Please Royal Caribbean try this out.

[Cuizer2]

I always hear those announcements too and I wonder "who's on board that shouldn't be?" Royal doesn't allow visitors, so who exactly has to get off the ship?

 

Oh yes, Royal Caribbean does allow visitors. I have toured the Vision of the Seas twice and the Celebrity Summit twice.

[RetireeWannabee]

why in the world would i want my family to come onboard and delay my vacation? If i wanted them on the cruise then they would be there!

yep

[jbobst]

Wow, everyone is so negative about simply adding another "choice" for cruisers. Do you realize how few people will even take advantage of this? I would guess a majority of the passengers are flying in from another city. On top of that, only a few locals would even want to take advantage of this, especially since it costs money.

 

I absolutly LOVE cruise ships. I live in Arizona unfortunately, but I would be MORE than willing to drive the six hours to San Diego or LA to simply go inside a cruise ship, let alone have lunch and spend an hour or so touring it. While there are photos all over the internet of cruise ships, there is nothing like actually being onboard one to get a feel for it. For example, I pretty much refuse to book a cruise on the Carnival Splendor (I know this is the RCI board) because I personally don't like the Carnival product that much, AND the Splendor looks absolutely hideous in the pictures (the pink!). But, I would be more than willing to pay the fee (which includes lunch!) to tour the ship for a short while. Maybe it's not as bad as I think, and if that is the case, I might actually consider spending my money on a cruise with them. Until then, I am not going to risk it, and keep my money with a different cruise line.

 

What kind of extra security issues is everyone referring too? There are already plenty of "extra" people on board for wedding parties, etc. This is simply a small additional choice people have, and I love having options. Very few people would use this option, and any extra delay would be virtually unnoticed by the regular passengers (I would imagine they probably even have a special boarding area for these people, but who knows).

 

Oh yes, Royal Caribbean does allow visitors. I have toured the Vision of the Seas twice and the Celebrity Summit twice.

 

Please tell me how you were able to tour? (without being a travel agent) I would LOVE to tour different ships, and it would really go along way towards future bookings with which ever cruise line would let me tour their ship! I inquired once on our last cruise if there was any way to tour another ship in port with us, and they said no way (even though there were dozens of travel agent tour groups roaming the ship at each port).

[negc]

I think it is a great promotional tool to introduce people to their ships and all the features that they offer. All lines at some time or another allow travel trade members including agents, representatives of groups, corporate and civic VIPs and others to tour their ships while they are in port and seem to manage to get them on and off without difficulty. They can always ask for and hold those persons' drivers licenses or passports when they issue a visitor's badge and when the time comes for those people to depart they can know immediately if anyone fails to disembark. At a port of debarkation, it may require a separate line or area to process those people but it isn't anything that can't be done. If it is well-organized it shouldn't cause problems and they can certainly set limits on the numbers of people who can participate. To meet security concerns they may also require advance registration for those guests who would have to supply basic ID information in advance of the sailing date.

Pre-9/11 this sort of thing was done frequently and now Princess has (surprise, surprise) come up with a way to renew this tradition while earning revenue at the same time.:)

 

I think many of us would enjoy giving our family and friends a chance to see the ship we will be sailing on and we may even get some psychic satisfaction in knowing the disappointment that they may experience having to get off the ship as we prepare to start our cruise vacation.;)

[JTJ]

I live 3 miles from PC and I always get friends & family to drive us over. It would be nice to let them come on board. Of course that means having to get there early, instead of the last minute. $40 seems steep especially since (I assume) it is for marketing to non crusers.

[snowbird1]

Sure, increase the number of people waiting to board in addition to the number of people trying to get lunch in the Windjammer...My vote is NO.

 

###

That is what I was thinking. The first day in the WJ is always the worse and too crowded already. Just my take.

[jbobst]

That is what I was thinking. The first day in the WJ is always the worse and too crowded already. Just my take.

 

It will be in the dining room...

