Not a good start

[Lady Chew]

Me thinks this is much ado about nothing ...

 

I've been under the impression that Celebrity made this change because it was taking longer to clear the previous cruisers from the terminal ... as mentioned by 2MC a few posts ago. This is not a problem caused by Celebrity, it is their reaction to a problem caused by our wonderfully efficient government.

 

I want the crew to have plenty of time to get the ship squared away and cleaned up before we board, and I don't mind waiting a little bit more to give them that time!

 

I would love to be able to get on the ship before lunch and have loads of time to explore and get settled in, but it's not that big a deal if we can't, and it's certainly not a big deal for hotels to accommodate us for a later departure.

 

[CathyCruises]

To me it's not the "what am I supposed to do?" issue, it's that people are anxious for their vacation to begin and don't feel that it does until they're onboard. So knowing that people are onboard, drinking, eating, swimming, whatever, whilst you are sitting in an uncomfortable chair in your hotel's crowded lobby, doesn't sit all that well with some folks. I don't need to be the first one on board at 11 AM, but neither do I want to stand around checking my watch for hours just biding my time. Celebrity is counting boarding day as a part of my cruise, so I certainly hope I get the most benefit from it.

[lisiamc]

People who use the argument "My hotel makes me leave at 11 so I have no choice but board at noon", how do they handle a 3 or 4pm flight home when the hotel kicks them out.

 

Heck how do they handle things when Celebrity makes them leave ship by 9:30 am in San Juan, when lots of return flights don't depart till 3 pm.

 

Or the argument "I would have booked a later flight" as if most airports have flights leaving every hour on the hour for the ports.

 

All we're talking hiere is a process over 3-4 hours time. Moving thousands of people thru the chokepoints of the ports is a big ordeal, if all would participate it'd go far smoother for everyone.

 

When the hotel kicks me out hours before my flight, I go to the airport. Unfortunately, I'm going to contribute to the congestion and chaos there, but at least I'm there, ready to board when it's time.

 

So when the hotel kicks me out hours before the time that Celebrity wants me to board, I'm going to go contribute to the congestion and chaos at the port. A late check-out is not something I want to spend money on. If they let me on early, that's great. If not, at least I'm there, ready to board when they let me. I'm sure I'm not alone in this plan.

Edited January 21, 2015 by lisiamc

[cle-guy]

So when the hotel kicks me out hours before the time that Celebrity wants me to board, I'm going to go contribute to the congestion and chaos at the port. A late check-out is not something I want to spend money on. If they let me on early, that's great. If not, at least I'm there, ready to board when they let me. I'm sure I'm not alone in this plan.

 

Most brand name hotels don't charge late checkout fees until one gets beyond 1 or 2pm stays, many not until 4pm stay overs. They have no need to as they can not clean every single room all at the main noon time period, they will be cleaning until 5pm in most cases, so 2 or 6 rooms there till 4pm don't affect operations in any ay at all, in fact can drive revenue if one orders lunch.

 

One can leave hotel at 1, and then is at pier 1:30-2pm, likely around the latest of recommended boarding periods.

 

A non issue.

Edited January 21, 2015 by cle-guy

[TomTN]

If this is traffic problem it was certainly a foreseeable one years ago. Planners should have planned. The cruise industry and the responsible governmental authority should

Have made arrangements to pay for needed improvements.

Yes, your cruise fare might have increased $1 per day to pau for improvements or the revenue from the increase in passengers might have paid for the improvements. Either is debatable.

 

If X is doing this only at the Miami port traffic might be the problem. It could have been avoided.

[tispwisp]

We used to be one of those eagerly waiting passengers standing in line at 10 or 10:30 waiting and waiting and waiting to be one of the first to board the magnificent ship and begin our magnificent vacation. However, now we stay at the hotel have a late breakfast and relax by the hotel pool if we are staying near the port. If we are driving from NC, we will typically stay in Orlando for a few days, have breakfast mid morning at the hotel and then drive to the port. Either way, we arrive to the port between 1 and 2. Boarding is now such a breeze. Never a line. Never a wait. And best of all we don't have to sit in those chairs at the port with grumpy, hungry people & antsy children (Or adults - yes I was one of the antsy adults back then - practically bouncing in my chair :o) waiting to board! ;):D Perfect!

[TomTN]

They don't - I think we all know this without having to be in the biz - they instead wait for several hours between departure and arrival, so there is no need for crossover with the groups and allows time to manage things.

 

The real problem here is the chaos in the port. Cars busses and vans all trying to both pick up and drop off people in the mad rush. Anything to push the arrivals back some time helps with this crush.

 

And boarding time is relatively knowns too, between 11 and 3pm, theres no guarantee that you can board directly at 11. So they are asking some to board middle to end of the already known boarding times.

 

I was not intending to be disrespectful when I mentioned staggered hotel check in. I have not heard of it, but I have come to believe that you are an expert.

 

These traffic problems are avoidable without staggered chechin times. Perhaps traffic engineers have not been consulted. Unlikely.

