New Celebrity Check in and Boarding Policy "Disaster"

[wallie5446]

It is just another exampile of the lenghts HQ is useing to try and change the demographic on their ships. Younger adults can handle standing aimlessly for hours entertaining themselves texting and twiting. While us long time cruisers need to get on ship quickly before they run out of food in the Oceanview:D Oh my! Disaster of all disasters:)

 

Relax, arrive as planned and get in line, along with 2500 others trying to get to the buffet too!

[cruisestitch]

Flying in the day of the cruise, instead of the day before, you migt have a greater chance of being delayed and missing the ship altogether, now that would be a shame (but still not a disaster.).

 

Seriously, since they started doing deck by deck boarding (in Southampton I believe it was) has anyone had to wait a long time to board? Haven't seen any reports of same.

 

There have been some reports of people waiting a long time to board because the disembarkation of the previous cruise was delayed, but then everyone boarding that day was delayed, not just certain classes of passengers or decks.

[gek]

I'm glad you put quotes around "disaster" in the thread title. I will assume you meant "possible minor inconvenience" which as others have pointed out will probably not be an issue anyway.

 

If you really do think this is a "disaster" you probably don't travel very much.

[The_Big_M]

Far from being a disaster.

We had to wait three hours to check in for Infinity in Buenos Aires. due to two other ships boarding first. Had to stand around for an hour. Once we got seats, just pulled out the paperback and waited until called.

This is a part of travel.

 

A disaster is when the propulsion on the ship goes out or the ship sinks due to a careless Captain's navigation.

 

Agreed.

 

Now, it's also clickbait that is used to draw readers online.

[The_Big_M]

Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, Celebrity decided to embark on a boarding procedure that looked good on paper but had not been researched and tested properly.

 

Actually, it's been running for a couple of years.

 

Works quite well.

[hcat]

No boarding disaster for us

 

we were on same cruise w/Lois and got the notice day before the cruise..I think our AQ time was around noon (?)

 

checkout time at our nearby hotel was 11 am, took a cab to port and arrived around 11:15..smooth check in process...did not see anyone asked to wait

 

rooms were ready later than usual as well as late receipt of luggage..we .had a nice lunch at AQ spa cafe, booked spa appts and got a nice seat in the library to wait for the room

 

 

.Be forewarned about any tender ports..we did not get off at Grand Cayman b/c we dislike tendering Open tenders were announced fairly late while we had lunch in Bistro on 5....In addition, excursion departures in Montego Bay were also very bad...esp for late group numbers...not enough busses ordered and poor communication.

 

other than that we had a very enjoyable trip...and walking off with luggage on the last day was fairly easy

 

 

Seems there are a few threads about this boarding topic..maybe they should be combined!

[Sow There]

Actually, it's been running for a couple of years.

 

Works quite well.

 

Not to argue, but the OP was caught by surprise, which means either (s)he was never informed about the policy or wasn't paying attention.

 

I've not run into this procedure at any time whilst boarding a Celebrity cruise ship. A friend "sort of" experienced the procedure when boarding a Princess ship in NY about a month ago. He said he was told about the board by deck procedure but the Princess staff paid little to no attention to the deck-by-deck boarding and reverted to the first come, first served approach.

 

In any case if the rocket scientists stay in their Miami RCI oiffices, I trust the staff "on the ground" will do the right thing in the same manner that the Princess people did in NY.

[Maya_C]

Our flight to Rome arrives at 8:30 in the morning. Two years ago when we left on a cruise from Civitavecchia, we took the train. It was inexpensive, and we didn't care if it was slow. But even the slowest method of travel will get us to the port four hours before our "suggested" boarding time. Is it feasible to deposit our luggage in the boarding area and then walk around the town before boarding? Thanks for your help.

Maya

[Travel Hunter]

This sounds like what happened back about 20 years ago when the airlines moved from a board when ready to a board by seat row policy. When the first class pasengers finally were permitted to board, all the overhead bins were filled with stuff brought on by coach passengers.

 

Then the rocket scientists figured out they should let the first class passengers to board whenever they wanted. The folks with seats near the front of coach lost stowage space and were unhappy.

 

So the rocket scientists offered early boarding to their high status mileage program members. That caused problems with the high status folks who were traveling with family who had no frequent flier status.

 

So the rocket scientists said it was OK for those traveling with high status passengers could board early.

 

So the boarding process was so full of exceptions that the effort to go with a sequential boarding procedure resulted in a much less efficient procedure than the original board at will procedure.

 

Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, Celebrity decided to embark on a boarding procedure that looked good on paper but had not been researched and tested properly.

 

The ill will they are creating by doing this is totally unnecessary, especially because most, if not all, cruisers are anticipating a relaxing and enjoyable experience that starts when the cruisers see their ship in port up close for the first time. Forcing them to sit and wait in a sparse and amenity starved waiting area for an hour or more is a really lousy way for anyone to start a cruise.

 

A bad taste at the beginning can cause the entire cruise experience to be compromised.

