new (later) boarding times?

[VermeulT]

I just got this email re: my Jan 4th Koningdam embarkation.  I've never seen such late requests.  Is this the new normal?

 

 

Ship Departure time is 5pm from Port Everglades.

[catl331]

It is normal for K'dam.

[oceanmom]

Got the same email this morning for 12/23 Nieuw Statendam.

[CruiserBruce]

Yep...normal for KDam, has been since she launched. Not surprised they are applying it to N. Statendam.

[CHOPPERTESTER]

They can ask....

[rvance]

I just got the same letter for our 12/28 departure. 

 

[HELENPSL]

We did the Thanksgiving cruise on the K'dam on Nov. 21.  We never received anything about boarding times.  There was no line waiting to get into the building at 11:30AM.  There was a line inside to check in but since we are luckily 4 star we pretty much walked right through and were on the ship within 20 minutes.  I wonder if they're doing this just on the Caribbean cruises.

Helen

[sevenseasnomad]

Was on K'dam last Christmas.  Did not receive any such email for that cruise.  We arrived at our usual time; 10:30 a.m. and immediately went through check-in.  Boarded about 11:30.  

 

Not sure what HA is trying to do, but I would imagine they're trying to avoid people standing in line outside the terminal and having a waiting area full of passengers which is exactly what always happens.  

[CGYCruisingFamily]

As a travel agent, these notifications have been coming for my clients more regularly especially when there are multiple ships in port. When they first started sending them, there was no mention of 4 or 5* Mariners getting on early.

 

I can personally say that when we travel and have to check out of our hotel early, I dont want to wait until 2-3 pm to board. What is my family supposed to do for those 3-4 hours?

 

 

 

[foodsvcmgr]

And while suggesting these late times they still only serve MDR embarkation lunch Noon-1pm?

[CGYCruisingFamily]

1 hour ago, foodsvcmgr said:

And while suggesting these late times they still only serve MDR embarkation lunch Noon-1pm?

 

I Heard they no longer had lunch in the MDR but I could be wrong. We will find out Friday.

 

[Snowbaby369]

We booked a guarantee...so still waiting for room assignment !

[frankc98376]

We have gotten these emails several times.  Still arrived at our normal 10:30 and were on the ship at about 11:30. One was a three ship day in Vancouver.  So glad we got there early as many people had horror stories about 2 plus hour lines and waits when they arrived according to the email.  We watched the snaking lines going in and out of the terminal from our balcony.

 

We were NS and 4* and sailed through the terminal.

[Nymich]

Went on Oosterdam last month and they stuck to the schedule.  They let everyone in the lounge to sit and wait.   Going on NS and they have a similar late boarding.  Looks like this is the end of lining up at 10am.  lol

[detroit70]

39 minutes ago, Nymich said:

Went on Oosterdam last month and they stuck to the schedule.  They let everyone in the lounge to sit and wait.   Going on NS and they have a similar late boarding.  Looks like this is the end of lining up at 10am.  lol

This post is the one that worries me.  I've always arrived at the port at about 10:30, despite the emails with boarding times.  Now I'm scheduled to board the K'dam this Friday in Fort Lauderdale and I'm wondering if HAL is really now enforcing the emailed schedule?  Anyone with recent boardings in FLL?

[Nymich]

4 minutes ago, detroit70 said:

This post is the one that worries me.  I've always arrived at the port at about 10:30, despite the emails with boarding times.  Now I'm scheduled to board the K'dam this Friday in Fort Lauderdale and I'm wondering if HAL is really now enforcing the emailed schedule?  Anyone with recent boardings in FLL?

Last month we got there about 1130 for Oosterdam and the waiting area was packed with everyone waiting with a boarding card in hand.  I am sure you will be ok getting there at 10:30 and being able to check in and sit  but if it is like a month ago you will wait to board.  On the other hand that was just one cruise but I got another delayed boarding email for the NS we are booked on.

BTW Detroit Rocks!

 

[detroit70]

3 minutes ago, Nymich said:

BTW Detroit Rocks!

 

Thanks, Nymich!  I grew up there and continue to be proud of my hometown and the progress they're making in recent years!

