Priority Boarding At Time Of Embarkation - Great Answer from John Heald.

Here and on other media the topic of priority cabin access has been a hot topic. Today I sent John Heald a FB message and got a reply almost immediately. Faster To The Food :) lives to see another day.

Here is what I sent him: John, on several common interest posts today regarding early cabin access cruisers are reporting they are denied early cabin access with FTTF, diamond and platinum status. This was on the Freedom on Saturday and the Valor today.

Will you put an end to this debate and give us an answer if the policy has changed?

Here is his reply: Hello this is John, I was just told about this post and please kindly let me respectfully say what you are hearing or reading on other pages is false and incorrect. All diamond, platinum and faster to the fun guess will have the cabins ready on embarkation and as soon as they board they may go straight to them. We took this off the signs on the big water tight doors because people will miss reading it or ignoring them altogether. But please again let me say that all the VIFP guests may go straight to the cabin and I will be very grateful if you would post this on cruise critic and anywhere else you see it said otherwise. Thanks so much and my best wishes to you.

See you at sea.

.

Actually, if you read the posts of people complaining about this you will find that no one has been denied. They have been told my cruise terminal employees when checking in that their room will be ready at 1:30, and they are accepting this without question. The reality is that these employees are just giving the same information to everyone regardless of Diamond, Platinum or FTTF status because they don’t know what they are talking about. Therefore, the rooms of the people who have been complaining were ready, they just never bothered to go to the room to check. If they had, their S&S cards would have been waiting for them. This is exactly what happened to us on 9/2 in Long Beach. If I had listened to the woman at the terminal, I would have missed out. Rather, I knew she was wrong, so I just ignored her.

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Can you go back and ask him why the port staff are instructed by carnival to tell all guests their rooms will be ready at 130? Why would they want to give guests the impression the port people in miami and galveaton don't know what they are talking about?

By the way, alot of the port people cruise way more than some people here think.

Thank you for asking him. I can't wait to hear his response to why the change in the instructions given to the port staff.

He has been answering this for months now.

Actually, if you read the posts of people complaining about this you will find that no one has been denied. They have been told my cruise terminal employees when checking in that their room will be ready at 1:30, and they are accepting this without question. The reality is that these employees are just giving the same information to everyone regardless of Diamond, Platinum or FTTF status because they don’t know what they are talking about. Therefore, the rooms of the people who have been complaining were ready, they just never bothered to go to the room to check. If they had, their S&S cards would have been waiting for them. This is exactly what happened to us on 9/2 in Long Beach. If I had listened to the woman at the terminal, I would have missed out. Rather, I knew she was wrong, so I just ignored her.

 

 

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Can you go back and ask him why the port staff are instructed by carnival to tell all guests their rooms will be ready at 130? Why would they want to give guests the impression the port people in miami and galveaton don't know what they are talking about?

 

By the way, alot of the port people cruise way more than some people here think.

 

Thank you for asking him. I can't wait to hear his response to why the change in the instructions given to the port staff.

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Baker answered your question

 

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No.

Actually, if you read the posts of people complaining about this you will find that no one has been denied

I was wondering about that when I saw this same person post on FB regarding this. They use the word denied, when no one is complaining about that. Sounds like they are trying to ratchet up the drama where it's not necessary.

I would think that if a cruiser is Diamond or Plat, they know enough to go straight to their cabin if they wish. If they have FTTF I'd think they would do the same since this is the main perk people buy it for. I don't understand why all these people are stopping to ask if their cabins are ready instead of going straight there.

My last cruise I was told by a carnival employee on the deck my cabin was on that I could not go through the doors until 1:30. I explained to him I have FTTF and walked right on through. That is one of the perks to FTTF.

Actually, if you read the posts of people complaining about this you will find that no one has been denied. They have been told my cruise terminal employees when checking in that their room will be ready at 1:30, and they are accepting this without question. The reality is that these employees are just giving the same information to everyone regardless of Diamond, Platinum or FTTF status because they don’t know what they are talking about. Therefore, the rooms of the people who have been complaining were ready, they just never bothered to go to the room to check. If they had, their S&S cards would have been waiting for them. This is exactly what happened to us on 9/2 in Long Beach. If I had listened to the woman at the terminal, I would have missed out. Rather, I knew she was wrong, so I just ignored her.

This is the problem and it is rampant. I was early to my last cruise and turned away at the gate with FTTF. I knew I was too early, it was about 9:45 and the person manning the door in uniform told me to come back after 12. I said I hoped I was on the boat long before 12. I came back 30 minutes later and a new person was manning the door and I was on the ship by 11.

