Platinum status priority check in? any real benefit?

[bryanjaync]

First time sailing on RCI. We are Platinum status due to Celebrity cruises.

 

Doing Liberty out of Fort Lauderdale (Terminal 25 scheduled so far). Any real advantages of the 'priority check' mentioned in the C&A benefits for Platinum status ?

[G85 SS]

First time sailing on RCI. We are Platinum status due to Celebrity cruises.

 

Doing Liberty out of Fort Lauderdale (Terminal 25 scheduled so far). Any real advantages of the 'priority check' mentioned in the C&A benefits for Platinum status ?

 

There's a little bit of a benefit but not much when it comes to Platinum. If the terminal is busy when you arrive you will notice little to no lines on Gold and higher check in lines vs regular check in. The bigger benefit is the seating area as you are placed in front of the gold and regular guests and have a boarding priority as well. Again, not a huge difference but definitely better than regular guest check-in.

[Dave85]

There's a little bit of a benefit but not much when it comes to Platinum. If the terminal is busy when you arrive you will notice little to no lines on Gold and higher check in lines vs regular check in. The bigger benefit is the seating area as you are placed in front of the gold and regular guests and have a boarding priority as well. Again, not a huge difference but definitely better than regular guest check-in.

 

Right, there's definitely an advantage... how big of an advantage depends on what the terminal looks like when you arrive. It's unquestionably a benefit worth having though.

[sweettara]

im sailing on liberty too leaving on thanksgiving day. im platinum just turned platinum in march. I did notice on our last cruise since we had a js they put us with the diamond members so when it was time to board we got to board with them

[BillOh]

im sailing on liberty too leaving on thanksgiving day. im platinum just turned platinum in march. I did notice on our last cruise since we had a js they put us with the diamond members so when it was time to board we got to board with them

 

 

 

Just to put a fine point on your statement, someone might come and tell you that this didn't happen, even though it happened to you. ;) I've seen where this has happened and another day in another port the Junior Suite people board with everyone else. RC seems good at following its own rules about 85% of the time and there will be someone here to say that what happened to you never happened.

 

I think one of my first posts on this board I was talking about getting the soda package and how the crew members must be raking in the prizes by keeping the rewards points on the top of the Coke 2 litre bottle caps. I watched a guy get at least a 100 of them on that cruise. Someone jumped on me right away saying they don't serve the pop/soda from 2 litre bottles. Well, on Voyager of the Seas Eastern intinerary in May of 2006 they did. I used a film camera then or I might have gotten a photo of it. :D

[poncho1973]

What people are telling you is the truth. It completely depends on when you get there and who gets there the same time as you.

 

 

Our last cruise, we walked in and the main line was incredibly long. The gold line was about 10 families deep. The rest of the lines (we're emerald despite the joke in my sig) were walk-ons. We walked down the chute... the lady at the end sent us to the next agent. In less than 5 minutes from stepping off the escalator, we were getting our Welcome Aboard photo taken.

 

The cruise before, we walked in and the main line was really short. The "priority" lines were anything but priority at that point. They were much longer than the main line. We just went in the main line, but then they started sending the priority guests to the regular agent, so my shortcut wasn't really effective. It was still only about 20 minutes total. That's not horrible.

 

If you show up the same time as or have a lot of first-time cruisers on your trip (or people who don't bother signing up for things like loyalty clubs) then you will benefit.

 

If you show up the same time as or have a lot of repeat cruisers, you probably won't. Platinum is only the 3rd (newbie, gold, platinum, emerald, diamond, diamond-plus, pinnacle) tier, but the higher you get, the more likely to get a benefit from priority check-in.

 

 

 

ETA: I had fun with the colors. Simple pleasures.

Edited November 13, 2013 by poncho1973

[parrotfeathers]

Last year on Majesty the suite guests got to board with the gold people. He never asked us if anyone was in a suite and I didn't say anything. I'm just emerald at this point. I'm going to be a diamond one day!

Edited November 13, 2013 by parrotfeathers

[sweettara]

that happened to me on the last cruise of monarch from pc it was our first time in a js I guess we will see what they do when we board liberty thanksgiving day since we have a js on that cruise as well. it really doesn't matter to me if they put me with the diamnd members to board or not. cause I know we will board the ship eventually.

I can imagne it will be busy at the port that day I think the cruise is just about sold out I do know there not showing any js left and a inside rm is six hundred dollars

[bryanjaync]

OP: I think they should renamed the tiers. Instead of colors, they should use types of cattle (longhorn, brangus, south devon, etc). Because I really do think I hear 'moo-ing' in the board process. And at the buffet on embarkation day there is definitely a lot of grazing going on.

[smeck]

Royal has check in down to a science, regardless Of status check in is a breeze with little or no wait.

[Langley Cruisers]

OP: I think they should renamed the tiers. Instead of colors, they should use types of cattle (longhorn, brangus, south devon, etc). Because I really do think I hear 'moo-ing' in the board process. And at the buffet on embarkation day there is definitely a lot of grazing going on.

 

Wow, really? I find your comment so negative and sad. Hmmm. :(

[bryanjaync]

OP: the tier thing was just joke! I always have a good cruise time

[Cruzn Fool]

OP: the tier thing was just joke! I always have a good cruise time

 

I understood the joke. It was a reference to how they herd people through lines getting on and off the ship. On our cruise last month I think I even made a similiar comment when we disembarked.

[hellsop]

im sailing on liberty too leaving on thanksgiving day. im platinum just turned platinum in march. I did notice on our last cruise since we had a js they put us with the diamond members so when it was time to board we got to board with them

 

Suites (including Juniors) also (usually) get priority boarding. That might influence things.

[sweettara]

I have had my los cruise booked since jan I started with a balcony then I changed to a jsuite

 

most cruises I have been on I really haven't had to wait that long. now as far as debarking went smooth too but I went on one cruise with princess nd debarking was a pain

[luv2cruzstl]

We just got off Liberty yesterday. We are platinum as well. When we arrived around 12pm, the line was out the building and around it! One guy told us we had to stand in the line which we thought was weird but we did as told. A minute later a guy was calling all platinum and above members...we bypassed the entire line and was onboard w/in 10 mins....when Im sure the other line was at least a 30 min wait if not more.

[TBone2K]

I've never been a fan of being crowded in a long line. So since we made platinum, I found the priority checkin to be probably one of the best things about our C&A status. It makes starting our cruise that much more of a great experience! (Waiting for the customs line at the end of the cruise is another story entirely).

Edited November 15, 2013 by TBone2K

[bryanjaync]

OP: This is encouraging news about priority boarding for platinum. We are taking my parents on the cruise (they have a separate cabin), but they are also platinum due to sailing on Celebrity. Since they are 83 and 86, anything to make the boarding easier is appreciated.