So staggered check-in

[stephlauryn]

Hello, anyone please help if you can....so since NYC now has staggered check-in times I have selected 11:30 -12. What time should I expect to board the ship? This is for the Horizon. Thank you in advance.;p

[NavarreCruiser]

No one can accurately answer your question because boarding times vary greatly from ship to ship, port to port and even week to week. There are many variables that will affect when passengers are allowed to board: weather (which can delay docking), the number of customs agents working, what ports the ship is returning from, how well prepared exiting passengers are, etc. Ships sometimes board as early as 10:00 a.m. and normally no later than 1 p.m. But some storms and fog in southern ports have delayed boarding for many hours or even days.

[ProgRockCruiser]

Depends on many factors, such as when they actually docked and how quickly everyone debarked. Probably somewhere between 12:30 and 1pm, could be earlier, could be later.

[lcpagejr]

Florida departures are pretty much a consistent 11-11:30 boarding because most ships dock very early in the morning (many times before 6am). NY can be more unpredictable based on itinerary, weather etc. When we cruised out of NY a few years ago...we arrived around 9am...It was great coming up Hudson in early morning passing Statue of Liberty and seeing skyline. But as you would expect the terminal was a mess as was traffic around the pier with late disembarking and new passengers ready to board. This was before staggered check-in

[stephlauryn]

No one can accurately answer your question because boarding times vary greatly from ship to ship, port to port and even week to week. There are many variables that will affect when passengers are allowed to board: weather (which can delay docking), the number of customs agents working, what ports the ship is returning from, how well prepared exiting passengers are, etc. Ships sometimes board as early as 10:00 a.m. and normally no later than 1 p.m. But some storms and fog in southern ports have delayed boarding for many hours or even days.

thank u

[stephlauryn]

Florida departures are pretty much a consistent 11-11:30 boarding because most ships dock very early in the morning (many times before 6am). NY can be more unpredictable based on itinerary, weather etc. When we cruised out of NY a few years ago...we arrived around 9am...It was great coming up Hudson in early morning passing Statue of Liberty and seeing skyline. But as you would expect the terminal was a mess as was traffic around the pier with late disembarking and new passengers ready to board. This was before staggered check-in

thank u, that's why I asked because this staggered check-in is new to me.:D:D:D

[stephlauryn]

Depends on many factors, such as when they actually docked and how quickly everyone debarked. Probably somewhere between 12:30 and 1pm, could be earlier, could be later.

thank u

[Howlonguntilmynextcruise?]

Sailed out of NYC twice. First time, July 2016, we arrived around noon and were on the ship by 12:30. I do think we had FTTF, but even if we didn’t, there weren’t many lines at all. In July 2017, they were delayed disembarking the previous cruise, so there were some crazy lines. My frind bumped into a high school buddy who was a porter. He walked us past several crazy lines to check in, but then we waited around an hour to board even with FTTF. There was a huge wedding party that was boarding before us, so that caused some backups as well.

 

Sorry that didn’t really actually answer your question ;p. Just wanted to show it can really vary in NYC. Hope with the streamlined embarkation process (no pics, cards at mailbox) we don’t have to sait too long to start our fun.

[Sam_Eagle]

We sailed on the Vista repo out of NY with the staggered check-in. It was a mess! I had selected the earliest check-in time, even though we had FTTF. I drove myself to the port in a rental car (there's an Enterprise 1 block away) and I misjudged the tunnel traffic. We arrived about 30 minutes after my check-in time, but they hadn't started boarding yet. Check-in actually was pretty smooth, but it was a mess after that. The priority line was massive & snaked around the waiting area. Fortunately, some friends somewhat close to the front spotted me & I jumped in with them. IIRC, I was on board before 1pm. A guess would be general boarding (non-priority) began after 2pm. But again, this was the repo sailing, which had a disproportionate amount of diamonds/platinums on board, which severely slowed things down. Our departure time was supposed to be 6:00pm, but wound up being closer to 7:30pm

 

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[peggisue]

We have sailed Carnival many times, but this is the first for the staggered boarding time. We signed up for a boarding time, but since we are Platinum, can we go at any time? How about those in our group who purchased FTTF?

Thank you!

[Sam_Eagle]

We have sailed Carnival many times, but this is the first for the staggered boarding time. We signed up for a boarding time, but since we are Platinum, can we go at any time? How about those in our group who purchased FTTF?

Thank you!

Yes, you can board any time. The pecking order for boarding is: wedding parties, diamond/platinum, FTTF, general boarding

 

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[mizLORInj]

We have sailed Carnival many times, but this is the first for the staggered boarding time. We signed up for a boarding time, but since we are Platinum, can we go at any time? How about those in our group who purchased FTTF?

Thank you!

 

I thought it odd that platinum had to choose a check-in time, but I think we also had to choose one for a short cruise on Victory in November. We got there later than the time we had selected but were able to get checked in right away and board.

 

In NYC we try to get there after 11-- after boarding has started. I have seen both pier 88 and 90 in NYC at full capacity before boarding (or when boarding is delayed) and it's just too crowded.

[Shaded Lady]

I thought it odd that platinum had to choose a check-in time, but I think we also had to choose one for a short cruise on Victory in November. We got there later than the time we had selected but were able to get checked in right away and board.

Yes, it's kind of strange that they make all of the advanced boarding folks (VIPs, FTTF, suites) select a checkin time, when the time they pick is irrelevant!

 

I think that I need to go to work for Carnival, providing good business requirements to their IT staff, so they can develop something that actually works for their clients!

