Carnival to trial allowing you in stateroom by 11AM

[USNUZULOOSE]

Are they going to allow you to board sooner? I remember we couldnt board till 11:45. I think I read they were using other crew member from other areas to help the room stewards do the cleaning.

[CCLNCLRCICRUISER]

I am wondering if the reason they are trying this is they think more people will possibility carry on all of their luggage if they know they can go right to their cabin..... this would mean less luggage transfer costs and maybe fewer porters.

 

Most people dont want to take a 7 day cruise with carry on size bags.

[Grampy]

I am wondering if the reason they are trying this is they think more people will possibility carry on all of their luggage if they know they can go right to their cabin..... this would mean less luggage transfer costs and maybe fewer porters.

 

 

Also it would free up space in the Lido area if people didn't camp out there after they ate.

[BUSTERBROWN99]

Thanks for the reply & the info, much appreciated!! We will arrive as planned! :)

[GRAMMYTAN]

When we first started cruising with Carnival our cabins were always ready when we boarded around 11 am. The first time we did not have access to our cabin until 1:30 was in October 2007.

However with early cabin access, when the cruise was over, we were also asked to not wait in our cabin until our number or color was called. We were assigned various waiting areas according to our luggage tag color. Personally, I would rather be able to wait in my cabin until my number is called even if it means not accessing my cabin until 1:30 when I board.

While leaving the ship the hallways are already difficult to navigate with laundry, trays, trash etc. and with the self assist guests lined up to leave the ship with tons of luggage, I cannot even begin to imagine how the poor stewards will accomplish getting the cabins cleaned when they can't even maneuver through the hallways.

[popsec]

I doubt they could have everyone on board by 11am, anyway.

 

Platinum staterooms have been done by 11am, anyway. Maybe they will start boarding by decks or something.

 

We're milestone and I've never noticed our cabins being ready any earlier....

[jambyfire]

We're milestone and I've never noticed our cabins being ready any earlier....

 

 

Us too (platinum) and never got in before 1330

[halos]

Jeez I wonder how the crew is going to deal with that? And are they shuffling people off earlier?

 

:eek:

I'm not 100% sure this is a good thing (yet)

Personally, I never minded not being able to get to my cabin until 2-ish...I like that it was clean when I got in there.

 

I'm not sure how a now limited number of stewards are going to pull this off...if they can, bless their hearts but I can't imagine this is going to be easy.

 

This.

 

 

 

I dont get how folks are making this seem impossible when other lines are doing it no problem.

It depends...having never sailed Princess of HAL, I'm not sure if they have more working stewards than CCL or not (??) If the number of stewards per cabins is equal, then this is good news if it works. :)

[acetray]

I am looking forward to this, with a kid it will be great to have our room

[T. Advisor King]

This seems like a good idea to me. If other lines can do it, I don't see what makes Carnival so special that it can't. I agree with an earlier poster who suggested that they may simply be hiring part time workers to come in and do a shift to get the rooms ready. They may have found that passengers who get to their cabins earlier spend more money sooner. I'm not sure why that is, but maybe it's a psychological thing.

 

As for getting to your cabins before they're officially "open", I haven't found it to be a problem the times I've tried it. Go to your deck and there is almost always a door open. Slip in and slip out. If you encounter any staff, ask permission. No one is disturbed, slowed down or interrupted.

 

With all that said, if there is something I strive to avoid on vacation, it is waking up other than naturally (i.e., either by alarm or due to a cabin announcement). I would gladly take 2 hours off the front end to add 2 hours on the back end.

[sooner33]

Since my next cruise is on the Victory out of San Juan , this would be awesome to drop off bags and go ahead and get back off ship to explore , since we dont leave port until 10pm . BUT i agree i rather wait and have a clean room :) I dont want the stewards rushed too bad where they dont do a good job

[acetray]

This seems like a good idea to me. If other lines can do it, I don't see what makes Carnival so special that it can't. I agree with an earlier poster who suggested that they may simply be hiring part time workers to come in and do a shift to get the rooms ready. They may have found that passengers who get to their cabins earlier spend more money sooner. I'm not sure why that is, but maybe it's a psychological thing.

 

As for getting to your cabins before they're officially "open", I haven't found it to be a problem the times I've tried it. Go to your deck and there is almost always a door open. Slip in and slip out. If you encounter any staff, ask permission. No one is disturbed, slowed down or interrupted.

 

With all that said, if there is something I strive to avoid on vacation, it is waking up other than naturally (i.e., either by alarm or due to a cabin announcement). I would gladly take 2 hours off the front end to add 2 hours on the back end.

I think I would rather be on the ship to get my cruise started, At the end I know it is over and know the trip in front of me is no fun, so I am just ready to get it over

[italianfemmy]

I've only read page 1 of this thread but this isn't something I am thrilled about at all. I am NOT a morning person. I often find myself doing something at midnight (like a comedy show) the night before getting off of the ship and I drag myself slowly out of bed the next morning as it is to get out of the room by 8am.

 

The last thing I normally think about when I step onto a ship is going to my stateroom. Hurry up and get there early just to go to your room? Bah! lol. Yes, I can understand wanting to put your belongings down but at the sake of other people having little sleep and having to potentially drive several hours home on no sleep? Not to mention those poor cabin stewards that will be forced into rushing even more as if they don't already have enough to do. No doubt, this will cut into their sleep schedule forcing them to wake up even earlier to change the rooms over. But they won't get to go to bed any earlier because they still have to do the dinner change overs for all of the rooms.

