When will Arrival Group appointment times become available?

[Bruin Steve]

Our next Princess cruise--on Majestic Princess, October 30--is now 107 days away.

We've done the check-in on the Medallion App up until #4--"Arrival and Departure Groups"...

Click and it responds with "Sorry...available closer to the start..."

We are leaving the country a week from Sunday for back-to-back Med cruises and don't return until August 15.  We will have unlimited WiFi on the ship but will probably be thinking of all sorts of other things...

So, I am wondering if there is any "standard"  (like with luggage tags where they say 75 days)...

I would like to get in quickly to get an early time slot...but afraid of missing the opportune time.

Thanks.

[Rick&Jeannie]

FYI - Our sailing is in 17 days and we do not have access to the arrival groups...

[Jeter02]

3 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

FYI - Our sailing is in 17 days and we do not have access to the arrival groups...

I'm on the same sailing as you and I was able to pick my arrival group two or three weeks ago. You may want to log out of The Medallion and relog in and that might refresh it for you. It is a bit glitchy the app in general cuz sometimes you can click on things and nothing will happen and if you click on it again and just wait it will eventually load.

[Jeter02]

13 minutes ago, Bruin Steve said:

Our next Princess cruise--on Majestic Princess, October 30--is now 107 days away.

We've done the check-in on the Medallion App up until #4--"Arrival and Departure Groups"...

Click and it responds with "Sorry...available closer to the start..."

We are leaving the country a week from Sunday for back-to-back Med cruises and don't return until August 15.  We will have unlimited WiFi on the ship but will probably be thinking of all sorts of other things...

So, I am wondering if there is any "standard"  (like with luggage tags where they say 75 days)...

I would like to get in quickly to get an early time slot...but afraid of missing the opportune time.

Thanks.

I'm going to say it becomes available about 4 weeks possibly six at most prior to your sailing date. I'm on the August 1st sailing and that's what I could vaguely remember from when I signed up for my boarding time.

[Rick&Jeannie]

3 minutes ago, Jeter02 said:

I'm on the same sailing as you and I was able to pick my arrival group two or three weeks ago. You may want to log out of The Medallion and relog in and that might refresh it for you. It is a bit glitchy the app in general cuz sometimes you can click on things and nothing will happen and if you click on it again and just wait it will eventually load.

I assume that you are on an iPhone... ?  I am on Android Galaxy S10e.  The Android app has yet to be updated.  And yes, I have logged out/in and uninstalled/reinstalled MANY times.  I am about to give up on the app working for us.  I'm pretty sure that my database record has some corruption involved.  I cannot even edit any of my personal info such as phone number or nickname!

[Bruin Steve]

11 minutes ago, Jeter02 said:

I'm on the same sailing as you and ...

I'm on the August 1st sailing and ...

Yeah...I thought you got a little crossed up on that...

We ARE sailing at the same time...but you will be on the Majestic Princess in Alaska...and I'll be on Celebrity Apex in Greece...

Take care of the Majestic for me...I'll be on for Halloween...

[clueless2]

10 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

I assume that you are on an iPhone... ?  I am on Android Galaxy S10e.  The Android app has yet to be updated.  And yes, I have logged out/in and uninstalled/reinstalled MANY times.  I am about to give up on the app working for us.  I'm pretty sure that my database record has some corruption involved.  I cannot even edit any of my personal info such as phone number or nickname!

That's not correct.  I have a Google Pixel 4a running Android and the app updated for me yesterday.

[Steelers36]

25 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

I assume that you are on an iPhone... ?  I am on Android Galaxy S10e.  The Android app has yet to be updated.  And yes, I have logged out/in and uninstalled/reinstalled MANY times.  I am about to give up on the app working for us.  I'm pretty sure that my database record has some corruption involved.  I cannot even edit any of my personal info such as phone number or nickname!

