Staggered Boarding??

[1 HappyCruiser]

If your embarkation time is 3:00, you have barely enough time to drop off your carry-ons, before muster time.

 

And they though people were skipping muster before. Just wait till someone arrives in their room after a 2 1/2 hour waiting ordeal and doesn't even have time to grab a bite to eat for lunch ! :D

[SailinC2C]

How can they really expect people who have arrived the day before to check out of their hotel at 11 and stand around for up to 4 hours?

 

What time do you get your luggage if you board at 3? Maybe 3 PM boarders should just get to do 'carry on' themselves, just like the walkoffs!

[Shirpa]

This system can only be fair if Princess allows the Sanctuary and Chef's Table to be booked in advance. Not very fair if, on every voyage, the only people in the Sanctuary and at the Chef's Table are the people who board at noon. And the reference in their documentation with regards to first-day dining will be pointless. It now reads: "Shortly after we welcome you onboard your spectacular Princess ship, you're invited to relax and dine at the Horizon Court or in one of the ship's multiple dining rooms." With staggered boarding, that will need to be changed to:

 

"Shortly after we welcome you onboard your spectacular Princess ship, you're invited to either:

 

a. (for early boarders) relax and dine at the Horizon Court or in one of the ship's multiple dining rooms;

 

b. (for intermediate boarders) begin your vacation in a harried rush desperately trying to make it to the Horizon Court while the food is still plentiful and hot, or to one of the ship's multiple dining rooms before it closes; or

 

c. (for late boarders) begin your cruise with a sour taste in your mouth as you board starving, with no option other than to pick over whatever scraps have been left for you at the Horizon Court at 2:30 or later. But don't worry about your late lunch. Your early dinner seating is just moments away."

 

A great way to treat a new customer who has a later boarding time. How about me reflecting the lost time/facilities in a proportionate tip reduction to balance things out on the how to win friends and influence people scale?

[critterchick]

A great way to treat a new customer who has a later boarding time. How about me reflecting the lost time/facilities in a proportionate tip reduction to balance things out on the how to win friends and influence people scale?

 

Well, if you do that, you're just punishing the crew who likely had nothing to do with this harebrained scheme.

[caribill]

A great way to treat a new customer who has a later boarding time. How about me reflecting the lost time/facilities in a proportionate tip reduction to balance things out on the how to win friends and influence people scale?

 

Well, if you do that, you're just punishing the crew who likely had nothing to do with this harebrained scheme.

 

Better to:

 

o Write it on a "you made the difference card" Not all of these have to be positive.

 

o Let the onboard Future Cruise Consultant know you are unhappy about it

 

o Let the onboard Captain's Circle rep know you are unhappy about it

 

o Note this on the post cruise survey when you get home

 

o Write a letter when you home to top executives at Princess.

[capriccio]

A great way to treat a new customer who has a later boarding time. How about me reflecting the lost time/facilities in a proportionate tip reduction to balance things out on the how to win friends and influence people scale?

 

 

Do you really think your steward and the wait staff are behind this new scheme?

[bdjam]

My DW thinks this a way for Princess to save money by not having to feed the late embarkation times.

 

Oh brother.

[Cruise Raider]

Has anyone emailed or written to Princess to express your opinion? Just wondering if you've received any kind of response.

 

I wrote to them and they pretty much told me - better luck next time. What a brush off. I will put up with this garbarge attitude one more time and if it hasn't improved, I will definitely take my business elsewhere. I can work on my status on Celebrity instead -- they do seem to appreciate their customers a lot more.

[turbo46032]

Oh brother.

 

I would not be so quick to dismiss such conspiracy theories. A couple decades ago it is rumored that our state (Indiana) was running low on K-12 money so they decided to change the cutoff date for enrollment in schools to the earliest in the nation by several months (July 1). This resulted in a significant drop in K and 1st grade enrollment for one year :confused: and 'cost savings'.

 

There is some savings in food, granted, in crew needed to process boardings, and so on, but at the risk of alienating passengers. In several cruises we never had to wait more than 1/2 hour to get onboard around noon, for the very reason mentioned (check out of hotel at 11, what do you do for 3 hours?)

[34TigerLily]

I called Princess and was told this is not their idea. Some ports now require it to limit the congestion outside the building. It's a safety and security issue. Not all ports have this problem.

[caribill]

I called Princess and was told this is not their idea. Some ports now require it to limit the congestion outside the building. It's a safety and security issue. Not all ports have this problem.

 

I do not buy this. There is more congestion this way as people arrive from their flights, Princess xfers, etc. and must stay outside until their processing time.

