Auto generated boarding group and 4 and 5 star mariners

[kangforpres]

I know this is trivial thing to complain about. But I would think HAL's software could dectect a passengers mariner level and give them an A boarding group. It dosen't matter but I just got assigned a G group and I'm 4 stars. I just tell the terminal staff I'm 4 stars and show them my boarding pass and  they usually understand I get to skip the line and assigned time.

 

(emoji of grumpy middle aged man shaking fist at the sky)

 

-Paul

[Blackduck59]

Considering many people seem to show up whenever they want, I'm pretty sure you are safe. Besides if you have an I'm special card as well...

[FlorenceItaly]

I think I read your boarding pass will say Priority.  Can someone else confirm.  I just reached 4 star so no prior experience.

[kazu]

16 minutes ago, FlorenceItaly said:

I think I read your boarding pass will say Priority.  Can someone else confirm.  I just reached 4 star so no prior experience.

 

Yes, the boarding pass shows your *’s on it.  I do believe it also says priority but I am going by memory.  I don’t keep my boarding passes, normally 😉 

[CruiserBruce]

30 minutes ago, FlorenceItaly said:

I think I read your boarding pass will say Priority.  Can someone else confirm.  I just reached 4 star so no prior experience.

It did in our case. Plus it says Neptune Suite, if you are booked into one, as well as Star status.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

My upcoming cruise luggage tags state Priority but that could be because we are in  Neptune Suite. But Boarding Pass DOES NOT state Priority anywhere on it, it does however have 4 Star, S for suite.

I want to say the Luggage Tags only have Priority for Neptune and Pinnacle Suites.

 

[kazu]

8 minutes ago, LAFFNVEGAS said:

My upcoming cruise luggage tags state Priority but that could be because we are in  Neptune Suite. But Boarding Pass DOES NOT state Priority anywhere on it, it does however have 4 Star, S for suite.

I want to say the Luggage Tags only have Priority for Neptune and Pinnacle Suites.

 

 

Yes.  Completely agree.  Luggage tags are for priority delivery of luggage as apposed to boarding.

 

IME they only apply to Neptune and Pinnacle Suites.

[Andi Land]

This happened on my last cruise and I called and asked by I didn’t have priority/early time. They were able to change it and assign me the early group A.  This was done thru my PCC. 

[Avery's Gram]

Just got on the Nieuw Statendam in Copenhagen.  I’m 5 star but was assigned 1:20 then bumped back to 1:40.  No problem as I preferred to spend my morning enjoying Copenhagen.  When we arrived at 2 pm I was immediately taken to the short line because I walk with a cane…..no one ever checked my boarding pass to decide if I had priority or not. And all the lines were very short.
 

no priority marking on my luggage tag, either.

Edited August 10, 2023 by Avery's Gram
Forgot to add info.

[Blackduck59]

While I did make a comment earlier that people show up whenever they like anyway, it didn't mean I agreed with the practice. I understand that there are some perks that come with Mariner "status" I don't really know or care what they are. If in fact the status or suite category gets priority boarding I'm good with that. What I'm not really good with are those who feel they're somehow entitled to show up outside their time and clogging up the works. It's simply another form of queue jumping. Someone who has an 1100 hrs. boarding time is stuck in with a bunch of people with later boarding times who are there because they think they're special. Try to stick to your assigned time, don't be showing up at 1100 for a 1400 hrs. boarding time.

[oaktreerb]

1 hour ago, Blackduck59 said:

While I did make a comment earlier that people show up whenever they like anyway, it didn't mean I agreed with the practice. I understand that there are some perks that come with Mariner "status" I don't really know or care what they are. If in fact the status or suite category gets priority boarding I'm good with that. What I'm not really good with are those who feel they're somehow entitled to show up outside their time and clogging up the works. It's simply another form of queue jumping. Someone who has an 1100 hrs. boarding time is stuck in with a bunch of people with later boarding times who are there because they think they're special. Try to stick to your assigned time, don't be showing up at 1100 for a 1400 hrs. boarding time.

