New Sign & Sail card delivery system??

[HectorAchilleus]

But why are they doing this? What possible advantages can they expect at the risk of lost drink sales, people disregarding the closed doors to get their cards (and probably dropping their stuff off at the same time), customer confusion and annoyance, and client backlash.

 

I just do not see an upside for this.

[cindorphin]

What happens if you don't use a passport?

 

 

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[Raxter54]

OK, so you can use your boarding pass to get a drink. We print ours off so that we are both together. That means that only one of us can get drinks at a time. If we aren't together, one of us doesn't have the boarding pass.

 

Unless they've changed it, I though they always took our boarding pass when we checked in.

I believe Carnival uses individual boarding passes now. Looked at our cruise documents and DW and I each have our own boarding pass....

 

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[happy cruzin]

I would really miss the "BONG" when you first enter the ship:(

 

 

Dan

 

 

Sadly...I think it's already gone!

 

When we were on the Breeze in September they were using a handheld scanner - that made no noise - each time we got on or off the ship! :(

[joepeka]

I love this.

 

Run into it all the time at work. Some new process/procedure is going to be implemented and almost everyone immediately starts griping about how It Will NEVER Work!!!!! I'm one of the oldest people in the office yet I'm one of the few who actually thinks change is a good thing. Usually. But you certainly never know until you try it out.

 

Eventually, those who were adamant that It Will NEVER Work admit that they were wrong and maybe, just maybe, it wasn't such a bad idea after all.

 

Sheesh. The handful of people who have experienced this are saying it was no big deal, yet there are dozens here insisting that it's The Worst Idea Ever!! :rolleyes:

 

Hey, I never wanted them to change the name from "Capers" to "FunTimes" but I've managed to sail several times since they changed. And then they had the audacity to decrease the size and now I can fit the whole thing in my pocket. The nerve!

I really liked the book "Who Moved My Cheese?" I'm guessing you did too. ;)

[The Rivas family Cruisers]

I got to talk to the CD and the captain on the Splendor last week.

It's something they are piloting on the Splendor, and it just started. They said it cut back boarding time from 2-3 hours to about an hour, and they both thought it was going well.

If you don't have your card, you could use your boarding pass, or I guess pay with your credit card.

I have a passport, but they took my picture, and used that for the picture.

No more ding. :( I told the captain that was not good, but he just laughed at me.

[RW20]

Think about this, later staggered check-in times gives Carnival more time get rooms ready. In fact, knowing which guests can't check in until 2:30 gives them better information on when rooms need to be ready. The can prioritize by check-in time.

 

That means those with a check-in of 10:30 they can prep those rooms after the other priority ones and possibly have them ready for then they board the ship.

 

What does this mean? Rather than rushing to get all of the rooms done by 1:30 they now have more time.

 

So maybe BOARDING TIME DOES NOT EQUAL STAGGERED CHECK-IN TIME. But consider what John is asking on Facebook right now. He wants to know how quickly you want to get in your stateroom after boarding. Think of how Carnival can use this information along with staggered check-in.

 

Well I did think of where this could lead and....

 

If he sees an overwhelming response of "I want in right away" then Carnival can manage staggered check-in times to ensure the rooms can be done in time for the earliest boarding time that could create. That could lead to less early check-in time options available as they will still need do the FTTF, Diamond and Platinum first.

 

I am sure there are smart people at Carnival that have thought of this. Don't be surprised if this is where it is all going.

 

BOARDING time has nothing to do with the staggered CHECK-IN time. Check-in can start as early as 10:30; I've never seen boarding before 11:30 anywhere.

 

 

 

I have rarely encountered anyone standing at the doors to the rooms. On one occasion, they argued with me about letting me pass (they didn't care that I had a Platinum card - they said NO ONE was allowed until 1:30).

 

It will be interesting to see how this new system works.

[volmoma]

Neither is a scenario where a stolen card gets the charges "wiped clean" or "reversed" without any hassle. There will almost certainly be a hassle, and any charges that have already posted as a hold against your credit card could take more than a week to clear.

