Carnival check in question

[jsglow]

We typically like arriving early as well @13cheermom. That said, New Orleans struck us as 'unusual' as to the number of folks with noon or later appointments that were hanging around at 10:15a. I mean there's always some but it seemed unusual to me; to the point I took note (more than once) and wondered why.

 

One thing I really like about N.O. is that we are able to walk from our hotel right down Poydras Street to the ship.

Edited January 12, 2023 by jsglow

[elfof2moons]

@jsglow what happens if we show up after our check-in time? We are parking at Fulton Garage and will have to reserve parking there with arrival time prior to getting our check-in time for the ship. If I get lucky and get an early check-in on the ship but can't park the car until after that time, will there be an issue? example: I get 1030am boat check-in but my parking deck check-in is at 10am so by the time we park, board the shuttle and get to port it will be after boat check-in time.

[jsglow]

1 minute ago, elfof2moons said:

@jsglow what happens if we show up after our check-in time? We are parking at Fulton Garage and will have to reserve parking there with arrival time prior to getting our check-in time for the ship. If I get lucky and get an early check-in on the ship but can't park the car until after that time, will there be an issue? example: I get 1030am boat check-in but my parking deck check-in is at 10am so by the time we park, board the shuttle and get to port it will be after boat check-in time.

You're TOTALLY fine elf.  They never really worry at all about the folks that arrive a bit after their appointment schedule.

 

Let me give you a perfect example.  Last month boarding Radiance we stayed behind in the Priority lounge at Looooong Beach so I could complete a conference call in relative quiet.  When I was done we simply exited the lounge and proceeded immediately past the BP 'police' merging immediately thereafter with the folks that were CO1.

[Eli_6]

In the OP's defense, I have been on 5 or 6 cruises since the restart all at different ports and only one port of all of them paid any attention to the arrival times and was checking boarding passes. Neither of the ports at my two most recent cruises abided by arrival appointments or checked boarding passes.  So, I think it is not only  possible but likely that they were just waved through well before their arrival time. I am not promoting people showing up outside of their arrival appointment, but I am saying that its enforcement varies from port to port and day to day.

Edited January 12, 2023 by Eli_6

[Eli_6]

On 1/6/2023 at 6:07 PM, icft said:

Looking at our past boarding passes the first boarding pass we got with a boarding time was in February of 2016. But, pre-covid Diamond and Platinum could ignore that and arrive anytime they wanted.

 

While, in theory, they have restored priority lines for Diamond and Platinum I have not heard that they have eliminated the post-covid rule that everyone had to come at their boarding time. I say in theory because, despite having that email from the Carnival President saying Diamond and Platinum again had priority boarding, for our December 11 cruise out of New Orleans they said only suite and faster to the fun got priority boarding.

 

So it is a real mess these days. Even if you get Carnival's rules straight there is every possibility the folks at the terminal are following their own rules.

Oh man, I am going to be mad if they don't let Platinum have priority boarding. I am basically going on a cruise just to get the days so I can turn platinum in time for my Europe cruise this summer and get the priority boarding, debarkation, laundry, etc.  

[EngIceDave]

2 hours ago, Eli_6 said:

Oh man, I am going to be mad if they don't let Platinum have priority boarding. I am basically going on a cruise just to get the days so I can turn platinum in time for my Europe cruise this summer and get the priority boarding, debarkation, laundry, etc.  

Mileage Runs?

[Normajean999]

On 1/6/2023 at 7:15 PM, ninjacat123 said:

Last cruise on Elation, I noticed other's paperwork with a check in time later than mine, in line before us.  I'm growling and DH is saying "it's all good" but it's frustrating when you play by the rules and others (including the port workers) don't.

I'm not saying this was the case but people in a suite can have their immediate family board with them. I'm having our teens board with us as I have a suite.

[ninjacat123]

5 hours ago, Normajean999 said:

I'm not saying this was the case but people in a suite can have their immediate family board with them. I'm having our teens board with us as I have a suite.

I know suites get on early, I was referring to Check In.  I'm in the 10:30am check in line and I see other people's paperwork with a Check in time of 11:30 or 12:00.  It was a free for all.  Oh well....

[asalligo]

When I was in Port Canaveral three weeks ago, they were holding people in lines marked with their boarding time and it appeared that they were not letting them through even though there was no one in the earlier queue lines. In my past cruises they seem to be letting even the early arrivals in when there was no one in the current or earlier timed queues. Maybe they are getting more serious about check in time. I hope so because this process does not work if everyone just shows up when they like.