And that's another bone I have to pick with the IT Team.  Why is Apple ready to go all the time and Android is behind the 8-ball significantly?  They should be more in tandem.  I don't want to anger the Apple crowd, but the truth is there are far more Android phone in use than Apple, so I don't understand why they do it this way.  Or, why not more in tandem?  So, this could result in Apple users getting first crack at boarding times and dining times???  

 

Maybe they should just release it all together at one time.  Besides, when working on Android, it might create a situation where Apple needs a change/update. 

 

But absolutely you are correct in that there is a serious amount of data corruption and it seems they are fixing it all guest-by-guest.  

 

I just wish they would communicate better about what is going on with the issues and what the service standard ought to be for arrival groups.  

[Steelers36]

41 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

FYI - Our sailing is in 17 days and we do not have access to the arrival groups...

Phoned Princess or OCEAN team?  I am wondering what they say.  Crazy to be under three weeks and still hung out to dry.

[Jeter02]

35 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

I assume that you are on an iPhone... ?  I am on Android Galaxy S10e.  The Android app has yet to be updated.  And yes, I have logged out/in and uninstalled/reinstalled MANY times.  I am about to give up on the app working for us.  I'm pretty sure that my database record has some corruption involved.  I cannot even edit any of my personal info such as phone number or nickname!

I'm forever an Android girl. I have a Samsung Galaxy s20. One thing that I could think of, but I don't know if it is a thing or not,... If it's a benefit of being elite that we got to choose our boarding earlier on than others. 🤷‍♀️

 

Honestly though at this point and close to the cruise you should have been able to do it I've heard and seen on the boards people calling the ocean Medallion team and they've had them no problem select the boarding time as they really focusing on only helping those passengers sailing the first several cruises and I'm worrying about people who got bookings down the road.

Edited July 15, 2021 by Jeter02

[Jeter02]

24 minutes ago, Bruin Steve said:

Yeah...I thought you got a little crossed up on that...

We ARE sailing at the same time...but you will be on the Majestic Princess in Alaska...and I'll be on Celebrity Apex in Greece...

Take care of the Majestic for me...I'll be on for Halloween...

Love Greece!!!! Have a fantastic time! 

[MishelleMcc]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

And that's another bone I have to pick with the IT Team.  Why is Apple ready to go all the time and Android is behind the 8-ball significantly?  They should be more in tandem.  I don't want to anger the Apple crowd, but the truth is there are far more Android phone in use than Apple, so I don't understand why they do it this way.  Or, why not more in tandem?  So, this could result in Apple users getting first crack at boarding times and dining times???  

 

Maybe they should just release it all together at one time.  Besides, when working on Android, it might create a situation where Apple needs a change/update. 

 

But absolutely you are correct in that there is a serious amount of data corruption and it seems they are fixing it all guest-by-guest.  

 

I just wish they would communicate better about what is going on with the issues and what the service standard ought to be for arrival groups.  

Duplicate

Edited July 15, 2021 by MishelleMcc
duplicate

[Ombud]

Since we're all just guessing I'm going to say:

-> Elite: as soon as paid in full

-> Others: day after final payment date

 

I was able to log in 6/23/21 and get a boarding time for my 8/15/21 cruise (Elite, was paid in full, and it was less than 60 days out) 

 

Here's more on the subject:

 

Edited July 15, 2021 by Ombud

[jwattle]

16 hours ago, Ombud said:

Since we're all just guessing I'm going to say:

-> Elite: as soon as paid in full

-> Others: day after final payment date

 

I was able to log in 6/23/21 and get a boarding time for my 8/15/21 cruise (Elite, was paid in full, and it was less than 60 days out) 

 

Here's more on the subject:

 

Ummm....no. We've been paid in full for our March on Majestic, and can't pick ours yet. I'm more inclined to agree with the 4-6 weeks before boarding.

[Ombud]

29 minutes ago, jwattle said:

Ummm....no. We've been paid in full for our March on Majestic, and can't pick ours yet. I'm more inclined to agree with the 4-6 weeks before boarding.

