Boarding once you were inside to get your cruise cards. We were also given the following paper. The doors to the corridor where our stateroom was located were closed. You could store your carry-on luggage in the Crown Grill. Since we were doing the BonVoyage we were one of the first on.

 

FLL.jpg

 

Wow, sure hoping this doesn't go fleetwide! It's one of the things we've loved about Princess in the past - that you can get to your cabin before 1pm.

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Wow, sure hoping this doesn't go fleetwide! It's one of the things we've loved about Princess in the past - that you can get to your cabin before 1pm.

 

 

Got the same notice on our Feb 2018 Crown sailing.

 

They had the priority line outside which was short, no signage above and priority line inside,we were one of the first on but the cabins were not ready until 12:50. The CD announced when they were ready for you to go to.

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and another perk bites the dust...and another...and another...

 

Princess well on it's way to Barnival cruise line...:(

You can say that again.

 

Coffee cards expiring.

No gelato for a punch.

No more BOGO for $1.

Now it's rooms not ready.

No horderves at the Capt party.

No strawberries at all in the buffet.

No more drinks to be ordered at the Capt party.

 

I wonder if the early boarding fee includes having your cabin ready also?

Looks like we're all paying for the ***** one way or another.

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As far as the cabins not being ready, I first experience that THREE years ago on Regal. Then 2 years ago on Caribbean and then again last Dec. on Royal the cabins were available as normal. I think it's just a case by case matter...ship gets in late, delayed debarkcation, etc.

At least they now seem to have a drop place because when it happened to us 3 years ago, we were stuck in the Piazza with all of our carry-ons, which included many bottles of wine. Was impossible to go to the Buffet or even Alfredo's.

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Also the priority boarding line has been eliminated in Florida.

 

 

The topic is about priority for boarding, and that would not start until after check-in, so priority for security or for checking in is not the question.

Edited by caribill
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Wow, sure hoping this doesn't go fleetwide! It's one of the things we've loved about Princess in the past - that you can get to your cabin before 1pm.

 

I'm missing something here. We boarded the Regal last weekend at 11am, and dropped our bags in our room. The room steward was in the hallway and told us that the room was't ready yet, but we could drop our bags and do what we wanted, and it should be ready in less than an hour.

So we dropped our bags by the bed and left. We were going to go eat anyway, like most folks. No issue at all.

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When we arrived around 11am at Terminal 2 in Feb there wasn't any waiting to go through security. As stated above there were lines for Priority Boarding once you were inside to get your cruise cards. We were also given the following paper. The doors to the corridor where our stateroom was located were closed. You could store your carry-on luggage in the Crown Grill. Since we were doing the BonVoyage we were one of the first on.

 

FLL.jpg

 

 

We had the same notice on Royal in december.

 

You were invited to drop your carry-on luggage in club 6.

 

We went to our cabin, which was mostly ready, and left our carry on luggage there.

 

We then had to dawdle, as we were too early for lunch in the dining room.

 

Even if the cabin is not ready until a bit later, I think waiting on the ship

is better than waiting in the terminal.

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The topic is about priority for boarding, and that would not start until after check-in, so priority for security or for checking in is not the question.

Yes, but eliminating the priority line outside the terminal make the preferred people wait in line with hundreds of others sometimes.

I view this as a cutback for a perk that I've earned throughout the years by being loyal to Princess.

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We have not found a priority line at Fll the past two years. We have decided it is just easier to checkout later at the hotel. We want to have a good start to our vacation and standing in line outside for over a hour gets to be stressful. A nice lunch at the hotel is much more relaxing.

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We have not found a priority line at Fll the past two years. We have decided it is just easier to checkout later at the hotel. We want to have a good start to our vacation and standing in line outside for over a hour gets to be stressful. A nice lunch at the hotel is much more relaxing.

That's all well & good but what about the people arriving by bus & planes. The majority really don't have much choice in when they get to the terminal.

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That's all well & good but what about the people arriving by bus & planes. The majority really don't have much choice in when they get to the terminal.

 

They can purchase faster to the fun.

 

If I were princess, I would start enforcing the staggared boarding, as it would

make faster to the fun more profitable.

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We've seen it both ways. In December, there was a separate priority line at Terminal 21 for our Royal Princess cruise, but the regular line to get through security was moving faster. We jumped out of the priority one and into the regular line. I wish we had known sooner about how much faster the regular line was going, but we did not see it until we rounded a corner.

 

It was moving twice as fast

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Not even sure of the issue :). But consider that an awful lot of Princess cruises qualify for "priority boarding" which include all the Elites, Suites, and apparently even others who are willing to pay extra for priority. On several cruises (with multiple cruise lines including Princess) we have actually avoided priority lines (although we qualify) because the regular lines were shorter :). But our experience at Port Everglades is that we almost always got priority boarding (we are Elite) along with a thousand plus others who also qualified. Perhaps the question should be "when is priority not really priority?" And the obvious answer is when most folks are priority.

 

Hank

 

Platinum cruisers also qualify for priority boarding, so if you count platinum, elite, suite passengers, plus anyone who has paid extra for it in the new program just instituted, that can be on some sailings, more than 1/2 of the passengers.

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We just got off the Regal, my first cruise in over a year. There was no priority line outside the terminal when we got there at 9:45 am, just one line of people waiting........

