Staggered Boarding in Seattle

[Pam in CA]

From what I am reading, they let the cheap decks go first and the more expensive decks go last. Now that really is an intelligent solution. Hopefully enough pax will complain such that they will abandon this idiotic move. If not I imagine the line at the captain cicle's desk will be long with a lot of angry frequent travelers. I could also imagine the captain and guest relations desk will share in the outrage.

In looking at the list, it appears to me to based on numbers. There are fewer cabins in the first two groups as Lido and Plaza have far fewer cabins than the other decks. The group with the most cabins would be the third group, Aloha and Emerald but I think they may have more full suites.

[bdjam]

Has your travel agent or Princess linked your reservations? Maybe, 'there's safety in numbers'.

This is probably a good idea - although we haven't heard anything yet about it's effectiveness. I wonder if it would mean anything to the people 'guarding' the door at the pier? I've posted an inquiry on the Princess Facebook page and will report back if I hear anything.

Edited April 14, 2012 by bdjam

[satxdiver]

In looking at the list, it appears to me to based on numbers. There are fewer cabins in the first two groups as Lido and Plaza have far fewer cabins than the other decks. The group with the most cabins would be the third group, Aloha and Emerald but I think they may have more full suites.

 

It should be called treat your customers who give you more money better than the ones who pay less. Hence first class versus second class, small inside cabins versus minisuites, etc. It is not nice to bite the hand that feeds you the most.

[Cabunit]

Pikes Market could be an excellent time killer for early arrivals. Star docks at Pier 91 about 2 1/4 miles away. Maybe there's a trolley or bus?

 

FYI, there is no reasonable public transportation to Pier 91. You'll be taking a cab, hotel shuttle, etc.

[gdisney]

FYI, there is no reasonable public transportation to Pier 91. You'll be taking a cab, hotel shuttle, etc.

 

Good to know! Thanks....

[bdjam]

It should be called treat your customers who give you more money better than the ones who pay less. Hence first class versus second class, small inside cabins versus minisuites, etc. It is not nice to bite the hand that feeds you the most.

:rolleyes: If I was this disgruntled about a assigned boarding time, I'd look for a cruise line that doesn't have them. Right, I don't think Princess really is understanding what it's customers want before making some decisions lately, but we're only talking an hour or two here. And as I pointed out before, Caribe balconies are premium prices and are allowed to board first.

[celestialcruiser]

I purchased the Westin Hotel transfer arriving the day before. Interested to see how the Princess representative handles this. I'm in the 1:30PM group.

 

I was wondering how this was going to be handled too. Hopefully someone who has the transfers and staggered boarding will post how it worked.

[hughdm]

We've only been on four Princess cruises, but we've managed to miss boarding lines. We always show up just about when the doors open after our hotel kicked us out and we have NEVER waited more than a minute or two. I don't remember many CC posts where folks complain of lines at boarding. Why try to fix something that ain't broke?:confused:

[Level six]

Bdjam, do keep us updated with the facebook status, thanks!

hughdm, I always read the boards and have never heard any compliants either, so I wonder why the change? I may have had to wait a few minutes to board, but, nothing I can even remember really.

I guess "voting" with our money is the only way to do it really, like Bdjam said above. Depending how it goes this time around, my vote may be with another cruise line in the future if I feel cheated in some way....like missing out on the chef's table, etc. Anyway, I have been on 2 RCCL cruises and loved it too, so maybe if Princess doesn't appreciate/reward my cruises with them, then RCCL might. We will wait and see..........

[Stevesan]

We are Elite and in a Suite, I don't know how this will work? Anyone know?

 

Not based on my Cruise Personalizer.

Please see post #20.

[gdisney]

:rolleyes: If I was this disgruntled about a assigned boarding time, I'd look for a cruise line that doesn't have them. Right, I don't think Princess really is understanding what it's customers want before making some decisions lately, but we're only talking an hour or two here. And as I pointed out before, Caribe balconies are premium prices and are allowed to board first.