[riclop]

hello, anyone please help if you can....so since nyc now has staggered check-in times i have selected 11:30 -12. What time should i expect to board the ship? This is for the horizon. Thank you in advance.;p

1215-1230.

[DallasGuy75219]

Yes, it's kind of strange that they make all of the advanced boarding folks (VIPs, FTTF, suites) select a checkin time, when the time they pick is irrelevant!

 

Actually it is relevant on a macro level. If FTTF, Platinums, and Diamonds select the time they actually expect to arrive, that helps better balance crowds across the embarkation period. It doesn't matter so much within the terminal, as these groups have their own check-in lines, but everyone has to use the same infrastructure (and in some cases the same security lines and porters) before they get to the check-in lines.

 

I see FTTF, Platinums, and Diamonds on here say they select the latest slot available, even when they plan on arriving at 11:00 am, to make the early slots available for non-priority folks, but that just worsens the problem that Carnival is trying to fix with staggered check-in.

[Sam_Eagle]

Actually it is relevant on a macro level. If FTTF, Platinums, and Diamonds select the time they actually expect to arrive, that helps better balance crowds across the embarkation period. It doesn't matter so much within the terminal, as these groups have their own check-in lines, but everyone has to use the same infrastructure (and in some cases the same security lines and porters) before they get to the check-in lines.

 

I see FTTF, Platinums, and Diamonds on here say they select the latest slot available, even when they plan on arriving at 11:00 am, to make the early slots available for non-priority folks, but that just worsens the problem that Carnival is trying to fix with staggered check-in.

I agree with this. It's for this reason that most of us on the Vista repo sailing that got FTTF, or were platinum/diamond, all selected the earliest check-in time, when we expected to actually arrive. This way, fewer general gold/red/blue could select this time.

 

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[stephlauryn]

Sailed out of NYC twice. First time, July 2016, we arrived around noon and were on the ship by 12:30. I do think we had FTTF, but even if we didn’t, there weren’t many lines at all. In July 2017, they were delayed disembarking the previous cruise, so there were some crazy lines. My frind bumped into a high school buddy who was a porter. He walked us past several crazy lines to check in, but then we waited around an hour to board even with FTTF. There was a huge wedding party that was boarding before us, so that caused some backups as well.

 

Sorry that didn’t really actually answer your question ;p. Just wanted to show it can really vary in NYC. Hope with the streamlined embarkation process (no pics, cards at mailbox) we don’t have to sait too long to start our fun.

Thank u so much, it gave me a good idea of how the day can go.

[dorisdvu]

If I arrive at the port prior to my assigned boarding time (45 minutes - 1 hour), will I have to wait until that time before I board?

[BEEZALAR]

We sail this Sunday as platinum ....I picked the latest time, since I'm not sure if I'll be in a hurry or not. This way I can go either way!

 

 

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[cuyahoga11]

If I arrive at the port prior to my assigned boarding time (45 minutes - 1 hour), will I have to wait until that time before I board?

 

 

You have to wait outside until your assigned check in time

 

 

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[Organized Chaos]

Hello, anyone please help if you can....so since NYC now has staggered check-in times I have selected 11:30 -12. What time should I expect to board the ship? This is for the Horizon. Thank you in advance.;p

If your'e not Platinum/Diamond or have FTTF, you need to arrive within your check-in window or after. If you show up early, you typically have to wait outside the terminal until your time.

 

If you're not priority, you'll go through security and the check-in process, then are given a zone number. That zone number determines when you'll board. They'll call wedding parties, platinum/diamond, suites, and FTTF to board first, then begin calling zones. So the earlier you arrive within your check-in window, the lower the zone number you'll be, the sooner you board. :)

[Organized Chaos]

I thought it odd that platinum had to choose a check-in time, but I think we also had to choose one for a short cruise on Victory in November. We got there later than the time we had selected but were able to get checked in right away and board.

 

Yes, it's kind of strange that they make all of the advanced boarding folks (VIPs, FTTF, suites) select a checkin time, when the time they pick is irrelevant!

 

I think that I need to go to work for Carnival, providing good business requirements to their IT staff, so they can develop something that actually works for their clients!

Even though priority passengers are technically allowed to arrive before their assigned check-in time, Carnival still prefers that everyone choose a time closest to when they think they'll actually arrive. This is to ensure that staggered check-in works as efficiently as possible. So, Shaded Lady, they do know what they're doing after all. :)

[Towel Critter]

What's with folks starting a sentence with "so" nowadays? So it bugs me, to be honest. So it is some sort of fashion statement? So is it something the "cool kids" do? So what's the deal?:confused:

[Hilfiger42]

From what I am reading in the above posts, it's better to select an earlier time even if you arrive past the window chosen. Otherwise if you arrive early before your appointment window, you'll have to wait. Please correct me if I am wrong. We leave next week for Alaska.

[Organized Chaos]

From what I am reading in the above posts, it's better to select an earlier time even if you arrive past the window chosen. Otherwise if you arrive early before your appointment window, you'll have to wait. Please correct me if I am wrong. We leave next week for Alaska.

Right. If you don't have priority of some kind (platinum, diamond, FTTF), you're not allowed into the terminal until your check-in time. They'd like everyone to pick a time closest to when you think you'll actually arrive, if possible. But if you really don't know, you can always check in after your time, just not before.

 

What's with folks starting a sentence with "so" nowadays? So it bugs me, to be honest. So it is some sort of fashion statement? So is it something the "cool kids" do? So what's the deal?:confused:

So what? ;)