Actually a bus load of people arriving on a hotel or airport transfer bus will clog up the works.  The bus transfers can get off the bus and directly into the line.  Hotel transfers arrive around 11 a.m..  Somehow we all manage to get onboard before the ship pulls out.

[Blackduck59]

15 minutes ago, oaktreerb said:

Actually a bus load of people arriving on a hotel or airport transfer bus will clog up the works.  The bus transfers can get off the bus and directly into the line.  Hotel transfers arrive around 11 a.m..  Somehow we all manage to get onboard before the ship pulls out.

Yes somehow we do, and there is a constant stream of threads about chaos at this port or the next with long lines blah blah blah. Sorry you can't have it both ways. Stick close to your appointed boarding time and there will be less whining.

[Lido deck main]

36 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

Yes somehow we do, and there is a constant stream of threads about chaos at this port or the next with long lines blah blah blah. Sorry you can't have it both ways. Stick close to your appointed boarding time and there will be less whining.

@Blackduck59 sure would love to hear your impression of HAL good or bad when you take your first cruise.  Hope you post.

[Blackduck59]

33 minutes ago, Lido deck main said:

@Blackduck59 sure would love to hear your impression of HAL good or bad when you take your first cruise.  Hope you post.

I will, I'll probably start the thread on the 19th. It won't be a "live from" just observations good bad or indifferent. I'll drop a few lines now and then and perhaps others on the cruise will throw their thoughts in too.

Funny thing I just read a post by @Btimmer that his recent boarding in Vancouver was his second worst right behind Boston last year. I have boarded in Vancouver and the great long line at US customs and border security was an absolute s**t show. So I'm wondering how Boston could be worse. We have been planning this trip for over 2 years, we cancelled the first booking on another line, that was for last summer, we booked this cruise 16 months ago..

[Btimmer]

1 minute ago, Blackduck59 said:

I will, I'll probably start the thread on the 19th. It won't be a "live from" just observations good bad or indifferent. I'll drop a few lines now and then and perhaps others on the cruise will throw their thoughts in too.

Funny thing I just read a post by @Btimmer that his recent boarding in Vancouver was his second worst right behind Boston last year. I have boarded in Vancouver and the great long line at US customs and border security was an absolute s**t show. So I'm wondering how Boston could be worse. We have been planning this trip for over 2 years, we cancelled the first booking on another line, that was for last summer, we booked this cruise 16 months ago..

Boston was way way worse (2 medical emergencies in line) and I wrote it up in my Almost Live Thread & Blog last year.  Here's what I wrote in my blog:

 

 After a pleasant morning visiting the Faneuil Hall, we retrieved our luggage and used Uber to reach the cruise port.  The check in line was at least 1/4 mile long but fortunately it was in the shade.  We waited in line for one hour and 9 minutes before we entered the building where everyone had to pass through the security scanners.  After that they separated the sheep from the goats (sheep were those who used Verifly to upload all their documents; goats were those who didn't). As a sheep we then were directed to a 4-5 star Mariner line which quickly led to our official check in using a scanner and comparison to our passport. With a quick stop at the embarkation photo area, we were free to board the ship. This was absolutely the worst embarkation we have ever had. There were at least two medical emergencies that ended people's cruises.

 

Once onboard, we found our room after 1 hour and 49 minutes from when we joined the line, stripped off our valuables for the safe, watched the safety video, and headed out for a 4-5 star reception.  It was scheduled for 2-3, but we couldn't get there until 2:50.  There wasn't much happening so we left for a light lunch in the Lido where we watched airplane activity at Logan International while eating and chilling out. We then checked in for our muster drill before returning to the stateroom to find our luggage on board.

[CHOPPERTESTER]

15 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

I will, I'll probably start the thread on the 19th. It won't be a "live from" just observations good bad or indifferent. I'll drop a few lines now and then and perhaps others on the cruise will throw their thoughts in too.

Funny thing I just read a post by @Btimmer that his recent boarding in Vancouver was his second worst right behind Boston last year. I have boarded in Vancouver and the great long line at US customs and border security was an absolute s**t show. So I'm wondering how Boston could be worse. We have been planning this trip for over 2 years, we cancelled the first booking on another line, that was for last summer, we booked this cruise 16 months ago..

