tendering question

[GRAYTech]

...As a long time elites, my pet peeve is not so much with getting ahead of the crowd on or off the tenders but with the pushing and shoving type that give cruising a bad name.

 

Well said.

[GRAYTech]

We are elite and we often stay in a suite. If you are in a suite, you just get on line by the tenders. If we are not in a suite, we wait with the other elites in a holding area and then board before non-elites.

 

In a suite you get your tickets ahead of time and as instructed we went directly to the tenders, got off the elevator on 4th floor which put us in the middle of the line boarding the tender.

 

Folks in line wondered why they had waited more than 30 minutes queued up in the theater and we were allowed to just walk on. To the few we spoke with they understood and may book a suite next time but I'm sure many went away at least wondering why we were allowed to cut in line.

[shepp]

Anyway, we have been elites for so long I forget when we weren't, about nine months total sailing time on Princess too. Never have we received, on Princess, any priority boarding tender offers or been made aware of separate lines etc. for full suites, elites, etc. If such had been the case, I would still question how they are going to arrange it for us to get off the tender on a priority basis, been on a lot of tenders and never witnessed anybody getting first dibs on being first off, let alone us elites.

 

Priority tendering has been a perk ever since we became Elite. There's no "special offer." You just show up, show your Elite card and board the next tender out. Works like a charm. Does not apply, of course, to disembarking from the tender or returning at the end of the day.

Edited January 20, 2017 by shepp

[skynight]

Now that you mention it, when did the status's actually begin? I can't remember any status years ago being printed on the card. Everybody just had the same id cardboard cards.:confused:

Roughly,

From the mid 90's, probably before, there was a system where you had ranks, like 2nd officer, 1st officer, captain, etc.. Around 2002/2003 Princess changed to the current system, but status at that time was only based on cruises. Somewhere around 2008 to 2010 they went to a dual system of days or cruises. After that they added cruise credits for suites and solos

I have a paper cruise card from 1995, Princess plastic cruise cards with a photo of the ship on deep blue background for cruises up to 2001, and a Gold Cruise Card, the same as today's cruise card, for a cruise in January 2003. I think the different colored cards started in 2002 or 2003. We reached Elite in days in 2010.

[shepp]

Around 2002/2003 Princess changed to the current system' date=' but status at that time was only based on cruises. Somewhere around 2008 to 2010 they went to a dual system of days or cruises. [/quote']

 

In my admittedly fallible memory, they started with days at sea, then added number of cruises, thereby making it possible to achieve what had required 150 days aboard after just 30 days or so.

Edited January 20, 2017 by shepp

[shepp]

dupe, dammit

Edited January 20, 2017 by shepp