 

I hear what you're saying, but to be fair, it seems staggered boarding not only wasn't being done when these cruises were booked, but even right now it seems to be in effect sporadically at best and isn't being advertised as a possibility when you make new bookings. I booked my June 9 cruise out of Seattle on April 7, and it says boarding time is 12-3pm, and they recommend arriving after 1pm for fast check in. A follow up email from Princess on the 9th regarding room assignment still shows that boarding time.

[RickEk]

Sheesh... I had to search to find the following in the Cruise Personalizer (as others have done) for our cruise out of Seattle on the Golden Princess in June. It certainly wasn't obvious to get to:

 

CRUISE CHECK-IN

To ensure a smooth start to your voyage, we operate a staggered check-in

schedule. Please arrive at your scheduled check-in time as noted below,

determined by your deck and cabin number. Due to security regulations and very limited space inside the terminal, passengers arriving prior to their check-in will not be permitted to enter the terminal. Passengers may drop off their

luggage and will be asked to return at their scheduled time. Priority check-in

will be available for Preferred passengers within your allocated check-in time

once inside the terminal.

 

10:30 am - Caribe & Lido Decks / Cabins C101-C753, L201-L312

12:30 pm - Baja & Plaza Decks / Cabins B201-B751, P201-P337

1:30 pm - Aloha & Emerald Decks / Cabins A201-A749, E101-E733

2:30 pm - Dolphin Deck / Cabins D103-D737

 

All passengers must be onboard by 3:30 pm.

 

We're on Aloha for this voyage, but we certainly expect to be at the port before noon. We'll see what happens.

Edited April 15, 2012 by RickEk

[monakayk]

Coming on board late you are at a disadvantage for the Sanctuary, Chef's Table, and other dining venues.

Not fair unless they implement other rules which will make cruising a similar hassle as flying!

JMHO

 

I would also like to add, for ladies who like to get our hair 'done-up' for 1st formal night....getting on board the ship--dashing to the salon to make an appointment will have problems too with this staggered boarding fiasco! For those who have later boarding times....the chances that all slots for hair appointments will be all booked by the time you are boarded on the ship. Just one more thing that this staggered boarding is screwing up for pax.:mad:

[itzmered]

We've only been on four Princess cruises, but we've managed to miss boarding lines. We always show up just about when the doors open after our hotel kicked us out and we have NEVER waited more than a minute or two. I don't remember many CC posts where folks complain of lines at boarding. Why try to fix something that ain't broke?:confused:

 

When we sailed out of Seattle last June the lines were terrible. I thought it was one of the more disorganized embarkation ports I have been to.

[4cats4me]

When we sailed out of Seattle last June the lines were terrible. I thought it was one of the more disorganized embarkation ports I have been to.

 

 

When we sailed out of Seattle last July, the check-in process was very quick. We arrived around 10:45, I believe, and it was a very simple process to drop off our luggage. Once inside the terminal it was very quick. The odd thing was, though, they hadn't called of Plat or Elite boarding when we noticed a whole bunch of people lining up and then the employees proceeded to open up the doors, letting everyone go as if it were a free-for-all, so I approached and asked him about Platinum boarding and he seemed to not be aware of it, so he got a supervisor, and she was really nice and escorted us, along with a few others to the front of the line behind those in wheelchairs, of course. The employees were so very nice in Seattle but really seemed rather clueless as to the order or embarkation until we happened to mention it. We did notice quite a line around 1 p.m. though, waiting to get into the terminal as we peered over the side of the ship.:eek:

[bdjam]

I hear what you're saying, but to be fair, it seems staggered boarding not only wasn't being done when these cruises were booked, but even right now it seems to be in effect sporadically at best and isn't being advertised as a possibility when you make new bookings. I booked my June 9 cruise out of Seattle on April 7, and it says boarding time is 12-3pm, and they recommend arriving after 1pm for fast check in. A follow up email from Princess on the 9th regarding room assignment still shows that boarding time.

If you go from your Cruise Personalizer to Important Notices you'll find the staggered boarding times listed there. Right, it's not advertised as a possibility when you book and neither is the 12 - 3 boarding time with a recommendation to get there after 1. But given the information that's been traded on this board, people should be fairly aware of the situation.