[lisiamc]

Most brand name hotels don't charge late checkout fees until one gets beyond 1 or 2pm stays, many not until 4pm stay overs. They have no need to as they can not clean every single room all at the main noon time period, they will be cleaning until 5pm in most cases, so 2 or 6 rooms there till 4pm don't affect operations in any ay at all, in fact can drive revenue if one orders lunch.

 

One can leave hotel at 1, and then is at pier 1:30-2pm, likely around the latest of recommended boarding periods.

 

A non issue.

 

I must be staying at the wrong hotels! :p

[SantaFeFan]

They don't - I think we all know this without having to be in the biz - they instead wait for several hours between departure and arrival, so there is no need for crossover with the groups and allows time to manage things.

 

The real problem here is the chaos in the port. Cars busses and vans all trying to both pick up and drop off people in the mad rush. Anything to push the arrivals back some time helps with this crush.

 

And boarding time is relatively knowns too, between 11 and 3pm, theres no guarantee that you can board directly at 11. So they are asking some to board middle to end of the already known boarding times.

 

Perhaps if they offered a reward for checking in later they'd find people more agreeable. As it now stands, many people are expecting to be able to enjoy what they paid for as soon as possible. By offering them a free meal at Bistro on Five or the Porch or a free drink voucher if they arrive after a certain time, more people would be willing to stall their boarding because the perception would then be that they would be gaining value instead of losing it by boarding at a later time.

Edited January 21, 2015 by SantaFeFan

[CathyCruises]

Perhaps if they offered a reward for checking in later they'd find people more agreeable. As it now stands, many people are expecting to be able to enjoy what they paid for as soon as possible. By offering them a free meal at Bistro on Five or the Porch or a free drink voucher if they arrive after a certain time, more people would be willing to stall their boarding because now the perception would be that they would be gaining value, instead of losing it, by boarding at a later time.

 

Great idea but I'm sure if anything it will be the other way around. They will charge more for people wanting to board early rather than rewarding those who board later.

[Arubalisa]

I must be staying at the wrong hotels! :p

Me too! ;) In my last 3 hotel stays, 1 out of 3 times we were able to get a late checkout. :(

[cle-guy]

Great idea but I'm sure if anything it will be the other way around. They will charge more for people wanting to board early rather than rewarding those who board later.

 

This is actually an idea to add into a thread I started a week or so ago....Have real priority boarding, with real benefits like direct luggage delivery, guaranteed early arrival to ship, cabin ready on arrival etc. Charge $50 per person, even include a BLU-like lunch or something.

[OuiOnboard]

Your account must be paid in full before you can board the ship, and before your can disembark. Everything else is debatable.

[richsea]

This is actually an idea to add into a thread I started a week or so ago....Have real priority boarding, with real benefits like direct luggage delivery, guaranteed early arrival to ship, cabin ready on arrival etc. Charge $50 per person, even include a BLU-like lunch or something.

 

All I can say is thank God you are not running Celebrity.

[davekathy]

All I can say is thank God you are not running Celebrity.

 

Agree

[wwcruisers]

All I can say is thank God you are not running Celebrity.

 

I agree! No offense Curt, but maybe you should look into reviving the defunct line known as E-Z Cruise. ;)

As I understand it, everything there, from food to clean towels, was a separate charge. Even with all those 'upsells', the line was unable to stay afloat. :eek:

[cle-guy]

What would we do if we get to a pit where the port is so congested the port starts to REQUIRE delayed boarding.

 

There is no real quick fix to port congestion at many of the piers. I've sat in a taxi in traffic for 30-45 minutes and finally got out and walked. I've waiting in the taxi line at disembarkation just as long, as taxi's were all jammed in the traffic lines to get in.

 

I like to leave ship late, I;m not a morning person, and see the taxi line grow while watching people starting to arrive to the pier, even before boarding officially starts, so the congestion starts early, and never recovers. Its like how a traffic accident stalls a freeway, and it takes hours for the roadway to get back to normal speed. Logically we thing accident gone, traffic to 65MPH, but it takes time in reality to get moving again.

 

Ships get bigger, ports remain the same as the government won't approved funds to fix it. one rubies have more double and triple occupancies, congesting things even more.

 

Passengers pay a per person tax to cover immigration officers, yet they won't even add more officers even though we are paying for them.

 

I see a time where somethings gonna change relative to getting to the pier in several berths of ports of we ourselves don't better "self police" our arrivals.

 

Staggered boarding is likely just the first attempt to help this issue, and seems to be coming from Port officials, not the ships themselves, and if it doesn't work, what is the next option...

Edited January 21, 2015 by cle-guy

[cle-guy]

I agree! No offense Curt, but maybe you should look into reviving the defunct line known as E-Z Cruise. ;)

As I understand it, everything there, from food to clean towels, was a separate charge. Even with all those 'upsells', the line was unable to stay afloat. :eek:

 

I'm not at all advocating charging for towels, or food.

 

I am advocating for a NEW VIP boarding experience, something other successful lines actually already offer. Everyone else is free to have their luggage taken and delivered as it currently is, no extra charge. Everyone else is free to dine at Buffet on embarkation day, no extra charge. But some may want an enhanced experience, and be willing to pay for it, so I say capitalism rules, let's charge them for that experience. If it has the secondary effect of pushing embarkation back an hour for others, I highly doubt that the cruising public in numbers enough to have any effect on the bottom line will say, "screw it, I'm done cruising Celebrity since they took 1 hour away from my 7 day cruise - never again, I'm moving to Carnival next time."