[jmf123]

That is what I was thinking. The first day in the WJ is always the worse and too crowded already. Just my take.

 

Passengers and their guests would be in the dining room, not the WJ. And there is a limit of approximately 50 guests permitted onboard. Regarding jbobst's post, both passengers and guests would have priority boarding and be required to imput their pre-boarding security info on the cruiseline's online cruise personalizer.

[GXmanDC]

Someone mentioned weddings, so I looked it up. RCI will allow many non-sailing guest to attend wedding ceremonies and receptions. Here are some excerpts re: guests. The link to the RCI brochure appears at the end.

 

W e d d i n g G u e s t s

As a complimentary service provided by Royal Caribbean International, wedding parties may have up to ten (10) non-sailing guests in attendance at the wedding ceremony. . . . If a reception is booked on the ship, additional non-sailing guests may attend the ceremony and reception.

Wedding parties may have a maximum of seventy-five (75) non-sailing guests board the ship for their celebration.



. . .

All non-sailing guests must present a valid photo, government issued identification, such as a driver’s license or passport, when checking in at the pier security desk. Minors under fifteen (15) years old may present a certified copy of their birth certificate. Guests are required to arrive at the pier at 10:30 am* to begin the boarding process. Once United States Customs approves boarding, wedding parties will then be escorted onboard. You will be sent a form to complete regarding information on your non-sailing guests.

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/en_US/pdf/Royal_Romance_Brochure.pdf

[MrsPete]

I do agree with the posters who foresee problems:

 

Most people don't live close enough to the port to take advantage of this meal.

Getting people off the ship would be problematic.

Security getting everyone on would be problematic.

Embarkation/debarkation day is already so busy; I honestly don't know how the crew does it.

 

However, as a customer, I will add this:

 

Back before I ever went on my first cruise, I would've gladly paid $39 for a lunch onboard. It would've given me a chance to check out a cruise ship before plunking down $$$$ for a whole cruise. It would've been a great promotional tool. I don't live close enough to a port to do this any old time, but I would've arranged to tack such a meal onto a Florida vacation -- of course, I'm sort of assuming that I would've been able to schedule it just any time by myself. I don't know think I'd ever have been able to schedule a vacation /family or friend cruising at the same time.

[loudbmw]

I'm old enough to remember boarding cruise ships in New York Harbor as a visitor with for my aunt's and uncle's bon voyage party. They charged visitors a couple of dollars which went to the seaman's welfare fund. They would make numerous announcements as sailing time approached for visitors to go ashore.

 

This was fun except for the time my visiting aunt ignored the repeated announcements and noticed the view outside the cabin porthole was moving - oops! They took her off the ship just outside New York Harbor on the pilot boat.

 

Lou

[bluegirlum]

I can't imagine that a lunch in the dining room would be worth $39. I would have to drink a lot of wine because the food is not that good.

[GXmanDC]

I can't imagine that a lunch in the dining room would be worth $39. I would have to drink a lot of wine because the food is not that good.

 

Well, yes, you are right.

[Capecodbeachfront]

I can go you one better....

when I am in a port...

let me visit one of the other ships in port!

I was on Majesty of the Seas...

Carnival Sensation was in port 50 yards away...

I would have gladly paid $15 or so for a lunch & ship tour...

Quick & easy way to get a taste of another cruise line.

Especially since most cruisers would be off ship.

[Cuizer2]

Please tell me how you were able to tour? (without being a travel agent) I would LOVE to tour different ships, and it would really go along way towards future bookings with which ever cruise line would let me tour their ship! I inquired once on our last cruise if there was any way to tour another ship in port with us, and they said no way (even though there were dozens of travel agent tour groups roaming the ship at each port).

 

My travel agent would set it up. Unfortunately he is no longer in the travel business, and my current travel agent is unwilling to set up the tours.

 

We would board and look at cabins. Then have lunch and leave a $2 tip. Then we would tour the rest of the ship on our own (except for Crystal - we were escorted the entire time). We would leave about one hour before the ship was set to sail.

