First Impression.

[RDC1]

Deep breath. This too shall pass.

 

I have had amazing and magical boarding experiences, and I have had some hairy ones (Buenos Aires is a total standout for being the worst).

 

Princess does not do really early boarding- typically never before 11:30 even for suites, Elites, and Platinums. That is the bad news.

 

The good news, the cabins are typically ready. Even if they are not ready, you can go to your cabin, drop your bags, and enjoy a lovely lunch in the Main Dining Room.

 

I hope that you are able to get past the wonky boarding and enjoy your cruise. Please, let us know when you are on board!

 

Bon Voyage!

 

I actually found boarding to go quite smoothly in Buenos Aires. Certainly I was thankful that I was on Princess and not on Costa or MCS there.

[TracieABD]

I actually found boarding to go quite smoothly in Buenos Aires. Certainly I was thankful that I was on Princess and not on Costa or MCS there.

 

You are very lucky, indeed. We ended up in the tiny waiting area. There were very limited seats. My mom has mobility imparments and thankfully a kind fellow cruiser offered up their seat for her. I did not mind standing, but there was very little room to stand. It took a long time to make it to the area to clear security and get checked in.

 

No matter. It was probably my favorite cruise of all time! I am just waiting for the day I can repeat that amazing journey!:)

Edited April 10, 2016 by TracieABD

[RDC1]

You are very lucky, indeed. We ended up in the tiny waiting area. There were very limited seats. My mom has mobility imparments and thankfully a kind fellow cruiser offered up their seat for her. I did not mind standing, but there was very little room to stand. It took a long time to make it to the area to clear security and get checked in.

 

No matter. It was probably my favorite cruise of all time! I am just waiting for the day I can repeat that amazing journey!:)

 

We showed up in BA at 11:45. Went to the left past the crowds for MSC and Costa. Once we got to Princess there was no wait at all just walked right through, maybe 5-10 minutes from arrival to getting on the shuttle to the ship. Probably because Princess told people not to come until 2pm due to the crowds due to Costa and MCS also being in port

[sunsetbeachgal]

I am Elite on Princess, as probably many of those who posted on this thread, and I would never expect to board anywhere close to 10 am. I'm sure your documents said what time boarding would start, my guess is noon or later. If so, why did you arrive so early and expect to board hours before what the documents said?

 

And since you say you are Elite on Celebrity I'm sure you understand that once boarding starts the Elite and Suite passengers have priority.

Edited April 10, 2016 by sunsetbeachgal

[TracieABD]

We showed up in BA at 11:45. Went to the left past the crowds for MSC and Costa. Once we got to Princess there was no wait at all just walked right through, maybe 5-10 minutes from arrival to getting on the shuttle to the ship. Probably because Princess told people not to come until 2pm due to the crowds due to Costa and MCS also being in port

 

Makes a lot of sense...:)

[CI66774]

Yes, I was here early, if you call 1000 such. But not to board the ship until 1230 is unacceptable. Never have had this problem at Celebrity. Wanted to try something new, but I will be returning to my Elite status over there.

 

Op - I see now. You showed up when the previous paxs were still disembarking and the ship was being cleaned. What time did Princess tell you to board? I suspect it was somewhat later than 1000. No one really cares about your perceived "status" at Celebrity. To be truthful, you come across as someone who is a forever grump. If you're so put out, get off as I suspect you're one of those paxs who make everyone around them miserable. I know that's how I feel from reading your posts!!!!

[MJSailors]

I do hope the OP reads some of the posts that explain that the embarkation staff are not employees of Princess,but of the port .

It can be confusing as the staff wears uniforms with Princess colors,/ logos. New cruisers to Princess may not realize this and blame the cruise line for embarkation delays .

If you plan an early arrival to.a port, a seasoned traveler would expect lines to board a ship.

We always arrive at a port between 10:30 and 11:00 and wait on line even though we have Platinum priority boarding.We also find ourselves waiting inside in the Platinum area after going through security and getting our cruise cards.

We realize that we will either wait in the cruise terminal or in the hotel lobby for some

amount of time.

We chose to get to the terminal ,go through processing and wait.

It is a good opportunity for people watching!

I wish the OP a good cruise,at least for the sake of the others in his /her party that is sailing with him/her.

It would be interesting if the OP returns with a post at the end of the cruise to give his/her final impressions of the vacation.

 

.

[Blondilu]

Gosh, it's never fun to wait. But your attitude can make or break any situation. For me worst boarding ever was last year on the Royal, British Isles. A crazy, chaotic hot mess loading of passengers at the bus station to get on the Princess shuttles to the port. Once at the port the longest line I have ever been in. And once inside....yep, more waiting. We didn't board until after 6:30pm. Oddly enough is was not unpleasant at all. Met a lot of really nice people and had a really great cruise. Boarding day just became one of many awesome/funny stories to tell when we got home

[ar1950]

Now that the Muster drill is over I wonder if the OP will be back to tell us how terrible that experience was? :D

[Amtrack Springfield]

Have a great CRUISE! Sorry, you arrived to early this morning with 6 ships in port.

[san diego sue]

Poster, and the worst embarkation was with Celebrity. For some reason the doors to the terminal were closed. We got there at noon and hundreds were already in line. Two hours later, standing in line(no where to sit) with hot sun beating down on us, the doors finally opened.People with "Elite Status" on Celebrity were yelling they wanted in and be first in line. We all laughed when they had to head for the rear.Fault of Celebrity. Don't think so. had to do with the Port officials.Did we have it impact our cruise, no way. Met the nicest people in line and continued our friendship once on board. So bad(not really) turned to terrific.

