2019 reduced benefits Crown & Anchor® Society membership.?

[mcatmcat]

Hi 

 

As Fain put it during his speech, Royal Caribbean has it set up so you're "from the car to the bar in 10 minutes or less." I was wondering if they are getting rid of priority check-ins testing it at  Port of Miami first and then use the same strategy worldwide. My only concern is with people getting to the port really early are they going to pack them in just one big group? 

[steveru621]

No one would care if it were really possible for it to take 10 minutes.

 

Security alone takes ten minutes.

 

Executives often live in another world where there are no logistics.

[Dennis#1]

The fastest time from entering the Port Canaveral parking garage to boarding the Oasis was 20 minutes.  My best time in Miami was 25 minutes.  Do not see how it can get any shorter.

[Merion_Mom]

I have a friend who boarded the Mariner in Miami today.

 

"Fastest check in. From bag drop off to ship in less than 10 mins.

Love the new terminal" ❤️❤️❤️  "

[Rotherham_Cruiser]

It takes me 15 minutes to walk up the gangplank 😁

[Surfguyxxx]

Just on and off Freedom in San Juan and it took me about 30 minutes which I thought was pretty good 

[Biker19]

14 hours ago, mcatmcat said:

 I was wondering if they are getting rid of priority check-ins testing it at  Port of Miami first and then use the same strategy worldwide. 

The upper tier C&A members (like the elite on airlines) would grumble too much (like this thread) for that to happen.

[George C]

They need a bar before and after security 

[island lady]

4 hours ago, George C said:

They need a bar before and after security 

 

Best post of the day. Cheers!!  🍷🍸🥂

 

Far too much concern over priority lines...delayed another 2-10 minutes...when you are about to spend days or weeks on the ship?  Take time to breath...relax..have a cocktail...repeat.  🙂 

Edited November 17, 2018 by island lady

[dswallow]

11 hours ago, Rotherham_Cruiser said:

It takes me 15 minutes to walk up the gangplank 😁

 

I think in the interest of accuracy we should call it something like "the Zig-Zag". "Gangplank" makes it sound like something relatively direct and simple.

[cruisegirl1]

1 hour ago, island lady said:

 

Best post of the day. Cheers!!  🍷🍸🥂

 

Far too much concern over priority lines...delayed another 2-10 minutes...when you are about to spend days or weeks on the ship?  Take time to breath...relax..have a cocktail...repeat.  🙂 

I know there is alike button, I just don't know where it is!  We find that so many have  some priority line that the regular lines are often quicker.    They call various groups for boarding  just a few minutes after each other anyway. 

M

[canyonblue737]

16 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

I have a friend who boarded the Mariner in Miami today.

 

"Fastest check in. From bag drop off to ship in less than 10 mins.

Love the new terminal" ❤️❤️❤️  "

 

Yep, we had a Junior Suite on the Mariner 11/12/18 sailing and found Terminal A incredible. Once dropped off by Uber our bags were taken in less than 15 seconds, we walked into the building and were directly shown to an elevator that took us to the 3rd floor for suite guests. Leaving the elevator there immediately was a security x-ray machine followed by entering the suite lounge. A RCI employee greats you with a tablet and checks your passport and that you have properly pre-entered your information before the cruise. You then go directly across a gangway onto the ship. The total time from the curb till we were standing on the ship was 5-7 minutes.

 

Getting off was also easy. We did the self-exit or whatever they call it when you take your own bags. We left at exactly 7:30 am and once off the ship since we weren't waiting on bags we went directly to the new TSA facial scan system which took all of 1 or 2 minutes to get to the head of the line. The scan took 10 seconds and we then were allowed to leave without a single question or even looking at our passports. The total time from when we exited the ship until back on the curb was under 5 minutes.

 

Now getting to and from Terminal A is a pain. The roads on the pier itself wind in S shapes the whole way down to the end of the pier where the A terminal is located and it takes a while in traffic on the pier itself to get there. The curb itself was pretty busy. That said we ordered an Uber around 7:45 am while standing in the ride sharing curb area and waited under 10 minutes until we were picked up.

 

All in all we loved Terminal A but we will see how it does when we cruise on the bigger and more crowded Symphony during April 2019 in a normal cabin class and not with the special suite lounge.

Edited November 17, 2018 by canyonblue737

[canyonblue737]

9 hours ago, George C said:

They need a bar before and after security 

 

The suite lounge does have an area with beverages and light snacks set up and a large seating area with couches and plush chairs but i'm unsure if they have any alcohol. We didn't wait around and directly boarded the ship after the RCI employee with the tablet checked us in. There was a small handful of people in the large lounge sitting enjoying it.

