Boarding in Montreal - Are check in times enforced?

[dshroyer]

We have just become 4 star which means "priority check in".  We just got our "time" to board the Zaandam and it is Group H at 1:20 PM.  I was expecting an earlier time since we are 4 star.  Does the 4 star priority boarding mean that you have priority boarding as long as you wait until 2 or 3 hours for the crowds to clear?

 

In the past these times have not really been enforced.  Has anyone out there boarded in Montreal of late and can let me know if people are turned away if they show up earlier?

[electro]

1 hour ago, dshroyer said:

We have just become 4 star which means "priority check in".  We just got our "time" to board the Zaandam and it is Group H at 1:20 PM.  I was expecting an earlier time since we are 4 star.  Does the 4 star priority boarding mean that you have priority boarding as long as you wait until 2 or 3 hours for the crowds to clear?

 

In the past these times have not really been enforced.  Has anyone out there boarded in Montreal of late and can let me know if people are turned away if they show up earlier?

I am sailing out of Montreal on the 24 of this month. I just got a check in time of 3:40 for a 5:00 sailing. No way I'm showing up that late. I plan to be having lunch on the ship.

[dshroyer]

We are on the same cruise.  We check out of our hotel at 10:00.  So an 11:00 AM time seems reasonable to me.  I get not getting there super early with the crowds. So much for "priority" boarding.

 

I agree with you. I would not wait that long.  That seems crazy.  Especially for such a small ship.

[electro]

47 minutes ago, dshroyer said:

We are on the same cruise.  We check out of our hotel at 10:00.  So an 11:00 AM time seems reasonable to me.  I get not getting there super early with the crowds. So much for "priority" boarding.

 

I agree with you. I would not wait that long.  That seems crazy.  Especially for such a small ship.

have you joined the roll call for the cruise?

 

[DesertRat46]

For our fall 2022 cruise it was not enforced that I could tell. However, we don't like to board too early, so it might have been at the start of the proess.

[curlerguy]

We are on the Zaandam now and had a 1:20 boarding time in Montreal. We showed up shortly after noon and basically walked right on the ship.

[dshroyer]

1 minute ago, curlerguy said:

We are on the Zaandam now and had a 1:20 boarding time in Montreal. We showed up shortly after noon and basically walked right on the ship.

Awesome.  that is about the time we were thinking.  Thank you.

[dshroyer]

2 hours ago, electro said:

have you joined the roll call for the cruise?

 

I have posted but not officially joined.  I may go do that now.

[WriterOnDeck]

Just to clarify, your Mariner status doesn't seem to impact your assigned boarding time, as far as I can tell. But it may get you into a faster line once you get to check-in. Unless you are on a grand cruise when about 80% are 4* and 5 * Mariners, and then the non-priority line might be shorter.

 

Priority can be misleading. Another example: priority tendering gets you to a separate waiting area on the ship, where I've found we quickly get on a tender. But there is no priority for the return tender service -- everyone in the same line. I'm just pointing this out for those who might be surprised. I seldom am in a big hurry.

[xjust4fun]

4 minutes ago, WriterOnDeck said:

Just to clarify, your Mariner status doesn't seem to impact your assigned boarding time, as far as I can tell. But it may get you into a faster line once you get to check-in. Unless you are on a grand cruise when about 80% are 4* and 5 * Mariners, and then the non-priority line might be shorter.

 

Priority can be misleading. Another example: priority tendering gets you to a separate waiting area on the ship, where I've found we quickly get on a tender. But there is no priority for the return tender service -- everyone in the same line. I'm just pointing this out for those who might be surprised. I seldom am in a big hurry.

Totally agree with this statement, we are 5 stars and we got a 2:20 PM boarding time, we are staying for the GSA&A and xmas and we certainly did not get a early boarding…Looking forward to our cruises and meeting new people.   See you all soon….

[dshroyer]

4 hours ago, WriterOnDeck said:

Just to clarify, your Mariner status doesn't seem to impact your assigned boarding time, as far as I can tell. But it may get you into a faster line once you get to check-in. Unless you are on a grand cruise when about 80% are 4* and 5 * Mariners, and then the non-priority line might be shorter.

 

Priority can be misleading. Another example: priority tendering gets you to a separate waiting area on the ship, where I've found we quickly get on a tender. But there is no priority for the return tender service -- everyone in the same line. I'm just pointing this out for those who might be surprised. I seldom am in a big hurry.

Yes, I just think it is misleading for HAL to say "priority boarding" when you are assigned to a group that is in the afternoon.  At MSC Diamond members board first, or anytime they get there.  That seems to me more like priority boarding.  This is priority boarding within your group, which doesn't really mean much to me.

[mattR]

Are boarding time assigned randomly or based on when you check-in online for the cruise? 

[oakridger]

51 minutes ago, mattR said:

Are boarding time assigned randomly or based on when you check-in online for the cruise? 

 

All reports indicate it is random!  It's actually "check in time" not boarding time though.

 

~Nancy

[OlsSalt]

21 hours ago, mattR said:

Are boarding time assigned randomly or based on when you check-in online for the cruise? 

 

I thought assigned boarding times might also be related to where banks of cabins are located and when they could be made ready for boarding - since the crew can't really  have all the cabins ready at the exact  same time when people randomly show up.

 

Turn-around days must be punishing for the crew - their regular duties, close out duties, inventory duties, and off-loading and on-loading all those passengers and their luggage in a few short hours - starting at midnight when our bags get silently whisked away, to the task of directing the crops of passengers new to the ship how to find  things.

 

Staggered boarding would certainly help smooth registration back up, which is when I thought this became part of this relatively new HAL  procedure having your cabin ready as soon as you board. It was not always like that - you often had to wait - mill around the ship for a while - until there was an all-clear announcement you could now go to your cabin.

 

Of course, staggered boarding was part of the "social distancing" protocol too. Lots of things could make assigned  boarding times a mystery. Or even random.