 

 

It's my understanding that the final CC charge isn't posted until a day or two after the cruise. Giving all involved time to look over all charges. If a problem occurs the first day of the cruise surely one would see and questioned it before the last night. At least that's how it's been for us.

 

 

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[irishlizz]

If that's the case, how do they take your photo when you board the ship and hear the "DING" for the first time?

 

My last cruise out of Miami when my passport was scanned that photo is what was used for my S&S photo.

[volmoma]

OK, so you can use your boarding pass to get a drink. We print ours off so that we are both together. That means that only one of us can get drinks at a time. If we aren't together, one of us doesn't have the boarding pass.

 

 

 

Unless they've changed it, I though they always took our boarding pass when we checked in.

 

 

The last 4/5 cruises we had to print off individual boarding passes. The reason I remember is the first time I had to print off individual I ran out of ink in our printer on the second boarding pass.

 

 

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[Drose716]

I didn't read all of the posts so I'm sure this is repeat info, but I was on Splendor 10/2 sailing & it's true. I was so confused after having our boarding passes scanned & handed a zone 6 card, they directed us to sit down. I even asked someone because I figured we were given bad info. Nope. We were told "Aahhh I see you've sailed with us before. We've changed our process. You'll find your cards in your mailboxes."

 

If you provide passport info, they pull your pic from there. My kids sailing with BCs had their pics taken. Everything thing is done on a tablet. The photos, the on & off in port. No more ding. Until you get your card from the mailbox, you can use your boarding pass to make purchases. Our cheers & bottomless bubbles info was pulled from boarding passes & I was able to officially register the kids for CC with that as well.

 

It did not, IMHO, make boarding any faster. I didnt like my credit card info basically hanging out in a public hallway. I bought my first drink & put down my BP to sign the receipt & it soaked thru from condensation on the bar. :( Good thing I didn't want a 2nd before the halls to the rooms opened up... I did like them using my passport photo bc I hate taking pictures. That was the one plus for me.

 

I was going to post about this while passing time sitting in the port waiting to board, but I changed my mind figuring it had changed a while ago & I'd be cluttering tbe boards with old news!

Edited October 20, 2016 by Drose716

[cruisinmeme]

In reference to having to show passport and papers along the way. I did notice every time I put my stuff away I had to pull it out again. That was different. I will say I have come to expect the unexpected with cruising. I swear in over 20 plus cruises no two were alike. Referring to the embarkation especially! Departs seem to be more alike, expect craziness and hope for better.lol

[poobears]

OMG all the what ifs and imaginary scenarios. You can make up all the scary extremes all you want, fact is the chances any of them will happen is extremely slim. Not sure how anyone sets foot on a cruise with all those what ifs going through their head. I refuse to let imaginary worries ruin my cruise.

 

Fast forward a year or so from now and this will be a non issue, everyone will use to it just like they are on other cruiselines that miraculously have not be fraught with thieves and hallway ninjas waiting to steal your card to hit the bar and charge drinks lol

[siestakeys04]

Hopefully we will have a ding on the valor along with the lido deck lady voice[emoji23][emoji23] I love her.

 

 

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[DrHfuhruhurr]

It's my understanding that the final CC charge isn't posted until a day or two after the cruise. Giving all involved time to look over all charges. If a problem occurs the first day of the cruise surely one would see and questioned it before the last night. At least that's how it's been for us.

 

 

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My only recent experience is with Celebrity, but charges were treated as holds until the end of the cruise. Which, if you're using a dedicated account, can cause problems. On our cruise with Celebrity, we booked a big excursion but decided to cancel later (due to a spot opening on a preferred excursion later in the day). The charge for the original excursion was a "hold," not final, but it stayed until a few days after the cruise ended. So, we had $2,000 less to spend during the cruise than we would have otherwise.

 

Charges for a few drinks wouldn't be nearly as big of a deal, but my point was it might not be "hassle free." I'd rather my credit card (or other cards linked to it) be kept secure.

 

 

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[volmoma]

Never had to do that with excursions. But I could see where that might become a problem, just wondering were they booked through your cruise line or private company? I agree with poobears, a year from now people will still be using CC's, the "ding" will probably be gone when boarding and all will be well our sign n sails! 51 days before we sail!