[Lady Chew]

Well, based on what I've been reading on this thread ... here's part of the problem with these complaints ...

 

When we're embarking, most of us want to get on as early as possible ...

 

When we're debarking, most of us want to stay on longer ...

 

Can't have it both ways, folks!

[davekathy]

What would we do if we get to a pit where the port is so congested the port starts to REQUIRE delayed boarding.

 

There is no real quick fix to port congestion at many of the piers. I've sat in a taxi in traffic for 30-45 minutes and finally got out and walked. I've waiting in the taxi line at disembarkation just as long, as taxi's were all jammed in the traffic lines to get in.

 

I like to leave ship late, I;m not a morning person, and see the taxi line grow while watching people starting to arrive to the pier, even before boarding officially starts, so the congestion starts early, and never recovers. Its like how a traffic accident stalls a freeway, and it takes hours for the roadway to get back to normal speed. Logically we thing accident gone, traffic to 65MPH, but it takes time in reality to get moving again.

 

Ships get bigger, ports remain the same as the government won't approved funds to fix it. one rubies have more double and triple occupancies, congesting things even more.

 

Passengers pay a per person tax to cover immigration officers, yet they won't even add more officers even though we are paying for them.

 

I see a time where somethings gonna change relative to getting to the pier in several berths of ports of we ourselves don't better "self police" our arrivals.

 

Staggered boarding is likely just the first attempt to help this issue, and seems to be coming from Port officials, not the ships themselves, and if it doesn't work, what is the next option...

 

I guess if it ever gets to that point your concerned about you will just have to be patient and wait your turn. The ship isn’t going to leave without you. I say first come first serve. We’re early raisers and have never experienced the chaos you have. You do have choices.

[bighairtexan]

A couple of years ago CARNIVAL instituted an for fee early boarding. Sorry but I do not want Celebrity to be like Carnival.

[CRUZBUDS]

A couple of years ago CARNIVAL instituted an for fee early boarding. Sorry but I do not want Celebrity to be like Carnival.

 

They give it to Platinum (Elite) and above -- it is a fantastic perk. Last time we were on Carnival we were in our cabin at 11:30 and had all of our bags by 12:15. We were unpacked well before the rooms were opened to the rest of the ship. If we weren't Platinum, we would pay the $50 per cabin in a heart beat.

 

They offer a limited number of Faster to the Fun passes based on the number of Platinum guests. They sell like hotcakes. They board after Platinum.

Edited January 21, 2015 by CRUZBUDS

[gentle@spici]

I feel left out, I didn't get an email, phone call or text before I sailed on the Reflection 10 days ago. I had a 9:30 am flight into Miami and as luck would have it we got right on a cab and was onboard by 11am. The ship was more than ready to accommodate us. There were people already sunning at the pool and the buffet was all ready and we had a nice lunch before we started exploring the ship. Our room was ready shortly after 1. This is our 7th cruise and was by far the earliest we have ever boarded. Once we got on around 3 and didn't have any time to eat before we had to get ready for the muster drill. A few people have noted on here that we do pay for this day and I am completely in this camp. Most of us pay thousands of dollars on a cruise when all is said and done and I prefer to get every extra hr we can. It doesn't always work out but this time it did and I'm glad for that.

[Andy]

Hi Everyone,

 

We're sailing on Equinox on Friday, and also received an email yesterday.

 

This subject is a tough one, with few answers that will appeal to all. In some ways, I like the idea of staggered boarding, and I applaud what Celebrity is trying to accomplish - in theory. On the other hand, the current plan simply does not work as currently offered - especially as most of us have made travel arrangements, and it's too late to make changes. Perhaps this could work, if more notice was given, but that too, is an unknown.

 

Another issue... most everyone wants to get onboard as early as possible. Can you blame anyone for that ? :) Under this scenario, if it were firm boarding times, I could see many guests being unhappy with later than anticipated boarding, and this can set the tone for their cruise. I certainly would not want to see that happen.

 

Perhaps Celebrity could ask for late boarding volunteers, immediately after final payment is made, and offer a choice of perks for boarding after 1:30 or 2 pm. Perhaps a choice of 1 item from a list. As an example: a discount for 1 specialty dining, or 30 additional internet minutes, or 5 captains club points. With an enticement, I bet they'd get plenty of volunteers !

 

For those who are worried about waiting in the terminal - from what I'm hearing... although the email sounds like a firm "rule", it does not appear to be the case at this point. I'm hearing that guests may board at their convenience.

 

Hope this is helpful !

Edited January 21, 2015 by Host Andy

[miched]

Great idea but I'm sure if anything it will be the other way around. They will charge more for people wanting to board early rather than rewarding those who board later.

 

I think that I seen that Carnival has a program like that. You can pay extra to board a little earlier, and in effect that is what Celebrity is doing as those in the higher cost cabin categories are given earlier times to arrive.

 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