Makes sense. My December one just says Princess is getting it for me (they also got my pre-cruise hotel for me) so I didn't even try

[FredZiffle]

I was able to select our arrival group back at the end of June for an Aug. 22nd sailing of the Majestic.  But then, there appears to have been no rush in doing so since every single person who has wanted it has gotten Group A.

[Steelers36]

 

18 hours ago, Ombud said:

Since we're all just guessing I'm going to say:

-> Elite: as soon as paid in full

-> Others: day after final payment date

 

I was able to log in 6/23/21 and get a boarding time for my 8/15/21 cruise (Elite, was paid in full, and it was less than 60 days out) 

 

Here's more on the subject:

 

 

2 hours ago, jwattle said:

Ummm....no. We've been paid in full for our March on Majestic, and can't pick ours yet. I'm more inclined to agree with the 4-6 weeks before boarding.

 

I have received essentially the same answer from two different OCEAN agents this week when I inquired on this while I had them on the line for something else.  They have no information on future policy for availability of arrival groups (although one guessed when EZ-Air opens).  The focus is on the immediate 2021 cruises about to go. 

 

The Navigators claim there will be priority check-in/boarding, but a number of us have laid that to waste if we don't get advance access to select boarding group.  I pointed this out to the agent today, but not sure she realized it.  I did say that Princess needs to come out with a set policy for future as to when Arrival Groups will open relative to Sail Date.  I very much think the developers had no concept of this and were focused on 2021 needs to stagger passengers and spread out the crowd for check-in.  

 

Same for the dining.  Everything was setup for 2021 protocols and who knows when they will make changes for 2022 and when will be effective.  

[favouriteplaces]

Ours appeared on 13 July for a 1 September sailing

[FredZiffle]

9 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

 

 

 

  I very much think the developers had no concept of this and were focused on 2021 needs to stagger passengers and spread out the crowd for check-in.  

 

 

And yet they are clearly not staggering arrivals since every single one of us on the 8/22 sailing has been given Arrival Group A (except for one person who requested a late arrival and got Group H).  

[Steelers36]

34 minutes ago, FredZiffle said:

 

And yet they are clearly not staggering arrivals since every single one of us on the 8/22 sailing has been given Arrival Group A (except for one person who requested a late arrival and got Group H).  

Interesting but wonder what the total pax is for Group A and the ship in general.

[FredZiffle]

27 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Interesting but wonder what the total pax is for Group A and the ship in general.

Admittedly, we're a small sample here on CC and FB, but it does seem strange that they are still filling Group A three weeks after it first opened up.  A contributing factor might be that most passengers are still unaware the arrival times are open for booking, or they don't realize that arrival times will actually be enforced.

[caribill]

10 hours ago, FredZiffle said:

I was able to select our arrival group back at the end of June for an Aug. 22nd sailing of the Majestic.  But then, there appears to have been no rush in doing so since every single person who has wanted it has gotten Group A.

 

I suspect a great number of people do not even know about the need to select an arrival group. Those of us on Cruise Critic where this is heavily discussed make up less than 5% of Princess cruisers.

[castlebello]

Our arrival groups are available to select but when we do they error and wont add them ... spoken to Princess who were less than helpful saying wait for the App update ... that came and went and still no luck - and we go in less than three weeks.

 

 

[EatonDoolittle]

18 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Same for the dining.  Everything was setup for 2021 protocols and who knows when they will make changes for 2022 and when will be effective.  

 

I mentioned this on another similar thread, but it bears repeating... The HAVE the technology.

I am able to make my specific, daily dinner time and place reservations today for my Dec 2022 cruise. 

 

 I'm  not a techie, but it cannot be that difficult  to employ the same method for tiering and booking port arrival and check in times. 

[AF-1]

has anyone of this forum been able to get an arrival time before final payment?  Thanks