 

 

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[wmwmarmstrong]

Most of my family puts cash deposits down, in the first check in line. This worked well so they did not have to wait in the long lines.

 

My question is, will this still be possible with the new system?

[ScottsSweetie]

Think about this, later staggered check-in times gives Carnival more time get rooms ready. In fact, knowing which guests can't check in until 2:30 gives them better information on when rooms need to be ready. The can prioritize by check-in time.

 

That means those with a check-in of 10:30 they can prep those rooms after the other priority ones and possibly have them ready for then they board the ship.

 

What does this mean? Rather than rushing to get all of the rooms done by 1:30 they now have more time.

 

So maybe BOARDING TIME DOES NOT EQUAL STAGGERED CHECK-IN TIME. But consider what John is asking on Facebook right now. He wants to know how quickly you want to get in your stateroom after boarding. Think of how Carnival can use this information along with staggered check-in.

 

Well I did think of where this could lead and....

 

If he sees an overwhelming response of "I want in right away" then Carnival can manage staggered check-in times to ensure the rooms can be done in time for the earliest boarding time that could create. That could lead to less early check-in time options available as they will still need do the FTTF, Diamond and Platinum first.

 

I am sure there are smart people at Carnival that have thought of this. Don't be surprised if this is where it is all going.

 

 

Well, first off, "If he sees an overwhelming response of I want in right away" - really? Did anyone, him included, think that people would say, "No, John, I'd love to haul my luggage around with me - that wouldn't be inconvenient at all." :rolleyes:

 

Secondly, the passenger is in charge of the location of their room and their check-in time. It's entirely possible that a steward's area could include a large number of Plats / Diamonds / FTTFs / + a lot of 10:30 check-ins. Since it seems that several ships or ports now have a reported earliest check-in time of later than 10:30, I don't think they are moving to having rooms ready earlier.

[jimbo5544]

I didn't read all of the posts so I'm sure this is repeat info, but I was on Splendor 10/2 sailing & it's true. I was so confused after having our boarding passes scanned & handed a zone 6 card, they directed us to sit down. I even asked someone because I figured we were given bad info. Nope. We were told "Aahhh I see you've sailed with us before. We've changed our process. You'll find your cards in your mailboxes."

 

If you provide passport info, they pull your pic from there. My kids sailing with BCs had their pics taken. Everything thing is done on a tablet. The photos, the on & off in port. No more ding. Until you get your card from the mailbox, you can use your boarding pass to make purchases. Our cheers & bottomless bubbles info was pulled from boarding passes & I was able to officially register the kids for CC with that as well.

 

It did not, IMHO, make boarding any faster. I didnt like my credit card info basically hanging out in a public hallway. I bought my first drink & put down my BP to sign the receipt & it soaked thru from condensation on the bar. :( Good thing I didn't want a 2nd before the halls to the rooms opened up... I did like them using my passport photo bc I hate taking pictures. That was the one plus for me.

 

I was going to post about this while passing time sitting in the port waiting to board, but I changed my mind figuring it had changed a while ago & I'd be cluttering tbe boards with old news!

 

 

Good info. Thanks. Where it will help is in the searching for the cards. We are Diamond and twice out of the last three cruises someone in our group at the VIP checkin had their cards back at the regular check in. Result, someone had to go find their card. Same would be for multiple cabins checking in at the same time, some plat/diamond and some not.

 

 

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[RWolver672]

I just spent over an hour reading the first thousand replies out of over three thousand on JH's FB page where he asked if people would want to get on board and be able to go straight to their cabin.

 

The majority of the people said they wanted to at least be able to drop off their carry-ons but none were in favor of having their S&S cards put in their mail boxes. A lot said that they would quit cruising with Carnival if they implemented that ship wide.

 

I personally don't see how putting the cards in your mailboxes would have anything to do with being able to get to your cabin faster.

 

I have always wondered why when you check in that they didn't have separate lines by the alphabet. That way, they could have the cards lets say for A-D behind the first check in person. E-G for the second, etc. That way it would eliminate the person having to go back to the middle of the check in stations to find the card like they do now. I swear, the "Beards" can't see the forest for the trees. They always make it harder rather than easier.