[billsgal]

We boarded Symphony on Thursday.  Parked in the new garage, time to ship was under 5 minutes.  No lines to check in, folks with I pads like Bayonne.  Directed to suite/pinnacle line, walked onboard.  Left today, walked off, facial recognition only, no one looked at our passports, in car and on our way in 5 minutes.  Easy!

[island lady]

18 hours ago, cruisegirl1 said:

I know there is alike button, I just don't know where it is!  We find that so many have  some priority line that the regular lines are often quicker.    They call various groups for boarding  just a few minutes after each other anyway. 

M

 

Agree.  Most of the time I don't even realize what security line I have entered.  Always seems to go quickly. 

 

I do tend to use the check in counter according to C&A or Suite.  

[mcatmcat]

18 hours ago, canyonblue737 said:

 

 

 

Now getting to and from Terminal A is a pain. The roads on the pier itself wind in S shapes the whole way down to the end of the pier where the A terminal is located and it takes a while in traffic on the pier itself to get there. The curb itself was pretty busy. 

Hi 

at what time did you get to the port? 

Thank you 

[molly361]

4 hours ago, island lady said:

 

Agree.  Most of the time I don't even realize what security line I have entered.  Always seems to go quickly. 

 

I do tend to use the check in counter according to C&A or Suite.  

You've been lucky-( or we have been unlucky)  we have been in that security line for the big ships for at least 1/2 hour possibly even longer.  We usually arrive 11:30 - 12:15  

Edited November 18, 2018 by molly361

[island lady]

2 minutes ago, molly361 said:

You've been lucky- we have been in that security line for the big ships for at least 1/2 hour possibly even longer.  

 

Have three cruises booked on Lady O in the next three months.  Will find out if my luck holds.  I am usually getting there around 11 am and have indeed been lucky so far I guess.  

[molly361]

22 hours ago, cruisegirl1 said:

I know there is alike button, I just don't know where it is!  We find that so many have  some priority line that the regular lines are often quicker.    They call various groups for boarding  just a few minutes after each other anyway. 

M

The line in PC that really made a difference was the one to go thru security-  That one never had many people on it.  Made a pretty big difference to us when boarding the OA.  The priority line inside the terminal to check in wasn't really any shorter sometimes

[Pratique]

Boarding Symphony in Barcelona we got from the curb to the ship in less than 15 minutes and that included over five minutes for photo ops outside the ship. We arrived at 12:30 and our luggage was in the corridor by 1:15. Best experience so far. They seem to be getting pretty good at this. Your mileage may vary.

Edited November 18, 2018 by Pratique

[island lady]

1 minute ago, molly361 said:

The line in PC that really made a difference was the one to go thru security-  That one never had many people on it.  Made a pretty big difference to us when boarding the OA.  The priority line inside the terminal to check in wasn't really any shorter sometimes

 

Apparently indeed we have been very lucky.  We blow right through security...walk all the way to the end of the check in counter and walk right up.  Has happened that way for the last 5-6 cruises out of PC.  Will be interesting to see what we experience two weeks from today.  

[molly361]

6 minutes ago, island lady said:

 

Apparently indeed we have been very lucky.  We blow right through security...walk all the way to the end of the check in counter and walk right up.  Has happened that way for the last 5-6 cruises out of PC.  Will be interesting to see what we experience two weeks from today.  

I was just looking for a picture posted on a site that can't be named from a few weeks ago showing the line for security at PC that went all the way back into the parking garage  Can't find it

[pcur]

I'm wondering if RCCL isn't just getting better at the boarding process?  We arrived at the dock for our Adventure cruise at 11am, and we were on the ship eating lunch by 11:30.  That includes navigating elevators with luggage, too.

 

I don't care about a priority line (we are high point D+) if they get me on the ship fast.  I don't see it as a loss; it's a gain in service.

[molly361]

Oasis security line November 4th  YES I will miss the priority line for security

 

 

 

Edited November 18, 2018 by molly361

[bonsai3s]

On Saturday, November 17, 2018 at 9:33 AM, George C said:

They need a bar before and after security 

Love it!!! 

We are in Miami, Navigator, Terminal G...we had our new seapass cards and "in-transit" cards...b2b2b...still took us about 20 minutes to get back onboard.

(Ok, perhaps the 2,000 kids may have something to do with it.)