[Putterdude]

I wrote to them and they pretty much told me - better luck next time. What a brush off. I will put up with this garbarge attitude one more time and if it hasn't improved, I will definitely take my business elsewhere. I can work on my status on Celebrity instead -- they do seem to appreciate their customers a lot more.

 

We are becoming more and more disenchanted with cut backs and changes in Princess's policies and have already started a migration away from them.

[Josy1953]

I called Princess and was told this is not their idea. Some ports now require it to limit the congestion outside the building. It's a safety and security issue. Not all ports have this problem.

I think that this is not strictly true, we travelled in March on P&O from Southampton and have a July cruise booked from Southampton again with P&O. We did not have staggered boarding in March and my TA rang P&O while I was in the office to check about the July cruise because this would have been a deal breaker for me, she was told that they will not be doing staggered boarding in July either. It seems to me that in Southampton it is a Princess decision not the port decision.

[KirkNC]

I called Princess and was told this is not their idea. Some ports now require it to limit the congestion outside the building. It's a safety and security issue. Not all ports have this problem.

 

I don't believe it, no other line does this that I am aware of. We are sailing out of Southampton in a month and while we have not received an e-mail on the topic our boarding passes say they are having staggered boarding. I am showing up when get there as my plans were made months ago. If Princess makes me wait until my slotted time it will be the last time they see me.

[hubofhockey]

I don't believe it, no other line does this that I am aware of. We are sailing out of Southampton in a month and while we have not received an e-mail on the topic our boarding passes say they are having staggered boarding. I am showing up when get there as my plans were made months ago. If Princess makes me wait until my slotted time it will be the last time they see me.

 

Me too and same deal with Southampton. We'll show up by noon and if they make us wIt 2.5 hours to get on and get lunch, they can kiss my business goodbye.

[SailinC2C]

Any time we have cruised we notice that there seems to be a natural steady stream of people boarding all afternoon. Won't this just cause more congestion as they are going to have to hold people in the terminal? People arriving on flights and checking out of hotels have no where else to go with all their luggage.

Preferred boarding is one of the perks we look forward to.

[Stevesan]

Any time we have cruised we notice that there seems to be a natural steady stream of people boarding all afternoon. Won't this just cause more congestion as they are going to have to hold people in the terminal? People arriving on flights and checking out of hotels have no where else to go with all their luggage.

Preferred boarding is one of the perks we look forward to.[/quote]

 

Don't count on it. See post #265.

[Mrs Moho]

Sorry if this has been mentioned before but.....

 

What happens to passengers who don't arrive in time for their time slot? Do they have to wait until everyone else is boarded? Surely Princess must realise people have different ways of getting to the ports - smacks of one hand doesn't know what the hand is doing!

 

We received our email yesterday, I rang the hotel we are staying at the night before - we have a package with them for 1 nights accom, parking and transfers to & from port, explained about the boarding times, they said not to worry as they are aware of it, but as others have said we have to be checked out by 11 so what do we do? I suppose time will tell when we get there but just for once I would like to go on a cruise where we're not worrying about 'what if's'. Last cruise we had the problems with Caribbean Princess having propulsion problems and did't know if we were sailing or not, then the hotel overbooked us - not Princess' fault but still a concern - oh the joys of travelling - still - worth it in the end:D:D

[1 HappyCruiser]

 

Don't count on it. See post #265.

 

Although it's no guaranteed of early boarding it appears that the Caribe deck is usually among the first to board & that's where we normally book. If this continues in the future people might be booking trips based on boarding decks in order to avoid the hassle.

[RaMar]

What about the elite & platinum cruisers? Do they have priority boarding with this new boarding procedure?

[dog]

What about the elite & platinum cruisers? Do they have priority boarding with this new boarding procedure?

 

 

They only have priority within their assigned staggered time princess told me on facebook

[RaMar]

They only have priority within their assigned staggered time princess told me on facebook

 

Thanks for your quick response.

[caribill]

They only have priority within their assigned staggered time princess told me on facebook

 

So after waiting around the pier for up to four hours, they can get onboard five minutes faster than those without preferred boarding status.

[caribill]

I don't believe it, no other line does this that I am aware of.

 

Some have posted that Disney Cruise Lines does staggered boarding.

[hubofhockey]

So after waiting around the pier for up to four hours, they can get onboard five minutes faster than those without preferred boarding status.

 

and are still out of pocket $25 because of having to eat lunch somewhere else.

 

so now i have to pay for lunch, have no shot at getting chef's table, and have to change my transportation plans for arriving in southampton from london.

 

thanks for nothing princess. :mad: i'll have a great (last) cruise on your line.