I agree and based on past experience I believe there will be other issues as Celebrity experiments with us

[Travel Hunter]

Actually, it's been running for a couple of years.

 

Works quite well.

 

I have had several cruises with Celebrity in the last "couple of Years" never experienced this boarding issue before. Which cruises did they utilize it on ?

[upwarduk]

I have had several cruises with Celebrity in the last "couple of Years" never experienced this boarding issue before. Which cruises did they utilize it on ?

 

Certainly from Southampton this summer, but the explanation was: due to Rd works in the port area.

[dkjretired]

Certainly from Southampton this summer, but the explanation was: due to Rd works in the port area.

 

It's new, started over the summer, they did it on my August cruise to Alaska.

[CathyCruises]

Our flight to Rome arrives at 8:30 in the morning. Two years ago when we left on a cruise from Civitavecchia, we took the train. It was inexpensive, and we didn't care if it was slow. But even the slowest method of travel will get us to the port four hours before our "suggested" boarding time. Is it feasible to deposit our luggage in the boarding area and then walk around the town before boarding? Thanks for your help.

Maya

 

Yes, it's feasible, but you'll have to take the port bus back to the port entrance once you deposit your luggage. On the other hand, in May we disembarked at Civitavecchia at 9 AM and there were already a lot of people lined up to get on so you'll probably be able to board no matter what time you get there. I would try to board when you get there, and only have the 'walking around in town' plan as Plan B

[The_Big_M]

I have had several cruises with Celebrity in the last "couple of Years" never experienced this boarding issue before. Which cruises did they utilize it on ?

 

All cruises out of Sydney.

[WestLakeGirl]

We saw it in Southampton

[Travel Hunter]

It's new, started over the summer, they did it on my August cruise to Alaska.

Interesting as I traveled on the Celebrity Summit to Alaska in September ending in San Francisco and did not experience the "new boarding policy" It must be port specific.

[Travel Hunter]

Originally Posted by Sow There

Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, Celebrity decided to embark on a boarding procedure that looked good on paper but had not been researched and tested properly.

Actually, it's been running for a couple of years.

 

Works quite well.

Which celebrity cruises have this policy been used on in the past two years

 

All cruises out of Sydney.

 

So its "been running for a couple of years out of Sidney"

So it doesn't seem to be universal, as one might gather, as Sidney is one port

Perhaps its only certain ports

[cruisestitch]

Yes it is only certain ports so far. People are making way too much of this. It's not an attempt to have passengers book higher deck rooms, it's not an attempt to keep anyone waiting just because they booked insides or don't have loyalty status. It's just a process for making the boarding go more smoothly. If you show up ahead of your recommended time, you will still be able to board, unless there is a general delay keeping all passengers in the terminal, such as the first cruise after a repositioning cruise, or if the ship needs special cleaning.

[Hlitner]

We actually think these "boarding time" schemes backfire in a bad way. A major problem is when a cruise line imposes this rule at the last minute...well after most cruisers have made their transportation arrangements. And we witnessed a fiasco on HAL when they imposed these boarding time restrictions on a San Diego embarkation. The folks that ignored the boarding times, and still came to the port early, were able to get on with no problem. But in the afternoon, those that showed-up at their appointed times faced huge security lines that snaked outside the terminal and extended several hundred feet. Folks who normally would have been aboard by noon (including moi) were not able to get aboard until well after 2:30. This was the first and last time we ever will listen to a cruise line that tries to prescribe boarding times.

 

Hank

[traveldayz]

Glad I read this thread. We were wondering what we were going to do in the 4 hours between hotel checkout and our assigned boarding time. We'll just show up at the ship and hope for an earlier boarding - taking our ipads under our arm just in case!!

[The_Big_M]

So its "been running for a couple of years out of Sidney"

So it doesn't seem to be universal, as one might gather, as Sidney is one port

Perhaps its only certain ports

 

I didn't see anyone say it was universal, and didn't claim it as such.

 

As you posted, the original statement was that this had not "been researched and tested properly."

 

The response given shows that it had been "tested, " disproving the claim that it was brand new and untested. You would normally do such testing in limited ports in any case, not 'test' on all ports at once!

[ATLfuzzy]

It is definitely not universal. I would have expected it at Port Everglades tomorrow , there are 5 big ships sailing. (I'm sailing Connie tomorrow) / but no message about staggered boarding times. Business as usual.

 

 

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[Galer99]

I will gladly sit and wait three hours if it means I'll be boarding a cruise ship at the end of the wait.

[Sapphire723]

Hmm... I've seen things like this before on cruises, but my understanding has always been that these are their suggested times to arrive so that they can prevent check-in congestion. I never took it to mean that a cruiseline would want me to rearrange pre-made travel plans to meet the newly assigned time. For ports that I drive to (or if I'm cabbing from a local hotel), I just alter my departure accordingly. For ones where I've got set travel arrangements that would be inconvenient to rearrange, I just show up when I can, and if I have to wait a little longer, so be it.

[2morecruises]

....... "Disaster".

 

<SIGH>

 

+1 on Galer99's post