 

If enough complaints made Princess change the balcony furniture, it should do the same with this. If I were on a cruise and I really thought having to wait to get on board two hours later than I planned was going to ruin the whole experience, I'd make a complaint and then look somewhere else.

[Cabunit]

And what we really need is on the ground experience. For those who have Alaska cruises in May please report what your real experience was! I, for one, am especially interested in knowing if they really do turn people away at the door - as there is absolutely nowhere else to go. The terminal is at the end of a pier that is otherwise dedicated to commercial fishing boats.

[2fercruzin]

Just got off the phone with Princess and am just shaking my head. They have no good reason for changing the boarding policy. Just kept repeating the company's mantra of "it will make boarding smoother". I said I just wanted to register my complaint at their fixing something that was NOT broken.

 

On top of that, the kicker is that we are in a suite on Fiesta Deck (not to mention the suites on Sun Deck) that are not listed on the policy at all. They told me to just show up at 10 a.m. and I'd probably get on ok. I told them that probably was not good enough and to let me know when to come. They said they would correct my Personalizer in about an hour, but what do you want to bet that I have to call them again??

[AlwaysThankfulLady]

We're on the Golden in July, and I see they have that same boarding note there. I would guess they've put that on all of the trips leaving from Seattle this summer. I guess they have no answer to any of the problems that were brought up on this thread about hotel checkout, transportation, groups with different decks, etc.. Sounds like the govt....let's make a policy without really thinking through the ramifications of implementing it.

[bellebaby]

And what we really need is on the ground experience. For those who have Alaska cruises in May please report what your real experience was! I, for one, am especially interested in knowing if they really do turn people away at the door - as there is absolutely nowhere else to go. The terminal is at the end of a pier that is otherwise dedicated to commercial fishing boats.

 

I second this request! For those of you sailing in May and early June, please let us know what you experience. Sounds like chaos to me!

 

B

[gdisney]

I second this request! For those of you sailing in May and early June, please let us know what you experience. Sounds like chaos to me!

 

B

 

I certainly will :)

 

Hotel checkout is 11am - and I'm not going to tootle around downtown with my luggage...just going to take a cab to the pier and see what happens...

[gdisney]

If you go from your Cruise Personalizer to Important Notices you'll find the staggered boarding times listed there.

 

Thanks! I found it...had to scroll down to "View Travel Summary, Boarding Pass and Luggage Tag" and click on that to get to the "Important Notices". But way at the top of the Personalizer, if you click on "View Itinerary", it clearly shows 12-3 boarding time, and recommendation of arriving after 1pm. Since both are advertised, can I pick the one I want? :p

 

(BTW, the 12-3 time is also listed on the booking confirmation I received via email, as well as the email I got assigning my cabin from a GTY)

Edited April 16, 2012 by gdisney

[aaerobear]

Hotel checkout is 11am - and I'm not going to tootle around downtown with my luggage...just going to take a cab to the pier and see what happens...

 

I think staggered boarding is a total mistake and would suggest that everyone write to Buckelew and tell him what you think, if he gets mega mail, maybe, something will change.

 

BUT, I do not think anyone has to tootle around Seattle or any other city with their luggage. There is not a hotel on earth that does not have a bellman or concierge that will check your bags until you are ready to leave. Check out, give them your bags and go for a coffee or late breakfast or some last minute shopping, then take a cab when your time is close.

[gdisney]

There is not a hotel on earth that does not have a bellman or concierge that will check your bags until you are ready to leave. Check out, give them your bags and go for a coffee or late breakfast or some last minute shopping, then take a cab when your time is close.

 

You obviously haven't been at the hotels I've stayed at! ;)

 

But seriously, I'm sure it will be fine. I finally got around to looking at what my theoretical staggered boarding time would be, and it's 12:30 anyway, so not too much of a difference.

[Level six]

Me too! We are staying at the Moore hotel and they don't even have air conditioning!!! Much less Bell desk.........oh well, that is what makes life fun, everyone is different.

I hope every one does keep us updated on their experience in Seattle.