I agree about Boston. At best one ship at a time, never had issues there. Vancouver however was a s$%tshow due to three ships in port and the US Customs lines. Still took us 1 1/2 hrs to get through eventhough we were guided by RCCL staff for a S2S transfer in May this year. Next cruise is out of Port Everglades and we love the ride on the golden escalator.

Edited August 11, 2023 by CHOPPERTESTER

[Ipeeinthepools]

My hotel checkout time is often at 11 and I’m not going to sit around the hotel lobby for a couple of hours.

 

 

5 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

… Stick close to your appointed boarding time and there will be less whining.

Nothing will stop the whining.

[ski ww]

The boarding passes were never checked by any one at check in. On our cruise in July there was a line for priority check but it was used by every one. There was no priority boarding, it was who ever got to the door first got to board, very disorganized. This was in Copenhagen on the NS. That was my second cruise were it was first come first to board, nobody asked to see or check our boarding passes.

[SilvertoGold]

10 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

I will, I'll probably start the thread on the 19th. It won't be a "live from" just observations good bad or indifferent. I'll drop a few lines now and then and perhaps others on the cruise will throw their thoughts in too.

Funny thing I just read a post by @Btimmer that his recent boarding in Vancouver was his second worst right behind Boston last year. I have boarded in Vancouver and the great long line at US customs and border security was an absolute s**t show. So I'm wondering how Boston could be worse. We have been planning this trip for over 2 years, we cancelled the first booking on another line, that was for last summer, we booked this cruise 16 months ago..

Absolutely looking forward to hearing all about your cruise and your opinions. Having gone through Canada Place so many times and knowing how ineptly boarding can be handled I am interested in your impressions of boarding in Boston. Always fun to compare and contrast.

Hope YVR treats you well on your way and you have a good flight :)

[PACD_JG]

6 hours ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

Nothing will stop the whining.

Considering the average age of HAL pax...whining is only topped by sleeping in favorite activities.

[POA1]

I know that s*show is a popular way to describe boarding in some ports. May I be so bold as to suggest, that when you encounter a "worst of the worst" scenario, that you describe it as "a world-class, full-blown, no holds barred, circle-jerking, cluster farg?"

 

It (1) gets the point across, and (2) gets a laugh.

 

[Btimmer]

1 hour ago, POA1 said:

I know that s*show is a popular way to describe boarding in some ports. May I be so bold as to suggest, that when you encounter a "worst of the worst" scenario, that you describe it as "a world-class, full-blown, no holds barred, circle-jerking, cluster farg?"

 

It (1) gets the point across, and (2) gets a laugh.

 

Or as I did when I described Boston having two medical emergencies due to the heat and ineptness of their process.

[kangforpres]

I know it's port specific as far as having a well trained boarding staff who are on the ball. You would thing a place like Canada Place which handles so many cruises would be one of the better ports to embark

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 hour ago, kangforpres said:

I know it's port specific as far as having a well trained boarding staff who are on the ball. You would thing a place like Canada Place which handles so many cruises would be one of the better ports to embark

 

I think sending all passengers through the single security point is part of the problem. The other part is the passengers themselves--there are too many! Canada Place opened in 1986. What was the largest ship back then? Possibly QE2 and Norway? Each carried around 2000 passengers IIRC. The first "large" ship I remember was Exploiter of the Seas at a little over 3000 passengers, and that didn't come along for another 15 years or so. 

[Kristal Blade]

Just want to add that it’s not just HAL and it’s not just Vancouver that can be terrible for boarding.

Last year we sailed Cunard from New York. We queued for 3 hours, but that was mostly due to checking Covid passes. However Cunard is now off my list of lines to use.

When we have a transfer from a hotel it can be difficult to achieve our assigned boarding time, we often arrive outside our booking time and just get in line. This happens even with transfers organised by the cruise line. Just so you know it’s not because we are desperate to board early.