Actually, if you read the posts of people complaining about this you will find that no one has been denied. They have been told my cruise terminal employees when checking in that their room will be ready at 1:30, and they are accepting this without question. The reality is that these employees are just giving the same information to everyone regardless of Diamond, Platinum or FTTF status because they don’t know what they are talking about. Therefore, the rooms of the people who have been complaining were ready, they just never bothered to go to the room to check. If they had, their S&S cards would have been waiting for them. This is exactly what happened to us on 9/2 in Long Beach. If I had listened to the woman at the terminal, I would have missed out. Rather, I knew she was wrong, so I just ignored her.

 

 

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This is why it pays to do our research before cruising - sometimes we know more than the employees. Remember training is not always good, people don't always pay attention in training and sometimes there are language barriers - thus unclear information.

This is why it pays to do our research before cruising - sometimes we know more than the employees. Remember training is not always good, people don't always pay attention in training and sometimes there are language barriers - thus unclear information.

Lol.

Of course the folks at the terminal will tell people that the rooms will be ready after 1:30 PM since MOST cruises are NOT elite or FTTF. They don't know what "STATUS" you are unless you tell them. I am sure the ones at the check in desk will tell you what you need to know when they pull up your reservation. This horse has been beaten to death already. lol

I agree with those saying that the people checking you in may automatically be saying your room will be ready at 1:30. I'm platinum and I've been told that the last 2 times I boarded in Tampa. I just ignored it rather than telling them I have Priority and explaining that I am allowed to go directly to my cabin - figured that they weren't interested anyway.

I made this mistake on my last, and first cruise. I had never sailed before and bought FTTF based on recommendations from this forum and when I got to the terminal I received all sorts of different answers. When I got on board and tried to go to my cabin, I was stopped. I explained that I was FTTF and even showed the sticker, but I was told it wasn’t a perk. Thinking I had encountered one employee who maybe was confused I tried again with another and was again denied. Being a first time cruiser, I was like well maybe I’m wrong and I didn’t want to break any rules so I went on with my day and just went to the Lido. It didn’t ruin my cruise or anything, but I definitely was denied multiple times and told it wasn’t a perk. That was 3 years ago though. For my next cruise I opted for a later check in time and no FTTF. If I got it again I’d definitely be more persistent now that I have a better understanding.

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Actually, if you read the posts of people complaining about this you will find that no one has been denied. They have been told my cruise terminal employees when checking in that their room will be ready at 1:30, and they are accepting this without question. The reality is that these employees are just giving the same information to everyone regardless of Diamond, Platinum or FTTF status because they don’t know what they are talking about. Therefore, the rooms of the people who have been complaining were ready, they just never bothered to go to the room to check. If they had, their S&S cards would have been waiting for them. This is exactly what happened to us on 9/2 in Long Beach. If I had listened to the woman at the terminal, I would have missed out. Rather, I knew she was wrong, so I just ignored her.

 

 

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Obviously the clerks are told 1:30 to everyone.

I think that’s because of pax overhearing what is being said to other pax. In Long Beach we are checked in on small round ‘cocktail’ tables, two clerks per table. Very easy to overhear everything that’s said to the other party.

We cruised out of New Orleans on the Dream a little over a week ago (Sep 9th). We were specifically told by the port employee checking our paperwork that they had been instructed by the cruiseline to tell Priority passengers that they no longer had early access to their cabins. The employee was quite clear that this came from Carnival's instructions to them and that past procedures were different. We checked anyway, and our cabins were ready, with cards available, when we boarded.

The first post states that all VIFP guests have priority. I have a VIFP account but this is our first time on Carnival. I find it hard to believe we have priority of any kind! Was that statement a mistake or am I reading it wrong?

The first post states that all VIFP guests have priority. I have a VIFP account but this is our first time on Carnival. I find it hard to believe we have priority of any kind! Was that statement a mistake or am I reading it wrong?

John mis-typed (or misspoke) when he re-stated it for clarity - he meant Platinum/Diamond VIFPs, which is what he actually said in his second sentence.

He has been answering this for months now.

And will be for many more years to come.what would carnival do without him.

We cruised out of New Orleans on the Dream a little over a week ago (Sep 9th). We were specifically told by the port employee checking our paperwork that they had been instructed by the cruiseline to tell Priority passengers that they no longer had early access to their cabins. The employee was quite clear that this came from Carnival's instructions to them and that past procedures were different. We checked anyway' date=' and our cabins were ready, with cards available, when we boarded.[/quote']

when I was on the splendor in December, we were going to our room and an employee tried to stop us. I told her I was Diamond and she said I still couldn't have access. I told her she should check with her supervisor and went on to our room. she came back later to apologize.

Pat

I know that you get the correct information in Tampa from the guy on the microphone. ;p