 

Let's see. 20 Princess cruises, probably 13 or 14 from FLL, we have NEVER seen priority boarding before the security checkpoint. It ALWAYS starts at the actual check-in stations, after you clear security. Same at Dover, and several others. Before security, it is one line for everyone.

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Let's see. 20 Princess cruises, probably 13 or 14 from FLL, we have NEVER seen priority boarding before the security checkpoint. It ALWAYS starts at the actual check-in stations, after you clear security. Same at Dover, and several others. Before security, it is one line for everyone.

 

Well let's see....this was our first cruise out of 7 or 8 on Princess (I know not as impressive) that didn't have a designated Priority line before security. I think because we got there later than usual and the doors were already opened.

There was ALWAYS a Priority line, before security, in our previous cruises when we arrived before they opened the doors to the terminal at Fort Lauderdale.

 

They also pull the Bon Voyage groups to the front of the marked Priority line. (We've done it 3 times)

Maybe that wasn't your experience but it was certainly ours.

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Let's see. 20 Princess cruises, probably 13 or 14 from FLL, we have NEVER seen priority boarding before the security checkpoint. It ALWAYS starts at the actual check-in stations, after you clear security. Same at Dover, and several others. Before security, it is one line for everyone.

 

This was our 18th cruise, 17tho out of FLL and the first cruise that didn't have separate lines outside the doors for priority vs general boarding.

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That's how it was for us at Terminal 2 in december . We arrived at 10:05 and the doors were already open and in we went. Given the Elite A and sent upstairs. We were on board before 11.

 

 

 

It used to be that they wouldn't open the door until around 11 so we had no choice but to stand outside.

 

 

 

Thanks for this. This is what I was getting ready to inquire about.

We arrived last year at 12:30 to Terminal 2 and the doors still hadn’t opened as there had been previous delays due to bad wind. People were still disembarking.

Usually we arrive around 11-11:30, so now I can plan accordingly.

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Let's see. 20 Princess cruises, probably 13 or 14 from FLL, we have NEVER seen priority boarding before the security checkpoint. It ALWAYS starts at the actual check-in stations, after you clear security. Same at Dover, and several others. Before security, it is one line for everyone.

 

I politely have to disagree with you, but up until December 2017, we ALWAYS had a priority line outside the terminal. Out of all of my Princess cruises, 14 of them have been out of FLL and we have always have gotten there around the 10 am mark and there has always been 2 separate lines. Sometimes there was a separation, sometimes it was just kept separate by a port employee. The general boarding line was always closest to the building/wall and the preferred/priority line was on the outside. I've seen almost fights break out when when with priority boarding would attempt to break into the front of the priority line outside when everyone else has been waiting for about an hour outside in line!

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Let's see. 20 Princess cruises, probably 13 or 14 from FLL, we have NEVER seen priority boarding before the security checkpoint. It ALWAYS starts at the actual check-in stations, after you clear security. Same at Dover, and several others. Before security, it is one line for everyone.

 

 

 

We’ve gone out of Terminal 2 8 times and there has always been a priority line alongside the regular line outside leading to the security check point.

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we've seen both

 

got there way early once - no traffic at all... - single line at first, but then closer to going thru door - they moved the elites. priority etc into a separate line.

 

like someone posted before - the 'non-priority' boarders were against the wall...:cool:

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They can purchase faster to the fun.

 

If I were princess, I would start enforcing the staggared boarding, as it would

make faster to the fun more profitable.

 

If they did enforce staggered boarding it would only create more congestion then every at the terminal. You do realize that most people don't pay attention to the instructions.

 

Well let's see....this was our first cruise out of 7 or 8 on Princess (I know not as impressive) that didn't have a designated Priority line before security. I think because we got there later than usual and the doors were already opened.

There was ALWAYS a Priority line, before security, in our previous cruises when we arrived before they opened the doors to the terminal at Fort Lauderdale.

 

They also pull the Bon Voyage groups to the front of the marked Priority line. (We've done it 3 times)

Maybe that wasn't your experience but it was certainly ours.

I agree. Until this last cruise I've always seen the priority line outside the terminal. If in the future they let people in the terminal as soon as they arrive & then separate them according to class it could work providing they have the personal to open the doors early enough before a large crowd forms.

It would have been nice if had they explained it to the Princess workers so they could let everyone know what was going on.

Oh, one more thing. They didn't pass out the health forms to people standing on line. They waited until you entered the terminal.

One more reason to have the health forms filled out in advance before hand.

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I politely have to disagree with you, but up until December 2017, we ALWAYS had a priority line outside the terminal. Out of all of my Princess cruises, 14 of them have been out of FLL and we have always have gotten there around the 10 am mark and there has always been 2 separate lines. Sometimes there was a separation, sometimes it was just kept separate by a port employee. The general boarding line was always closest to the building/wall and the preferred/priority line was on the outside. I've seen almost fights break out when when with priority boarding would attempt to break into the front of the priority line outside when everyone else has been waiting for about an hour outside in line!

 

You must get there way early. We usually arrive between 11:30 and 12:00. That might be the difference. We're Elite and line up with everyone else until through security. THEN they direct you to different check-in lines. (MSC had a different security line for Black Card, which was a surprise for us!)

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