 

I don't particularly like the idea of anything that's tied to my credit card being left out for anyone to grab. I wouldn't leave my credit card in an envelope in the mailbox so why would I want my S&S card with the credit card tied to it in there.

[Retired_to_Cruise]

Think about this, later staggered check-in times gives Carnival more time get rooms ready. In fact, knowing which guests can't check in until 2:30 gives them better information on when rooms need to be ready. The can prioritize by check-in time.

 

That means those with a check-in of 10:30 they can prep those rooms after the other priority ones and possibly have them ready for then they board the ship.

 

What does this mean? Rather than rushing to get all of the rooms done by 1:30 they now have more time.

 

So maybe BOARDING TIME DOES NOT EQUAL STAGGERED CHECK-IN TIME. But consider what John is asking on Facebook right now. He wants to know how quickly you want to get in your stateroom after boarding. Think of how Carnival can use this information along with staggered check-in.

 

Well I did think of where this could lead and....

 

If he sees an overwhelming response of "I want in right away" then Carnival can manage staggered check-in times to ensure the rooms can be done in time for the earliest boarding time that could create. That could lead to less early check-in time options available as they will still need do the FTTF, Diamond and Platinum first.

 

I am sure there are smart people at Carnival that have thought of this. Don't be surprised if this is where it is all going.

 

 

It seems to me that it would be a slower process to create and execute a room cleaning schedule based on check-in times than it is to go straight down a passageway cleaning one room after the other. Continually moving the carts and cleaning equipment all over the passageways would be a very inefficient way to get a bunch of rooms cleaned quickly and effectively. If you have a team of 3 working together, one could manage the cleaning of the priority rooms and the other two could just go down the hall cleaning the remainder of the rooms one after the other. Before you start, put a colored sign on the priority doors and let one person just zip through those.

[jimbo5544]

I got to talk to the CD and the captain on the Splendor last week.

It's something they are piloting on the Splendor, and it just started. They said it cut back boarding time from 2-3 hours to about an hour, and they both thought it was going well.

If you don't have your card, you could use your boarding pass, or I guess pay with your credit card.

I have a passport, but they took my picture, and used that for the picture.

No more ding. :( I told the captain that was not good, but he just laughed at me.

 

I think I might laugh if you told me that no more ding was a bad idea.....

[Kevin]

It's amazing how everything that is old will one day be new again.

 

When we sailed on the Regal Princess in December of 1995, our cabin keys and sail and sign papers were waiting for us in our cabin in a little plastic wallet.

 

On one side of the wallet was the cabin key. On the other side of the wallet was our sail and sign paper card.

 

Carnival bringing back the good old days of cruising!

[poobears]

I have always wondered why when you check in that they didn't have separate lines by the alphabet. That way, they could have the cards lets say for A-D behind the first check in person. E-G for the second, etc. That way it would eliminate the person having to go back to the middle of the check in stations to find the card like they do now. I swear, the "Beards" can't see the forest for the trees. They always make it harder rather than easier.

 

The problem I see with this is it would break up boarding parties. A lot of parents and kids have different last names. What are you going to do then have little kid and parents stand in different lines? That wont' work so you still have people having to run from line to line to get cards. You could possibly say well divide them #'s like boarding # 123 stand here and loading # 456 stand here but that won't work because you don't know who will be checking in, line 456 could be out the door while line 123 is almost empty.

 

In theory these options work but in reality they don't. Having lots of lines to funnel everyone into is the most efficient way to keep things moving so the cards need to be kept together.

[poobears]

Also people will threaten I'll never sail Carnival again IF, how many times have we seen that over and over. A LOT but we and Carnival know it's not more than hot air and bravado for 99.9% of them. People always freak out when anything changes, puff their chest out and threaten to take their toys and sail another line and when the find out it was no big deal from other cruisers they get right back on the ship. I doubt if Carnival is putting much stock in the blustering going on JHs board, they will see how it plays out on the actual ships, that's where the real info will come from.