[kelkel2]

I don't understand why its so big of a deal to just wait. We were group #1 on the ship on princess and we were able to go straight to our room, but that was after 12 pm. Our room looked nice, but I just don't think its fair to the stewards to make them even more stressed that day than they already are. I personally would rather wait and have a room that is cleaner because the steward didn't rush!

[zqvol]

Don't be surprised if they stop letting people on board before noon or so, that combined with getting people out of the cabins by 8:00 gives the stewards just as much time as they have now.

[Sargent_Schultz]

It is an undocumented Platinum benefit. Our stateroom has always been ready when we board. Been that way for years.

 

[Puskylover]

This is great news. If the cheerleaders feel bad for stewards then throw some more money at them. Princess has done this forever.

[askimdog]

My thoughts, I'd love it. I try to avoid the Lido deck that first couple hours on board, too crowded for food or kicking back in a lounge chair etc. It seems that Carnival has 10 x the bartenders roaming and hounding you to get a drink. So to be able to get to my room and drop off bags would be great. Think of how the crowds would be better on the Lido.

 

Plus, after getting to the port, dealing with porters, standing inline to get registered, photo taken etc. I am ready to unwind somewhere and drop my stuff.

 

I don't think anything was said about leaving your room earlier because of this new plan, and I never had a problem with disembarkation day before, but I am an early riser and normally out of the cabin by 6 or 7 AM anyway.

[gtalum]

This will be a great change. I suspect the stewards will actually like it. Their workload isn't increased, it's just shifted earlier.

[italianfemmy]

This is great news. If the cheerleaders feel bad for stewards then throw some more money at them. Princess has done this forever.

 

Cheerleaders because we feel bad for the fact that they have to do more work? Perhaps it makes us empathetic. Do you know how many cabin stewards Princess has to passenger ratio? Do you know how many Carnival has? Do you know how Princess works their shifts? Or how Carnival does?

 

Good for Princess that they've done it before (sounds like you're a princess cheerleader but hey, who I am to name call?)

 

Carnival isn't Princess. It irks me when people say "But so and do does this".... okay great... you love another company and the way they do it soooooo much better... then sail with them and pay the extra cash.

 

This is business. I own 2 photography companies and we're in the mid-high end range. Occasionally, I get an email from someone inquiring about my rates and when they find out I am not a cheap craigslist photographer, they complain about my prices. I then ask them why they contacted me to which they normally say "I loved your work the most..." Well there's a reason for that.... and that reason costs more money. If the same photographer turns around and hires the 500 dollar craigslist photographer and then complains to them that their photos don't look like mine...... I guess you know where I am going with this..

 

Carnival is Carnival and they can do their business the way they wish. We as consumers have the decision whether we want to sail with them or not. But to compare them to what someone else is doing is ridiculous especially when you don't even know what cause and effect this will have on other peoples lives.

 

So if I am a cheerleader for not wanting to overwork crew that I feel are already taken advantage of... then so be it. Cheerleader for life.

[rh3]

I doubt they could have everyone on board by 11am, anyway.

 

Platinum staterooms have been done by 11am, anyway. Maybe they will start boarding by decks or something.

 

Since when have platinum staterooms been ready that early? You mean I've been missing this perk? Shame on me!

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

That is great...

[halos]

Don't be surprised if they stop letting people on board before noon or so, that combined with getting people out of the cabins by 8:00 gives the stewards just as much time as they have now.

 

 

I guess we'll see what happens...I'm curious as to how they will do it.

If it works it's definitely a nice change.

Since when have platinum staterooms been ready that early? You mean I've been missing this perk? Shame on me!

I am platinum and was not allowed in my cabin any sooner than anyone else :confused:

[italianfemmy]

I guess we'll see what happens...I'm curious as to how they will do it.

If it works it's definitely a nice change.

 

I am partially with you. But again, only if it doesn't make the current workers have to do even more because of the greed of the consumer. Their tips won't go up because of the extra work they have to do. And we already know they make next to nothing in salary which I am assuming will also not rise.

 

It would be nice to be able to immediately take our stuff to the room (I carry a TON of stuff with me that I can't check). Medicines, photography gear, emergency clothes, laptop, nebulizer incase I have an asthma problem.. etc. So I know the pain of carrying all of my stuff around (normally I carry 2 bags on and check 2). Yes, I am a packaholic. :D But I would still prefer to carry my stuff around than to cause the workers to lose sleep. Bringing additional staff onboard also means less money for the current workers so I just don't see how it can be advantageous. But this is one of those situations where we have zero of the facts and assumptions run amuck. (including my own.)

 

It'll be interesting to see what happens with this.

[halos]

I am partially with you. But again, only if it doesn't make the current workers have to do even more because of the greed of the consumer. Their tips won't go up because of the extra work they have to do. And we already know they make next to nothing in salary which I am assuming will also not rise.

 

It would be nice to be able to immediately take our stuff to the room (I carry a TON of stuff with me that I can't check). Medicines, photography gear, emergency clothes, laptop, nebulizer incase I have an asthma problem.. etc. So I know the pain of carrying all of my stuff around (normally I carry 2 bags on and check 2). Yes, I am a packaholic. :D But I would still prefer to carry my stuff around than to cause the workers to lose sleep. Bringing additional staff onboard also means less money for the current workers so I just don't see how it can be advantageous. But this is one of those situations where we have zero of the facts and assumptions run amuck. (including my own.)

 

It'll be interesting to see what happens with this.

 

My first thought was with the crew/stewards as well, so I totally get what you are saying...But like I have said before, IF the stewards or waiters or any other crew member hate their jobs, there are other cruise lines out there to work for. They can quit and go work for someone else.

I imagine there is some turn-over.

 

The only way anyone can be taken advantage of is if they allow someone to.