[Astro Flyer]

Anyone who has been in the military like 'DGas' knows the "hurry up & wait" way of doing things & should know that to "hurry up" to the cruise terminal will result in having to "wait" until about noon. As a result of my military service I have a great dislike for crowds but it's something I accept to enjoy a cruise where I'm treated like an officer & not as an enlisted. ;)

 

Not using CC to research a cruise (particularly on a new cruise line) and to assume anything is a lack of due diligence on their part. If he had done any planning he'd know that passengers with priority boarding get on the ship at about noon & later for a first time passenger on any cruise line. And then to join CC to merely vent their :mad: isn't of much use to many passengers.

 

Hopefully he can settle down and is able to enjoy the cruise but he's already posted that probably is not going to happen with an "I'm sure it can only get worse from here" attitude which could be a self fulfilling prophecy. :(

Edited April 10, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[greenie082756]

OP - Like everyone else I hope you eventually took a chill pill and got a grip on things. If you are as experienced as you say then you should know the ropes of how embarkation goes.

 

On every Princess cruise I have taken, there are instructions as to what time to arrive to port to embark. Usually its actually after 1pm. When we do not follow that suggested time we usually have to wait.

 

Last cruise we took out of San Francisco we arrived @ 11:30 or so. The area was filled to the brim with people waiting to board. This was the first time we had seen this many people waiting. UTOH!

 

What we were constantly being told over the PA system was due to an inspection of the ship, boarding would be delayed and they would let us know when. Well heck, wasn't too thrilled but found a seat with the thousands of other people.

 

I watched, waited and listened to the announcements. After about an hour sitting, they started boarding, row by row. It actually was quite efficient AND quick.

 

Like others, I do hope you come back and give us a complete review of your trip - you can skip the embarkation part. :D

[lx200gps]

We disembarked the Regal today around 9:30. Boarding the next passengers may have been adversely affected by the small Noro outbreak that affected the last few days of our trip. Doubtless the crew is in overdrive doing the deep clean, and that, too, may have slowed embarkation for today's sailing.

[SteveH2508]

Another military quote which is apposite in this case: 'If you cannot take a joke, you should not have joined'.

[goofy559]

I believe this person was also complaining in a princess fb forum...responses were eerily similar.... Glass half full attitude!

[shredie]

I believe this person was also complaining in a princess fb forum...responses were eerily similar.... Glass half full attitude!

 

Maybe all the venting will make him feel better. (But I doubt it.)

[Mom33]

First impressions can make or break most anything. I think my cruise on Regal today 4/10/16, is already broken. Princess has a terribly inefficient check in process. Best excuse so far was to blame it on the Coast Guard. Yet the 2 plus hour wait could have been used by clearing the security check point and processing paperwork. Neither of which was done. And 3 security check points seems hardly enough for the thousands of guest coming to check in. Even at this early stage, I will not be sailing with this company again. I'm sure it can only get worse from here. First day of vacation spent waiting in lines, is not my idea of a great time.

 

You bear the responsibility for your waiting time. You were 2 hours too early.

 

Why did you book this cruise? Was it itinerary, curiosity to try something new or to compare it to Celebrity? Did someone persuade you to give it a try?

How long have you been reading CC? You must have known about it before today. You are Elite on Celebrity and only decided to join today to make your negative statements before sailing. You are destined to have a miserable time. It is your responsibility to change your attitude to salvage your vacation.

[Astro Flyer]

The Regal has sailed from Port Everglades so maybe no additional posts from the OP for awhile...it at all.

Edited April 10, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[pablo222]

I have a suspicion that he is a troll!

 

Because he said something negative?

 

Others certainly believed and responded to his comments about

a long wait and check-in delay.

 

It would seem to be a huge effort to find cruise critic on a mobile

device, after having finally survived an unpleasant check-in -- just

to post a trolling message.

 

Although, I realize that anyone who posts anything negative here

is belittled. Calling them a troll is just one example.

[Coveguy4]

It seems like a major effort to make a first posting complaining about something any seasoned cruiser would know is why the troll comment was made. Arriving at 10 to board without expecting to wait on your first Princess cruise? Especially if Elite on another line. Also posted on the same situation on facebook and closed comments.

[pablo222]

Arriving at 10 to board without expecting to wait on your first Princess cruise?

 

Arriving at 10 was supposition posted in one of the replies.

 

If one reads these boards, there are frequent questions

-- how early can I arrive? when do they start accepting bags?

And, lots and lots of posts by people who want to get on as early as

possible.

[Mom33]

Yes, I was here early, if you call 1000 such. But not to board the ship until 1230 is unacceptable. Never have had this problem at Celebrity. Wanted to try something new, but I will be returning to my Elite status over there.

 

It wasn't supposition.

Edited April 10, 2016 by Mom33

[shsce750]

Op - I see now. You showed up when the previous paxs were still disembarking and the ship was being cleaned. What time did Princess tell you to board? I suspect it was somewhat later than 1000. No one really cares about your perceived "status" at Celebrity. To be truthful, you come across as someone who is a forever grump. If you're so put out, get off as I suspect you're one of those paxs who make everyone around them miserable. I know that's how I feel from reading your posts!!!!

 

Exactly!

 

The title of the OP's post says it all. He has given us all a first impression of himself...and it's not favorable!

[srpilo]

Welcome to Cruise Critic

 

 

Please remember to check back in on the next bad day you have

Srpilo