 

We had to go through the same security screening that the passengers do. And they always had a system for knowing who was on board and who had disembarked. I have pictures of the Vision of the Seas, the Celebrity Summit, the HAL Oosterdam and one Crystal ship. I have not cruised on any of those ships. We also toured the NCL Star, but I have also cruised on the NCL Star. So I guess I've only done eight tours (two each on the Vision OTS, Summit and Oosterdam). If I was at home I could double check and see if I am missing any ships (I took pictures on each tour).

[kath00]

I am with all of those NO sayers. I think the biggest concern for me would be security. And the already insanely crowded embarcation process. Plus the delays when people take their own sweet time wandering around, drinking too much, not getting off the ship on time, etc. BLEH!

[PhoenixCruiser]

I am with all of those NO sayers. I think the biggest concern for me would be security. And the already insanely crowded embarcation process. Plus the delays when people take their own sweet time wandering around, drinking too much, not getting off the ship on time, etc. BLEH!

 

Especially when the "non-cruisers" are given priority boarding...ugh!

 

###

[steponboard]

That is what I was thinking. The first day in the WJ is always the worse and too crowded already. Just my take.

It's a dining room lunch so what's the WJ got to do with it?

I like the idea.

[PH8]

It's a dining room lunch so what's the WJ got to do with it?

I like the idea.

He didnt realize it was to take place in the dining room........

[Cuizer2]

He didnt realize it was to take place in the dining room........

 

It is not taking place anywhere. This is a Princess activity, not a Royal Caribbean activity. If Royal Caribbean were to implement such an activity, then we can comment on where it will take place - after such an announcement is made. Until then, we are just debating over something that doesn't exist.

 

I don't see the Princess people arguing over where to put the Flowrider on the Grand class ships.

[Cruising89143]

It is not taking place anywhere. This is a Princess activity, not a Royal Caribbean activity. If Royal Caribbean were to implement such an activity, then we can comment on where it will take place - after such an announcement is made. Until then, we are just debating over something that doesn't exist.

 

I don't see the Princess people arguing over where to put the Flowrider on the Grand class ships.

 

And the topic of the thread is that they wish that RCI would do this and that is what we are discussing on this topic, so yes debating this topic on the RCI board is relevant.

[Cuizer2]

And the topic of the thread is that they wish that RCI would do this and that is what we are discussing on this topic, so yes debating this topic on the RCI board is relevant.

 

I didn't say it was irrelevant. I'm making the point that until you know how it is to be implemented, you should not comment on the details. Just debate the merits of the program. If Royal Caribbean announces the details, then debate the details.

 

For all anyone knows, Royal might charge $19 and just offer a snack and quick guided tour of the pool deck. Or they might charge $99 and offer a cabin tour, a full lunch and a guided tour including a behind the scenes tour.

 

I've toured the Vision of the Seas twice. We were given a guided tour of the cabins, a full lunch with a scaled down menu and then we could tour the public places on our own. We departed the ship about one hour before it was set to sail. It cost is $2 (to tip the waiters/waitresses). I don't know how much, if any, my TA had to pay.

[PH8]

It is not taking place anywhere. This is a Princess activity, not a Royal Caribbean activity. If Royal Caribbean were to implement such an activity, then we can comment on where it will take place - after such an announcement is made. Until then, we are just debating over something that doesn't exist.

 

I don't see the Princess people arguing over where to put the Flowrider on the Grand class ships.

Did I SAY it was on a RCCL ship????????:confused:

[Cuizer2]

Did I SAY it was on a RCCL ship????????:confused:

No, but the person you were quoting did.

[glendon3281]

I live 1+ hours West of Bayonne, NJ and LOVE the idea. I have friends and family that are afraid to cruise or just think a cruise CAN'T be all THAT. I KNOW if they got a tour of the ship, they'd change their minds.

 

Also, since I usually fly into a port town a day or two before our cruise I'm usually looking for things to do. It would be great to tour another ship in port.

 

Sign me up!