Boarding together or separate

[globalwife]

DH and I are cruising with my SIL and nephew all in the same room. We are wondering if we all have to check-in together since we are in the same room or can DH and I board and then SIL and nephew board later on?

 

Also, at the ports will we have to get off and on at the same time or will they give all of a us pass so we can come and go as we please.

 

Don´t think it matters but I am cruising with Pullmantur (owned by RCL.)

[cb at sea]

You don't have to wait for all to arrive.

In the ports, you may come and go as you please, as much as you like!

[paul929207]

Each of you can board separately or in any combination.

[Jen1000]

You can board individually. One thing I was upset about was that my aunt and cousin did not wait for the rest of us so we were not all in the same embarkation photo. :(

 

Jen in SoCal

[kitty9]

What everyone is forgetting is how your reservation is made. Are you all on one ticket with only one reservation number? If that's the case, and there is only one set of documents, you cannot check in separately as someone will be trying to check in without a ticket. If you have separate documents, then it doesn't matter, but if you're all on one ticket, you must check in together.

 

As for leaving the ship, you come and go as you please.

[taymiss2]

Is that really true? If booked under one reservation we have to board together? That is something I have not considered. My husband and youngest daughter are flying to Honolulu on Wednesday prior to Saturday cruise. Myself and oldest daughter, for many different reasons, are not able to go until day of the cruise and yes I am all ready worried about the flight being delayed and missing the ship.

 

Our plan was for Husband and D2 to board when ever they liked on Saturday. Myself and D1 would high tail it from the airport as soon as we can. So I guess what you are saying is this won't be possible? Or can we just call them and have them meet us back outside once we get there?

 

On another note I have been obsessively checking the flight status of our flight from DFW to HNL EVERY DAY. So far the on time (or early) % is about 99%. Unfortunetly yesterday the flight was 2 1/2 hours late. Yikes. That would have us cutting it close to the two hour ahead of time requirement for boarding.

[Essiesmom]

Everyone who is using the same credit card for their shipboard account must check in together. But if you are not using the same card, you can check in separately. Ten years ago, my sister and I were on the same ticket on Royal Princess, sailing from Buenos Aires. She arrived earlier on a different flight and was able to check in and was waiting at the gangway when I finally arrived. EM

[MICHLEV1974]

What everyone is forgetting is how your reservation is made. Are you all on one ticket with only one reservation number? If that's the case, and there is only one set of documents, you cannot check in separately as someone will be trying to check in without a ticket. If you have separate documents, then it doesn't matter, but if you're all on one ticket, you must check in together.

 

 

This is not true of all cruise lines. When in doubt, call the cruise line directly. I just called RCI (they are probably sick of hearing from me by now) but when in doubt, i go right to the source. I love this message board and all the posters, but sometimes, folks who chime in, are just posting to post and are not 100% certain of their answer.

 

You each can print your own set of documents and you can each check in separately and you can each show your own id and check in separately. I can see where the credit card issue may come about, but other than that, you can all check in on your own.

[taymiss2]

This is not true of all cruise lines. When in doubt, call the cruise line directly. I just called RCI (they are probably sick of hearing from me by now) but when in doubt, i go right to the source. I love this message board and all the posters, but sometimes, folks who chime in, are just posting to post and are not 100% certain of their answer.

 

You each can print your own set of documents and you can each check in separately and you can each show your own id and check in separately. I can see where the credit card issue may come about, but other than that, you can all check in on your own.

 

 

That makes more sense to me. I have enough things to worry about without adding to my list. lol

[cruiseco]

What everyone is forgetting is how your reservation is made. Are you all on one ticket with only one reservation number? If that's the case, and there is only one set of documents, you cannot check in separately as someone will be trying to check in without a ticket. If you have separate documents, then it doesn't matter, but if you're all on one ticket, you must check in together.

 

As for leaving the ship, you come and go as you please.

 

Once I was sailing with my sister and her family and the two nephews were sharing with me so the two of them and I were on one booking. I sent all the docs for our cabin up to them so they'd have something in hand and I showed up document-less a couple of hours after them. Not a problem at all. Another time I lost all my docs and showed up with just passport and credit card. No one cared. It's all in the computer and anything that needs a signature is available right there at the pier.

 

Quite a number of people show up every week with no docs -- they left them at home, they put them in their baggage that the airline has lost, they fell out of their pocket on the taxi ride to the pier. It's common and the folks at the pier are well versed on how to handle those arriving with no kind of docs from the cruise line.

 

This is why cruise line execs love the idea of e-docs. With the computerized systems available at the pier there's hardly any reason to print everything up and mail them other than the fact that people like to have something more impressive than a printed-out one page email with them when they arrive. To the number-crunchers the whole idea of the traditional docs is a huge waste of money.

[taymiss2]

[

 

This is why cruise line execs love the idea of e-docs.

 

You have put my mind at ease about that. Now just have to worry about my plane being late.

 

Although, there are worse places to miss the ship than Hawaii. It will be just a short interisland fight to meet the plane in Maui the next morning. Not ideal but it is not like the ship will be at sea for a few days or that I will have to take an expensive fiight to catch up. Fingers crossed.

[kitty9]

This is not true of all cruise lines. When in doubt, call the cruise line directly. I just called RCI (they are probably sick of hearing from me by now) but when in doubt, i go right to the source. I love this message board and all the posters, but sometimes, folks who chime in, are just posting to post and are not 100% certain of their answer.

 

You each can print your own set of documents and you can each check in separately and you can each show your own id and check in separately. I can see where the credit card issue may come about, but other than that, you can all check in on your own.

 

You're not being very polite when you write "folks who chime in are just posting to post". I'm sorry if MY experience after 61 cruises doesn't jive with yours. But after so many cruises, and booking with others on the same ticket, we were told we had to check in together. They would not accept photocopies of the ticket because then anyone could do that and get on board without paying, plus it's a security issue. We were told by the cruise lines that they will not accept photocopies of a ticket. But as others have said, perhaps not all cruise lines have issues with those things, but some do, and it's only fair to let others know they could have difficulties.

 

So please, accept what others have to say with regards to their experiences and don't belittle them if what you experience is different. Just post what you have learned and pass it on. Or better yet, the OP should just call the cruise line and get first hand information. But if that were the case, then CC doesn't need to exist because everyone can get every question answered if they just took the time and called their cruise line instead of depending on the answers from those of us who are just posting to post.

[taymiss2]

Darice,

 

Don't know how long it took you to accumulate 61 cruises but just curious if edoc's were even in existance for many of those? I am going to call NCL to be sure but it does make sense to me that an edoc is just that. We wouldn't have to worry about the paper ticket since it is electronic? The credit card issue is completely different one. We each have our own card so can just present that when we arrive. I will report back what I am told when I call to inquire if arriving separately will be a problem.

 

Thanks

[kitty9]

My first cruise was in 1975 on Carnival's Festivale. Of course back then there were no edocs. I've been very lucky to have taken cruises on just about every line out there, including the big four of the luxury lines. Not every line has edocs, by the way, not even now. Lines like Crystal cannot be booked directly through the cruise line---you have to use a travel agent of some kind. Not all the internet companies will book Crystal.

[globalwife]

Thanks all!

 

Kitty, have you ever cruised with Pullmantur by chance? I couldn't book direct with them either. They refered me to a TA.