 

[tinykygal]

On 12/15/2018 at 12:26 PM, VermeulT said:

I just got this email re: my Jan 4th Koningdam embarkation.  I've never seen such late requests.  Is this the new normal?

 

 

Ship Departure time is 5pm from Port Everglades.

It appears DH and I are on this same cruise.

Neither of us have received an email regarding boarding times.

I assume we will check out of the hotel as usual and shuttle to port.

 

I have learned in our 3 past HAL cruises that boarding is much later than on the many  RCCL cruises we have taken.

We have always been able to enjoy a leisurely lunch.

 

[Primus]

For our recent Koningsdam November 21 departure from Ft. Lauderdale, we were dropped off by Lyft at 11:12 and in our cabin by 11:40.  We only had a brief wait to check in our wine.  As 4* mariners we did get on quicker but the regular line was very short too.  We don't remember receiving the staggered boarding time message.

[grsnovi]

We rec'd the staggered boarding email prior to embarking in June on K'dam for Norway. We had spent the night prior in Amsterdam at the port - a half block from the boarding lounge. I think we arrived at the lounge at 9:30 or 10 and waited less than an hour. We did indeed have lunch in the MDR (although the MDR was virtually empty). It was a great cruise! We were the only ship departing that day.

[Djptcp]

We'll be sailing on the Oosterdam on Feb. 2nd and coming from Palm Beach, so  just a quick jaunt to the Port. We have a Neptune Suite so will be interesting to see if we receive an email about boarding times. I hope we do as we don't want to get there early and then have to wait around to board.

[Cruisin Kay D]

Got this email this AM too about boarding the 1/4 Koningsdam!   Its unusually late boarding times.   That day these are there are only 4 ships in port, 3 of which are HAL.  Other 2 are Veendam & Prinsendam.   Could it be because the actual terminal that K'dam will use in Port E is too small for the K'dam crowd getting off & arriving?  (If so, why couldn't they use the large Princess terminal, since there are no Princess ships in port that day?)   Could it be because of 3 HAL ships?    Could it be crew will be too busy taking down Christmas decor to get rooms cleaned or visa-versa?     Could there be some  sort of extra cleaning, inspection or construction that will be necessary that morning?   

Have those notifications in past always included such late arrivals??

Viking Ocean sent out this sort of schedule, but we arrived around 11:30 AM and got on then, but didn't access our cabins for several hours.   Was no big deal as there were lots of nice places to hang around in.

We (group of 7) were looking forward to the leisurely lunch in the MDR.....

Edited December 17, 2018 by Cruisin Kay D

[1964IceCreamLady]

On 12/15/2018 at 5:06 PM, CGYCruisingFamily said:

I can personally say that when we travel and have to check out of our hotel early, I dont want to wait until 2-3 pm to board. What is my family supposed to do for those 3-4 hours?

 

 

 

 

I have been thinking the same thing.  Our plan was to sleep in, eat simple (read: cheap) breakfast, check out of our AirBnB by noon, leisurely board at 1ish (beating the crush), and eat lunch on board.  Now we have 3:30???  Now I have to buy lunch for my family.  Tack another $100 onto our Visa. 😞

Edited December 17, 2018 by 1964IceCreamLady

[catl331]

1 hour ago, Cruisin Kay D said:

Could it be because the actual terminal that K'dam will use in Port E is too small for the K'dam crowd getting off & arriving? ... Could it be because of 3 HAL ships?    Could it be crew will be too busy taking down Christmas decor to get rooms cleaned or visa-versa?     Could there be some  sort of extra cleaning, inspection or construction that will be necessary that morning?   

No, no, no, and no. This is something they have been doing on the K'dam ever since it launched.

[OlsSalt]

4 hours ago, Primus said:

For our recent Koningsdam November 21 departure from Ft. Lauderdale, we were dropped off by Lyft at 11:12 and in our cabin by 11:40.  We only had a brief wait to check in our wine.  As 4* mariners we did get on quicker but the regular line was very short too.  We don't remember receiving the staggered boarding time message.

 

Maybe the smaller lines at that early time for you was because others were honoring their designated boarding times. Encouraging others to ignore their designated boarding times will net what predictable result?